5 comments about Armed Response: A Comprehensive Guide to Using Firearms for Self-Defense.

1. Well written, easy to understand great presentation of the depth and breadth of what you are into when you carry a gun. Should be a must read before you buy a gun and then re-read it after you make your purchase.



2. If your looking for a great book that addresses the use of lethal force than this is it. A great place to start be it a beginner or old timer this is a must read. David Kenik not only wrote well but put it in a format that is understandable. Well thought out! This is a must have book for anyone who wants to understand what is needed to justify an armed response. It does not replace personal training or what can be learned in a class (interaction). It does however build a great foundation for what is needed to to understand in responding with lethal force. If you own a firearm for personal protection than you need to own this book.



3. I didn't know what to expect when I opened this book, but was pleased to find it packed with non-nonsense advice and information on the responsibilities and consequences of owning and gun and using it for self-protection. Of all the books I have read on the subject, this one provided me with more information and food for thought that anything I have encountered to date. I highly recommend this book as a primer to anyone who has a gun in their home and believes they have a right to defend themselves and their family. Knowing the facts about legal, psychological, and tactical issues surrounding the use of firearms is absolutely essential if you hope to survive a shooting incident in your home, both during and after the event. A must read!



4. This books clearly discusses the use of firearms for self defense without any agenda trying to convince you one way or another. It includes many aspects including types of handguns, clothing, legal responsibilities, and many more important things one might not consider at first.
   
   You might pick of the information from this book by taking several defense classes, reading articles and forums online for hundreds of hours, and discussing it with many, many people. Read this book to learn things correctly the first time.



5. While reading this book I could help but think this is the book Massad Ayoob would have wrote if he were writing "in the gravest extreme" today. This book covers many aspects and techniques. Worth the price.

5 comments about The Self-Hypnosis Diet: Use The Power Of Your Mind to Reach Your Perfect Weight.

1. I don't have very much weight to lose, but my eating habits suck. Self Hypbosis plan is a great way to learn how to eat heathier without drastically changing my life style.



2. This is a nice introduction to self hypnosis and understanding the body mind connection. It's helped me make healthier food choices and increased my interest in finding more ways to be active. However, after 23 days, I'm hovering around a 1-2 pound weight loss. I'm starting to get a bit discouraged, but the self hypnosis helps with those feelings and I am able to say, "my food intake is about right, but I need to exercise more and more intensively." I'll check back in a few months. For a person for a smaller percentage of weight to lose, this is very, very slow.



3. Love this book! I have several of Dr. G's CDs and he does a wonderful job. A must read/must listen if you are trying to improve your health.



4. The Self-Hypnosis Diet Book and CD have worked wonders for me. It is as if a large block has been moved out of my way and now I have all of the things I need to achieve my goals. It's really is working and I have lost weight and feel great. I have never had results like this before.



5. This book is very helpful in understanding the psycology behind weight loss motivation. It also helps one understand self-hypnosis and how useful it is in weight loss. The motivating ideas are basically the same that I have learned in other books and information, but this book helps get the message to the place it is the best used...the brain.

5 comments about Dynamic Laws of Prosperity.

1. If I had known Catherine Ponder was a minister, I would never have bought (and returned) this book. If you believe prayer and positive thinking will bring you prosperity, I suppose this book will be fine for you. If you aren't a devout Christian, however, you might find this book hard to deal with.



2. I have read many books from Catherine Ponder, everyone is the complement of the previous ones. Very good job.



3. 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



4. I have read many 'prosperity' books, and also on 'positive thinking' stuff...this is the best 'prosperity' book out there....Dont waste money on others,except Florence Shinn's equally powerful books..after reading this,I started tithing seriously and regularly...I could find funds for a major charity project for visually challenged [blind] children in India easily....It is all in your mind and your thought patterns for riches and prosperity! Ponder's book shows you the way and inspires you....Don't wallow in self-pity and poverty mind-set.Read this book several times.!!



5. This book has helped me in my spiritual quest. I have always used silent mantras however this book explained how affirmations spoken out loud work as well. I have been using Ponder's affirmations and feel even more prosperous than I did before! Life is GREAT! Attitude is everything. This book is a wonderful reminder of the power of a positive attitude as well as it provides life-affirming ideas. Highly recommended for those on a spiritual path.

5 comments about Overcoming Fears.

1. she is an angel on earth her books fill my shelves this cd will make you see life from a different light, it will show you the light within she makes you feel calm just listening to her voice, the affimations, truely work helps you feel better about your life,
   a book the calling of your true self also made me look at life in a new way both uplifting and inspiring helps you understand what we can change with our thoughts by sending them out



2. What ever you do don't listen to this while you drive! It will put you right to sleep. It did not speak to me at all. This was not useful. I prefered the what the bleep do we know.



3. I found this to be somewhat of a duplicate of some of her other works.



4. Thank you for sending the CD so promptly. I really appreciate the price.
   Sincerely,
   
   Lynn



5. I listen to this CD at least once a week, especially when old issues come up. It's always astounding to me how the media and even friends and family can perpetuate the Fear Factor, but like Louise would probably say, When an issue arises, it's there to be released. Thought is power and we can create a safe place in the world by changing our thoughts (which then change our actions). We can create our world. We are safe, secure and protected by love at all times. Blessed be!

5 comments about Turning the Mind Into an Ally.

1. This is a beautiful book that presents the fundamentals of Buddhism and meditation for the beginner without the weight of ritual and history. It simply delves to the core meaning of the practice and communicates the many benefits to the reader in a refreshingly simple and thought-provoking way. Highly recommended.



2. Sayong Mipham has produced an easy to digest book involving the basic principles of meditation. At the risk of being overly simplistic, "Turning the Mind into an Ally" involves removing the clutter that crowds the mind. To employ Mipham's own metaphor, our minds often run wild like a horse which needs to be corraled and trained. Even through simple techniques that only involve breathing, one can focus the mind. Yet Mipand's instruction does not stop here as he takes the reader through further levels. I am hesistant to summarize the book further as Mipham states his case much better than I ever could for him.
   
   Although I am a Christian, I have long been interested in Buddhism and the principles of meditation. As Thomas Merton explored in his lifetime, Buddhism has more parallels with Christianity than one might think. In reality, this book is written for a wide audience and can appeal to divergent people including those with only the most basic knowledge of Buddhism.



3. This book was a pleasure to read. The message was awesome and the metaphorical teachings are a work of art! This author transcends Buddhism. He is not trying to sell Buddhism as a religion. He teaches the readers how to calm the mind chatter to reach a level of abiding peace and to become leaders, helping others to reach a stage of enlightenment. The goal of all of this is happiness and it deals with changing ones focus from self-centeredness and seeking bliss from external things to serving others and learning what is real and what truly brings lasting joy.
   
   The author uses a clever horse analogy throughout the book and brings it all together with an extraordinary and delightfully skilled culmination. I had to stop and take a deep breath and contemplate on how much thought went into weaving this teaching and metaphor summarizing the lesson with a beautiful mind picture in less than two paragraphs.
   
   I have read and reviewed many great books on Mindfulness meditation. This book takes that meditation to another level of Shamatha and Contemplative meditations for "Turning the Mind Into an Ally," discovering truth, appreciating life and becoming an example for others to emulate.
   
   It is by far worth much more than a 5-star review! Buy it now. You will be glad you did!



4. Some people go to a chiropractor for a spinal adjustment; I turn to this book time and again when I'm in need of a mental and emotional adjustment. And even aside from the meditation itself, when I'm stressing too much over things I can't control, or spending too much time thinking about what or who is frustrating me, the teachings in this book have given me the tools to put things in perspective, not as I might wish them to be but as they are and that is a GREAT thing! It would not be overstated to say this book has changed my life in the three years since I first read it.
   
   Multi-tasking with work, kids, home, etc., I began to notice my memory failing me more and more often. Though I probably don't meditate long enough or often enough, I am so uplifted afterward. When I meditate in the morning, my whole day is better for it. There is something about fucusing on the breath that makes it easier to focus on anything better. Whenever I find my thoughts wandering, I narrow things down to the breath and the thing I'm actually doing and everything else falls away. I've learned something about the discipline that's necessary to pay attention to the here and now and thus, my memory is improved because I'm now paying attention in the moment and everything has a better quality to it. It's really that simple.
   
   Like other reviewers, I go through my phases of reading this book before bed. It's soothing and calming and I feel more optimistic. the philosophy is so well laid out here and accessable and useful to anyone, even if you don't practice the meditation - but I hope you will... I am so grateful to have stumbled upon this one!



5. This is a great book, I've gone back to it many times. It is not the definitive text on Buddhism, and does not try to be. It is an easy to read, thought provoking and wonderful piece. Strongly recommended for those who are beginning their meditation practice, and who want to learn more about Buddhism through meditation.

5 comments about Getting to 'I Do'.

1. For some it is hard to submit to the fact that male's and female's really are different! But this book puts you in your place. If you want to make sure your marriage will last once those vows are said than read this book! If you keep wondering "why me" why cant I ever just have a functional relationship, read this book! This book kind of teaches you that there is a difference between "old fashioned" and "Narcistic" It will help you out for sure! It helped me, and I am now married and happier than I've ever been!



2. I was given this book as a present after a break up along with several other self help relationship books. They all said the same stuff. However, this one was different. VERY DIFFERENT. It actually infuriated me. I felt it was backwards, silly, and frustrating to the point that I shared my feelings with my therapist. Her reaction was if it got me going, I probably needed to read it again because it had struck a chord. I did, and it did. I googled Pat Allen and went to see her speak. I was amazed. She is brilliant, get's it, and can make us laugh at the things that seem like common sense when it's happening to other people. I'm so thankful for this gift, her gifts, and the lightbulb moment this book gave me!



3. This book was recommended to me by an acquaintance. I really wish this acquaintance luck in relationships because she absolutely loved this book. I can't place my finger on specifics, but while reading the book, I got a bad, sinking feeling. I understand the whole female & male energies, yes, but I feel that what the author tells "feminine" women to do is inauthentic. A lot of the examples and stories rang false and I was taken aback. I thought, "Really? that's what she considers narcisistic or female or male? Wow." Nothing jived with common sense. I wouldn't recommend this book to anybody.



4. As hard some of the concepts are to swallow (some of it does seem very Ward & June Cleaver) I found the information reaffirming. In particular, making a practice of tuning into and expressing one's feelings, and staying true to them, i.e., not participating in things that go against one's feelings, is a good reminder. Dr. Allen emphasizes the right of the "feminine style" person has to their feelings, and the importance of honoring them. Who among us has not gone down the wrong road by blowing past our internal, "NO?"
   
   I also liked how it underscored respect and giving a man space to figure things out. Especially for, "old school," men, I think this is useful.
   
   The rest of it is what you already know but don't want to: if you are the "feminine style" type, keep yourself up, go out looking attractive, and don't put out until you have an agreement.
   
   If you are old enough to have lived through, or been raised in, the 1970s, you may balk at this book, but why not try it out, anyway? The results will give you the answer.



5. It's amazing, this book really does work. It worked for me, it worked for my sister... I recommend this to any woman who'd like to be married within a year of dating.
   
   Good luck!

5 comments about Undoing Depression.

1. I have referred all of my depresssed cleints to this book. It is a broad-based approach to contending with depression, and is eminantly usable. O'Conner takes a commen sense approach to a debilitating process, and in doing so, exhibits uncommon intelligence in offering a wide variety of approaches to dealing with depression, which is notoriously difficult to treat and requires a multi-headed approach for best results. No one school is best, and clients benefit from a multitude of suggestions founds in this book.



2. I have lived with a very deep depression for 15 years, slowly making progress back to my happier self. My mother purchased this book during one of my hospitalizations, and I read it thoroughly, highlighting throughout. The spotlight reviewer describes its contents very well. The only thing I want to add is how dismayed I felt when the author wrote off suicide as "stupid and selfish." This says to me that the author has never been through crippling depression himself. And I certainly hope he never utters such a thing to his patients! Telling someone they're being selfish for having attempted suicide or thinking about suicide does nothing for them, but only boosts your own ego. Not to mention it's incredibly selfish on your own part. (I challenge anyone to show me someone who isn't selfish by nature.) Besides, when a person gets so bad that they're willing to kill themselves to kill the pain, no, they're not thinking about you. If I were to bore a drill into your skull, would you be concerned about someone else across the room? I highly doubt it. Would you be selfish for wanting to escape your pain? If the same logic applies, then yes. Would you be stupid? Apparently so. Instead of writing off suicides as selfish, why not step out of your own selfish shoes and try to help them?



3. I recently pulled this book off my shelf to give it to someone close suffering their own depression. I read it - and many more books - years ago when tackling my own illness. Paging through and seeing all the underlines and dog-eared pages, I recalled how this one book along with group therapy is what helped me pull though. I could identify so much with what I read and was re-assured that I wasn't alone in feeling those thoughts. This book is not full of self-help exercises as the genre tends to be - frankly, I wouldn't have had the energy at that time to do them and would have felt discouraged by my failure to do so. Reading it was like having a therapist available at any time of day to reassure me that it was going to be okay.



4. Well worth the read.
   Some great insight into depression, with solid direction and advice.
   As this book is actually written by a person with first hand experience, it is definitley more believable.
   Easy to read as it's not highly "medicalised" and jargon filled.
   I'd recommend it to anyone sufferring depression, or for health care staff and families of those whose lives have become affected.



5. Very insightful- alot of good information the parts that related to me the most were:
   
   -I found that I do not nor have I ever had depression. I am just likely to grieve when there are problems which is why I feel as I do from time to time- great in one part but leaves me not knowing how to help myself during the month or two long episodes every 18 months so (when whatever is occuring in my life accumulate to the point that I don't want to get up in the morning.) However, I suspect that my boyfriend has been slightly depressed since his parents divorce 10 years ago- I don't want to bring it up but after reading this book I think that he has this unresolved issue. I'll keep this in mind but won't pursue it with him unless an issue arises where I see it fit.
   
   
   -Great Marriage Section (there is also a Divorce one that I didn't read) -I found it very helpful to my relationship now- though I am not married and I am confident that it will help me down the line.

5 comments about Men, Love & Sex: The Complete User's Guide for Women.

1. I'm not done reading it yet, but, I like the book because it is helping me to better understand a species I thought was un-understandable. It makes sense, but I still have a few unanswered questions. I'm hoping that they will be answered by the time I get to the end.



2. Every page of every section has something focused on the sex issue, overkill. Definitely not geared toward anyone already married. Although it has some very good tidbits of info, doesn't really fulfill what it promises.



3. I was disappointed, it is not very specific in regards to men, love or sex. I was hoping for a good book like, "What Men Want" by the three professional men. This book is just way too general, although he throws in an occasional statistic. Kind of funny, but light on specific and applicable information. I read it in one sitting. Go for the other book- it's excellent!



4. I found a few revelations in this book about what men want and need. I thought I already knew that, but I didn't. You'll have to read the book to find out what they are. Personally, I believe men and women would do a lot better with each other if they didn't think so much and just did what comes naturally. Romance, love and sex aren't really all that complicated. You can make it as simple or as complicated as you want to. I'm pretty sure there is one thing men want, and that is oral sex. Women not only want oral sex, but a large majority of them need it in order to orgasm. Here's a book that will answer that need for both men and women: Was that an earthquake? The Sensuous Couple's (Flip Over) Guide to Seismic Oral Sex. It's a fun flip over book, with everything you need to know about fellatio on one side and everything you need to know about cunnilingus on the other side.



5. I bought this book for my wife in order to help her understand the mind of a man. She doesn't seem to get it after 20 years of marriage. However, I read it first just to make sure that it applied to me. I was very pleased with the book. It was "on the money" overall. There were a couple of sections that didn't apply to me, but probably once did, e.g., the section on deciphering a man's pickup line.
   
   The material was presented in a very practical way, however, it didn't get into much depth. Depth may not be necessary as long as a woman can get a general idea of the mind of men. What I mean is that this book doesn't deal with psychology. It just gives you practical insight into how guys think.
   
   I did hope that the book would cover specific topics for married men. Most of the examples and illustrations seemed to involve boyfriend/girlfriend relationships in my opinion -- though I wasn't necessarily keeping count. It just felt that way to me.
   
   If you are looking for a book to give to your wife so that she could understand men better and therefore understand you, then I highly recommend this book. I was really anxious to read it when I first got it just to see how accurate it was from my own thinking and I was pleased that it really did describe me and my thinking patterns. I guess that means that I'm a typical guy. Whoa!
   
   Now hopefully my wife will read it. The ultimate goal is to improve our relationship. Not that we have a bad marriage or anything like that. There are many issues that persist that I feel could be resolved if my wife just understood how I think so that she would hopefully be able to communicate with me more effectively. I would like to do the same for her. Again. This was a very good book.

5 comments about Living Your Strengths: Discover Your God-Given Talents and Inspire Your Community.

1. Most helpful for my ministry in the Church and for my work with the team I work with. I found it most helpful.



2. Excellent book. We are using it with all our staff and small groups in our congregations.



3. We have developed a weekend program around this book to use as a minsitry tool. Those who have participated have been been enriched through discovering their strenghts and how they can use their strenghts in their daily work life. Paticipants have also discovered ways to offer their strenghts to serve at church. The on-line survey is a wonderful tool. In addition to being accurate it gives participants the option to pick a time conveient in their schedule to go online and complete it in a private setting.



4. Are you on the right track? Do you wonder about why you love doing certain things and dislike others? Do you wonder why you react in certain ways? Are you looking for a better way to make right decisions, enjoy peace of mind, and live in harmony with others. This may be the book for you.
   
   "Living Your Strengths" is an extension of "strengths" research begun more than forty years ago by Dr. Donald Clifton of the Gallup Organization. Clifton researched the natural patterns of thought, feeling, and action of two million people in more than 25 countries. The result is the Clifton "StrengthsFinder," a tool that reveals a person's top five themes of talent - one's "Signature Themes."
   
   A "Strength" is the ability to provide consistent, near-perfect performance in a given activity. This ability is a powerful, productive combination of talent, skill, and knowledge. Talents are naturally recurring patterns of thought, feeling, or behavior that can be productively applied. Unlike skills and knowledge, talents exist within you and cannot be acquired. We must first need to identify, affirm, and apply our unique mix of talents then apply them.
   
   Clifton's research highlights folly of the widely used "weakness prevention" model - to be successful, we must "fix" our weaknesses. This thinking is wrong. Building a life around one's greatest natural abilities rather than trying to repair weaknesses is the path to success.
   
   The book is organized around the use of the StrengthsFinder (provided with the purchase of the book) to identify, assess and affirm our Signature Themes (talents), and how to apply them for growth and life success. There are thirty four identified talents ranging from achiever, maximizer, ideation, individualization, and significance to woo.
   
   The Signature Themes are unique to the individual. According to Gallup, the chance of finding someone with your Signature Themes, in the same order, is 1 in 33 million and the chance of finding someone with your top ten themes of talent is 1 in 3 trillion. Finding one's themes and understanding their uniqueness should help one to gain a better appreciation of how special they are and how special the people around them are - deeper self-respect, deeper mutual respect.
   
   Most of us generally are not harnessing the power of our innate gifts. We are not fulfilling our purpose...we do not even know it! "Living Your Strengths" provides a tool so we can assess our talents and harness them in the betterment of ourselves, our families, and the various communities we participate in.



5. Because the book describes each of the many different talents, it does not get into depth with any of them. It is a helpful basic resource, but I was hoping for more.

5 comments about The Resilience Factor: 7 Keys to Finding Your Inner Strength and Overcoming Life's Hurdles.

1. Since I bought this book two weeks ago I have already referred back to it numerous times, and I also bought it for a few friends! The steps help me to be better at acknowledging problems and learning how to fix them. Well written and very encouraging.



2. This book does an excellent job of helping people to understand their thought processes, recognize when negative thought processes occur, and the tools to overcome these negative thoughts. The author describes how positive psychology helps individuals develop greater reserves of resilience to deal with life's inevitable obstacles. Reivich further provides wonderful advice on recognizing our core beliefs and how they often dictate our reactions in a variety of circumstances. Finally, I found the author's explanation of "catastophizing" and how to avoid it particularly helpful. This concept involves when we have an event occur, and we then start to develop stories in our minds of all of the horrible consequences that might happen as a result. We snowball the one event into dramatical, horrible consequences. Reivich explains how to avoid this from happening and regain control of our mental processes so that we may think clearly and find solutions. Very helpful and insightful book!



3. Here you will learn (among other things) the ABC method of raising your optimism (closely aligned with resiliency) which has the potential of curing what many people call "depression". This book is so important, that I selected it from among hundreds to use in a teleclass I am teaching to other coaches in the Professional Coaches Association of Michigan about Positive Psychology and Strengths-Based Organizations.
   
   The book discusses the Resilience Factor index, a free online assessment that assesses your resilience along several factors. A very worthwhile book, to study as well as to simply read.



4. All self-help has the same message -- you can only make positive choices in your life if you can figure out what choices you are making without any thought and then changing course by adding understanding. Most processes expect you to figure out why you do what you do by yourself and then layer their method on top to solve your issues. This process has so many different ways to explore your old habits that you can not help but change and make better choices. My only caveat is that you read this book over a long period of time; perhaps one chapter a week to truly process all of the information.I also suggest reading that chapter before bed and letting your subconscious mull over its lessons overniight. Excellent!



5. ****
   This book was an exploration, via cognitive behavioral therapy, of resilience, and gives the reader seven skills to master to increase their own resilience. The two authors, who are also resilience researchers, call these skills: emotion regulation, impulse control, empathy, causal analysis, self-efficacy, and reaching out. These seven skills can be measured (and the book includes self-tests), learned (through practicing concepts discussed in the book) and continually improved.
   
   Although this book was enormously helpful to me, it does cover only the aspect of resilience that responds to CBT, and thus is somewhat narrow in scope. It doesn't explore spiritual aspects of resilience, or other approaches, just cognitive behavioral therapy. However, it does this quite well. In addition, the writing style was academic, so I felt as though I was reading a text, and it was a bit of work to get through it rather than fun. Note that in this paperback version the text is small; I struggled especially with the text size in the inset boxes. Still, with those limitations, it covered the topic well and will be very useful to me.
   
   Recommended.
   ****