He helps us understand why our bodies respond before our minds have a chance to make sense of a situation. By looking deeply at the roots of what provokes us–the words, actions, and even sensory elements like smell–we find opportunities to understand the origins of our triggers and train our bodies to remain calm in the face of painful memories.The book offers in-the-moment exercises on how to process difficult emotions and physical manifestations in order to to cultivate the inner resources necessary to deal with recurring memories of trauma. When we are triggered, Richo writes, “we are being bullied by our own unfinished business.” Explore what your body’s knee-jerk reactions can teach you. Triggers: How We Can Stop Reacting and Start Healing acts as a guide to your body’s powerful responses, helping you to remain calm under pressure and discover the key to emotional healing.“David Richo helps normalize the fact that everyone has triggers—and they can be a gift. Triggers point directly to interrupted spiritual work that can free us from suffering. This book offers creative tools to step aside from reactivity and engage the curiosity that can lead to deeper exploration and truly liberating discoveries.”—Jan Chozen Bays, author of Mindfulness on the Go “Triggers can be experienced in two ways—as negatives or positives, as automatic reactions or mindfully honed responses. The former is largely not in our conscious awareness, and the latter is what we hope to learn as we journey through life. Using science, philosophy, mindfulness practice, and his own life experiences, author and psychotherapist David Richo helps us develop the tools to do the hard work of examining ourselves, our relationships, and our pasts to heal our wounds and become the person we have the potential to be.”—Sharon Salzberg, author of Real Happiness“In this potent book, David Richo offers a detailed map of the terrain for healing our triggers. With characteristic clarity, warmth, and depth, he provides a range of tools, insights, and practical exercises to actually do what we’ve so often heard taught: to respond rather than react. If taken to heart, this book will help us reclaim our power, serve as a catalyst for transformation, and teach us all how to step more fully into caring for each other and our world.”—Oren Jay Sofer, author of Say What You Mean“With pointed yet compassionate advice, Richo’s exploration of triggers will appeal to those interested in the psychological benefits of acknowledging and working to understand troubling experiences.”—Publishers Weekly“Acknowledging that there are ‘no bulletproof vests for the psyche,’ Triggers is an empowering book that reframes triggers as guides into the psychological and spiritual work that needs to be done for deep healing to take place. What once provoked a cascade of damaging emotions becomes an invitation to learn, heal, and give and receive love.”—Foreword Reviews “Particularly beneficial for anyone suffering from past pain, as well as those seeking to be more proficient at owning their own behavior.”—Library Journal

    In so doing they offer a new understanding of human development that points a way to change in all of our institutions-work, community, school, and family-and is sure to transform lives.

    Is this self-segregation a problem to address or a coping strategy? Beverly Daniel Tatum, a renowned authority on the psychology of racism, argues that straight talk about our racial identities is essential if we are serious about enabling communication across racial and ethnic divides. These topics have only become more urgent as the national conversation about race is increasingly acrimonious. This fully revised edition is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the dynamics of race in America.

    Here's a proven method that makes it not only considerably easier, but also much more effective for people on both sides of the conversation. Oren Sofer's method for effective communication is a unique combination of mindfulness with the modality called nonviolent communication (NVC), a method popular since the 1960s that is based on the belief that all human beings have the capacity for compassion and resort to violence or behavior that harms others only when they don't recognize more effective strategies for meeting needs. NVC provides those peaceful strategies. Oren's unique method for fostering peaceful--and effective--communication has three "steps" or components: (1) presence: bringing mindful awareness to the interaction, (2) intention: clarifying and setting a goal for the interaction, and (3) attention: learning to really hear and understand in a way that enables you to navigate the difficulties, express yourself clearly, and listen like it really matters--which it most certainly does. The steps are accompanied by many practical exercises, and in the course of this three-part training, readers will learn how to apply these skills to personal and social relationships with romantic partners, friends, colleagues, and family.