Books
There are literally thousands of great books. I have over 1,000 books in my collection and it difficult to say “which is the best book to recommend”.
My best thought for you is to go to a bookstore and wander through the shelves and pick up a book that catches you eye, read the jacket cover and parts of it. If you like what you see, buy it and read it.
These books speak to the Heart about Spiritual and Personal growth:
Book List: Note, the best books are the ones which you intuitively find in a bookstore all on your own. That signifies the your Heart and the Universe are telling you it is time to read them. I have read over 1,000 books and there are literally 100’s which would be worth anyone reading. For this list I have reduced it to a manageable number of books. At the back of many books there are “Recommended Reading Lists” by many authors, or their Bibliography. Once you really like one book, check out some of the books the author recommends or used for their source materials.
1. Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl, M.D. A must read for anyone who thinks they have had it rough or feel victimized. Viktor as a doctor, spent about 4 -5 years in Nazi Exterminations Camps…and survived during the 2nd World War. A prime example of “not letting others control your thoughts, even though they can and will kill you”.
2. Love and Survival, Dean Ornish, M.D. Excellent book with many personal experiences of Dr. Ornish and lots of research studies about “What’s love got to do with it”, and “Love is the answer!”
3. Deep Healing, Emmett E. Miller, M.D. The best book explaining stress and how it ruins your psychological and physical health. He states that about 75% of all disease is stimulated or caused by stress. Dr. Miller is a nationally recognized expert on healing from stress and psychological issues.
4. 10 Minute Stress Reduction CD, Emmett E. Miller, M.D. , and any others you are attracted to at www.drmiller.com
5. Heal the Hurt that Sabotages Your Life, Bill Ferguson, Attorney. This is the best and shortest book with ALL the answers and processes to healing from a life controlled by hidden “core wounds”. Bill lived it and now he teaches. This is a must buy book for all of my Anger Management students.
6. Happiness is Free and easier than you think. Hale Dwoskin & Lester Levenson. This is Lester’s life story and how he went from unhappy and seriously ill, with death predicted by his doctors in 1952 to be within 3 months, to totally healthy by using forgiveness, letting go and sending love. He lived another 43 years. This is a book about the Secret of Happiness. Learning to let go, sending love and forgiveness. It works!!! His followers created the Sedona Method.
7. Kabbalistic Healing, A Path to an Awakened Soul, Jason Shulman. Excellent book describing the Unitive State where “We are all one”, the psychological reviewer’s point of observation and analysis, and the beginning state of “me and black and white, duality”. We move into the Unitive State after a lot of conscious work.
8. Homecoming, John Bradshaw, Therapist. Wonderful book regarding childhood wounds, core issues, and how they ruin and control adults lives without the adult having any clue about “where did this come from, and how could I have anything to do with it”. John provided valuable workshops around the United States for years.
9. The Heart of God, You and Me and Everyone, Look inside yourself and it is there, Eternal Edition, Forever Updated…….and full of Mystery. This is a book which was entirely already written before your birth by God or your Higher Power. Let go and do your inner healing and it will open its volumes of pages to you in ways you can not imagine.
10. Any Mirror, every time you see a mirror in a restroom, say: “You are good enough, I love you & God loves you”. Written Multiple Times Daily, published by “The Smiling You”
11. Books on Conscious Breathing & CD’s or any other topic by: Andrew Weil, M.D., Gay Hendricks, Ph.D.
12. Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life…How to Finally Grow Up, by James Hollis, Ph.D., and Jungian Analyst and former College Professor. A complete and wonderfully written book describing in the most complete and easy to read language how we got to be who we are and the way of a Carl Jung trained therapist’s healing. This is called “Depth Psychology”. It works with your life, psychology and spirituality to help you move on the Path of Heart to become Whole.
“One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious”. . . . . Carl Jung, M.D. [This is the work of all of us who want to be who we were born to be]
13. Memories, Dreams and Reflections by Carl Jung. Paperback, very readable. Life story as told by him. Life predicted in a dream. A near death experience in his 60's which affect the balance of his life. He has had one of the most major impacts on helping us become our Authentic Self.
14. What Really Matters…..by Tony Schwartz, a 4 year search for how America heals both Spiritually and Psychologically… and why both are necessary. Turned into a personal journey. Author of "Art of the Deal" for Donald Trump.
15. A Path with Heart by Jack Kornfield, Ph.D. in psychology and former Buddhist Monk. How after becoming a senior monk he realized spirituality alone had left him an immature adult with childhood anger still in full bloom. In CA at Spirit Rock, a retreat.
After the Ecstasy, the Laundry: How the Heart Grows Wise on the Spiritual Path, also by Jack Kornfield. Excellent examples of people who experienced short or long term high spiritual states of enlightenment, and then crashed as they re-entered a regular life. Demonstrates how being very spiritual without having psychological wholeness fails all of us. A very important book for anyone who feels “Religion is the whole answer”.
16. The Artists Way by Julia Cameron. The Expression of ones inner self and soul and methods of getting there, for all "non artists". We are all Artists. Teaches journaling…life changing.
17. Healing the Shame That Binds You… by John Bradshaw. A complete book about early childhood losses and abuses and how not being loved enough leave a permanent adult feeling of inner shame. Shame is like a 100 pound weight which keeps a person functioning low.
18 Any book by Stephen Levine. Books on meditation and death. Heart is the teacher. Stephen is speaks right from his Hear and emphasizes letting go, breathing from our "soft belly" and loosening the "armour that surrounds our Heart". Letting in all the pain into our Heart, because with it's direction connection to God, The Universe, your Higher Power, it will melt and dissolve any pain. On the opposite side, resisting pain from being felt will put armor around our Heart and harm our health and mind.
19. Addiction to Perfection by Marion Woodman, Jungian Analyst. A book about women's eating disorders. How the function of all eating disorders relate to mother and consequently a mother complex. Healing is possible after identifying "the enemy within."
20. The Theft of Spirit. Carl A. Hammerschlag, M.D. psychiatrist true story about being among American Indians and learning from them. A Caucasian who knew how to life until he lived among the American Indians. He went to doctor them and they doctored him. GREAT.
21. Synchronicity, The Inner Path of Leadership. Joseph Jawarski. Attorney who followed his heart. Quit law. Founded American Leadership Forum. Leaps of Faith demonstrated.
22. Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach, a wonderful book for healing oneself. Demonstrates the phoniness of some spiritual groups with a guru and how to become yourself. Great book for Breathing exercises to open up subconsciously hidden core wound awareness and healing.
23. The Conscious Heart, Hendricks and Hendricks… for couples to learn more about love
24. Romancing the Shadow Connie Zweig and Steve Wolf, Romancing the Shadow. An excellent shadow book….about how we became who we are and what we can do to grow.
25. Healing Beyond the Body, Larry Dossey, M.D.: Medicine, Mind & Spirituality. Where is the Mind and is it in your brain or non-local – outside your body? It’s powers.
26. Writing to Change the World: by Mary Pipher, Ph.D. This is an excellent “kick in the seat of the pants” for anyone who wants to get out and make a difference in the world. It applies to writers, speakers and doers. Read for inspiration and gaining the belief that your story has to be told and it will impact the world, one person at a time.