Please list the ones you have ACTUALLY read and have had a profound value to you, perhaps even changed your life.

As a survivor of an emotionally abusive marriage, I would have to say that Robin Norwood’s Women Who Love Too Much literally saved my sanity, and possibly my life, as well! No one knows when an emotionally abusive relationship will become physically abusive, after all. Had I not gotten out when I did, I might not even be here, writing these words!

This book was the single most influential factor in bringing me out of denial, and admitting, to myself just as much as to others, that I did, indeed, have a problem: my husband was a verbal and emotional abuser.

The book is full of stories of real women in real, abusive relationships (their names have been changed, for obvious reasons). These stories were shocking for me to read, not only because of the nature of the abuse involved, but also because I was able to see myself in some of those stories……. That was a very painful discovery.

Thanks to this book, I stopped doubting whether or not I was being "oversensitive" to the things my husband was doing to me. There were just too many similarities between myself and these women, too many of the very same excuses I was using, too many of the same hurtful incidents.

Besides opening my eyes, the book also detailed procedures for women like me to get out of an abusive relationship, as well as bolstering our self-esteem. Furthermore, it included a list of resources for those women who had finally decided to leave.

Naturally, this type of self-help book will not be useful for every woman, Those who have no problems with either self-esteem or vulnerability to abuse, will not need to read this kind of thing. Still, the book is an important collection of abusive experiences that serve as a warning of what to beware of when dating, just as much as advice for women on owning their (our) own power,

Although I haven’t read it, I would also recommend her Daily Meditations for Women Who Love Too Much.

Another wonderful and highly inspirational book is You Can Heal Your Life, by Louise Hay, who is very well-known in New Age circles. This book is full of affirmations, as well as examples from her own life that show how she herself overcame her low self-esteem and other issues. She was highly influenced by the Science of Mind, founded by Ernest Holmes, eventually becoming an ordained minister in the faith.

Along with her powerful, hope-filled affirmations, Ms. Hay includes questions for self-inquiry. She recommends writing and answering these in a personal journal. She also has a companion workbook that contains many helpful exercises.

I have two copies of this book — one to carry along with me whenever I need some inspiration, and another, a "deluxe" edition, which is full of delightful, visually exciting illustrations.

The book has recently been made into a movie, which is available in DVD.

The third book is targeted specifically to visual artists, although it also contains many inspirational thoughts that can be applied to life in general. It’s titled The Art Spirit. The author, Robert Henri, was an important American artist, member of the Aschcan School art movement, in the early part of the 20th century.

Along with very useful, fascinating painting techniques, Henri offers very profound philosophical observations on art, creativity, and life. An excerpt from the book’s very first sentences will give you an idea of the depth of his insights.

"Art, when really understood, is the province of every human being."

"When the artist is alive in any person, whatever his kind of work may be, he becomes an inventive, searching, daring, self-expressive creature. Where those who are not artists are trying to close the book, he opens it, shows there are still more pages possible."

As a young college art student, I was not only impressed by Henri’s knowledge and mastery of drawing and oil painting, but also dazzled by the beauty of his spiritual musings on art and artists, as well as on the greater scheme of things. It is indeed a very uplifting, inspirational read, to be savored and meditated upon, so as to integrate its insights into one’s philosophical outlook.

You may not need to read the first book yourself, but you can certainly recommend it to any woman you might know who is presentely captive in an abusive relationship. As for the other two, anyone who wants to feel inspired and mentored by two enthusiastic, empowering students of life, will certainly enjoy them.

Happy reading!!

Here are some links for additional information on the authors:

http://www.louisehay.com/

http://www.louisehay.com/affirmations/index.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Henri

http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/henri_robert.html

Self-confidence and making money go together. Have you ever met a person of very low self-confidence making lots of money? No, because unless some one is confident about themselves they cannot make money. Do you wish to make lots of money? Increase your self-confidence with these easy steps.

Forgive yourself every night about all the blunders you make during the day. Do not criticize yourself. Instead analyze your mistakes and find out what went wrong in a surgical manner. Do not involve any emotions. Analyze and find out how to correct things next time.’

Read books written by good authors. Write down the passages that you like. By writing, you develop hand and mind coordination and mind remembers the text more easily. Write down and paste the paper around the place you sit most.

Thank god and everybody else for any favor done to you. Attitude of gratitude is very important in life. When we express our thanks, we feel good. This feeling increases our confidence. Try it once and you will realize the relaxation and energy you feel.

Keep negative people away from you. There are many people who enjoy criticizing others. They try to put their friends down. Keep away from such people because they will take away your self-confidence. Keep company of those people who add to your confidence. Be with them who praise you for your achievements and qualities. They will add to your confidence.

Forget failures as soon as possible and remember your successes. Remembering failure makes us negative. Avoid that. Remember your good qualities and achievements. Thinking of failures makes us feel bad. That changes our thinking. Thinking of a smallest success makes us feel happy and adds to our confidence.

Help others whenever you get an opportunity. Smallest help will make you feel good. That will make you feel worthy and increase your self-esteem. Good luck.

CD Mohatta
http://www.articlesbase.com/self-help-articles/self-confidence-how-to-improve-it-for-making-more-money-138958.html

Jack Armstrong, author of Lessons from the Source: A Spiritual Guidebook for Navigating Life’s Journey, has entered the Next Top Spiritual Author competition ( http://budurl.com/bhbw ) and encourages you to find out more about the book and vote for it in the competition. The website for the book is: http://www.lessonsfromthesource.com.

Duration : 0:5:5

I want to make sure it is safe before I try it.

We’ll miss you, Happy, and your pioneering work into bad puns and improbable propositions. Science marches on.

Recovery from trauma and PTSD can be safe. Babette Rothschild, author, lecturer, consultant, and trainer, shows how using the analogy of learning to drive and a bottle of Coca Cola. Her simple principles are compatible with all philosophies and methods of trauma healing For more on her common sense approach, visit her website: http://www.trauma.cc or browse her books:
THE BODY REMEMBERS (professional & self-help)

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0393703274/ref=pd_sim_books_1/102-3854175-6263355?v=glance&s=books

8 KEYS TO SAFE TRAUMA RECOVERY (self-help)

http://www.amazon.com/Keys-Safe-Trauma-Recovery-Take-Charge/dp/0393706052/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242509677&sr=1-5

HELP FOR THE HELPER (professional)

http://www.amazon.com/Help-Helper-Psychophysiology-Compassion-Vicarious/dp/039370422X/ref=pd_sim_b_2

THE BODY REMEMBERS CASEBOOK (professional & self-help)
http://www.amazon.com/Body-Remembers-Casebook-Unifying-Treatment/dp/0393704009/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b

Duration : 0:8:18

Hey I need to read two books this month in English (one of my choice and one from the category my teacher picks) this term she is having us read a "self-help" book. Something like "Chicken Soup For The Soul" or "Who Moved My Cheese". I was just wondering if anyone knew any other good books that fall under this topic. Thanks (:

"Who Moved My Cheese" is a waste of time. It’s really stupid, and it’s one of the worst books ever.

For a good self-help book, try "Asserting Yourself" by Sharon Anthony Bower and Gordon H. Bower. You can find it at Amazon.com. It shows you ways you can be more confident.

Preferably how to deal with a parent with it. This person has been diagnosed as bipolar, but her moods change from second to second and she seems more borderline to me.
Side Note – This is for a friend to help him deal with his mother, she refuses medical care and refuses to admit anything is wrong. She is very nice but is EXTREMELY hard to deal with

I just finished reading "Understanding the Borderline Mother". It is by far the best book I have ever read on the subject. It is pretty expensive ($50 on Amazon or from Barnes and Nobel) but you can probably get it at your library. I have raed "Stop Walking on egshells" "Bo9rderline Survival", etc… and none compared to the Borderline Mother…. After explaining the mother it gives you the tools you need to deal with the person so they can’t hurt you anymore…. Seriously..I was in my therapists office in tears.. this book was a breakthrough I have worked for for 4 years in therapy. Spend the money for your own copy. I started with a library copy but really needed to highlight and write in the margins so I paid the $50 and got my own.. I would have paid $200. It is absolutely worth every penny….

http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Borderline-Mother-Unpredictable-Relationship/dp/0765703319/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1288992462&sr=8-1

This is a better choice than a book that describes what it is to be borderline… who gives a eff about them.. I needed to learn how to heal the damage she did to me and learn how to keep her from hurting me anymore….

Today we celebrate the expansion of The Quan Gallery Showroom in the SoMa district of San Francisco. The new art gallery showroom, art studio and workshop space will host monthly art shows, professional development workshops for artists, Thought Management workshops by Author, Gene Teglovic and other special events. Please visit http://www.CarolynQuan.com, http://www.LiveYourDreams.us.com and http:// www.ThoughtManagement101.com to learn more about our events.

Duration : 0:4:4

I have really low self confidence and really would like to change this, but when I had seen an episode of penn and teller on this subject they practically said that all self help was a scam. Is this true? Or are there any books out there that can actually help? I know penn and teller can be a little biased at times so I’m sure there may be something out there.

I wouldn’t say all self help books are a scam they are only as good as how much the reader absorbs from them.

Reading one book is not going to change your life unless you really follow the advice contained in it and apply the principles of the book consistently.

I am suffering from low self confidence, lack of social skills, avoidant behavior, insecurity in romantic relationships…ay yi yi, just a bunch of things rooting from self esteem I suppose. Well, I really want to change. I am 26 years old and sick of living like this. I plan on finding a therapist in the next few weeks, but I thought maybe getting some psychology and self help books on these subjects can be helpful. I was looking at probably 5 different ones to read. What do you think?

Perhaps, after you have had a few sessions with a Therapist and he/she has gotten to know which area needs work, then, they can recommend the best book(s) that best targets your personal needs. Congrats on taking control of your life!