Blog Archives
Learning to Feel
Kris Girrell takes the reader on an emotional journey through various stages of his life in Learning to Feel: One Man’s Path of Reconnecting to the Heart of Emotions. The author’s honesty about his personal struggles and triumphs engages the reader throughout the book. With personal experiences and insightful notes and questions, the author’s emotional connection with the reader is evident. Girrell’s passion for emotional intelligence and self-awareness is palpable throughout the book. He shares cherished moments with friends, family, and colleagues, making the reader feel like a part of the story. The affirmations in the book are particularly noteworthy, radiating positivity and showcasing the author’s intentionality with his words.
In addition to teaching readers how to deal with emotions, Girrell provides valuable lessons on molding young individuals into upright members of society. The author stresses the importance of being a role model and being deliberate with one’s lessons. The book also includes questions to ponder after each discussion, providing a reflective opportunity for the reader. Girrell’s use of tables and diagrams to illustrate his points is helpful and clarifies the text. By the end of the book, the reader gains a different perspective on life, human beings, and emotions. The book teaches readers how to connect with their inner selves, have better relationships with others, and communicate effectively.
The author’s inclusion of works cited and additional materials for further reading adds value to the book. Girrell’s phenomenal writing style and engaging storytelling make Learning to Feel: One Man’s Path of Reconnecting to the Heart of Emotions an exceptional read. This thought-provoking book is a combination of a memoir, a journey of self-discovery, and a self-help guide. I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking personal growth and a deeper understanding of themselves.
Pages: 170 | ISBN : 1957354267
The Rule-breaker’s Gender
Only Prince Charming Gets to Break the Rules is an analysis of over 200 folktales and fairy tales from around the world showing the inequality of treatment between men and women. Why was this an important book for you to write?
Following the 2020 presidential election, I became curious about who is permitted to break the rules. I turned to traditional fairy tales for insight, wondering if they reveal any gender bias in terms of rule-breaking. Fairy tales and folktales are integral parts of every culture, carrying messages for both children and adults. I thought it was possible they might contain implicit messages about rule-breaking, punishment, and reward for different genders.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
Our research has revealed a significant finding: male characters make up two-thirds of all rule-breakers, whereas female characters make up only one-third. Furthermore, although male rule-breakers often go unpunished or are rewarded, female rule-breakers are predominantly punished. These implicit messages in fairy tales and folktales can be harmful, as they reinforce gender stereotypes and encourage one gender to break rules while the other should obey. Interestingly, other research has found a correlation between rule-breaking and career success, with individuals who break rules tending to achieve higher income and greater success than those who adhere to rules. This finding suggests that some level of rule-breaking may be associated with personal and professional growth.
How much research did you undertake for this book and how much time did it take to put it all together?
I conducted extensive research over several months, beginning with the identification of 200 fairy tales and folk tales from different regions of the world. I read through hundreds of stories to identify instances where rules were broken, ensuring a balanced representation from North America, South America, Asia, Africa, and Europe. After gathering an equal number of stories from each region, I analyzed them thoroughly and cross-checked my findings with another researcher to ensure consistency. Each story was analyzed in terms of the rule-breaker’s gender, whether they were punished, and the severity of the violation and punishment.
What is one thing that people point out after reading your book that surprises you?
The consistency of our findings across geographic regions comes as a surprise to many who read the book; they expected to see significant differences. In addition, they are particularly surprised by the severity of punishment for female characters who break the rules. Shockingly, almost one-third of the female characters who break the rules in stories are executed!
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
Proceeds from this book will be donated to Empowering Girls for Life (EGFL), a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating the female leaders of tomorrow by empowering girls today. EGFL is located in Lombard, IL.
Overcoming the Fear of Being Fabulous
Judith Sherven and Jim Sniechowski’s latest book, Overcoming the Fear of Being Fabulous: 33 Keys to Creating Your New Life by Leaving Your Old Stories Behind, is a practical self-help guide that is destined to aid individuals dealing with personal issues, those hoping to better themselves, and people in need of a little motivation to keep going. The authors use their personal lives and the experiences of others as examples, sharing different human experiences and observations that made them great and that will make the reader more fabulous.
This step-by-step guide offers 33 keys that focus on specific aspects of human behavior, covering all possible areas that are critical in the self-improvement journey. But what is the fear of being fabulous? The authors define it as any way that you hold yourself back from being fully present in your excellence in any part of your life. This simple and clear-cut definition is excellent for introducing the reader to the topics being discussed.
Chapter one of the book is brilliantly written, with every discussion well-put and the main points given priority. As a reader, you automatically fall in love with the author’s writing style in the first chapter. Each key has a few mini topics and reflections that can help the reader ponder their life situation, applying a different style in their writing.
One of the most informative discussions is on the second key, which focuses on Jim. The discussion starts with the revelation of Jim’s mild stroke, which happened in 2016, and how it impacted him. Through this story, the authors enlighten the readers about being their inner critics. This discussion is a valuable lesson on how to overcome fear and celebrate one’s goings-on.
The keys are brief but gratifying, and the stories of both Jim and Judith are stimulating and a great feature in the writing. In addition, every introductory offers valuable lessons, including subjects like a failure, being nice versus being honest, regret, gratitude, handling disappointments, success, growth, and unconscious contamination.
Overcoming the Fear of Being Fabulous is a go-to book if you enjoy personal stories that come with life lessons. It is an engaging and professional self-help guide that will motivate readers to leave their old stories behind and create a new life. The author’s personal experiences and insights are an excellent resource for anyone seeking to improve themselves and their lives.
Pages: 230 | ASIN : B0BSFTSBGW
Dream It to Do It
Howard Eisenberg’s Dream It to Do It features profound insights about humanity’s true nature and the natural spiritual resources that are our heritage but are frequently overlooked in our technology-dependent and materialistic world. The book delves into ancient wisdom traditions and recent scientific findings, offering compelling evidence of “the world behind the world” and the supremacy of consciousness. In addition, it contains a comprehensive, brilliant examination of various profound topics, such as how to envision and navigate alternative realities, how reality works, how thoughts become things, brain science and consciousness, the true basis of scientific discovery and invention, entrapment by the ego and the dark side, lucid dreaming, imaginal thinking, and much more.
Both new and long-time fans of psychological literature will find it easy to learn from the book because Howard’s words are pleasantly consistent and supported by much evidence. As they progress through the pages, readers will comprehend a new, more realistic side of core human beliefs and the notions that drive our thinking. Thanks to the book, I no longer regard myself as distinct from the things I experience and the elements that make the world—which has shown me how interconnected we all are and how to live accordingly.
This book contains fascinating statements and eye-opening, life-changing concepts from scientists, psychologists, philosophers, spiritual teachers, and psychics from various cultures and ages. It is also relatively straightforward and free of superfluous word fillers and meandering. As a result, reading the book is both a pleasurable and educational experience.
This compact, intelligently packed dosage of revolutionary information will spark a substantial shift in your perception of yourself and the world around you, ultimately improving your life significantly. Dream It to Do It is exactly what our current world requires to shock us back to reality and free us from our zombie-like reliance on technology and consumerism. Lovers of psychological works questioning their worldview will not be disappointed in this book.
Pages: 119 | ASIN : B09KFH3N76
The Eloquence of Effort
The Eloquence of Effort: Beware the Path of Least Resistance by Indar Maharaj is a highly intellectual read, perfect for readers who enjoy deeply complex pieces that feed the mind. The intention is to assist in acknowledging the necessity of prioritizing ‘purposeful effort’, to view it as the source of healing, achievement, and long-term well-being for all.
Maharaj uses the lives of successful individuals, particularly their methods of work and the morals and values they lived by to show how a person’s overall nature is a direct influence on their accomplishments during their lifetime. By also including figures such as Robert ‘Iceberg Slim’ Beck, Bruce Reynolds, and Bernard Madoff who were known for their poor behavior and dark leadership styles (those venturing to criminal or anti-social behaviors), Maharaj has created a trustworthy judgment between praising certain figures, whilst ostracizing the lives of others. It is done so intentionally without force or haste, but so evidently it cannot be argued.
The use of figures such as Gandhi, Mother Teresa, and Albert Schweitzer was a brilliant cipher for how the willingness to forego personal pleasures in lieu of the greater good – through healthcare, socio-political movements, and the environment – can manifest differently, but are all factors which have been possessed commonly by world leaders because they sought to serve selflessly. The three felt a supreme calling to identify with the needs of their fellow man. Maharaj’s analysis of these figures independently followed by a dual and triple comparative analysis marks a transparent maxim: leaders must be the instruments of change, for service which is rendered without joy helps neither the servant nor the served.
The Eloquence of Effort by Indar Maharaj contains a message for readers that is straightforward: just as work demands effort, effort demands work. This book is for readers wanting an enlightening and thought-provoking read with factual recounts of historical figures and world events, wrapped in a highly intellectual blanket that is done tastefully and tactfully.
Pages: 543 | ASIN: B0784XWJBX
Why Don’t They Cry?
Why Don’t They Cry?: Understanding Your Living Child’s Grief by Zander Sprague (LPCC) is a book dedicated to parents who have lost a child, especially during childhood or early adulthood. Zander begins the book by piquing the readers’ interest with thought-provoking and interesting ideas about siblings. The relationships we have with them are often the longest-lasting relationships in life, but what happens if we lose a sibling at a young age?
Zander lost his older sister early in life and later dedicated his life to becoming a counselor helping people who have lost siblings. These individuals are often referred to as sibling survivors but are often the forgotten mourners years later while their grief continues to impact their lives. The survivors’ grief is often overshadowed by the anguish of their parents’ experience of losing a child. Siblings became the secondary mourners by default, which can bring about unique challenges, including how parents communicate with their surviving children, the healing process, and the side effects of loss, including divorce, marital stress, and family difficulties.
The book is written in a professional but compassionate tone. However, that does not take away from the emotions and stories shared in a beautiful, sensitive manner. It’s an emotional rollercoaster of love, sadness, grief, and reflection. I was impressed with the style of this book and how the author created a helpful guide for sibling survivors and recognized their pain, which is touching and important. It only took a few pages before I felt the full emotional impact of the book and the power of sibling bonds explained so well. I was deeply moved and left thinking about the process of grief and the complex journey of loss.
Why Don’t They Cry?: Understanding Your Living Child’s Grief by Zander Sprague (LPCC) is an excellent read for parents grieving the loss of a child. It’s a great book I recommend to professional child caregivers, counselors, psychologists, and teachers. It’s an essential read for anyone looking to support children or young adults through this harrowing loss. I can’t recommend this book enough!
ASIN B0BSC6B72C | Pages: 80
The Promise of Psychedelics
The Promise of Psychedelics: Science-Based Hope For Better Mental Health is described as a psychedelic therapy guide by Dr. Peter Silverstone, however, if you ask me I would classify it as a crucial academic work that is of high value in the field of psychiatry. Ever since his first day as a young psychiatrist. Dr. Silverstone was faced with patients who were suffering from depression and had tried to commit suicide at one point or another. From that day on Silverstone made it his life mission to find new ways to help people dealing with all sorts of mental health issues.
Studies show that two out of ten adults suffer from some kind of mental health problem, and due to the lack of professionals who can cater to the needs of all patients, a high percentage of patients are given medication. Sadly the medication isn’t always effective, especially in cases such as PTSD, depression, anxiety, addictions, or personality issues. However, thanks to our extended knowledge of the brain and neuroscience our approach to a lot of these issues has changed and will continue to further change and evolve in the future. Here is where Dr. Silverstone comes in with psychedelics such as psilocybin, ketamine, MDMA, cannabinoids, and LSD. In his illuminating book he explains the existing forms of therapy and treatment as well as some brand new ones that he discovered in his decades dedicated to this subject.
Inside the book, readers will get to read about different intertwined topics from the diagnosis of a mental health issue, to the plasticity of the brain, different psychedelics and where they can be used and so much more, including biographical details about Dr. Silverstone himself, and how he chose his career path.
Even though I’ve described this book as an important academic work, Dr. Silverstone purposefully made sure to write this book in a language that is easily understood by anyone. It does not matter if you have a background in the fields of neuroscience and psychiatry or not. A perfect example of this is his comparison of the brain to a pizza sliced into four parts. It may sound funny, but every good teacher is able to explain complex ideas in relatable terms and Dr. Silverstone is an exceptional educator.
My favorite chapter in this educational book, as a reader and as a psychology student, was where he talked about the plasticity of the brain (brain plasticity refers to how the brain can change, how it is flexible and can be molded) because it is a topic I had learned in developmental psychology and it was fascinating to read some new information on that topic.
I believe that The Promise of Psychedelics is an academic work that will become significant in psychiatry as our knowledge of the brain continues to broaden. I highly recommend this enlightening book to any professionals or students in the fields of psychiatry, psychology, and medicine as well as anyone interested in mental health.
Pages: 283 | ASIN: B09QWFJWJ5
The Sanctimonious Psychoproctological Invasions
In The Sanctimonious Psychoproctological Invasions: The Handbook for Political Analysis, Dr. Len Bergantino discusses the political climate in the United States while paying attention to the first amendment. The author extensively writes about this constitution clause, enlightening his readers on the political workings, how the government runs its daily business and the life the political class lives. The author exhausts every point regarding political discussions, giving sober analysis in every argument. The reader gets the privilege of reading through Dr. Bergantino’s notes, letters, and opinions on issues that not many are comfortable discussing.
One of the most remarkable features of a good author is his bravado. Dr. Bergantino is bold in his work. He writes his truths and does not shy away from addressing controversial matters. The confidence displayed by the author makes reading this informative book interesting and engaging. Throughout the book, the reader learns about the political world and human stories. Dr. Len Bergantino shares personal tales, writing about his private life, professional life, passions, and the impact modern-day politics has had on his life. I relished reading his personal stories, his interactions with the who-is-who in the political class, and his contribution to his community.
Dr. Len Bergantino displays wisdom in his language and does not openly show partiality when writing about either Right Wing or Left Wing politics. The discussions are balanced, and the analysis is delivered objectively. Even when using strong language, Dr. Len Bergantino ensures that his message is not lost depending on the phrases he uses. America is the land of the free, and even with all its freedoms, American society seems to fall short in some areas. Dr. Len Bergantino does not conceal the evil of the political class, as he writes about it all; the good, the bad, the ugly, the embarrassing, and the pride instilled in Americans.
As an educator and political expert, Dr. Len Bergantino seems to be the ideal person to discuss the status quo and the battement of society. This educational book is arranged in an unconventional manner, which is great as the reader can choose and pick which topics to start reading first. The images of the author’s works shared between the pages give the reader a good idea of how Dr. Len Bergantino’s mind works and thus give one a better comprehension of these thoughts.
The Sanctimonious Psychoproctological Invasions: The Handbook for Political Analysis is a one-of-a-kind book that will expand readers’ scope in politics, help readers to fully understand their rights as a citizen, and enlighten them on how the world works. I recommend this fascinating book to political science students and readers who enjoy political and socio-economic literature.
Pages: 366 | ISBN : 1955691835
