Books

Undoing Depression

February 7, 2012
By
What Therapy Doesn't Teach You and Medication Can't Give You

As Richard O’Connor states, you won’t find many people with his experience, both personal and professional. He witnessed his mother’s depression, who ended her life when he was still a child. Understandably, he went on to suffer from depression as well. He chose a mental health profession, allowing him to treat and see many other depressives. In short, he really knows what he is talking about, and it shows in this brilliant and compassionate book. Undoing depression will help you in many ways: Understanding what depression is, and what its countless consequences are: What I particularly like is the comprehensiveness...

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Healing the shame that binds you

January 28, 2012
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Healing the shame that binds you

Healing the Shame that Binds You, from John Bradshaw, is considered a recovery classic with good reason. It’s a powerful book, one that can really help you in your journey towards emotional health. Unhealthy shame, as Bradshaw defines it, is basically thinking you are flawed and defective as a human being. Nothing you can do, be it extraordinarily impressive or terrible, will change that fact. The problem is who you are. As such, it is different from guilt, which allows you to recognize you have done something wrong and pushes you to make amends. With shame, there is nothing you...

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Are we neurotics ?

January 25, 2012
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Dr. Freud psychotherapist

“The neurotic assumes too much responsibility; the person with a character disorder not enough. When neurotics are in conflict with the world, they automatically assume that they are at fault. When those with character disorders are in conflict with the world, they automatically assume the world is at fault” Scott Peck, The Road Less Traveled . Are we all neurotics ? The ones who seek emotional growth, self help, who try to improve ourselves? I definitely am – getting better, but still. Is it a problem? Yes, because it’s often  sometimes a pain in the butt, feeling responsible for everything that goes...

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Who are you, Dr Jekyll ?

January 16, 2012
By
Mask

  My first encounter with the idea of a social self, in a way I could comprehend at least, took place while reading Finding Your Own North Star: Claiming the Life You Were Meant to Live, from Martha Beck.  It hit me like a revelation. So this was the part of me who was always agreeing to everything,  who was writing endless to-do lists, who was desperately trying to conform to whatever was expected from me, who hated disagreements and conflicts. Nice to meet you social self, my name is Lauren, what the hell are you doing in my head? ...

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Good self help books do help

January 6, 2012
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Pretty early, I realized I was not feeling well. Something was wrong with me, but I had no clue what it was. I had this fantasy that things would sort themselves out (and by things, I mean me), when I would have a good partner, a good job, friends, some money, and interesting adventures. I worded hard to obtain all these things, and being the obstinate person that I am, I did. Problem was: I was not feeling any better. In fact, I remember feeling  life was being painful and difficult, even though everything was ok from the outside. ...

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