RECOMMENDED READING ARCHIVE

Marie de Hennezel is a gifted psychologist who works as part of a remarkable team of doctors and nurses in a hospital for the terminally ill in Paris.  The men and women who attend the facility, some alone with no one to help, some with their families, do not always know that they are dying.  It is Marie de Hennezel's aim first to bring them - and their loved ones - to this awareness and then to encourage them to live each remaining day  as fully as possible.  She also helps each patient move beyond pain, confusion, or despair and to make peace with the approaching end.  Through this book we are invited to watch as she sits with each individual, sometimes encouraging them to release their fears and angers, sometimes providing just a sense of calm, a comforting presence, or honest answers to difficult questions.  Through her gentleness and the unforgettable people she helps, we learn how precious the final days of a person's life can be and how deeply moving it often is to share these moments with someone.  Even more, we come to realize just how much there is to learn about living from those who are dying.  In an age when we are largely unwilling to talk about death, this important and profound book encourages us to face the end of life in the hope we'll make the best of each moment!  Certainly worth considering....

The Selfish Society is a good follow-up to Sue Gerhardt's ealier work, Why Love Matters.  It reveals the vital importance of understanding our early emotional lives, showing that by focusing on the attention we give to our young children we can create a better society. We have, says Sue Gerhardt, come to inhabit a culture of selfish individualism which has confused material well-being with happiness, allowing young people to be surrounded with damaging, selfish and destructive images and ideals. We are now at a turning point where the need for change is becoming urgent. Sue proposes that we need to rediscover, develop and allow time for more empathic forms of parenting, to support the caring qualities that are learnt in early life. Then, as a new 'emotional literacy' spreads, the culture of the family will become our wider culture and we will integrate new values into our political and economic thinking - helping each other when necessary and working through conflicts without violence.

This is an inspiring and thought-provoking piece of work which we believe is very appropriate for the time in which we find ourselves. The Selfish Society sets out a roadmap to a more positive and compassionate future.

Lynne McTaggart's new book, The Bond, is arguably the blueprint for a better life - some are saying it offers a turning point for a social and cultural evolution. Based on the latest discoveries from the new sciences, The Bond shows us that we succeed when we co-operate. We are strong when we unite - we are weak when we compete. If you are among the millions who are saying right now 'There has to be a better way'. The Bond provides a message of hope, inspiration - and a practical way to change, starting with your home, then your neighbourhood, your community, your town. The Bond is setting the agenda for that change. It demonstrates that we have been living in a way that is against our own nature, against every cell in our body.

For centuries, Western science and many Western cultures have taught us to think of ourselves as individuals. But today, a revolutionary new understanding is emerging from the laboratories of the most cutting-edge physicists, biologists, and psychologists: What matters is not the isolated entity, but the space between things, the relationship of things....The Bond.  Why not judge and see for yourself. 

This life-changing handbook by best-selling author Cheryl Richardson offers you 12 strategies to transform your life one month at a time. Designed as a practical, action-oriented program, each chapter challenges you to alter one behavior that keeps getting you into trouble. The book is filled with personal stories of how Cheryl and others have learned to make the practice of Extreme Self-Care their new standard for living. With chapters such as “End the Legacy of Deprivation,” “Take Your Hands off the Wheel,” “The Absolute No List,” and “Does That Anger Taste Good?” you will stop the endless cycle of self-betrayal and neglect that stems from daily violations of self-care. Each chapter includes a relevant resource section that offers books, websites, audio programs, podcasts, and more should you want to explore a particular topic further. The Art of Extreme Self-Care is a sane and sensible program that gives you the permission you need to dramatically upgrade your life!

Cheryl Richardson, is an acknowledged pioneer in the field of professional coaching, and in this book and her work generally she talks about the insights she's gained from working with thousands of individuals over the last fifteen years. She explains why such topics as spiritual and psychological development are critical to personal transformation. She also shows how we can overcome the common obstacles that prevent us from realising our full potential and how by using spiritual tools we can create long-lasting solutions. Cheryl Richardson is also a bestselling author who has written four other books: Take Time for Your Life, Life Makeovers, The Unmistakable Touch of Grace.

For those of you who want to examine this subject further we think you would find it useful to read, 'How To Achieve Self Love', on the Philosopy and Approach page and 'Self Care Is The Key'....