The following list of books (philosophy, self-help, spirituality, and recovery) have been instrumental for countless clients over the past few decades. Throughout the years of my practice, they’ve helped reinforce or motivate countless clients.
You Can Heal Your Life – Louise L. Hay
This self-help book begins with the proposition that healing begins once we realize the importance of the mind-body connection; it is recognized as one of the most acclaimed in the genre, selling over 35 million copies.
The Four Agreements – Don Miguel Ruiz
This self-help book gained popularity via Oprah Winfrey’s show in the 1990’s and stayed on the NY Times best-selling list for over a decade. It lays down a foundation for personal conduct by way of Toltec teachings.
The Nature of Personal Reality – Jane Roberts
“In this perennial bestseller, Seth challenges our assumptions about the nature of reality. He explains how the conscious mind directs unconscious activity and has at its command all the powers of the inner self. Included are excellent exercises for applying these theories to any life situation.” (Google Books)
Codependent No More – Melody Beatty
This book examines how to identify and ultimately exit out of toxic codependent relationships. It’s an absolute toolkit for navigating a modern understanding of what makes relationships toxic and codependent to the point where a person’s daily functioning is significantly compromised and continuing on is potentially dangerous.
Way of the Shaman – Michael J. Harner
This is a collection of non-Western texts on spirituality with unique descriptions of creation myths, deities and more! This is useful for expanding awareness and acknowledgement of non-Western spiritual paradigms.
Soul Retrieval – Ingerman
With warmth and compassion, Sandra Ingerman describes the dramatic results of combining soul retrieval with contemporary psychological concepts in this visionary work that revives the ancient shamanic tradition of soul retrieval for healing emotional and physical illness. This revised and updated edition includes a new afterword by the author.
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/18974748
Personal Power of Awareness – Sanaya Roman
This international best-seller, written in 1986 originally but updated since then, focuses on the importance and gift of sensitivity. With this guide, you’ll be able to connect with your inner guides, magnify the benefits of positive energy, and decrease the impact of others’ negative emotions. See the Amazon updated link at https://www.amazon.com/Personal-Power-Through-Awareness-Guidebook/dp/0915811049
Creative Visualization – Shakti Gawain
Creative Visualization is the art of using mental imagery and affirmation to produce positive changes in your life. It is being successfully used in the fields of health, business, the creative arts, and sports, and in fact can have an impact in every area of your life. With more than six million copies sold worldwide, this pioneering bestseller and perennial favorite helped launch a new movement in personal growth when it was first published. The classic guide is filled with meditations, exercises, and techniques that can help you use the power of your imagination to create what you want in your life, change negative habit patterns, improve self-esteem, reach career goals, increase prosperity, develop creativity, increase vitality, improve your health, experience deep relaxation, and much more. This book can help you to increase your personal mastery of life.
Adult Children of Alcoholics – Janet Wotitz
In the 1980’s, Janet Woititz broke new ground in our understanding of what it is to be an Adult Child of an Alcoholic. In this updated edition of her bestseller she re-examines the movement and its inclusion of Adult Children from various dysfunctional family backgrounds who share the same characteristics. After decades of working with ACoAs she shares the recovery hints that she has found to work. Read Adult Children of Alcoholics to see where the journey began and for ideas on where to go from here.
The renowned classic and New York Times bestseller that has transformed the lives of millions of readers, dramatically changing how women and men view relationships.
Anger is something we feel. It exists for a reason and always deserves our respect and attention. We all have a right to everything we feel—and certainly our anger is no exception. “Anger is a signal and one worth listening to,” writes Dr. Harriet Lerner in her renowned classic that has transformed the lives of millions of readers. While anger deserves our attention and respect, women still learn to silence our anger, to deny it entirely, or to vent it in a way that leaves us feeling helpless and powerless. In this engaging and eminently wise book, Dr. Lerner teaches both women and men to identify the true sources of anger and to use it as a powerful vehicle for creating lasting change. For decades, this book has helped millions of readers learn how to turn their anger into a constructive force for reshaping their lives. With a new introduction by the author, The Dance of Anger is ready to lead the next generation.
Meditations is a compelling collection of personal essays that focuses on Stoicism by Marcus Aurelius, the famous Roman Emperor. Stoicism focuses on control of emotions and the pursuit of the highest virtue is based on acquisition of knowledge, or true belief.
Focusing – Eugene Gendlin
This book, published in 1978, simplifies the practice of focusing into six digestible practices. This classic is recognized as a paradigm for self-managed therapy.
American Primitive – Mary Oliver
Oliver’s collection of poetry about nature, humanity in love and acknowledging and respecting the natural beauty of the world.
Siddhartha – Herman Hesse
This novel, published in 1922 by Hermann Hesse, deals with the spiritual journey of self-discovery of a man named Siddhartha during the time of the Gautama Buddha. “Siddhartha” translates into “achieved” and “what was searched for.” It was translated and made available for English publication in 1952. The moral of the story is about accepting and understanding the totality of one’s own totality of experiences.
Tao Te Ching – A Feminist Translation by Stephen Mitchell
From Amazon’s summary: “Lao-tzu’s Tao Te Ching, or Book of the Way, is the classic manual on the art of living, and one of the wonders of the world. In eighty-one brief chapters, the Tao Te Ching looks at the basic predicament of being alive and gives advice that imparts balance and perspective, a serene and generous spirit. This book is about wisdom in action. It teaches how to work for the good with the effortless skill that comes from being in accord with the Tao (the basic principle of the universe) and applies equally to good government and sexual love; to child rearing, business, and ecology.”
Stephen Mitchell’s bestselling version has been widely acclaimed as a gift to contemporary culture.
Relaxation Response – Herbert Benson, M.D.
A modern paradigm of a guide on how the mind can impact autonomic nervous system functions. Amazon’s synopsis includes:
“Herbert Benson, M.D., first wrote about a simple, effective mind/body approach to lowering blood pressure in The Relaxation Response. When Dr. Benson introduced this approach to relieving stress over forty years ago, his book became an instant national bestseller, which has sold over six million copies. Since that time, millions of people have learned the secret—without high-priced lectures or prescription medicines. The Relaxation Response has become the classic reference recommended by most health care professionals and authorities to treat the harmful effects of stress, anxiety, depression, and high blood pressure.
Rediscovered by Dr. Benson and his colleagues in the laboratories of Harvard Medical School and its teaching hospitals, this revitalizing, therapeutic tack is now routinely recommended to treat patients suffering from stress and anxiety, including heart conditions, high blood pressure, chronic pain, insomnia, and many other physical and psychological ailments. It requires only minutes to learn, and just ten minutes of practice a day.” Ref: https://www.amazon.com/Relaxation-Response-Herbert-Benson/dp/0380006766
Where Two Worlds Touch – Gloria Karpinski
“No matter where you are in your own spiritual work, this book can show you how to harness the power of an experience we all share and often fear: change. Discover how you can learn to consciously use change as a spiritual rite of passage.”
The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious – Carl Jung
The concept of ‘Archteypes’ and the hypothesis of ‘A Collective Unconscious’ are two of Jung’s better known and most exciting ideas. In this volume – taken from the Collected Works and appearing in paperback for the first time – Jung describes and elaborates the two concepts. Three essays establish the theoretical basis which are then followed by essays on specific archetypes. The relation of these to the process of individuation is examined in the last section. The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious is one of Jung’s central works. There are many illustrations in full colour.
With detailed reproductions and explanations, Eden Gray offers explicit advice about the three different methods of reading the cards and using the Tarot for divination and meditation. Both beginning students and advanced devotees will find in this book insights into the ancient lore of the Tarot. “The Tarot is a symbolic record of human experience. Through deeply rooted mystic powers, the cards accomplish miracles of psychological insight, wise counsel and accurate divination.”—from A Complete Guide to the Tarot
Since its first publication, The Artist’s Way phenomena has inspired the genius of Elizabeth Gilbert and millions of readers to embark on a creative journey and find a deeper connection to process and purpose. Julia Cameron’s novel approach guides readers in uncovering problems areas and pressure points that may be restricting their creative flow and offers techniques to free up any areas where they might be stuck, opening up opportunities for self-growth and self-discovery. The program begins with Cameron’s most vital tools for creative recovery – The Morning Pages, a daily writing ritual of three pages of stream-of-conscious, and The Artist Date, a dedicated block of time to nurture your inner artist. From there, she shares hundreds of exercises, activities, and prompts to help readers thoroughly explore each chapter. She also offers guidance on starting a “Creative Cluster” of fellow artists who will support you in your creative endeavors. A revolutionary program for personal renewal, The Artist’s Way will help get you back on track, rediscover your passions, and take the steps you need to change your life.
