Recommended Books:
If you can't find
these at a local bookstore, you can order them through Amazon.com Because web-pages change so
easily, it is better to just copy the title of the book below and paste it into
the search window of Amazon.com
You Can Be
Happy No Matter What: Five Principles Your Therapist Never Told You,
and
Shortcut Through Therapy: 10 Principles of Growth Oriented
Living,
both by Richard Carlson
These
two books offer a clear and very effective approach for dealing with
personal issues causing anxiety or depression. Highly recommended and
written in an easy to read format. The first is more fundamental and
important, while the second adds other helpful principles.
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Feel
The Fear and Do It Anyway, by Susan Jeffers
This book is undoubtably
about the most simple yet surprisingly powerful book on "self-help." I am very
much a skeptic, and had I not read this book from the beginning I would
have never believed that such a simple physical technique, coupled with two
simple but fundamental phrases, could make such a huge difference in my life.
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How To Stubbornly Refuse to Make Yourself Miserable About Anything, by Albert Ellis
Feeling
Better, Getting Better, Staying Better, by Albert Ellis
A New
Guide To Rational Living,
by Albert Ellis and Robert Harper
The first
two books of Ellis' are probably his most accessable, while the latter one is
more in-depth but more difficult to read. All though are excellent in helping
one overcome the self-defeating thinking that causes so many of our emotional
and behavioral problems.
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A
Conscious Person's Guide to Relationships,
by Alan Keyes
This
book is applicable to any kind of relationships, including work, as
well to marriage or other committed relationships. It's easy to understand
and apply while producing powerful results.
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How
To Want What You Have:
Discovering the Magic and Grandeur of Ordinary
Existence,
by Timothy Miller
Miller discusses three mental
practices that are fundamental to a happy, enlightened life. The chapter on
the genetic basis for "wanting" is way more than is needed and boring to read,
but the rest of the book is a gem. All highly evolved spiritual people use these
three practices and Miller explains how anyone can evolve even in our
increasingly commercial and distraction prone
culture.
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The
Art of Living Consciously: The Power of Awareness to Transform Everyday
Life, by Nathaniel Brandon.
After many years of mindfulness being
presented as something rather "other-worldly" and difficult to obtain, this book
takes the concept back to it's fundamental, yet essential elements. For some
this book may not have quite the power to transform one's life as the others
listed above, however the concepts are still essential to a truly good life.
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I'm
OK, You're OK, Thomas A Harris, M.D.
Though this book was
originaly published in 1969 and has fallen off the pop-psychology charts, it
still is very remarkable.
"Harris has stripped away the technical
language of psychoanalysis and presents with lucid logic a way to
self-understanding and change."--The Los Angeles Times
Taken from
Amazon.com: "Are you okay? That's probably the most important question anyone
will ever answer, and Dr. Thomas Harris's groundbreaking bestseller helped
millions respond in the affirmative. Using Transactional Analysis, which
confronts the individual with the fact that he or she is responsible for what
happens in the future, Dr. Harris explained how to distinguish the three active
elements that make up everyone's personality (Parent, Adult, and Child), as well
as the four life positions underlying people's actions. Best of all, his
theories are presented in wonderfully easy-to-understand language, and there's
practical advice on how to change harmful
behavior."
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The
next four books are excellent for helping marriages thrive:
Why
Marriages Succeed or Fail, And How You Can Make Yours Last,
and
The
Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work,
bolth by John
Gottman
The most scientifically based of all the marriage self-help
books, Gottman has sifted through some of the more worthless advice that has
sprung up in the marriage counseling industry, and focuses on what really works.
Of course the problem is having either the discipline or the desire to implement
what he has found in his scientific studies, but if one does apply what Gottman
has learned, the chances of a marriage succeeding will be greatly enhanced.
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Love
Is Never Enough:
How Couples Can Overcome Misunderstandings, Resolve
Conflicts, and Solve Relationship Problems Through Cognitive Therapy, by
Aaron Beck
A very thorough and well written book on what is probably the
most effective approach to marital therapy. The illuminations and concepts about
how we relate to people are a virtual gold-mine. Learning how we easily distort
our thinking and how to overcome it is extremely valuable to any relationship,
including with the larger world and our interactions with others.
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Relationship
For A Lifetime Everything You Need To Know To Create A Love That Lasts, by
Kelly E. Johnson, M.D.
This is my wife's favorite relationship
book!
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Books
also recommended, but not as a primary coaching subject:
Stumbling on Happiness, by Daniel Gilbert.
Think you know what makes you happy? This book will illuminate how your mind works to deceive you in numerous ways in your journey to achieving happiness. While based on a large amount of contemporary psychological research, it still is a very accessible and enjoyable read. Very worthwhile, it can change how you approach achieving happiness.
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Inner-Growth: Expanding
your perspective to create greater fulfillment , by Keith L.
Kendrick. Written by the founder of the Self-Help Resource Center, it can
be read on-line or printed out at http://home.teleport.com/~awaken/lifebook.htm
Even though
this is a good book with an exploration of the fundamentals of what it takes to
achieve a truly good life, the author recommends several of the books above as
actually being better for promoting more immediate results if one is suffering
from anxiety or depression.
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The
Paradox of Choice, by Barry Schwarz
Why in the U.S. of A., one of the
most affleunt countries of the world, is there so much more depression and
suicide? I thought I knew the answer, but Schwarz provides many illuminating
insights that I didn�t even begin to realize. Of course the challenge is to
apply these insights, but just being aware of them helps a lot in our daily life
filled with a truly vast multitude of choices.
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Eat,
Drink and Be Merry, by Dr. Dean E'Dell
An excellent book on overall
health and medicine. Very readable and filled with excellent advice.
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The
Demon Haunted World: Science As A Candle in the Dark,
by Carl
Sagan
How valuable is science in our world? For that matter, what is science?
Read this book by possibly the greatest science writer to find out.
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A
Fine Balance,
by Rohinton Mistry
Not a self-help book, but a truly
great epic novel spanning three decades in India, and it will change your
outlook on life!
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They
Call It Hypnosis, by Robert A. Baker
An excellent book, well researched,
and very illuminating about hypnosis--also very
surprising!