New Self, New World challenges the primary story of what it means to be human, the random and materialistic lifestyle that author Philip Shepherd calls our “shattered reality.” This reality encourages us to live in our heads, self-absorbed in our own anxieties. Drawing on diverse sources and inspiration, New Self, New World reveals that our state of head-consciousness falsely teaches us to see the body as something we possess and to try to take care of it without ever really learning how to inhabit it. Shepherd articulates his vision of a world in which each of us enjoys a direct, unmediated experience of being alive. He petitions against the futile pursuit of the “known self” and instead reveals the simple grace of just being present. In compelling prose, Shepherd asks us to surrender to the reality of “what is” that enables us to reunite with our own being. Each chapter is accompanied by exercises meant to bring Shepherd’s vision into daily life, what the author calls a practice that “facilitates the voluntary sabotage of long-standing patterns.” New Self, New World is at once a philosophical primer, a spiritual handbook, and a roaming inquiry into human history.
Everyone experiences some level of apprehension about major life decisions—from wedding day jitters to new job nerves. But what about the quieter, less noticeable fears that inform everyday choices and disrupt relationships? Fearing intimacy, change, or failure may sound cliché, but for most people, deeply embedded anxieties such as these can act as subconscious saboteurs.
In Life Unlocked, Harvard psychotherapist Dr. Srinivasan Pillay draws from cutting-edge research in psychology and neuroscience to show that the biggest roadblock to happiness is fear. Brain imaging studies reveal that when fear is reframed, a person can become less fearful. In fact, fear itself doesn’t cause anxiety—fear of fear is what causes anxiety and dread. Recognizing and understanding fear is the first step toward overcoming it.
Based on his research and extensive clinical experience, Dr. Pillay addresses specific, common problems such as fear of success, economic worries, and relationship anxieties, and also explores broader subjects such as the biology of prejudice and the science of positive thinking. With helpful exercises and proven techniques, Life Unlocked shows how to move past fear and unlock the happiness you deserve.
Our most commonly held formula for success is broken.
Conventional wisdom holds that if we work hard we will be more successful, and if we are more successful, then we’ll be happy. If we can just find that great job, win that next promotion, lose those five pounds, happiness will follow. But recent discoveries in the field of positive psychology have shown that this formula is actually backward: Happiness fuels success, not the other way around. When we are positive, our brains become more engaged, creative, motivated, energetic, resilient, and productive at work. This isn’t just an empty mantra. This discovery has been repeatedly borne out by rigorous research in psychology and neuroscience, management studies, and the bottom lines of organizations around the globe.
In The Happiness Advantage, Shawn Achor, who spent over a decade living, researching, and lecturing at Harvard University, draws on his own research—including one of the largest studies of happiness and potential at Harvard and others at companies like UBS and KPMG—to fix this broken formula. Using stories and case studies from his work with thousands of Fortune 500 executives in 42 countries, Achor explains how we can reprogram our brains to become more positive in order to gain a competitive edge at work.
Isolating seven practical, actionable principles that have been tried and tested everywhere from classrooms to boardrooms, stretching from Argentina to Zimbabwe, he shows us how we can capitalize on the Happiness Advantage to improve our performance and maximize our potential. Among the principles he outlines:
The Tetris Effect: how to retrain our brains to spot patterns of possibility, so we can see—and seize—opportunities wherever we look.
The Zorro Circle: how to channel our efforts on small, manageable goals, to gain the leverage to gradually conquer bigger and bigger ones.
Social Investment: how to reap the dividends of investing in one of the greatest predictors of success and happiness—our social support network.
A must-read for everyone trying to excel in a world of increasing workloads, stress, and negativity, The Happiness Advantage isn’t only about how to become happier at work. It’s about how to reap the benefits of a happier and more positive mind-set to achieve the extraordinary in our work and in our lives.
Adult children of alcoholics have learned how to "survive," but often have difficulty "living" their lives. The trauma and grief of childhood losses affect every aspect of the life of an adult child of an alcoholic (ACoA). Now the authors of the bestselling After the Tears offer further insight into the origin and cost of childhood pain for those who grew up in alcoholic families. In this revised and expanded edition, Jane Middelton-Moz and Lorie Dwinell combine their years of experience in working with ACoAs, tackling issues such as intimacy, sibling relationships, codependency, breaking the alcoholic pattern, building a relationship with the inner child, forgiveness, and opening a window to spirituality.
Eating disorders and disordered eating ravage and consume too many lives. In this powerful book for individuals suffering from eating disorders—as well as those wanting to help—Dr. Gregory Jantz comes alongside his readers with a well-tested and successful approach that addresses the emotional, relational, physical, and spiritual dimensions of healing from an eating disorder.
Topics include:
Five often-overlooked nutritional keys to recovery
How to let go of anger, fear, and guilt
Tools for creating a binge-free life
How not to be a victim of others
The role of emotional and verbal abuse in eating disorders
Seven keys to creating healthy relationships
This completely updated and revised edition contains new material on nutritional leading-edge interventions, spiritual abuse, and healing strategies for compulsive behaviors.
If food has not found its proper place as nutrition in your life, discover the answers in Hope, Help and Healing for Eating Disorders. Because you can do more than just survive--you can really live.
Cancer psychologist Andrew Kneier has devoted his career to helping patients master the many challenges and dilemmas that come with a cancer diagnosis. From his work with thousands of people in therapy sessions and cancer support groups, Dr. Kneier has distilled the most common questions and concerns into ten free-standing essays that will help you work through whichever issues are most relevant to you, including:
Family Matters
Cancer as a Gift?
Learning from Your Emotions
Five Existential Dilemmas
Mastering Anxiety
Cancer and Your Life Story
Dr. Kneier has developed innovative ways of thinking and coping that have helped his clients and their families come to terms with personal issues and face them head-on. Whether you’re gathering the courage to communicate honestly with your significant other or children or having trouble determining what your prognosis actually means for you, Dr. Kneier will guide you through the questions and answers that have helped thousands of others who have also navigated this challenging journey.
