Why Should You Read This Book?
This book distills more than one hundred hours of psychotherapy into a simple, but powerful program that can be implemented in a single day!
Out of all those therapy sessions, only one brief moment made a difference in my life. But the insight that then occurred immediately reversed what had been downward spirals of hope and of self-esteem and of the future.
My only regret is that the program presented in this book was not available to me when I was a teenager. Because of that, fifteen years of my life were essentially wasted. That is not to say that my life is a dismal failure. Many would say that it has been unusually successful. But, it became that way only after I replaced the pecking order Ego-Defensive view of the world and myself with the freedom available through an Ego-Neutral perspective.
By following the guidelines in this book, you can make your life better. Today!
The method is really very simple, so dont make it difficult. Just keep in mind that you must actually try this program for yourself before you are in a position to judge whether or not it can be helpful for you.
Granted, there is more than one potential source of unhappiness.
* Situational factors making your current existence unpleasant (e.g., not enough money, a dead-end job, surrounded by disagreeable people).
* Brain and body chemistry conditions. For example, your metabolism may not adequately support a feeling of wellbeing. This can be observed in some forms of depression. Or, your brain chemistry may impair your perception and memory so that it is difficult for you to pursue and attain your goals. This happens, for example, in some types of schizophrenia or when you are sleep-deprived. Hormones from physical or mental stress can also affect the brain.
* The belief that others dont think well (or well enough) of you. This issue is the focus of this book.
A person can be unhappy from just one of the above conditions. Frequently, however, distress arises from the simultaneous impact of two or three factors.
In order to deal with unhappiness effectively, it is helpful to first address this issue: what you think others think of you. This mind-set I have labeled Ego-Defensive. The solution is to become Ego-Neutral, as described in this book.
Why is it important to become Ego-Neutral first?
* It is the one approach over which you have complete control. You can do it simply by deciding to do it and by following the guidelines presented in this book. You can do it today!
* Once you have become Ego-Neutral, the intensity of your unhappiness should be noticeably reduced if not eliminated. When you are Ego-Neutral, you can then evaluate any remaining unhappiness and decide if it is something that you still want to address.
* Your coping skills should improve. Once you become Ego-Neutral, the way in which you view situational factors may change.
* You may realize that things werent so bad after all.
* You may discover that your own Ego-Defensive behavior created or contributed to bad situations.
* You may discover a more effective way of addressing unpleasant conditions.
* Finally you are in a position to identify the source of residual unhappiness as a brain-chemistry matter. You have done this by successfully eliminating the other two factors first. What remains can be attributed to physical factors. Dealing with the impact of body upon mind is not the focus of this book. I will simply say that mental and emotional composure may be addressed through more adequate sleep, increased exposure to full-spectrum light, improved diet and use of nutritional supplements or prescription drugs.
Pills may not remove discomfort originating from an Ego-Defensive condition. For example, when you try a medication and remain unhappy, the medication might be one that would have improved your emotional state had you been Ego-Neutral. However, in your Ego-Defensive frame of mind, the positive effects from the medication may be distorted by the overwhelming unhappiness arising from your unresolved ego-related issues. So you go on to the next pill and the next pill and the pill after that, and none of them seem to work. You will never return to the first pill, since you have already concluded that it did not work. Had you been Ego-Neutral before or while modifying your brain chemistry, you would have been able to identify strictly brain chemistry issues with greater accuracy.
Hopefully, you now understand why it is important to address all sources of unhappiness with methods specifically appropriate to each category. Also, hopefully, you now understand why it is useful to become Ego-Neutral first. If you are already on medication, continue taking it. However, keep in mind that becoming Ego-Neutral can still improve your life, by making self-esteem a non-issue.
In contrast to todays pill-dependent culture, this book provides you with an entirely self-administered, non-chemical program to transform yourself. Your life can be better starting today!
I can already hear the excuses to do avoid following the program:
This is too simple! Why should I believe this will make my life better?
You should NOT BELIEVE it!
* You should accept it as a working hypothesis.
* Then act on it to see for yourself if your life gets better!
* At that point it may become, for you, a fact.
Just reading this book and agreeing with it will not change anything.
Just reading this book and disagreeing with it is also a futile exercise.
You cannot with certainty conclude that the program works or does NOT work until you have personally tested it.
You can do it today!
I wish you well!
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