No comments about Winning/Overcoming the Pain of Childhood: Take Control of Your Life and Come Out Ahead in Everything You Do./How to Use Your Past to Improve Your Future.

5 comments about Behavior Modification.

1. I found this book to be written in a way that is very easy to comprehend, and expresses the ideas clearly. The chapters are short and concise. This book is a great tool to use not only for classes, but to refer to in the future.



2. This book is a great tool for any professional who works with children or adults using behavioral techniques. The methods are explained clearly with examples for application purposes. Anyone from a parent to a clinic director can benefit from this thorough and well written 'manual' for Behavior Modification.



3. I think it is very difficult to follow. I think it uses too many acronyms.



4. This is a very detailed book about behavior modification. It literally traces the history of behavioral modification from its origins and progresses into actual techniques that can be used in a variety of setting. Some of the chapters are quite dense, yet interesting. There is a comprehensive summary and the authors do a wonderful job with breaking down large units of information into readable points. There is a useful guide for functional analysis provided. The behavior contract is generic, but a decent basis for a individualized one. Finally, many behavioral methods are explained in simple terms and there are numerous examples that illustrate their usefulness.



5. There is a ton of usable information in this book. The problem is getting past the jargon and text book manner in which it is written. It really is more for university students than the lay person. Keep in mind that it is a text book for 2 consecutive psychology semesters. So, if the answers do not jump out at you, then do not get frustrated. I have read it through a few times and still do not grasp some of it. If you have the patience to apply something as simple as the operant conditioning, you can actually make a habit within a month. For instance, I used to reward myself with 15 minutes of fiction reading for every chapter of biology that I read. Result? I went from a D to a B within a couple of months. I have helped some of my clients do the same procedure with quitting smoking and sticking with fitness plans. This book is one of the few university text books that I kept after my degree.
   
   Doug Setter, Bachelor of Human Ecology, author of Stomach Flattening and One Less Victim

No comments about Every Child Deserves a Champion: Including the Child within You!.

1 comments about Many Thanks for the Things in My Life: A Guide Gratitude Journal (Guided Journals).

1. I own several of the Peter Pauper Press Guided Journals, and love them all. This is no exception - it's a sturdy spiral-bound hardcover, with a cutout "frame" on the front cover that opens onto the full color inside page, which is a painting of flowers. The lined paper inside the journal is a good quality, a cream color that is thick enough so that you can't see your writing showing through on the other side. A nice lightly-printed border that looks like leaves with fruit runs along the top of each page. Like all of the guided journals, this one has quotes inset on every other page, from a wide range of sources... proverbs, writers throughout history, philosophers, and even modern people. Here's one of my favorites: "To live our lives with gratitude is to live with no insistence on our own worth, but to cherish and respect the worth of every other person." -- Doug King

1 comments about If I'd Known Then What I Know Now.

1. I have read this book and because of its impact on my life and the freedom that has come because of its ability to bring understanding and healing of past experiences I have given it to about twenty of my friends. They have been as healed in certain areas as I have been. My shoulders are back and my backbone straighter as I walk into my future with new hope and resolve! I recommend this book highly!

5 comments about Claim Your Inner Grown-Up: 4 Essential Steps to Authentic Adulthood.

1. Ashley David Prend was an unknown author to me before I read this book. Like many other self-help books, this one is also aimed at discovering one's own true self and becoming the most responsible, productive, spiritual and happy person you can be. Prend takes a slightly different approach to self-discovery. While the goal is the same, she also bases her philosophy around maintaining the postiive childlike qualities within us. However, while that can be good, it can also be dangerous. Take trust for example. If we maintain TOO MUCH of our childlike trust, there is the risk of becoming too trusting, an easy prey for those wanting to take advantage of our that same trusting nature.

   Prend bases her presentation style on four basic areas: Detach, Alert, Reorient and Enact. From a psychological point of view, I, personally, found her concepts rather elementary, as would others who have studied psychology. For those who have not studied this field, you will likely find this handbook a quick, informative, easy and inspiring read. This book truly is "handbook" and definitely not an in-depth journey into enlightenment. While it may be inspiring for some, it does not leave the reader with a lot of food for thought or soul searching after the final page has been read....




2. I was expecting a dry, medicine read when my well-meaning grandmother gave this to me. I thanked her instead. It took Ashley David Prend, A.C.S.W., to remind us that being a grown-up isn't unfun, uninspired and joyless, aka One Big Yawn. Quite the opposite! The inner grown-up is our link to liberating our spirituality, our ability to love more, and be more proudly productive (and playful). The most surprising part is that Prend doesn't decry the inner child as Evil or Bad - which is smart, since the inner child was the Muhammad Ali of self-help for quite some time and is a powerful reference point for most... Rather, she explains its importance, but its limits as well, and how it works in conjunction with the inner grown-up. This book was definitely informative, interesting, and original. It would inspire at least a few revelations in those who choose to pick it up, whether they like self-help books or not.



3. ...In plain terms, Ms. Prend helped me to see what I've been doing wrong -- it's time to stop whining! My inner child needed a spanking. I'm putting her ideas to work in my life, and am really glad I found her book. I highly recommend this book for anyone who feels ready to accept the challenge of being an adult.



4. Another self help formula book attempting to offer a catchy step by step (DARE) program to well being. It attempts to depart from the now defunct inner child movement of the past and replace it with an updated version. Pass.



5. I picked this book up because I was intrigued by the title. Unfortunately, it only took me seconds to see that the author had a very specific ideology that was ignoring other psychological and historical viewpoints. For example, the author points out that "adults are on time" and that being late is an "act of passive aggressiveness." While this can be true many times, it is certainly not true all the time. Anyone who knows the Jungian based Myers-Briggs personality test will know that "perceivers" are notoriously late because they get easily distracted while "judgers" are frequently early for every appointment. But in the author's world, only the "J" personality type is "mature." Another statement the author makes, on the very same page, is that being adult means "raising your own children." Sounds fair on its face. However, it ignores historical and economic facts. The nuclear family of two parents and children is a 20th century creation. In the past, societies had extended families that were heavily involved in the rearing of the children while parents worked. This is still true in many societies even today. So how does this become a definition of maturity across the board? I don't get it. Obviously, people shouldn't just have children willy-nilly and ignore their needs. But the author's perspective is pretty much B&W. Their is no gray. (IMO, this is in itself a statement of immaturity.) The whole thing just smacks of a certain political mindset. My advice: Take the Myers-Briggs test, find out what you are, figure out what parts of your personality need some work. This is a far better solution than having this author spoon feed you her personal views.

5 comments about dear stupid: Letters to My Wounded Child Within.

1. My wife asked me to read this book because I want to support her through her healing process. This book made me feel angry--because somebody took something away from a child that cannot be given back. As a man I want to protect and defend. I really believe this book will help so many people and touch their hearts and even help them on their way to recovery and happiness.



2. I read DEAR STUPID from the point of view of a professional and as a survivor. I'm a counselor and I believe this book would be an invaluable tool to help survivors understand the healing process.
   To the author: I admire your courage and ability to share your pain and healing with others. You are definitely a dragon slayer.



3. I'm amazed at the human brain and the defense mechanisms that kick in and take the person on auto-pilot through a traumatic situation. This book is a heart-rending collection of insightful letters from adult Zandra to her inner child. Zandra's touching letters to herself sparked repressed feelings and memories long buried. Adult Zandra was not conscious of the part of her named "stupid" until Little Zandra felt safe enough to reveal her secret. When asked why she named her "Stupid," Little Zandra replied, "She's not smart enough to stop what's happening." What Little Zandra didn't know was that "Stupid" was just as smart and creative--she dissociated herself from the pain and found her own way to escape the nightmare. It sounds like there were several inner children here??



4. If you're a therapist, I recommend this book as a tool to aid your clients. If you're a relative/friend of a survivor, this book will encourage you that recovery is possible! The American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, and the American Medical Association do not recognize "False Memory Syndrome" as a legitimate medical condition. They do, however, recognize the validity of Recovered Memory Therapy.



5. I received my copy of this book late one day just before I was to leave the office and ended up sitting down to read the whole thing right then! It is so powerful.

No comments about Inside Out: Rebuilding Self And Personality Through Inner Child Therapy.

No comments about Healing Lifes Hurts.

No comments about Look at You: Essentials for Taking Good Care of Yourself and Relationships.