Mental Health Spirituality

Mindfulness is now all the rage. From celebrity endorsements to monks, neuroscientists, and meditation coaches rubbing shoulders with CEO's at the World Economic Forum in Davos, it is clear that mindfulness has gone mainstream. Some have even called it a revolution. In McMindfulness, Ronald Purser debunks the so-called "mindfulness revolution," exposing how corporations, schools, governments, and the military have co-opted it as technique for social control and self-pacification.

There is a famous Zen story about a disciple, Riko, who once asked his master, Nansen, to explain to him the old Zen koan of the goose in the bottle. Namely, if a man puts a gosling into a bottle and feeds the gosling through the bottle's neck until it grows and becomes a goose - and then there is simply no more room inside the bottle - how can the man get it out without killing the goose or breaking the bottle? In response, Nansen shouts, "Riko!" and gives a great clap with his hands.

Do you feel "stuck" in your life right now? Whether you struggle with depression, anxiety, trauma—or simply feel unhappy or unmotivated—you may be seeking ways to find meaning, or discover the inspiration you need to create a new path in life that better serves you. Mindfulness has gained popularity as a self-help solution for a variety of mental health issues, and mindfulness meditation has been touted as powerfully effective in helping people find focus and balance in order to complete important tasks. But you may wonder, "How does one actually do mindfulness?"

Christians who struggle with a conflict between their sexual and religious identities have few therapeutic options available to them. An alternative to these methods is Sexual Identity Therapy (SIT) -an approach that aims to provide individuals with a safe therapeutic space to explore the tension between their sexuality and their faith. Working within the SIT framework, clients are able to resolve their inner conflict to their personal satisfaction and to freely choose a coherent identity that enables them to move forward in life.

In The Myths of Happiness, Sonja Lyubomirsky isolates the major turning points of adult life, looking to both achievements (marriage, children, professional satisfaction, wealth) and failures (singlehood, divorce, financial ruin, illness) to reveal that our misconceptions about the impact of such events is perhaps the greatest threat to our long-term well-being.

From the best-selling author of The Intention Experiment and The Field comes a groundbreaking new work---a book that uses the interconnectedness of mind and matter to demonstrate that the key to life is in the relationship between things. We are always connected with others, hardwired at our most elemental level---from the quantum level to the cellular, from personal relationships to business and societal structures.

Just as he did in Healing Words, the groundbreaking book that propelled him into the public consciousness, Larry Dossey uses cutting-edge science to prove the value of what had long been considered spiritual mumbo-jumbo. This is a book for the skeptical mind, but it's also for the believer's heart-because its author possesses the rare gift of having both.

This book uses evolutionary psychology as a lens to explain religious violence and oppression. The author, a clinical psychologist, examines religious scriptures, rituals, and canon law, highlighting the many ways in which our evolutionary legacy has shaped the development of religion and continues to profoundly influence its expression.

The Desire Factor proves that desire is the force behind every act of creation. It is the mechanism through which everything in this boundless spiritual universe is made manifest into physical, tangible form. Every aspect of our human experience - from the emergence of our most heartfelt aspirations to the fulfillment of our most basic physical and biological needs - is driven by the engine of desire.

Acclaimed author, process-oriented therapist, and earlier Jungian analyst Arnold Mindell teaches us how to find the power to make our own choices and control our own lives. Drawing on his experiences with "witch-doctors" and shamans in Africa, Japan, Russia, and India, Mindell leads us on a "death walk" through our worst fears and deepest emotional crises to wake our inner shaman - which he calls our "dreamingbody." Methods for tapping the wisdom hidden in crises free our own internal sorcery for use in our daily lives. These methods enable us to become whole from within and to avoid the phantoms of unrealistic hopes and desires that limit our lives.

Psychological Astrology and the Twelve Houses will surprise you, whether you are a complete beginner or a seasoned professional. Noel Eastwood is an astrologer, tarotist, and a retired psychologist. He approaches astrology as an altered state of consciousness. He walks you through the houses of the natal chart like a good travel guide who knows that sightseeing is not enough to make a journey memorable - you need to experience the place for yourself: meet the locals in small cafés, discover hidden fountains and secret gardens.

Rhythms of Renewal is your guide to daily rescue and a way forward into the peace your soul longs for. As a society, we are in the throes of a collective panic attack. Anxiety and loneliness are on the rise, with 77% of our population experiencing physical symptoms of stress on a regular basis. We feel pressure chasing careers, security, and keeping up. We worry about health, politics, and many other complexities we can't control. Eventually, we find our minds spinning, trying to cope or manage a low hum of anxiety, unlike ever before.

This is the first book to present an integrated model of mindfulness and emotion regulation - both clinically proven for reducing anxiety symptoms. Using these easy mindfulness practices, you'll learn to manage your emotions and lessen your anxiety, leading to improvements in your social life, work obligations, and family responsibilities.

Due to a culture that encourages perfection, hustle, and fictional life/work balance, many are burning out. Behind her Instagram-projected image of “happy wellness founder”, Poppy Jamie was also struggling mightily with perfectionism and life purpose. She began working with mental health experts and researchers to find practical tools to overcome her inner critic and rewire her mind.

In a tense cultural climate, is it possible to disagree productively and respectfully without compromising our convictions? Spanning a range of challenging issues--including critical race theory, sexual assault, campus protests, and clashes over religious freedom--highly regarded thought leader and law professor John Inazu helps us engage honestly and empathetically with people whose viewpoints we find strange, wrong, or even dangerous.

La ignorancia es una bendición, excepto para el autoconocimiento. Lo que no conoces acerca de ti puede dañarte… a ti, a tus relaciones y a la forma en que vives la vida. Además, puede mantenerte en un plano superficial con Dios. ¿Quieres aprender a descubrir quién eres y por qué tropiezas una y otra vez con los mismos patrones autodestructivos?

In the later part of the 19th century, Rhoda Derry spent over 40 years in the Adams County Poor Farm, curled in a fetal position in a box bed. She had clawed her own eyes out. She had beaten her front teeth in. Her legs had atrophied to the point where she could no longer stand on her own, or even sit in a wheelchair. She had been committed there by her own family when they could no longer care for her at home. She spent decades locked away from the world.

Strengthening, calming, and stabilizing the mind is the essential first step in accomplishing nearly any goal. Growing up American with a Tibetan twist, Sakyong Mipham talks to Westerners as no one can: in idiomatic English with stories and wisdom from American culture and the great Buddhist teachers. Turning the Mind Into an Ally makes it possible for anyone to achieve peace and clarity in their lives.

In this groundbreaking new book, researchers Andrew Newberg and Eugene d'Aquili offer an explanation that is at once profoundly simple and scientifically precise: The religious impulse is rooted in the biology of the brain. In Why God Won't Go Away, Newberg and d'Aquili document their pioneering explorations in the field of neurotheology, an emerging discipline dedicated to understanding the complex relationship between spirituality and the brain.

Stress is a modern-day epidemic, and with the tumult of busy schedules and major life changes that young adults experience, they’re particularly vulnerable to its negative effects. In The Mindful Twenty-Something, the founder of the extremely popular Koru Mindfulness program developed at Duke University presents a unique, evidence-based approach to help twenty-somethings reduce stress and make important life decisions with respect to school, relationships, sex, career, and more - with clarity and confidence.