5 comments about The Assertiveness Workbook: How to Express Your Ideas and Stand Up for Yourself at Work and in Relationships.

1. This book is by far the most helpful book I've ever read. It is very informative, but in plain words that almost anyone can understand. The exercises it suggests really do help. I'm only half-way through it, but I've already made significant changes in my behavior. It really helped me understand the different communication styles and how to tweak my style to make me more satisfied with my communication with others. It's so simple to do! I've always been lazy about change or given up too early, but this truly couldn't be any easier.



2. Excellent resource for how to deal with PA's and others-the book's no nonsense approach (yes, it's hard to change and yes your significants others will resist you), exercises, and examples give you inspiration without alot of nonsense and over the top 'you can do it' every paragraph.
   Accessible and easily readable, this practical guide will help you get what you need or establish your personal boundaries without all the new age style rhetoric.



3. If you're reading this review, you probably suspect that you have a problem with assertiveness, so take the first step towards improving your life by purchasing this book. If you have a problem saying no to unreasonable requests, if your legitimate and reasonable requests for what you need are repeatedly denied, ignored, or trivialized, if you feel surrounded by manipulative, controlling people, if you have been in a long-term verbally abusive relationship, if you are easily intimidated by aggressive people, or even if you're just mildly curious, this book will be invaluable to you. It's not just a quick read, though. It has thought-provoking exercises to help you determine why you have difficulty asserting yourself as well as practice exercises to prepare you to be assertive when the need arises. Even if you don't think you need improvement, this book is a great resource on communication.



4. This is an excellent book and very realistic and practical for use with day-to-day interactions with others.



5. Great resource. I tend to be overly aggressive, and read this to help me tone it down and just be assertive instead. I'd assume it would work equally as well for a passive or passive-agressive person looking to become more assertive as well. Contains lots of information on related behaviors, even gives some tips on controlling your breathing to calm you down in stressful situations that can lead to less than ideal responses on your behalf. Some chapters were irrelevant to my needs so I just skipped through them, but I'm sure they'd be useful to some.

5 comments about Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives.

1. Richard Swenson serves as a "prophetic physician" with the insights he provides in this title and its follow-up book "Overcoming Overload." Although he is a medical practitioner, his thoughts here transcend medicine and offer Divine refreshment for the exhausted spirit of individuals in the 21st century. As the title suggests, the key idea presented is "margin." The author defines margin, then describes its vital nature for various areas of human life.
   
   I strongly and highly recommend this book to all busy Christians, which means just about every believer. Even non-Christians will find a great deal of helpful information. For me, this one is a keeper!



2. This is a great book that really helps shed a different light on how to put margin in your life. This book really help me personally and I would recommend it to anyone. I also recommend the workbook, It makes things practical and help you to apply what you have learned in the book



3. This product was wonderful. I could not stop the cd's once I started them. I finished the set and a couple weeks later I heard the speaker over the radio, live. It was the same stuff. Great material. Life changing... A must have.



4. Dr. swenson diagnoses of the effects of technology and busy lifstyles that mark our culture today.His presciption for a better life through
   margin in key areas of living was practical and very doable.
   If our culture would respond to his advise, this would be a better world and certainly happier families and children.
   JUST DO IT!
   ps I preferred the book to the tapes.
   The voice was too low of energy to inspire change.



5. I liked this book very much. Its written from Christian perspective but it applies to the lives of everyone. Margin is something that every Christian should read and any person who can take the good points from a book.

5 comments about Dancing with Life: Buddhist Insights for Finding Meaning and Joy in the Face of Suffering.

1. Why do you suffer? Is there a purpose to your pain? These questions come up for all of us at some time, as they did for the Buddha 2,500 years ago. In his wisdom, he developed a way through suffering, which he called the Four Noble Truths, and he left us the Twelve Insights to guide us through them.
   
   Using examples from his own life and those of his students, and the step-by-step process of the Twelve Insights, Phillip Moffitt shows us how we can walk through our suffering to a path of joy. First we learn to embrace suffering through the First Noble Truth. In the Second Noble Truth, we learn there is a way to stop clinging. The Third Noble Truth shows us cessation of suffering is possible. And the Fourth Noble Truth offers us the Noble Eightfold Path to happiness.
   
   Pain and suffering come to all of us, and at times can feel overwhelming. But Moffitt gives us clear and compelling reasons to believe that these Twelve Insights are the way to handle suffering and create a life filled with joy. Though at times the path won't be easy, there is hope that we can learn to live with our pain and still enjoy our dance with life.
   
   A profoundly spiritual book, Dancing With Life is a must-read for all those who want to find deeper meaning in life.
   
   Reviewer: Alice Berger, Bergers Book Reviews



2. Most of the Dharma books that I've read fall into two categories: lightweight new-age fluff or heavily-footnoted scholarship. This book avoids both extremes. It's very compactly written, with no apparent filler. (If anything, I think he is too brief in touching on some important points.) I find the title of the book to be a bit unfortunate, but it's actually appropriate to the subject matter.
   
   The book is structured around the Four Noble Truths, and as a long-time Buddhist (with a strong predilection for scholarly detail) I thought that it couldn't teach me anything new. It did, though, and on a number of levels. You might think you know all about the 4NT, but this version from the Samyutta Nikaya really adds a new dimension, and is directly applicable to one's practice.
   
   In short, I give this book a pretty-much unqualified rave. A few stylistic weaknesses and an overuse of italics, but in content it's deeply inspiring and immediately useful.



3. Moffitt's book is a gem: it is a handbook to help us develop and hone our skills so that we respond to our suffering in a way whereby we are not defined by it. The book--an explication of the Four Noble Truths, which is the Buddha's primary teaching--is well organized, full of examples from Moffitt's life and the lives of his students, and is eminently readable, His style is lucid and alive, and his book is a treasure to savor. I highly recommend this book to anyone whether or not they are familiar with the Buddha's teachings.



4. Written by a man who walked away from his position as CEO & Editor in Chief of Esquire Magazine, this treatise is the real thing! Given his command of knowledge in all matters literary, what could have been another cerebral exercise is in fact a work of heart.
   
   Two days ago, I encountered Phillip walking down a rural road at sunset. In silence, we passed one another. Although, I don't really know this man, there existed in that moment an implicit recognition of mutual presence and purpose. When our gaze met and held, I found there... joy, a radiance, peace. No kidding.
   
   Having just finished my read of "Dancing with Life", I thought, "here is an author, a teacher... who literally 'walks his talk' ".
   
   The book is like that--filled with easily understood and accessible content, literary references, stories, metaphor, and allegory. He skillfully integrates case examples from the lives of his students, and wisdom gleaned from years of study in the original Buddhist texts. Backed by his very real practice and lived experience, the content comes alive in one's heart, and is not easily forgotten.
   
   A central theme encourages the reader not to rely on conceptual teachings of the Four Noble Truths; rather, to intentionally pursue a 'lived" or "felt experience" of the insights through the practice of mindful meditation. Ultimately, the possibilities are limitless.... to fully embrace all of life at T.S. Eliot's dynamic "still point" is readily available... that place where suffering and joy passionately tango together in the dance of life. A highly recommended read!



5. This book, although not written in a very flowery or flowy style, gave me real insights... it wasn't even what he wrote, but how he wrote it maybe...
   
   I was familiar with the 4 noble and the 8 fold path, but this book spoke to the heart...and not to the head...that's why the head has a hard time following...I will have to re-read it again. The wording is simple, but the meaning deep. It is one of those books that you can randomly pick a page and read a paragraph, and there is no need to keep going.

5 comments about The Relaxation Response.

1. This book didn't change my life but combined with other books about the subject was a welcome addition.



2. Let me just start by stating that I'm a very sceptical person, and have had high blood pressure for 20 years. I also had endoscopy that showed some acid reflux. I saw the original print hardcover book and decided to read it. I couldn't put it down! I immediately began to apply the techniques from the book. My blood pressure went from 145ish/95ish to 108/65, consistently. I felt no "burning" from acid reflux. Prior to reading this book, I had began a diet and exercise program. I lost 25lbs and approx. 2 inches off my waist, but my blood pressure was still high. I liked the way the book was written. Straight forward, no frills, just pertinent, well explained information. This book helped me save my life.



3. Probably not fair to rate the book below maximum, because this classic really was revolutionary at its publication, and is still very current at its core. The reason for rating the book now, of course, is to recommend/not-recommend a book for reading. Therefore, since the first ¾ of "Relaxation Response" covers ground that many more current books do very well, today's reader might well just skim the first six chapters. The seventh chapter quite well summarizes what to DO, and that is what the book is aiming at, after all. As stated at the beginning of that chapter, how to use the relaxation response is very straightforward. Excellent too, but we have to wade through a goodly portion of its approximately 150 pages to see that. Back in its original day, it was probably worth the full wade.
   
   There are only four steps to this process - simplicity is good - and it is not appropriate in a review to list them. Get the book from the library and find them restated in chapter 7.



4. very good book - not a gimmick.
   gives simple to use technique that anyone can use.



5. If you want to know more about your subc.I heartily recommend these CDs
   
   The Power of Your Subconscious Mind
   The Master Key System
   Thought Vibration or the Law of Attraction in the Thought World
   The Science of Getting Rich
   The Science of Mind
   Think and Grow Rich: Original Version

5 comments about Why Can't You Read My Mind? Overcoming the 9 Toxic Thought Patterns that Get in the Way of a Loving Relationship.

1. This is the most amazing book I have ever stumbled across. It not only gave me a new perspective on love and relationships but I was able to incorporate the logic of it into all areas of my life. I've recommended it to friends left and right. This is definitely a must read.



2. This book is really helpful and right on target. It seems so many people try to have magical mind reading abilities and this book helps to sort that fantasy out!! Particularly useful to give to others to read as a gift!!



3. This excellent book, written by family therapist Dr. Jeffrey Bernstein, is practical, easy-to-follow, and a quick read. Although it is not an instant panacea for relationship ills it did make me recognize my own (negative) contributions to my relationship with my husband and, later, with other, less integral people in my life. Be open-minded, willing to learn, and spend the time and thought to do the exercises honestly. I read this book prior to choosing Dr. Jeff as a therapist and cannot speak highly enough about him. (Yes, I am fortunate enough to live in the same area as his practice!)



4. Dr. Bernstein has captured the essential elements not only to rebuilding and strengthening a fractured relationship, but really to live a happier life. All it takes is an open mind, and a little dedication to the process, and by reading and practicing the simple tips outlined, you can truly transform the quality of your life. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anybody who would like to improve their relationship with their spouse/partner. What you gain from reading this book is not just a profound improvement in your primary relationship, but a way to create happier, balanced relationships with other people in your life as well. These are practical, real tips that can be applied to everyday situations (I've even improved the quality of my worklife by discovering how negative I was, and how my toxic thoughts were impairing so many areas outside of my relationship issues).



5. This was such a well written and easy to read book. So often, relationship guidance is written in a style which seems to be meant for fellow therapists. This book used humor and everyday language and situations to efficiently get the points across. There is enough repetition of the advice, but not too much. I will end up reading it again and recommending it to my friends.

5 comments about Raising Baby Green: The Earth-Friendly Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Baby Care.

1. I absolutely love this book! As a mother of a two-year-old and one due in October, this book is a must-have for any family wanting to live a healthy, smart, and eco-friendly life. There are small, simple changes suggested in the book we can all easily make as well as less obvious ideas that the average person probably would not be aware of. This easy to read book is straight forward and extremely educational. I have personally recommended Raising Baby Green to several friends, and I wish I had it when I was pregnant with my first child. You don't have to drive a Prius and live off-the-grid to appreciate Dr. Greene's ideas. One of the best on the market!



2. I think this is a very good to start raising a green baby. I wasn't the most eco-educated person out there, but I tried to do my part. When my wife and I started to try to have a baby, I wanted to have a healthy baby and started to do more research. What I like about this book is that it has a ton of information and resources and all laid out in a logical manner. The book was very easy to read, although I did not read every single page. I took note of a lot of tips (just bought some castile soap from Trader Joe's w/ my reusable bag) and websites. I liked the pages on the chemicals you should not purchase. I actually wrote them on back of my printout of the Environmental Defense Fund Seafood Selector guide. I used that chemicals list to check against sunscreen that I was looking to purchase, which I found that most sunscreens have one or more of those chemicals even the ones that say organics. I won't follow every single advice in the book just because of practicality or cost reasons, but at least I'll be a more educated parent on raising a greener baby. As with every book, you should use your own common sense when following an author's advice.
   
   On a side note, there is so much information out there and sometimes conflicting information. It seems to me that one study will contradict another study that was done just a few months ago!! Case in point is Brenda Murray's review on when to fill-up your car. One study says it doesn't matter and another says it does matter (take a look at the comments on her review). I live in Phoenix and they actually do say you should fill your car up at night (or early morning) not because of air pollution, but because of how the regulators (I think) on the pumps work. It actually cost less to fill-up when it the temperature is cooler than when it is hot. I wish I could find the Arizona Republic article that talked more to the technical side of why this is the case and why the state is trying to change the regulators.
   
   Lastly, in Brenda Murray's review, the author (Alan Greene) actually comments on her review. Some people might find this self-serving or being an ego maniac, but I found it very refreshing as he wanted to provide additional insight. I don't know if many authors would do this, but I found it very refreshing for the author to do this and the tone of his comment was not negative or preachy. In my opinion, he does really seem to care about the subject.



3. My wife and I just finished "Raising Baby Green" and found it to be informative - but not preachy - providing practical advice to help us make decisions that will not only help raise our baby-to-be in a more healthy manner, but also help the environment itself in the process. Dr. Greene is right on with his theory that our health and the planet's are interwoven - and it's great to do things that accomplish both!



4. This book is a great resource for parents who want some ideas on how to make their children's environment more healthy. The author presents many ideas for ways to go green in your home from building to existing structures, helps parents make healthy food choices and explains why it is important to be aware of the products you are using on your child. I also must note that the author mentions homebirth as a positive choice that may be right for some families which is very open-minded for an MD. I have 3 children and am constantly trying to find more eco-friendly options and was happy that this book provided me with some new ideas as well as many excellent links!



5. I see myself as relatively environmentally conscious. But this book really made me think more closely about this, and also provided various options for improvement. I really appreciated the suggestions for certain brands or website so I could then go and do my own further research. I am pleased to say that I believe I'm now better informed, and my buying decisions are certainly more environmentally friendly and more gentle for our baby than previously.

5 comments about The Happiness Trap: How to Stop Struggling and Start Living.

1. The Happiness Trap is written in the `self help' style so anyone can pick it up, but with three texts on ACT under my belt, this is the one I refer to most when working with clients. I've read it twice and find it invaluable.



2. As a practitioner utilising the ACT model with her clients I have found this book to be exceptionally helpful, not only with addressing my own personal behaviours but also with strategies to employ with clients. Like others, I have several ACT texts but this is the one that I draw upon the most because of it's simplicity of explanations for the lay person. This is a book that anyone with general literacy levels can pick up and run with, and provided they follow the simple steps outlined in the book, can make changes quickly and effectively toward a more rich, fulfilling, and meaningful life. I recommend this book to all therapists and to anyone looking to step out of the "struggle" and into their lives.



3. Russ Harris distills complex concepts into easy language to help one thrive more in life. I found this book incredibly helpful for my life and very readable. I read it in one sitting. I have spent many years reading different books on psychology, philosophy and spirituality and this is one of the best. The more I truely live what he has written in this book, the happier and more engaged in life I am.



4. My jargon/headache-free gateway to the delights of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) was The Happiness Trap by Dr Russ Harris. Before reading The Happiness Trap, I knew of ACT as some framework to do with values and mindfulness but the language was all a bit foreign to me and I wasn't enticed to delve into it. I read The Happiness Trap in one sitting, disobeying all the suggestions to not rush, because I couldn't put it down. There are these irresistible little carrots dangling at the end of each chapter, snippets about what's coming next, making it compulsively readable. By the time I got to the end I had thoroughly defaced it, underlining all the good bits, all the bits that resonated with me and articulated the suspicions I had about traditional Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and an agenda of control. Reading it I laughed, I cried, I changed. I felt awakened and freed. And I was hungry to know more. It would be no exaggeration to say I could divide my life professionally and personally into Before The Happiness Trap and After The Happiness Trap. Moreover it prepared me for and eased me into the more technical writing about ACT and Relational Frame Theory (RFT) on which ACT is based. An extra special thing about The Happiness Trap is the use of a conversational and interactive writing style. It was as though I was engaging with a therapist through the pages of the book, a therapist who walked me with kindness and gentleness and empathy through the processes and techniques and having some fun along the way. The Happiness Trap is the recommended reading for clients at my psychology practice as I am confident that anyone who is literate can absorb its contents, `get' ACT first time around and be empowered to create their own ACT toolkit for living well.



5. It took me a long time to get through this book. I had it sitting on the shelf amongst several other self-help titles, and when I reached certain portions of the book I found myself bored or disinterested in taking the kind of actions suggested, so I moved to another title. I later realized that by doing so I was exercising my own 'control strategies' as Russ puts it, which really didn't do anything to help me live a rich and fulfilling life.
   
   Aware of this trend, I decided to read the book right to the end without worrying too much about doing the exercises. I just completed it the other day, and have now rid myself of most self-help books and products, dedicated rather to something that works - acceptance, mindfulness, and living according to my values. I had bought into the values of others, and with the help of Russ and others am now slowly moving towards my own values. At the same time, I have a set of tools to help me deal with the anxiety that is keeping me from living a fulfilling life.

5 comments about A Celebration of Sex: A Guide to Enjoying God's Gift of Sexual Intimacy.

1. The best Christian sex book out there written by a licensed psychologist/Christian sex therapist. This book is written for the mutual benefit of both wife and husband. It takes a very comprehensive and holistic approach, includes the spiritual elements as well as practical techniques and everything you can think of and some things you might not have even thought of. I highly recommend this to every married couple and to the engaged couple -- about one month before their wedding.



2. This book is helpful for couples who are confused about what God expects of us in our sexual relationships with our spouse. It helps to create healthy bounderies and teaches couples how to have a healthy God ordained sex life.



3. This book contains good info and answers and tips that are often not found in "Christian" books on sexual matters.
   The version for newlyweds is great as well..my husband and I do much pre-marriage counseling and recommend this and give it as gifts as well.



4. What an incredible book! This was required reading for a counseling course but it's purpose served more than that. Roseneau does an incredible job of communicating how beautiful & sacred an intimate relationship with your spouse should be. God created man and woman to please one another in many ways in addition to intercourse and this book does a great job of instructing couples how to deepen their sexual intimacy.This is definitely worth your money! Roseneau also has a Newlywed version and an over 50 version.



5. This book was Great, not only did it keep my interest, but it was very helpful and i would sudjest it to any married couple (with or without relational struggles). This book gives great advice, and has many strong points giving the reader an understanding as well as a level of relation as many of the situations the reader will be able to relate too. Buy the book or Borrow it! it's an important part of every marriage.

5 comments about The Stop Walking on Eggshells Workbook: Practical Strategies for Living With Someone Who Has Borderline Personality Disorder.

1. Excellent resource for dealing with someone who has Borderline Personality Disorder. Great help for understanding BPD behavior and how to deal with it.



2. This workbook is essential for anyone who has a loved one with BPD or suspected BPD traits.



3. A godsend and an eye opener. Well worth getting if BPD traits are present in your loved one.



4. If you have a loved one acting unreasonable one day and loving the next,read this book They may not be on drugs not Bi-polar but Borderline Personality Disorder maybe after reading you will have an understanding of the behavior.It is treatable and gives we who live with this person hope the .Ranting , raving blambing ia explained along with sggestions on coping..Best book on this subject I have found.....



5. I had received "Stop Walking on Eggshells" from a family member. Upon reading it, I just knew that I would get the help I so needed with the workbook. I highly recommend this workbook in conjunction with the book for all who are dealing with someone who has been diagnosed with or suspected to have this disorder. I think you'll find that it seems as if you've written it yourself!!!

5 comments about Love, Medicine and Miracles: Lessons Learned about Self-Healing from a Surgeon's Experience with Exceptional Patients.

1. Bernie's central theme is that there is a strong correlation between emotional health and physical health. However he rarely cites any scientific evidence for his claim. He keeps repeating this message based on his experiences with random patients. Surely one can conclude many things from random patients, but a theory has to applicable accross a large sample. There has to be a 'control' if the study is to have any scientific merit. I wished he had shown more of these studies.
   
   This would definitely be a five star book had the author been more scientific in prooving his point. Nevertheless I do personally agree with it.



2. When I was diagnosed with Non Hodgkins Lymphoma, I read a wide variety of "inspirational" cancer survivor books. The Bloch's Foundation's "Fighting Cancer" (free just contact them) and Norman Cousin's "Anatomy of an Illness" really resonated for me, made sense and reinforced my focus. Bernie Siegel's books on the other hand made me feel that the disease was my fault for having the "wrong" personality and that if I allowed any negative thoughts into my mind, I was putting my recovery in doubt. Heck most of my thoughts during treatment were negative, real negative! I literally threw his books in the trash, probably more of a symbolic gesture, but it felt good. BTW I am cancer free for the last 16 years, fathered a child and getting a kick out every day.



3. 12+ years ago when my surgeon told me I had breast cancer (my second bout with cancer), she gave me this book. Not only did it help me develop, sustain and exude a positive attitude during my entire treatment phase, but it made me a touchstone for anyone else who was diagnosed with cancer and contacted me. Since that time, whenever someone that is near and dear to me, someone that I truly love and want to do something positive for when they are diagnosed with cancer, I give them a copy of this book. Not one of them has died to date. My most recent gift of the book has been to my husband and he is visibly changing his attitude as he reads it.



4. You Must Read This If You Have Cancer or Know Anyone Who Does... I titled this review with those words becuase I believe that statement to be as simple a truth I can make it. The book offers a powerful insight into the cause and treatment of cancer from one of the worlds leading authorities, as well as accounting his own journey to that understanding. The wisdom from the author is profound as it discuses both the medical understanding and approach to cancer as well as the humanistic and natural approach of mind-body medicine. It offers more than hope, it offers a true solution to those who have been diagnosed with cancer. Read it - it's as simple as that!



5. I bought this book and a few tapes by Bernie Siegel when I had cancer about 18 years ago. I found the book to be right on the money. I have since given this book to many of my friends and associates over the years who were diagnosed with cancer.