5 comments about Jack Canfield's Key to Living the Law of Attraction: A Simple Guide to Creating the Life of Your Dreams.

1. Jack Canfield, best-selling author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul Series, creates a simple, yet profound guide (with co-author D.D. Watkins) to creating the life of your dreams.
   
   Some may question the value of such a small book, yet I challenge you to embrace just a few of the ideas, and see how your life begins to change dramatically. After all, don't you owe it to yourself to take action now to live your life with passion and purpose?
   
   The clock is ticking...the book is a quick read...and it just may change your life. Hmmmm...I wonder when you will take the next step?



2. Yes, a very easy read and a broader and much better presentation than the Secret. A good, simple guide to folllowing the Law of Attraction h/e another favorite book of mine is a workbook format called Living The Secret Everyday: My Secret Workbookalso guiding you with both exercises to follow and a journal to keep your thoughts. Definitely a must read.



3. This simple guide teaches you the power of goal setting. It walks you through affirmations and shows you how a vision book will help unlock the affirmation. It helps you see the miracles that are all around you daily. It enhances the power of self and opens up what you truly are grateful for. Gratitude for what you have and what you want to incorporate into your own personal evolution. Which is the true reason you are here. "Your own personal evolution."



4. There is a big difference between understanding theories and taking the action steps of applying theories. Its likely that many people read something, get excited, but then do not act. Canfield provided sections in the book where he inspires the reader to write down goals and affirmations. This provides immediate opportunities for applying the principles. About relationships to get the love that you want I highly recommend I Love You. Now What?: Falling in Love is a Mystery, Keeping It Isn't



5. Easy reading, inspirational and definitely a muust read! Another book on the same subject Living The Secret Everyday: My Secret Workbook approaches the subject through a workbook, journal and exercise format. I recommend this one also.

5 comments about The Secret (Unabridged, 4-CD Set).

1. Okay, parts are kind of dorky, things we already know ... but many good ideas on how to apply just simple things, like if you want a new job; get your wardrobe ready as if you are starting the next day, etc. Change your thinking, change your life. If you are cynical or negative don't buy this book ... it's for us positive, optimists. Oh yea.



2. Okay, somewhere in this 'blockbuster' book, we should hear that, right? Well sort of. But do it because of the expected reward not for the act itself. When I see this book being roundly endorsed by thousands of people, it makes me wonder where we have gone wrong in our thinking. Yes, horribly wrong.
   
   As a believer in and teacher of positive thinking and PMA, it makes me sick to think "The Secret" is being compared with the writings of Norman Vincent Peale, W. Clement Stone, Dale Carnegie, or Earl Nightingale. I am THOROUGHLY acquainted with these gentlemen's works and there is not one place where they say or imply that a victim of tragedy is to blame for the occurence. Not one.
   
   But according to Ms. Byrne, those killed by suicide bombers on 9/11 attracted that tragedy. As well as those with AIDS, those who have been raped, those with cancer, victims of molestation, victims of tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, famines, oppresive governments, dictatorships, etc. And here people are literally buying that notion. But let's go deeper.
   
   If we adopt the ideas of "The Secret" then when someone is hurt profoundly by life in whatever form, we can sit back and say 'Well, after all they attracted it to themselves." We don't have to care. We don't have to empathize or sympathize, and we get the feeling of being superior because, after all, that didn't happen to us.
   
   Going deeper still, where would we be as a society if everyone practiced "The Secret?" There would be no fire or police officers. Too negative. Ditto doctors, psychologists, and clergy. Why? The answer is obvious. There is a lot of 'negativity' connected with those professions and vocations. And according to Byrne, we shouldn't look at what we don't want to manifest in our own lives. Same with non-professionals. See someone drowning? Turn your head. Don't let the negativity be part of your conciousness. See a homeless person? Turn away-don't be part of what you don't want to see manifested in your life.
   
   Does it get any meaner than that? And to think that so-called motivational gurus like Bob Proctor, Denis Waitley, and others signed onto this teaching shows me how low they will go for a buck. The blatant selfishness and insensitivity of the book/DVD is sickening. As a matter of fact, it amazes me that Rhonda Byrne can lay her head on the pillow at night. I suppose a fat back account makes up for it.
   
   If you want true motivation and inspiration consider these: "Change your thoughts and you change your world"-Norman Vincent Peale. "Conceive it, believe it, and achieve it"-W. Clement Stone. "We become what we think about"-Earl Nightingale. "Your greatest power lies in your ability to choose."-J. Martin Kohe. "The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind."-William James.
   
   None of the above-mentioned people have DVD's with smoke, hundred foot genies, magic lamps, or special effects as does "The Secret." What they DO offer is truly practical and sincere advice for bettering your life and the lives of those with whom you come into contact. The law of attraction as Rhonda Byrne describes it is a bogus ripoff of the great thinkers of the past with her cartoonish spin on it.
   
   In an increasingly coarse and hardened world all of us DO need inspiration and to learn to use our minds and change our attitudes. What we don't need is anything which encourages us to think less and less of other people and treat their suffering as something self-inflicted thereby diminishing not only their pain, but their humanity. Even religious fundamentalists are kinder in attributing suffering to a devil or demons. And believe me, there is not very much kindness in a fundamentalist/literalist.
   
   So as far as this book goes? Pass it by. It's hype, trickery, mumbo-jumbo, and snake-oil. It is the product of brilliant marketing and an author who has perveted some of the worlds greatest ideas. The corruption of great philosophies and ideas would be bad enough, but this book is also cruel at its very essence.



3. The books reminds me of the Biblical saying "even the prince of darkness appears as the angel of light". The author of this silly book proposes that we believe the Cinderella story is true--that wishing and hoping will cause desired items and events to materialize.
   
   I learned this magical thinking was not true when I was a young child. The baby of a neighbor died and our whole village of 100 in rural Minnesota sank into grief. Grown men and women wept and I, a young child, believed that if I prayed, the baby would come once again to life. I knelt on my little knees and I prayed but, of course, even the sincerity of my prayers did not yield the desired result.
   
   Now that I am an adult, I realize that the magical thinking of fairy tales needs to be left behind and that instead of believing in magic we need to believe in principles. Instead of magical materialization and the "law of attraction", we need to believe in love for our neighbors, justice, freedom, service and sometimes even sacrifice.
   
   Indeed, the greatest among us have always believed in these great principles and not in the "law of attraction". Instead of magic, the greatest among us have always believed in hard work.



4. I absolutely Love the secret. I have the book, the audio and the DVD! The Secret was put together so well. I have always known about the law of attraction but after "The Secret" my life has completely changed.
   
   I highly recommend it!!!



5. I am very thankful I just checked this book out from the library. This book just reitterates common sense. This book talks in circles stating the same thing over and over and over again. Very boring to read, and poorly written. Don't buy this book, it would be a waste of money!

5 comments about The Language of Letting Go (Hazelden Meditation Series).

1. I HAVE HAD THIS BOOK FOR MANY YEARS AND HAVE ALWAYS FOUND IT VERY USEFUL.
   I NOW GIVE IT AS A GIFT TO NEW WOMEN I WORK WITH IN A 12 STEP PROGRAM.



2. as a recovering addict I found ther were other areas in my life that needed work.
   This little daily reader has hit home on many fronts and although the language of letting go is directed towards co-dependency I found a lot of answers between it's pages that help me daily. I recomend this to anyone just for an up lifting way to live.



3. A decade or so ago a friend who was going through a rough patch in her life had a therapist who highly recommended this book of meditations. I happened to be in Barnes and Noble with her when she bought Melody Beattie's book, and after perusing a few of the passages, I bought one for myself. What a difference reading The Language of Letting Go made (and continues to make) in my life.
   
   I've bought and given away several copies of Letting Go since that night in the bookstore in the hope that my friends will benefit as much as I have from these sage words of "gentle" advice and reminders that we deserve "the best that life and love have to offer." A few of my personal favorites are the reminders to be patient and realize that timing is perfect, that it's okay to say "no" sometimes and equally okay to say yes to what feels right and good, and that we are responsible for taking care of ourselves.
   
   The realization that we are being divinely led and that we need to trust our Higher Power is reinforced throughout the book. Anyone interested in growth and self-care will benefit from reading it.



4. I use the information in this book in my daily experience. Great tool! Healthy living!



5. This book has helped me overcome some painful experiences in my life. If you want to really understand what letting go means, I'd also recommend a great companion of this book about relationships I Love You. Now What?: Falling in Love is a Mystery, Keeping It Isn't

5 comments about He's Just Not That Into You: The No-Excuses Truth to Understanding Guys (The Newly Expanded Edition).

1. The book was received in great condition! As always, I'm very happy with the service that Amazon provides, the quality of the merchandise, and the members that I deal with.



2. This is literally my favorite book now. It was helpful to have a "professional" (sort of) tell me that if he's not calling, etc., he's just not that into me, and why would I want to wait around with him, when there's someone better out there who WILL BE "into me" enough to call (or whatever). The point is, why waste your time with someone who's not into you--potentially preventing you from meeting that someone who is? It goes through all the ways that he might not be "that into you" and why and how you should move on. Every woman should read this book, and I mean that.



3. I really enjoyed reading this book. I do think it is one every girl should read. It is a very short read so I did think it was overly expensive. However, if you do buy it, just share it with all your girlfriends as I have. For the most part, all of the advice in here is commmon sense and stuff we all know . . however . .it is all the things we refuse to admitt to ourselves. I believe this does help you do just that. It is also done with great humor which is much needed if you are in a situation where you "need" to be reading this book. The bad part about it was that I really think if we all held out for the guy this book says exists . . we'd be single forever. So as long as you realize that no one is perfect but you do deserve to be treated well I think this book is worth the read.



4. So, this book isn't really bad , but it is common sense. We girls keep making excuses for the man when deep down we known what's going on. We just don't want to say it or belive it. The book basically says the same thing over and over in every chapter just different situations. Basically if the guy doesn't treat you like a princess then " he is just not into you!" That doesn't take a whoe book to say but and here is where credit is due; if you are hard headed and in one of these relationships maybe reading the whole book is what you need.



5. Helpful to me as I need reminding that it's a waste of my time to pursue a man. If it's not going to happen, it's not going to happen. Why stick with someone that is half into the relationship? Book discourages women to be the pursuers which I needed to hear. On my second read, I skipped the parts that definitely did not pertain to me.

5 comments about Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life.

1. This is one of the most interesting books I have ever read. I'm not talking just psychology or self-improvement books...but all books...period. The science behind it, the practices outlined, the insight, will change your attitude and your life. It is unlike any book in its genre, and I can't for the life of me understand why it isn't required reading and a guide book for therapists...but I guess that would make therapy effective! :0. Not really providing a lot of information here...just read it and see for yourself. I have read all his books. This is the first and the best. If you're interested in Positive Psychology or shaking off depression/anxiety or knowing more about yourself and others...start with this book. It is not only a great read...it works. I credit it for changing my life for the better, and I no longer take medication. I would also check out the author's program of study and website and UPENN which is http://www.authentichappiness.com.



2. I thought this book gave one a great understanding to where we have been and where we could go. Here the author explained how through our experiences and relationships we are pessimistic. He reinforces that most people are negative in their thoughts and teaches us to be optimistic. I have also reviewed Living The Secret Everyday: My Secret Workbook which is a wonderful book proposing this same theory of positive thinking through The Law of Attraction. Read this to learn about the principles of The Law of Attraction and apply it through the exercises given to live this optimistic and happy life.



3. I absolutely loved this book. It helped me to start working on my world view. Although I was a very optimistic person because of a bad marriage and harsh relationship, my attitude went down. This book helped me to realize that we can make a difference in our life. I am still work in progress and we have to be patient about it but I believe world would be better place by having more optimistic people around us.



4. Although it's a struggle to wade through almost half a book of how research was conducted, I gave this book a five star rating because it really has changed my life. I honestly thought there was nothing I could succeed at and also believed my children would probably fail at everything too. But I've learnt to rewrite my internal script and delibertely think like an optimist and there's been an instant positive response from the children. We have a much happier home and a bright, bright future. If you ever get even a little depressed you should read this book and do the exercises.



5. Dr. Seligman tries to convince us that pessimism is the source of all our problems and optimism is the panacea in this book. It's basically divided into three parts: the first part deals with research in learned helplessness, the second about the advantages of optimism, and the third about how to change from pessimism to optimism.
   
   Seligman defines optimism as not letting negative thoughts distort reality. But what if negative thoughts are reality and positive thoughts are distortions? When I realized that was true and I've been distorting reality with optimism (after I had read the book and had been applying the refutations for a couple weeks), I realized that the book had been inapplicable. He then says that even if the negative thoughts are true, what are the implications of them? He seems to think the only implications are minor things not worth bothering yourself with, but that hasn't been my experience.
   
   To put it succinctly, it's a nice book, well-written and well-researched, but it fails by presenting depression and pessimism as not only the same thing, but something that can be cured in a one-size-fits-all kind of way that just didn't work for me.

5 comments about A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose (Oprah's Book Club, Selection 61).

1. I love this book and have also bought the Cd's of this book. I play the Cd's in my car while traveling and they help me to calmly drive in the worst of traffic. Never let your ego get the better of you, and if you fail , just recognize it. I have read the book and listened to the cd's 3 times. If you are ready it will be a real awakening to your life's purpose. I plan to give it as a gift to many friends along the way. Learning to question your ego helps in so many ways. The burden of anger and resentment fall away.



2. Was Oprah kidding with this book? I can't even force myself to finish this book. This is a book of a bunch of nothing that goes in circles. I am sure the author would say this is my giant ego speaking (he speaks a lot about our egos) and he's right, my ego and I have wasted enough time.



3. I will start this review by stating a simple fact:
   
   This book has changed my life and will continue to change it until I die.
   
   I am aware now and for me, that is enough. Being aware is the plain and simple truth behind my continuing transformation. However, as plain and simple as the truth is, it isn't easy. It is a constant challenge to be aware of my thoughts, but I have found that Eckhart was right about the egoic thoughts evaporating once I shine a light on them. That doesn't mean they don't come back or that new ones don't form, because they do. And sometimes they slip past me unnoticed for several minutes until I become aware of them again, but over time I have found that it gets easier to recognize egoic thoughts for what they are and they occur fewer and farther between now. They also evaporate much faster than before. It's like seeing them for what they are just takes all the fight out of them.
   
   I am not quite sure I fully understand what everybody means by spiritual awakening and I never sought that. All I wanted was a way out of fear-based behavior and I have found it in this book. That is why this book is now, and will forever remain, the single most important self help book in my library. If you read this book and understand it, you will know how it helps to live without fear.
   
   I didn't come to Amazon to read reviews for a book I already have and love. I came to Amazon to see about ordering The Power of Now. When I saw some of the single stars for A New Earth, I decided to read those reviews to see why somebody wouldn't love the book as much as I did and was surprised by what I read.
   
   I have read in some reviews that the author is just repeating Buddha's teachings and claiming them as his own. For myself, I never felt the author claimed these ideas as his own. In fact, he repeats many teachings of Jesus and Buddha throughout the book and lists them as such. I also can't recall him ever claiming himself as enlightened. In fact, the one thing I do remember about any personal claims he made was that working on the ego was an ongoing process for him.
   
   And just to prove a point, and I might just be proving it to myself, when I read those reviews I got angry. I felt threatened and insulted for loving the book so much when there were other people out there who didn't like it at all. I made the assumption that they were all still in the grip of the ego and thought how unconscious they all were. Then I became aware of my thoughts, all angry and superior in nature, and they evaporated.
   
   For the first time since I was a very young child, I am free. Not completely. Not yet. That might never happen, but I experience true freedom throughout my day, day after day, and for me, mere words will never be adequate enough to express my gratitude to Eckhart Tolle for sharing this wisdom with me.



4. In this book Mr. Tolle allows us to participate in his act of discovery and purpose. He takes us from the complex computer world that most of us are a part of to a very simple way of feeling and reacting in this world. Interesting.



5. This was the best book I have ever read. It has taught me so much about myself and I can now look at other people with a different perspective as to why they act the way they do.

5 comments about Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland.

1. This book (as described by previous reviewers and the product description) details what the men in the Nazi Reserve Police Battalion 101 went through, specifically during the SS Invasion of Poland.
   
   Browning describes in detail the process of dehumanizing the Jews, and writes at length on the style of execution that the Germans refined and perfected in Poland, prior to the widespread use of gas chambers: the person to be killed forced to lie down flat on their face, and then shot at a particular spot in their neck. The accounts of these executions is not just gratuitous violence -- graphic gore for the sake of shock or horror -- but rather, demonstrates that over time, the police officers involved in the executions worked to make the process of mass killing more humane (an idea that was at the root of the gas chambers, as ironic as that seems). It also serves to drive home the point that after so many hundreds of people were shot, the officers were able to completely dehumanize the people they were killing.
   
   What is unique about this book is that it is not just another historical account; the author takes into consideration what the Nazis themselves had to go through, psychologically and emotionally, in order to carry out their orders. Many other historians have analyzed historical events during WWII while still demonizing the Nazi forces ~ but Browning shows us that the troops really were Ordinary Men, and these men suffered tremendous emotional tolls as a result.
   
   And herein lies the Truth that makes this book so chilling: any one of us could have found ourselves in the very same position, carrying out the very same orders, as the German troops in WWII.
   
   Browning describes the various social conditions and governmental policies that effected how the Nazis were able to so completely dehumanize their enemy and rationalize their own involvement -- in part, because the men were assuaged of their sense of responsibility for their actions, and also in part due to the tremendous number of times that the actions had to be carried out. Repetition bred a sense of normalcy.
   
   In the Afterword, Browning addresses another author who has critiqued Browning's work -- Daniel Jonah Goldhagen -- whose work I feel compelled to mention since it directly relates to this book.
   
   I highly recommend this book to anyone who is studying modern history, sociology / psychology, or WWII, but keep in mind that it is extremely graphic and very, very hard to read -- not because of the language used, but because of the events that Browning so meticulously describes.



2. Very well-done and insightful study on ordinary Germans in the Holocaust and Browning's overall thesis extends to "ordinary men" in many circumstances.



3. This book, which follows step by step the itinerary of a battalion of German security police in the East during WWII, is a scary confirmation of Hannah Arendt's theory on the "banality of evil" that emerged after Eichmann's trial in 1961. It shows how perfectly average people, representing a cross-section of a developped country's society, when placed in certain circumstances, are able to perform the most gruesome and crual acts of barbary in an efficient and non-committal way against innocent populations. It is a depressing book, all the more so as almost none of these perpetrators suffered any consequence after the war. They went on to live their banal and mediocre lives as ordinary people, until the 1960's when some of them were tried and suffered very light sentences.



4. Another brick from the the Professors' classroom. I got to page 148, which was quite a feat, believe you me. But important it is. I don't deny that, and true too.
   
   Here's a token of the Professor's clear narrative style: "The portrayal of German-Polish and German-Jewish relations in these testimonies is extraordinarily exculpatory; in contrast, the portrayal of Polish-Jewish relations is extraordinarily damning. If we begin by examining the first two relationships as described by the former policemen, we can better see the asymmetry and distortion involved in their account of the third." Of the third! The third what? Do you know what he's taking about anymore?
   
   Please, give me a break, mister. I believe the Lord gives gifts and talents to every one of His creatures. You can pick to be a bullfighter, a fireman, or a professor. But pick right.



5. Christopher Browning is a distinguished historian of the horror of the Nazi holacaust against the Jews during World War II, His book on Reserve Police Battalion 101 is a microcosmic examination of how ordinary men responded to the Hitler's regime's insane plan to kill all of the Jews in
   Europe.
   The book focuses on the Reserve Police Battalion 101 made up of lower middle class men from Hamburg. These men were typical Germans in their views toward Jewry and the Nazi propaganda drummed into their heads. Most of the soldiers were long married, had some level of education and managed to avoid frontline service. These men were not in the military elite and most prefered civilian life back home in Hamburg.
   These approximately 500 soldiers particpated in several shooting of Jews in Polish villages; transportation of the Jews to death camps and Jew hunts in which the hapless Semites would be captured. They are responsible for the shooting of 6,500 Jews at Jozefow and Lomazy; 35,000
   at Majdanek and Poniatowa and placing Jews on trains to Treblinka. In all they participated in the deaths of 83,000 Jewish men, women and children.
   The vast majority of the German soldiers took part in the murders. Some were reluctant to engage in this murderous enterprise by they were in the minority. Among reasons given for the odious and criminal behavior of the men in Reserve Police Batallion 101 are according to Browning:
   1. Peer pressure of their comrades in arms. These were men in hostile territory who did not want to be accused of letting their buddies down.
   2. Obedience to orders from higher authorities.
   3. Fears of their or their family's punishment if orders were not obeyed.
   4. A belief that the Jews were not Aryan human beings and were responsible for the killing of German women and children.
   Browning claims each person's motivations are a mystery to the rest of us and we can never say beyond extrapolation what led these men to commit such abhorrent deads of cruelty and murder.
   Browning has included a long appendix in which he responds to the criticisms on his work made by Dr. Daniel Goldhagen. Goldhagen believes that Germany was pervaded by antisemetic culture making the entire nation into Hitler's willing executioners. Browning contrarily argues that antisemitism was not limited to Germany. Browning states that German authoritarianism, conformity with the social group and Nazi propaganda all played a role in turning regular individuals into mass killers. He is cautionary on the power for harm which can be inflicted by authoritarian states on their citizens.
   Browning's book is a classic of holocaust literature and is essential in any study of the gruesome and heartbreaking study.

5 comments about The Success Principles(TM): How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be.

1. This comprehensive book is an encyclopedia of success principles unfolded in a logical sequence that will give anyone willing to put in the effort a blueprint for success. Canfield guides you through the 64 principles with plenty of examples, exercises, and real-life success stories that he is so good at telling.
   
   The formula he uses is an effective teaching method. A success principle is presented, then a story about how someone applied the principle, or an example of an application, and then an instruction for applying the principle by the reader.
   
   Many of the ideas I have read before but Canfield puts them altogether in one volume. He credits much of the material to his mentor, W. Clement Stone, as well as his coaches, including Dan Sullivan. And he quotes many famous successful people throughout the book.
   
   Some of the book's principles that really resonate with me are "Take 100% responsibility for your life", "Reject rejection", "Ask for what you want", "Transcend your limiting beliefs", and "Make a 100% commitment".
   
   I think the material in this book is as valuable for the CEO of a big corporation as it is for a mother with a home-based business. Reading and applying the principles is like taking a course in self-development, success fundamentals, team building, money management, and motivational therapy, all rolled into one. My recommendation is to not only read and study the book, but also keep it on hand as a reference book, especially for the times when you feel stuck or challenged. It will pull you through the down times.
   
   And it wouldn't hurt to use this book as a textbook for high-school seniors. If they read this before embarking on their life journey, it would be a lot easier and more fun.



2. This book is an essential Daily Reference. The chapters are broken down into concise explanations with Action points to improve a particular aspect of your own Success Formula. Each section has a Specific goal to prepare you for Success. Fundamentals, Transformation, Team, Relationships, Money and more. This book does not read like a self-help tome that you have to read all the way through to get anything out of it. Rather, the five page chapters can be reread while you're drinking coffee, waiting in line during an errand, etc, In that way, you can integrate these elements into your daily routine to give greater power to your efforts.



3. This book reveals how to begin with you by transforming your thoughts and actions into positive goal oriented thinking. It persuades you to take personal responsibility to be and have the success that you have always desired. It encourages you to BELIEVE and take the leap into a world of success. It offers techniques for learning to let go of complaining by suggesting you surround yourself with positive influences. Jack gives a completely different way of handling rejection and how to turn it into positive experiences. He stresses the concept of giving and being a part of something greater to truly find success and happiness. He believes that being a continual student of learning is what shapes a new and better future for everyone. If you are ready to transform yourself into a positive, successful, abundant person this book gives easy to follow suggestions for your new journey.



4. Jack Canfield has gone the extra mile to provide us with an exceptional plan. His writing style and technique ensures that we all beleive we can achieve. Page after page I've highlighted text. Page after page I've read about Jack Canfield's thoughts and ideas and those pages include individuals stories which support those ideas. This book is a handbook on personal growth and self development. Take the leap. Buy it. Read it and continue to refer to it.



5. If someone really USES it and really does the exercises (which I need to now that I have finished the book), this book could be life-changing. The way the processes and excercises are peppered with amazing success stories from real life, and fantastic quotes...I highlighted like crazy. But now it's time to take action!
   
   I'd give this book ten stars if I could.

5 comments about Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life.

1. Literally, anyone who speaks could benefit from reading this book! It helps us to realize not only the power of words but how to choose them better and ultimately enhance both communication and relationships! Highly recommended! :)



2. This is the most concise, most clearly written manual on interpersonal communication I've ever come across. It's an easy read, practical and to the point, and endorsed by the likes of Deepak Chopra and Arun Gandhi. The meat of the book is the suggestions it's making about how to best communicate with each other, how to ask for what you need, hear what others need, and evoke compassion and empathy in yourself and others. It's a book that I've needed to read for a long time; I can think of a number of occasions where I wish I had communicated better and been able to stay connected instead of disconnect in discouragement and anger. I've been challenged by this book...challenged to be the change I want to see in my world.



3. Rosenberg's practice of empathy is profoundly changing my self awareness and my relationships with others, like my other favorite book about love and communication I Love You. Now What?: Falling in Love is a Mystery, Keeping It Isn't



4. Participating in a weekend workshop on Nonviolent Communication about 15 years ago, before the first book was ever published, changed my life ever since. I was so excited when I later discovered a book had been published. I have since given this book as a gift many times. In almost every case (the cases in which the person actually read the book!) the person had a very similar experience to my own. This book will help you see communication (and relationships) in a whole new way. As a therapist I have found this book to be helpful to clients with anger management difficulties and problems with conflict in relationships. It also promotes self-awareness and self-acceptance. It takes practice, but once you understand and internalize the general attitude promoted in this book, it sticks. And then it seeps into your life like a soothing balm. That's right, like a soothing balm. Try it; you'll see what I mean.



5. To me, Nonviolent Communication, the book, is a superb guide to healing, and life, helping me to be how I want to be in the world. I had a hard time with the language the first time I read it, and I know that some of it could be said more beautifully, but I've read it several times now (the second time I started with the last chapter I liked it more than the first), and given it to people. Here's why:
   
   When I read this book, I found an assertion -- all human beings, just like you, wish for their own well-being AND for others' well-being AND take joy in being able to contribute to others' well-being. This is a core value or belief for me and I suspect that if you really can't accept that premise, the book would not be so useful and healing.
   
   The book goes on to show examples of thinking that gets in the way of living this core value. Most wonderful of all, it offers tools to help us live in accordance with our values. Some of the tools are: the idea that feelings point to met or unmet needs; the list of needs; the differentiation of needs from strategies to meet needs; examples of how to find the feelings and needs in some common scenarios; the insistence on separating observations from judgments; the idea of listening for the needs underlying a person's words; the explanation of feelings as having internal origin rather than being 'caused' by others, etc.
   
   The huge steps I've taken in the past 3 years toward peace, self-acceptance, and realization of my potential seem to have come from attending workshops and classes based on this book. When I re-read Nonviolent Communication, I find bits I missed the other times.
   
   The chapter on self-empathy is particularly helpful on the problem of self-acceptance. I always had a lot of trouble with the mantras of "You deserve....", "You have a right..." Dr. Rosenberg helps me see all parts of myself, which helps me make choices that are aligned with all my values.

5 comments about Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness.

1. I bought this book in the middle of a year-long battle with insomnia--not the typical life-changing trauma that brings many others to this book, but insomnia destroyed me both physically and emotionally. My doctor suggested anti-depressants, and a friend suggested Full Catastrophe Living.
   
   I never touched the anti-depressants.
   
   Jon Kabat-Zinn is the voice of calm all throughout this book, never imposing his method on you but simply making suggestions that he's seen work in his practice, both personal and professional. The first section offers mindfulness activities that you can immediately put to practice: meditation to help separate your self from your thoughts; a body scan to simultaneously connect you to and release you from every section of your body; and yoga to strengthen your muscles and flexibility, both physical and mental.
   
   The second section shows how those methods have been proven to work, through both scientific research and anecdotal evidence. It is a section for those still reluctant to give themselves over to what they may perceive to be the "new age" or "weird" practices in the first section. If you've been practicing as suggested in the first section, the second section will verify to your head what you feel moving in your heart and body.
   
   The third section offers a variety of lifestyle and anecdotal advice for specific ailments and disease, from insomnia to headaches to cancer. Through all this, Kabat-Zinn is at once compassionate and scientific, speaking to and reassuring all shades of his audience.
   
   Together, these sections taught me to listen to and have faith in myself. The book showed me that mindfulness is not some new-fangled craziness but a path to peace and self-knowledge. Eventually, my sleeplessness went away, but that was more a side-effect of the practice, a natural reaction to the peace I learned from myself through this book.



2. I am about half way through this book - it was a little bit of a culture shock to get into this way of thinking and acting, but I am enjoying the challenge and think that it has already got me thinking about how I deal with stress and everday events - I have been dealing with some serious medical issues, and need to reduce my stress - I believe this will help - the psychologist who recommended it to me thought very highly of it and was convinced I would benefit from it - I think I will....



3. The book is very detailed regarding how one stress clinic helps their clients. The author has some very good points, but is long winded.



4. this book is a classic. it is a readable, deep, and broad presentation of information that is relevant to anyone trying to live mindfully during these frenetic times.



5. This book truly speaks to the mind, body and soul. It is the FULL TILT BOOGIE! Am on the mend thanks to this wonderful book of wisdom. It was recommended to me by a dear friend who always has one handy to share with onother suffering human being. I plan to do the same. The breathing lessons have been so valuable and restoring...I can continue to live my life with mindful presence, making each day better than the one before. Thank you Jon Kabat Zinn for sharing your wisdom and essence of life.