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The Betrayal of the Self / Arno GruenBOOK
OF THE MONTH
Gruen is a Swiss-German Jungian analyst who has written a very good book on how most of us are brought up to choose power over love. And in making that choice, the life-long pursuit of power blocks us from experiencing an authentic inner life and corrupts our relationships into ones bases on hierarchy and domination. The net result of this push for invincibility is, paradoxically, that we are unable to develop true autonomy because we end up denying our feelings, especially feelings of vulnerability and fear. We come to depend upon those that we dominate to express those feelings instead, and society suffers as a result. |
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Reality Isn't What It Used To Be /
Walter Truett Anderson
Anderson gives an insightful and very readable
excursion through the post-modern world, examining
how the very nature of belief and our relationship
to belief has rapidly changed over the last 50 years.
Whereas the truth of beliefs were once (and still are
by a huge proportion of the world) unquestioned, adhered
to in a fundamentalist way, today those in Western
societies are increasingly aware of the beliefs that
they have and of the fact that they are "just" beliefs.
This is especially relevant right now due to the current
clash between fundamentalist Muslims and Western societies. |
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Influence: Science and Practice /
Robert Cialdini
Packed with psychological insight backed up with
documented research, Cialdini has produced a book that
every marketer dreams about, and one which everyone
who does not want to be manipulated by marketers should
read. If you are interested in the psychology behind
much of modern life, then this book is essential reading. |
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The Power of Focusing / Ann Weiser Cornell
The subtitle of this book is "A Practical Guide
to Emotional Self-Healing" and that is exactly what
this book can do for you. Cornell is one of the best
instructors for Gene Gendlin's psychological technique
(very NLP-like) called Focusing, which was developed
from studies to see why some patients benefited from
therapy and some didn't. Basically, the book shows us
how to enter into a relationship and dialogue with our
own bodies. You will find the essence of this technique
in many New Age and personal development books, but this
book probably is the best encapsulation that we have
seen. |
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The Way of the Superior Man / David
Deida
Some might see this book as stereotypical diatribe
towards traditional gender roles, but Deida's book
is welcome relieve against the current ideology of
equality which satisfies the mind but not the body/emotions.
He even uses the phrase "your woman" throughout
the book which is both annoying and refreshing. This
is certainly a book for men who want some understanding
of women (Deida's message is simply that you can't
understand them so just love them). If you are a feminist,
don't bother reading it. |
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Going to Pieces / Mark Epstein
This book could be put in the "mind" section
of this site, but it seems to have such a spiritual
focus that it has ended up here. Epstein is a Buddhist
psychologist who shows that the standard practice of
modern psychology of trying to build or strengthen
the ego or sense of self is actually counterproductive,
and that letting go and relinquishing control is actually
the only true way to happiness and fulfillment. |
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Blink / Malcolm Gladwell
After the enormous success of his book, The Tipping
Point, Gladwell has written a fascinating book
on how we make split-second decisions. He shows
us that these sorts of rapid gut-instinct type decisions
can be advantageous: for example,
rapid gut-instict evaluations made by art experts often
turn out more accurate than protracted scientific examination
made by a team of experts. These sorts of fast and unconscious
decisions, however, can also reveal unconscious prejudices:
for
example, a policeman in a predominantly white society
shoots an unarmed black man because he is believes that
he is likely to have a gun. Overall, the book is an interesting
one. |
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We / Robert A. Johnson
Based around the myth of Tristin and Ishalt, this
book is about understanding the psychology of romantic
love. If you have ever wondered why romantic love is
so painful and short-lived, then you will find some
of the answers beautifully written in this short book.
Johnson is a Jungian psychologist and so the book is
written from great depth and understanding. This is
not a self-help book by any means. |
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The Age of Manipulation / Wilson Bryan Key
Key is the world's leading authority on subliminal
media strategies and in this highly recommended book
he exposes the methods used by advertisers and governments
to manipulate the people without their conscious
awareness. Subliminal messages, he argues, are one
of the causes of many of societies ills. But this
is no ordinary psychological tour. Key has a sublime
understanding of reality and our relationship to
it, and how much of our naivety stems from our assumption
that we all live in a single objective world. Startlingly
thought-provoking. |
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Mindfulness / Ellen Langer
A very interesting book which shows the power of
the mind over the body and the brain. Engage the mind,
and the whole physiology of the body changes; really
believe that you are younger and your body will be
younger. The book also shows how mindfulness can transform
every aspect of life, including the work place. New
age drivel? Ellen Langer is Professor of Psychology
at Harvard University! A must read for everyone, especially
those resigned to loosing their faculties as they grow
older. |
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Thinking Beyond the Brain / David Lorimer (editor)
Compiled by David Lorimer, an ex-director and consultant
to the Scientific and Medical Network, this book is
a collection of essays from lectures by different scientists
and scholars given at the "Beyond the Brain" conferences
here in the UK. The basic theme of the book is that,
to include certain anomalous phenomena (psychic etc.)
into a consistent scientific paradigm, the mind cannot
be an epiphenomenon of the brain but independent to
it. The book leads us in the direction of the brain
being a physical tool that interacts with or captures "mind". |
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Shadow Dance / David Richo
Subtitled "Liberating The Power & Creativity
of Your Dark Side", this is book is a real inspiration
to those wanting to face their shadow — that
part of ourselves that we disown because it does not
fit with who we think we are. Written by an experienced
psychotherapist who regularly leads workshops at the
Esalen Institute, this book is about the acceptance
of self, the whole self, and the healing and liberation
that this brings. Richo shows us the steps we need
to take us back to wholeness. This book could very
well have been in the spiritual section of this site. |
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The Men Who Stare At Goats / Jon Ronson
Only Jon Ronson is able to present heavy conspiracy
topics in a well-written and entertaining manner. Perhaps
too entertaining, for his excellent story-telling skills
often mask the book's dark subject — the use of
psychic powers for military purposes. He outlines how
the PsyOps, a divison of the US army, has and continues
to use a multiple of psychic techniques and disciplines
to enhance the US military effectiveness as a killing
and dominating machine. One is never sure whether Ronson
has crossed from fact into disinformation and myth, but
he never makes the mistake of taking it all, or himself,
too seriously. |
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Beyond Fear / Dorothy Rowe
Few psychologists have the insight and clarity
of Dorothy Rowe, and it is surprising that her books
are not more widely read. In this book, Rowe journeys
to the very heart of fear where she finds the fear
of annihilation. Of course, that fear is experienced
differently by different people. If the fear is great
enough, we compensate with mental disorders. Rowe also
shows us how, by becoming conscious of our inner mechanisms,
we can learn to embrace life. You will not find a more
insightful and lucid book on this subject. |
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Guide To Life / Dorothy Rowe
This book is only 200 pages thick, and yet it really
does live up to its title. If you read one self-help
book in your life then this should be it. Rowe cuts
through all the BS that is around and presents a very
clear and compassionate encapsulation of life and how
to life it well. A very practical book. My only bugbear
is that Rowe is a staunch materialist. There is nothing
transcendent in her books except basic humanity. Whilst
that is inspiring in itself, it might be a little off-putting
to some more spiritually orientated individuals. |
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The Successful Self / Dorothy Rowe
How we define and experience success depends on
whether we are an extravert or an introvert. Whilst
this theme of "two-types" runs through most
of Rowe's books, it is most elucidated in this one.
The result might be a little surprising… those
who have automatically assumed they were introverts
might actually be shy extraverts, and those who are
extravert, might well be social introverts. These points
are very important if you are to understand the mechanism
by which you approach life and by which you define
your success. Great book. |
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Beyond Therapy, Beyond Science / Anne
Wilson Schaef
Psychologist, Anne Wilson Schaef, gives us new
models for transforming our selves, our relationships,
our organizations and our societies. Using her experience
of the 12 step program for addiction, and her experience
in the feminist movement, Schaef questions what many
of us have taken for granted. Anyone interested in
going deeper in themselves should read this book, although
it is quite intellectual as well. |
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Learned Optimism / Martin Seligman
The importance of Seligman's book is that it builds
a case, based on research, how our conscious thinking
is responsible for much of our psychological problems
such as depression and helplessness. This is not your
usual self-help book because it doesn't insult the
intelligence of the reader and instead takes him or
her on a journey through the actual research and how
cognitive therapy has come to displace the BS of "philosophical" psychological
theories such as Freudianism and Behaviourism. The
only downside of the book is that some of the experiments
involved cruelty to animals. |
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One Continuous Mistake / Gail Sher
This book is a little deceptive because at first
glance it is a book about how to write well. But Sher
doesn't give us the usual pat formulae for this task.
Instead, she shows us how to be honest, how to be creative,
how to be spontaneous and how to be human. This is
as much a spiritual book of enlightenment, as a manual
to encourage the would-be writer to write. Highly recommended. |
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Cults In Our Midst / Margaret Singer
We are all susceptible to brain washing. But the
more we know about it, as practiced by modern cults,
the less likely we will allow ourselves to be in a
situation where it can happen. Singer, an experienced
clinical psychologist and professor at Berkeley, has
interviewed more than 3000 current and former cult
members and their relatives and friends to come up
with this fantastic book on the dangers of cults and
the techniques of brain washing they use. For her efforts,
she got a lawsuit slapped on her by one particular
cult. This is essential reading for mindful self-defence. |
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Why Therapy Doesn't Work / David Smail
Smail champions the ordinary individual in this
book (actually an amalgamation of two books) by showing
that neurotic afflictions in our society are actually
a natural response to living in a dysfunctional society.
Showing how the roots of much of our suffering is the
objectification of the individual, Smail goes on to
suggest how we can avoid therapy by nurturing and caring
for others. |
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The Argument Culture / Deborah Tannen
This is a very timely message about the manner
in which aggressive argument and polarized opinion
is destroying useful debate and preventing the solution
of compromise. Tannen shows how debate is descending
more and more into mud slinging matches because it
sells more copy or attracts larger audiences in the
media. We have lost the ability to listen to and respect
other people's ideas in our haste to defend, often
at all costs, our own precarious position. Very highly
recommended. |
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A Oneness of Mind
/ Andy Thomas
There is
mounting evidence that our thoughts can literally affect
the material world in the form of experiments using
random number generators at Princeton's PEAR laboratory.
In this book, subtitled The Power of Collective Thought
and Signs of Our Times, Andy Thomas gives a lively
and bold romp into the subject of the collective power
of our thoughts and how, if they really do affect the
world that we live which the scientific evidence suggests,
they hold the key to how we move from these desperate
times into a future of world peace, prosperity and
ecological integrity. With this level of mind power,
he argues, we have a responsibility to be aware
of what we think and what we choose to watch on TV. |
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Crossing the Unknown Sea / David Whyte
A beautifully written book about work and how it
shapes our identity. Whyte's book could just as well
have been in the spiritual section of this site as
it takes us on a journey into ourselves and teaches
us ways in which to bring forth more that is within
through the work that we do. As the Seattle Times perfectly
summed it up: "Whyte has elevated the self-help
and leadership book genre to the status of literature." Once
you have read this book, work will never be the same
again. |
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Prometheus Rising / Robert Anton Wilson
Wilson describes how the individual can break free
from "reality tunnels" and gives exercises
at the end of each chapter to help the process. He
bases his model of psychology on Leary's eight neurological
circuits, and presents a future vision of what humanity
can be. As usual his books have enormous scope, readability
and humour. If you have never read Robert Anton Wilson,
you are missing out on one of the most insightful,
original and erudite writers or the 20th century, and
if read just one of Robert Anton Wilson's books, this
should be the one. |
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Quantum Psychology / Robert Anton Wilson
There is not much I can say about Mr. Wilson because
most of it has been said already. Read any of his books
and you will be overawed by his scope, his logic, his
simplicity and his… genius. In Quantum Psychology
he presents a quantum mechanical update to the Newtonian,
materialistic paradigm that pervades our culture. Very
thought provoking. |
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Meeting the Shadow / Edited by Connie Zweig & Jeremiah
Abrams
This is an invaluable collection of 65 articles
form some of the most insightful writers and psychologists
(including C.G. Jung) on the workings of the dark side
of human nature and how, when it is expressed responsibly,
it can paradoxically hold the key to our "enlightenment".
The shadow, however, by its very nature is difficult
to recognize in ourselves, but this book gives us the
information we need to identify and integrate it, and
in the process find that it was actually, as Jung describes, "pure
gold". This books is an antidote to those two-dimensional "light
and love" do-gooders that, in their drive to deny
their "negative" aspects, end up acting far
more cruelly and destructively. |
