The following is a completely non-exhaustive list of some of the intriguing books, websites and concepts I have come across in the search for greater health and happiness.
There are guaranteed to be important omissions in the following but these are simply books or concepts that have resonated with me. The list includes book, websites and concepts I am very familiar with as well as many that I am intrigued by and keen to investigate further! I would be pleased to receive your list so that I can continue to grow mine. Have a look at what intrigues you, leave the rest!
Byron Katie (the work.com)
Byron Katie has one job: to show people how to stop suffering. When Katie appears, lives change.
In 1986, at the bottom of a ten-year spiral into depression, rage, and self-loathing, Katie woke up one morning to a state of constant joy that has never left her. She realised that when she believed her stressful thoughts, she suffered, but that when she questioned them, she didn't suffer, and that this is true for every human being. Her simple yet powerful process of inquiry is called The Work.
The Work consists of four questions and the turnarounds, which are a way of experiencing the opposite of what you believe. When you question a thought, you see around it to the choices beyond suffering.
Katie has been bringing The Work to millions of people for more than twenty-five years. Her public events, weekend workshops, five-day intensives, nine-day School for The Work, and 28-day residential Turnaround House have brought freedom to people all over the world.
Byron Katie's six books include the bestselling Loving What Is, I Need Your Love—Is That True?, and A Thousand Names for Joy. For more information, visit thework.com.
There are countless videos featuring Katie doing "the Work" on Youtube as well as on her website to give you an idea of how her Work "works".
Dr Norm Shealy (normshealy.com)
Norm Shealy is a US neurosurgeon who has been at the forefront of holistic medicine since the 60's, and has developed numerous inventions and techniques to help his patients improve chronic pain and depression, amongst many other issues. His most recent book, Living Bliss, details a number of techniques to improve your wellness significantly without resorting to drugs or surgery, including the use of essential oils applied to specific acupressure points for 30 seconds a day to achieve incredible improvements in those with chronic pain and depression.
For a link to read some of his latest book, see http://www.amazon.co.uk/Living-Bliss-Major-Discoveries-Holistic/dp/1401942644/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409137326&sr=8-1&keywords=norm+shealy#reader_1401942644
Tapping
Tapping was originally derived from 'Thought Field Therapy' or TFT, created by Dr Roger Callahan in the 60's who tried tapping a few acupuncture / acupressure points with one of his patients with whom he had been working for some time in an effort to alleviate her water phobia. The session had dramatic results, and he developed a number of 'tapping protocols' where a client is tapped on while focusing on a distressing issue. The tapping is done in silence and with a very specific order and specific points depending on the issue. For further information on TFT, see: http://www.rogercallahan.com
EFT / Emotional Freedom Technique was developed in the 60's by Gary Craig. There are step by step instructions on his website for doing tapping by yourself. See emofree.com
The Tapping Solution, Nick Ortner. Nick Ortner has done a great job at popularising Gary Craig's system, from producing a documentary on tapping, writing a phenomenally popular book on tapping, to producing a very popular website. See thetappingsolution.com
Meditation and Mindfulness
There are endless books on these two enormous topics, however some I have found very helpful and accessible include:
Happy for No Good Reason - A Meditator's Guide, by Swami Shankarananda.
On Amazon, this is only available in the UK by Kindle download. Swami Shankrananda is American by birth and is a meditation master and director of the Shiva School of Meditation in Melbourne, Australia.
The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh. The classic guide to meditation by the world's most revered master.
Art of Happiness by the Dalai Lama.
Natural Approaches to Overcoming Depression
Healing Without Freud or Prozac: Natural approaches to curing stress, anxiety and depression by Dr David Servan- Schreiber.
Dr Servan Schrieber is a clinical professor of psychiatry who gathers together, in one place, the answers to the public's questions about alternatives to drugs and talk therapy. He discusses only treatment methods he has used with patients himself, methods which have been proven to work in clinical studies. Beautifully written, with many pertinent case histories, this book will be a revelation to those who dismiss alternative medicine and a godsend to those who are looking for help without taking drugs and without talk therapy, or those who wish to use natural cures in addition to medications and / or talk therapies.
Marianne Williamson
Marianne Williamson is an amazing and inspirational American spiritual teacher, author and lecturer who bases her teaching and writing on a set of books called A Course in Miracles, a self-study program of spiritual psychotherapy, based on universal spiritual themes. She has brought A Course in Miracles to a wider audience than probably anyone else.
The following is a brilliant quote from Marianne Williamson:
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
http://marianne.com/
HeartMath Institute
The HeartMath Institute constantly investigates and quantifies heart-centred approaches to improving our lives. Using rigorous scientific evidence, the HeartMath Institute constantly produces ground-breaking research relevant to making us happier.
The HeartMath Institute are passionate and dedicated people, steadfast in their commitment to provide solutions for activating the heart of humanity. HeartMath Institute empowers individuals, families, groups and organizations to enhance their life experiences using tools that enable them to better recognize and access their intuitive insight and heart intelligence.
https://www.heartmath.org/
There are guaranteed to be important omissions in the following but these are simply books or concepts that have resonated with me. The list includes book, websites and concepts I am very familiar with as well as many that I am intrigued by and keen to investigate further! I would be pleased to receive your list so that I can continue to grow mine. Have a look at what intrigues you, leave the rest!
Byron Katie (the work.com)
Byron Katie has one job: to show people how to stop suffering. When Katie appears, lives change.
In 1986, at the bottom of a ten-year spiral into depression, rage, and self-loathing, Katie woke up one morning to a state of constant joy that has never left her. She realised that when she believed her stressful thoughts, she suffered, but that when she questioned them, she didn't suffer, and that this is true for every human being. Her simple yet powerful process of inquiry is called The Work.
The Work consists of four questions and the turnarounds, which are a way of experiencing the opposite of what you believe. When you question a thought, you see around it to the choices beyond suffering.
Katie has been bringing The Work to millions of people for more than twenty-five years. Her public events, weekend workshops, five-day intensives, nine-day School for The Work, and 28-day residential Turnaround House have brought freedom to people all over the world.
Byron Katie's six books include the bestselling Loving What Is, I Need Your Love—Is That True?, and A Thousand Names for Joy. For more information, visit thework.com.
There are countless videos featuring Katie doing "the Work" on Youtube as well as on her website to give you an idea of how her Work "works".
Dr Norm Shealy (normshealy.com)
Norm Shealy is a US neurosurgeon who has been at the forefront of holistic medicine since the 60's, and has developed numerous inventions and techniques to help his patients improve chronic pain and depression, amongst many other issues. His most recent book, Living Bliss, details a number of techniques to improve your wellness significantly without resorting to drugs or surgery, including the use of essential oils applied to specific acupressure points for 30 seconds a day to achieve incredible improvements in those with chronic pain and depression.
For a link to read some of his latest book, see http://www.amazon.co.uk/Living-Bliss-Major-Discoveries-Holistic/dp/1401942644/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409137326&sr=8-1&keywords=norm+shealy#reader_1401942644
Tapping
Tapping was originally derived from 'Thought Field Therapy' or TFT, created by Dr Roger Callahan in the 60's who tried tapping a few acupuncture / acupressure points with one of his patients with whom he had been working for some time in an effort to alleviate her water phobia. The session had dramatic results, and he developed a number of 'tapping protocols' where a client is tapped on while focusing on a distressing issue. The tapping is done in silence and with a very specific order and specific points depending on the issue. For further information on TFT, see: http://www.rogercallahan.com
EFT / Emotional Freedom Technique was developed in the 60's by Gary Craig. There are step by step instructions on his website for doing tapping by yourself. See emofree.com
The Tapping Solution, Nick Ortner. Nick Ortner has done a great job at popularising Gary Craig's system, from producing a documentary on tapping, writing a phenomenally popular book on tapping, to producing a very popular website. See thetappingsolution.com
Meditation and Mindfulness
There are endless books on these two enormous topics, however some I have found very helpful and accessible include:
Happy for No Good Reason - A Meditator's Guide, by Swami Shankarananda.
On Amazon, this is only available in the UK by Kindle download. Swami Shankrananda is American by birth and is a meditation master and director of the Shiva School of Meditation in Melbourne, Australia.
The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh. The classic guide to meditation by the world's most revered master.
Art of Happiness by the Dalai Lama.
Natural Approaches to Overcoming Depression
Healing Without Freud or Prozac: Natural approaches to curing stress, anxiety and depression by Dr David Servan- Schreiber.
Dr Servan Schrieber is a clinical professor of psychiatry who gathers together, in one place, the answers to the public's questions about alternatives to drugs and talk therapy. He discusses only treatment methods he has used with patients himself, methods which have been proven to work in clinical studies. Beautifully written, with many pertinent case histories, this book will be a revelation to those who dismiss alternative medicine and a godsend to those who are looking for help without taking drugs and without talk therapy, or those who wish to use natural cures in addition to medications and / or talk therapies.
Marianne Williamson
Marianne Williamson is an amazing and inspirational American spiritual teacher, author and lecturer who bases her teaching and writing on a set of books called A Course in Miracles, a self-study program of spiritual psychotherapy, based on universal spiritual themes. She has brought A Course in Miracles to a wider audience than probably anyone else.
The following is a brilliant quote from Marianne Williamson:
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
http://marianne.com/
HeartMath Institute
The HeartMath Institute constantly investigates and quantifies heart-centred approaches to improving our lives. Using rigorous scientific evidence, the HeartMath Institute constantly produces ground-breaking research relevant to making us happier.
The HeartMath Institute are passionate and dedicated people, steadfast in their commitment to provide solutions for activating the heart of humanity. HeartMath Institute empowers individuals, families, groups and organizations to enhance their life experiences using tools that enable them to better recognize and access their intuitive insight and heart intelligence.
https://www.heartmath.org/
