Where I Went For Help.

by Sentinel 15 Replies latest jw friends

  • Sentinel
    Sentinel

    Hi Everyone,

    Some of you have inquired of me as to how I've gotten "to this good place" in my life. For awhile now, I've been wanting to take time and make a list of some of the books that I have read or am reading, books that are a part of my own personal self-help library. I've read many others, in years prior, when I couldn't afford to purchase books, but had to get them from the library.

    My first book was "I'm Ok, You're Ok". I bought that when I was so down and depressed, and I really wasn't feeling that I was OK. It was the beginning of my journey to self discovery. These books that I've listed here, are like my good friends.

    Perhaps they might help you in your journey as well.

    "Codependent No More" By Melody Beattie

    "Self Esteem" McKay & Fanning

    "Too Good for Her Own Good" Bepko & Kristan

    "Pulling Your Own Strings" Dr. Wayne Dyer

    "Forgive and Forget" Lewis B. Smedes

    "The Anxiety Disease" David V. Sheehan

    "Doors Close, Doors Open" Morton Lieberman, Ph.D

    "You Can Be Happy, No Matter What" Richard Carlson, Ph.D

    "The Wounded Woman" Linda Schierse Leonard

    "Death, The Final Stage of Growth" Elisabeth Ross, MD

    "Ageless Body, Timeless Mind" Deepak Chpra, MD

    "How To Survive The Loss of A Parent" Lois F. Akuer

    "Winning Over Your Emotions" Norman Wright

    "A Guide To Rational Living" Ellis & Harper, Ph.D's

    "How To Stubornly Refuse To Make Yourself Miserable About Anything" Albert Ellis, Ph.D

    "Change Your Mind, Change Your Life" McKay & Fanning

    "Living In The Comfort Zone" Rokelle Lerner

    "Negotiating Love" Riki Robbins Jones, Ph.D

    "Understanding The Tin Man" William July II

    "Getting The Love You Want" Hendrix & Hunt

    "The Family Pattern Workbook" Carolyn Foster

    "Relationship Rescue" Phillip C. McGraw, Ph.D

    "Life Strategies" "

    "Grief Therapy" Karen Katafiasz

    "Dianetics" L. Ron Hubbard

    "Gratitude, Affirming the Good Things In Life" Melody Beattie

    "Bliss" Michael Goddart

    "The Wisdom of The Body" Sherwin B. Nuland

    Love and Light,

    Sentinel/Karen

  • ugg
    ugg

    thank you for the list,,,,and taking the time to write it out for us...

  • scumrat
    scumrat

    Be careful of L Ron Hubbards " Dianetics " It's SCIENTOLOGY !

  • Sentinel
    Sentinel

    Thanks Scumrat. I am aware of Mr. Hubbard's ideals.

    Ugg. I hope you can find something here that will help you.

    I "use" the things available to me. I take the good, and discard the rest. Scientology as a belief system is not something I am interested in. I do, however, feel that it's personally beneficial to understand where some ideas and beliefs originate from. That way, I can have just enough knowledge to be able to have a reasonable discussion with someone if the situation should arise.

    Since Mr. Hubbard's belief system ties in much with search for "self", I placed him in the list with everyone else. I have other groups of books that are more specific to "personal belief structure as related to spiritual matters". Perhaps I will list those in another area.

    Information can come from a variety of avenues, available to us all. What we do with that information is up to us. Not all of it is beneficial. And, our needs change from time to time, therefore, what we might "need" now, we find now. What we "need" later, we find later on, and many times within the same source.

    That is why the road to "finding self" is unique to each ot us.

    Sentinel/Karen

  • scumrat
    scumrat

    Thanks Sentinel,

    I read a couple of books that are on your list. One book that I found quite helpfull after leaving the Witnesses was CHOICES by Shad Helmsetter. It helped me to realize that I'm responsible for myself. The choices I make ( whether good or bad ) are put on me and nobody else. Didn't have to consider Jehovah in the deal.

  • Sentinel
    Sentinel

    Scumrat,

    That book "Choices" does sound familiar. The most important thing to me was that in getting out of the borg, I was really set free to discover the world around me and how I fit into all of it. JW's stop all personal growth and limit our abilities to "stretch our center of learning" around other things other than the dogma presented to us.

    This self discovery never seems to stop. It's wonderful isn't it? If only one of the books I've listed appears interesting, and someone reads it, then it was worth posting here. I'd be interested in knowing what other's are reading as well.

    Free will is so excilerating!

    Sentinel/Karen

  • Sentinel
    Sentinel

    I also posted another thread today, called "Finding Meaning And Purpose On A Personal Level". I listed many more books in that area, so you might want to check it out.

    I hope the lists will be helpful to you. It took me awhile to get them all together, so I could at least break them down into a couple categories by name and by author.

    One good thing is, by having the name of the author, you can always go to the library and check it out.

    Love and Light,

    Sentinel/Karen

  • Lost Diamond
    Lost Diamond

    Sentinel,

    I also would like to thank your for your list. I plan to look into them.

    -LD

  • scumrat
    scumrat

    Hey sentinal,

    It's quite interesting the road to recovery and all. Personal growth, I went in to the witnesses as boy came out as a boy in a mans body. Wow what a trip !!! Still growing, I think I'm a teenager now.

    scumrat

  • Sentinel
    Sentinel

    Hi Lost Diamond, you are quite welcome!

    Scumrat: I think I have to agree with you that we are so very sheltered from everything when we are in the borg, that upon coming out, we are almost "childlike". We are imature on many levels and have to learn so many things. Many people have told me that I don't act my age. They mean it as a compliment, and I take it as such. I feel young and I act young, mot immature, but youthful. Most of it is due to my voice, which is ALWAYS mistaken for a much younger woman. Also, most people don't believe I'm 56. They think I'm 10 to 15 years younger. That's fine with me! My first husband was five years younger than me, and my present mate is ten years younger.

    The JW's may have taken away the actual years of my youth, but in my heart, I've gotten the youthful zeal back in my life with a bit of wisdom too.

    Zippity Do Dah!

    Karen

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