Self-Love: a Book with Useful Tools for Growth

I admit I am a bit of a self-help book junkie. There is always a new book on my night table, one that I am convinced will heal my wounds, change my life, advance me past my fears into a great fulfilling life of my dreams. That's what they all promise, right?

But sometimes you come across a book that really does have tools you can use and feel the effects of immediately. Sometimes, one of your mentors (this time, Dr. Christiane Northrup, an author I admire) points you in a direction that feels like an important next step, and I'm very grateful I stumbled on the link in her newsletter.

The book she recommended is The MindBody Code, by Dr. Mario Martinez. The subtitle says it all: How to Change the Beliefs that Limit your Health, Longevity and Success. That may sound like a tall order, but I promise you, it's not another 12 week course in journaling, chakra realignment or magical thinking.

I found a really good interview and synopsis of the book online (below), so I won't write my own review here. Check it out:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/miriam-ava/gratitude-speaks-dr-mario_b_7302106.html

Suffice it to say, this week I've been reading the book, and writing in my journal as I do some of the simple exercises. I had put the book aside for several months, then some members of my family came to visit, which usually triggers some old wounds and past emotional snaggles. So it almost jumped off the bookshelf for me this week, and I opened it randomly to the chapter on Forgiviness as Liberation from self-entrapment.

I have read a lot of books lately on self-care, self-love, lovingkindness, and while they offer worthy affirmations, thoughts and exercises, somehow I always get tripped up by not being able to put them into practice. Dr Martinez says that's because underneath our good intentions to love ourselves, are our feelings of not being worthy and deserving.  He uses simple tools to bring to mind memories of wounds, then bringing to mind memories of corresponding "healing fields". "What heals is the mindful recognition that you are the owner of these empowering deeds", he says.

There is much more to this, and of course, I'm still reading and rereading the book, so I'll let you check it out for yourself, and learn how to rescue your empowerment and feel gratitude and self-love increase in your life.

Enjoy!
Jennifer