The Art of Belonging


Hugh Mackay - 2014
    Drawing on 50 years' experience as a social researcher, Mackay creates a fictional suburb, Southwood, and populates it with characters who - like most of us - struggle to reconcile their need to belong with their desire to live life on their own terms. He chronicles the numerous human interactions and inevitable conflicts that arise in a community when characters assert their own needs at the expense of others. Through a series of riveting, interconnected stories, Mackay reveals the beautiful symmetry of the human condition: we need communities, but communities also need us. His book is a quiet but persuasive entreaty to readers to take responsibility for the places where they live by engaging, volunteering, joining up and joining in.The Art of Belonging is the book that will reignite the conversation about how we want to live; it will provide the framework for those who argue for a particular vision of community, one that sustains, protects and nurtures the many, and not just the few.

Breaking Free from the Victim Trap: Reclaiming Your Personal Power


Diane Zimberoff - 1989
    The reader will begin to discover hope that healthy change is possible and gather determination to seek help to make those changes. This book identifies the victim, rescuer and persecutor personalities set forth in earlier ground-breaking work (and bestsellers) by Eric Berne, Claude Steiner and Thomas A. Harris. "Breaking Free..." builds upon this sturdy foundation of conflict resolution and takes the reader to the next level of healing. The easy-to-understand descriptions of the Victim Triangle help the reader to see how and why this may apply to him or her. There are a number of personal questionnaires and self-evaluation tests. For example, the reader can take a Victim Triangle Self Diagnosis Test, which is often helpful in motivating readers to seek and receive the healing they need and desire. The book describes through clear and dramatic case histories the connection between these victim patterns and most addictive behavior. This book presents a working model of what actually causes such self-deprecating behavior as alcoholism, sexual addiction, eating disorders, domestic violence, and the exhaustion of over-commitment seen in workaholics. Fascinating case histories assist the reader in recognizing this syndrome and how it may be wreaking havoc in their own lives and relationships. After careful consideration of causes and behaviors, the book provides simple tested treatment techniques that have been found to be extremely effective by thousands of clients. This is where "Breaking Free From the Victim Trap" breaks free of outdated methods and introduces a unique combination of healing techniques that virtually anyone can access. There is a clear explanation of the powerful benefits of hypnotherapy as well as an introduction to the Personal Transformation groups that have been established to treat this syndrome. The numerous case histories of real people who have healed the victim patterns in their lives offer hope and inspiration to those who seek healing and resolution. The book provides the reader with foundational concepts and tools for personal change. To those seeking treatment and to those providing treatment, clear choices are offered to provide the suffering person with new self-affirming behaviors. This book offers a holistic approach to personal growth and spiritual advancement.

Grace Unfolding: Psychotherapy in the Spirit of Tao-Te Ching


Greg Johanson - 1991
    "A fascinating blend of Eastern spirituality, Western psychotherapy, feminist consciousness, and real caring."--Riane Eisler, author of The Chalice and the Blade 35 black-and-white photographs.

Relational-Cultural Therapy


Judith V. Jordan - 2009
    Jordan explores the history, theory, and practice of this relationship-centered, culturally oriented form of therapy.

The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind


Julian Jaynes - 1976
    The implications of this revolutionary scientific paradigm extend into virtually every aspect of our psychology, our history and culture, our religion -- and indeed our future.

The Way to Vibrant Health: A Manual of Bioenergetic Exercises


Alexander Lowen - 1977
    These unique exercises are designed to reduce muscular tension and promote well-being, allowing you to feel more joy and vibrancy.

Pioneers of Psychology


Raymond E. Fancher - 1900
    In this Third Edition of Pioneers of Psychology, Professor Fancher again traces the evolution of this influential science through the personal triumphs and disappointments of a fascinating gallery of individuals, from Descartes, Gall, and Kant to James, Piaget, and Skinner.

The Essential Ken Wilber


Ken Wilber - 1998
    This introductory sampler, designed to acquaint newcomers with his work, contains brief passages from his most popular books, ranging over a variety of topics, including levels of consciousness, mystical experience, meditation practice, death, the perennial philosophy, and Wilber's integral approach to reality, integrating matter, body, mind, soul, and spirit. Here is Wilber's writing at its most reader-friendly, discussing essential ideas of the world's great psychological, philosophical, and spiritual traditions in language that is lucid, engaging, and inspirational.

Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself


Kristin Neff - 2011
    Kristin Neff comes a step-by-step guide explaining how to be more self-compassionate and achieve your dreams in lifeThe relentless pursuit of high self-esteem has become a virtual religion—and a tyrannical one at that. Our ultracompetitive culture tells us we need to be constantly above average to feel good about ourselves, but there is always someone more attractive, successful, or intelligent than we are. And even when we do manage to grab hold of high self-esteem for a brief moment, we can't seem to keep it. Our sense of self-worth goes up and down like a ping-pong ball, rising and falling in lockstep with our latest success or failure.Fortunately, there is an alternative to self-esteem that many experts believe is a better and more effective path to happiness: self-compassion. The research of Dr. Kristin Neff and other leading psychologists indicates that people who are compassionate toward their failings and imperfections experience greater well-being than those who repeatedly judge themselves. The feelings of security and self-worth provided by self-compassion are also highly stable, kicking in precisely when self-esteem falls down. This book powerfully demonstrates why it's so important to be self-compassionate and give yourself the same caring support you'd give to a good friend.This groundbreaking work will show you how to let go of debilitating self-criticism and finally learn to be kind to yourself. Using solid empirical research, personal stories, practical exercises, and humor, Dr. Neff—the world's foremost expert on self-compassion—explains how to heal destructive emotional patterns so that you can be healthier, happier, and more effective. Engaging, highly readable, and eminently accessible, this book has the power to change your life.

Living on Purpose: Straight Answers to Universal Questions


Dan Millman - 2000
    In Living on Purpose, Millman tackles some of the toughest questions, and in the process, refines and expands on the teachings of his other books. Millman applies timeless principles to questions about metaphysics, destiny and free will, control and surrender, goal-making, marriage, child-rearing, money and work, sexuality, priority setting, and simplifying life. He combines hard-won personal wisdom with common sense to shed light on real-world problems.

I Don't Want to Talk About It: Overcoming the Secret Legacy of Male Depression


Terrence Real - 1997
    And these escape attempts only hurt the people men love and pass their condition on to their children.This ground breaking book is the "pathway out of darkness" that these men and their families seek. Real reveals how men can unearth their pain, heal themselves, restore relationships, and break the legacy of abuse. He mixes penetrating analysis with compelling tales of his patients and even his ownexperiences with depression as the son of a violent, depressed father and the father of two young sons.

Love Relations: Normality and Pathology


Otto F. Kernberg - 1995
    Otto Kernberg, the internationally renowned psychoanalytic theorist and clinician, here examines the success and failure of sexual love in couples, from adolescence to old age.Dr. Kernberg considers the two partners' conscious and unconscious emotional interactions and their unconsciously activated superego interactions. He also suggests that they establish a joint ego ideal as a couple, which plays an important role in the success of the relationship. And because the couple experiences love and sex in the context of the social environment, he studies the nature of relations between the couple and the group. After describing the biological and psychological determinants and elements of the sexual experience, Dr. Kernberg traces the nature of that experience over time in the light of object relations theory. He shows how the activation of unconscious, internalized object relations from the past triggers the most troubling conflicts and is also responsible for the most exciting aspects of a couple's love life. Throughout, Dr. Kernberg considers both so-called normal and pathological relationships, including the role of narcissism, masochism, and aggression in each. The result is a book that expands the boundaries of our current understanding of love relations.

The Drama of the Gifted Child: The Search for the True Self


Alice Miller - 1979
    I simply meant all of us who have survived an abusive childhood thanks to an ability to adapt even to unspeakable cruelty by becoming numb.... Without this 'gift' offered us by nature, we would not have survived." But merely surviving is not enough. The Drama of the Gifted Child helps us to reclaim our life by discovering our own crucial needs and our own truth.

The Big Questions: Ethics


Julian Baggini - 2012
    In 'The Big Questions: Ethics' Julian Baggini, one of Britain's best-known philosophers, condenses complex, contemporary issues of right and wrong into 20 key questions. He examines how we can start to answer them, what they might mean to us and how they influence the way we choose to live our lives. Among the ideas debated are: What is free will? Can it ever be right to kill? Is terrorism ever justified? Should euthanasia be legal? Are some people superior to others? Do animals have rights?

Do You QuantumThink?: New Thinking That Will Rock Your World


Dianne Collins - 2011
    We're all looking for new ways of thinking that can bring about real solutions to modern problems, from the pursuit of inner serenity to solving world conflicts. In Do You QuantumThink? author Dianne Collins shares her ingenious discovery that reveals a critical missing link to make sense of our changing times. Her discovery provides us with the understanding and methodology to rise above problems of today by laying the foundation for an entirely new way to think.Part science, part philosophy, part spirituality, Do You QuantumThink? draws on a wide spectrum of sources, from cutting edge innovations in the sciences to the insights of the world's greatest spiritual leaders. This book will make you laugh, free you from limiting ideas, and introduce you to the most advanced principles and practical methods for living. Do You QuantumThink? will rock your world in the best of ways as you experience one revelation after another.