Clients often ask me what I recommend as key resources to support self-healing and development as the foundation of my work in Centering. Here are my “baker’s dozen” that have stood the test of time through up to twenty-one years of practice, or however long ago they were published, and my reasons why.
I have an additional thought as I write, about what order to list these books, much beloved and inspirational for me, so critically helpful to clients. As Centering is an integrative practice, there is truly no linear order, for each book offers key guidelines for all the aspects of my work, simply and uniquely representing the elements that create the greater whole of personal transformation.
1. Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes – A ground-breaking book from the early nineties still in print, still selling well, this series of pivotal stories and key recommendations challenges women to understand the devastating effect on their psyches and souls from being subjugated for thousands of years by a dominant patriarchal culture; and offers self-healing and intuitive ways to come to recover, empower and create a fully-present life.
2. Codependent No More by Melody Beattie – Decades old, and still supremely popular, this book explains in key detail the elements and progression of codependency, and offers excellent multidimensional guidelines to break these destructive patterns and transcend through a corresponding path of recovery to holism.
3. Adult Children of Alcoholics by Janet Wotitz – Published in the eighties, this comprehensive book reviews the associated symptoms of woundedness stemming from growing up in a family with untreated alcoholism and, by inference, any corresponding dysfunction that prevents parents from fully providing for the legitimate needs of their children; and all corresponding effects that equally-correspondingly prevent these children, when they grow up, from being fully present and whole, with an excellent guide for self-healing.
4. The Way of the Shaman by Michael Harner – Also published in the eighties and still widely purchased, this simple and excellent guide written by an archaeologist fortunate enough to be included in the inner circle of traditional shamanic practice, translates this core spiritual healing and intuitive development odyssey from the physical to the spiritual realm into current personal challenges for integrative resolution with any focus.
5. Focusing by Eugene Gendlin – Again decades old, this wonderful, simple guide to intuitive/emotional/spiritual problem-solving written by a psychologist as an extension of a research project supports the integrative embracing of all associative sensations that occur when “buttons get pushed”; and remarkably and centrally brings one to highest resolution.
6. You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay – The simple, profound premise of this book initially published in the eighties, currently with a wonderful new cover and “still going strong”, is that mind-body healing emerges from a core place of emotional acceptance that is unconditional. There is a wonderful chart of symptoms and “dis-ease” linked to unresolved emotional woundedness, with recommended affirmations to holistically treat; as well as the author’s own powerful story of recovery and transcendence, and how she successfully works with others.
7. Creative Visualization by Shakti Gawain – A primer to use your imagination in a deeply relaxed state to energetically manifest highest resolution and your heart’s desires, again decades old and still greatly purchased, excellently presented as a how-to of integrative achievement.
8. Excuse Me, Your Life is Waiting: The Astonishing Power of Feelings by Lynne Grabhorn – A wonderful how-to guide to embrace and effectively work with all experienced feelings that are present to centrally support self-healing and empowerment, that puts to rest our conditioned fear to either run from or manage our feelings, which only supports pathology and inner breakdown.
9. The Relaxation Response by Herbert Benson – Published in the seventies and still in print, this succinct how-to guide to meditate and the tremendously beneficial effect it has to recover and sustain wellness and empowerment, is the foundation of maintaining integrative balance and central insight in life.
10. Animal Speak by Ted Andrews – An extensive guide to the ancient traditions that occurred everywhere throughout the tribal world and that have been amazingly sustained right up to the present, describing nonhuman life as spiritual signs and offerings to us that we can well utilize for higher guidance, greater understanding, healing, empowerment, problem-solving, and integration, that is beautifully organized.
11. The Tao Te Ching by Lao Tse – Translation by Stephen Mitchell – Said to be a feminist translation – and how lovely to see the pronoun “She” rather than “He” to describe the divine! – this ancient Chinese spiritual treatise of philosophy and successful practices for right living that is over five thousand years old offers, in magnificent poetic verse, the way to empowerment, understanding, and awakened consciousness that produce success in all areas of one’s life.
12. Personal Power of Awareness by Sanaya Roman – This profound how-to book, again published in the eighties and still in great demand, outlines a practical foundation for self-formation of living a spiritually-focused life which produces integrative empowerment, healing and success.
Happy browsing, and all success as you wish. Please let me know your own unique results ins elf-healing, empowerment, development, and achievement as you see your way to exploring these amazing multidimensional literary universes. In light, Marjorie