Best Self-Help Books: Most Recommended by David Yarian PhD -- Personal Growth
A Short List of the Most Recommended Self-Help Books in the Category of Personal Growth by David Yarian, Ph.D.
Best Self-Help Books on Career Development
This collection of teachings is designed to illuminate the power that mindfulness can have at work. By surrendering to the moment one becomes alert, open, and unusually skillful. In brief chapters, Carroll expounds some thirty-five slogans designed to be both fodder for meditation and mnemonic devices for when that particular message can help the most, during an opportune moment at work. "Welcome the tyrant" helps one to disarm a cranky boss; "avoid idiot compassion" reminds one to eschew giving merely superficial help. 2004, Shambhala
What Color Is Your Parachute? 2014: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers
Still the best-selling job-hunting book in the world thirty years after its debut, this self-help book guides the reader through a process of self-discovery by offering detailed exercises for the reader to complete. Parachute helps you focus on what's important to you in a career . . . not only money, but the things that make work satisfying. An Amazon reader/reviewer says, 'I recommend this book to everyone who is trying to work through the puzzle to pay the rent without losing your mind or soul." 2013, Ten Speed Press
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Best Self-Help Books on Creative Writing
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
If you intend to read only one book on writing, then this is it. Bird by Bird is famous for Lamott?s encouraging description of the writer's job: all one has to do is to write a "shitty first draft." She deepens the encouragement by revealing that all the successful published writers she knows, including herself, also write shitty first drafts. This is a very funny and profound self-help book, useful for writers, partners of writers and anyone interested in being introspective about life. 1995, Anchor Books
Read David's extensive Book Review on Bird by Bird
The First Five Pages: A Writer's Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile
The difference between The First Five Pages and most self-help books on writing is that the others are written by teachers and writers. This one comes from a literary agent whose clients include Pulitzer Prize nominees, best-selling authors and American Book Award winners. Lukeman reveals a surprising fact: agents and editors don't read manuscripts for fun; they are looking for reasons to reject them. He has arranged this book "in the order of what I look for when trying to dismiss a manuscript," starting with presentation and concluding with pacing and progression. Each chapter addresses a pitfall of poor writing -- overabundance of adjectives and adverbs for example, identifying the problem, presenting solutions and offering writing exercises. A very useful self-help book for writers seeking publication. 2000, Fireside
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Best Self-Help Books on Creativity
Creativity: The Psychology of Discovery and Invention
Drawing on 100 interviews with exceptional people, Dr. Csikszentmihalyi explores the creative process, seeking to understand what leads to moments of discovery, whether it is the excitement of the artist at the easel or the scientist in the lab. The author suggests that most creative people have dialectic personalities: smart, yet naive, both extroverted and introverted, etc. He discusses such ideas as why creative individuals are often seen as selfish or arrogant and why the tortured genius is largely a myth. He emphasizes that creativity needs to be cultivated and is necessary for the future of our country, if not the world. 2013, Harper Perennial
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles
Best selling author Steven Pressfield shows readers how to identify, defeat, and unlock the inner barriers to creativity. The War of Art is an inspirational, funny, well-aimed kick in the pants, guaranteed to galvanize every would-be artist, visionary, or entrepreneur. 2012, Black Irish Entertainment LLC
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Best Self-Help Books on Dogs and Dog Training
Cesar's Way: The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems
This accessible self-help guide helps new and current dog owners better understand the needs of their beloved pets. Cesar Millan explains that dogs are not complicated, just different from humans. They rely on three key elements in their lives: exercise, discipline, and affection (in that order). The book teaches owners how to change their pet's unwanted behavior by better understanding their "best friends." 2006, Harmony
In this beautiful account based on thirty years of living with and observing dogs, wolves and dingoes, anthropologist Elizabeth Marshall Thomas brings us a completely new understanding of dogs. She allows her dogs to roam free while she follows them on her bicycle, observing their behavior. Thomas neither patronized nor diminished her dogs through behavioral techniques. This book is not a primer on dog obedience; rather it is an affecting account of observing dogs as dogs with the over-riding question in Thomas's mind: what do dogs want most? The surprising answer, to this reader at least, was not food, not sex -- but other dogs. A lovely book filled with insight and compelling stories. 1996, Pocket Books
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Best Self-Help Books on Health and Wellness
Breakthrough: Eight Steps to Wellness
In interviews with the most progressive doctors in the field of antiaging medicine, health pioneer Suzanne Somers uncovers enlightening, lifesaving information for a natural, drug-free approach to living. In Breakthrough she shares the 8 STEPS TO WELLNESS that form the cornerstone of breakthrough medicine. Readers will discover how to balance hormones through bioidentical (not synthetic, cancer-causing) hormone replacement; fix thyroid problems; sleep 8 to 9 hours each night without drugs; improve memory; detect diabetes early; restore hearing; preserve eyesight; and much more! 2009, Three Rivers Press
The Pain Chronicles is an exquisite, meticulous history of medicine's quest to alleviate pain--from the first use of ether for surgery in 1842 to the modern management of chronic pain: drugs like Neurontin and controversial opioids; MRIs; and neuroimaging, which trains patients to literally change their own brains. The personal stories from pain sufferers that Thernstrom includes lift this accomplished medical history to an astonishing record of courage and endurance. In these stories, there is a wealth of knowledge, wisdom, and hope for the rest of us. 2011, Picador
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Best Self-Help Books on Journaling
At a Journal Workshop: Writing to Access the Power of the Unconscious and Evoke Creative Ability
The Intensive Journal Process is a complex and systematic method for gaining self-insight by recording thoughts, dreams and significant events which are then used as focal points for meditation and written reflection in separate sections. This is a fascinating self-help guidebook for those seriously committed to exploring journal writing as a means of self-discovery. 1992, Jeremy P. Tarcher
Writing to Heal: A Guided Journal for Recovering from Trauma and Emotional Upheaval
This self-help book takes readers through a series of guided writing exercises that help them explore their feelings about difficult experiences. The approach is based upon the field of expressive emotions therapy (EET), developed by the author. The book stresses thoughout the healing power that lies in story-telling, whether through fiction, dance, or art. The reader is left with a strong sense of their value in the world. 2004, New Harbinger
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Best Self-Help Books on Meditation
The Long Road Turns to Joy: A Guide to Walking Meditation
For those who struggle with sitting still for meditation, this simple self-help book offers a wonderful alternative: walking meditation. Practical techniques guide the reader to using this most ordinary of daily activities to deepen one's mindful awareness of the present moment, increase relaxation and concentration, and reduce stress. 1996, Parallax Press
Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness
Salzberg focuses on the Buddhist meditation practice that emphasizes feelings of love, happiness and compassion and offers practical guidance in performing this type of meditation. 2002, Shambhala
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Best Self-Help Books on Positive Psychology
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience
Dr. Csikszentmihalyi has researched the connection between satisfaction and daily activities for many years. A state of "flow" occurs when one is engaged in self-controlled, goal-related and meaningful actions. This self-help book is an intriguing look at the age-old problem of the pursuit of happiness and how, through conscious effort, we may more easily attain it. 2008, Harper Perennial Modern Classics
Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life
Seligman says that pessimists believe that bad events are their fault, will last a long time and undermine everything. Optimists, on the other hand, believe that defeat is a temporary setback or a challenge. In this self-help book, he teaches the skills of changing from pessimism to optimism which will enable you to take charge, resist depression, feel better and accomplish more. 2006, Vintage
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Best Self-Help Books on Resilience
Legacy of the Heart: The Spiritual Advantages of a Painful Childhood
In this remarkable self-help book, Dr. Muller suggests that our woundedness contains powerful resources for healing and spiritual growth. Written with compassion and insight, the book offers exercises and meditations to aid the healing process. 1993, Fireside
According to noted psychologist Seligman, thirty percent of American children suffer from depression. His studies demonstrate that pessimistic children are at much higher risk for becoming depressed than optimistic children. His purpose in this self-help book is to teach parents how to instill in their children a sense of optimism and personal mastery. He proposes that self esteem comes from mastering challenges, overcoming frustration, and experiencing individual achievement. This self-help book offers a concrete plan of action based on techniques of self-evaluation and social interaction. 1996, Perennial
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Best Self-Help Books on Self-Esteem and Self Confidence
Since its first publication in 1987, this self-help book has been the first choice of therapists and savvy readers looking for a comprehensive self-care approach to improving self-image, increasing personal power, and defining core values. This book has helped millions of readers feel better about themselves, achieve greater success, and enjoy their lives to the fullest. 2000, New Harbinger, 3rd edition
Dr. Burns presents innovative, clear and compassionate methods to help the reader identify the causes of mood slumps and develop a more positive outlook on life. This self-help book emphasizes that negative feelings do not result from the bad things that happen to you but from the way you think about these events. Burns provides a ten-step program to self-esteem; the book is filled with logs, charts and step-by-step guides. 1999, HarperCollins
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Best Self-Help Books on Spirituality
Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life: How to Finally, Really Grow Up
James Hollis states in this compelling self-help book that the feeling that you've been living the wrong life, that you're lost and confused, is "an insurgency of the soul," which "overthrows the conscious conduct of our lives." This mental suffering presents an opportunity to embark on a journey transcending expectations foisted on us by others, such as parents, and to find true self knowledge. This book is a helpful guide to this journey. 2006, Gotham
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
Tolle's message is simple: living in the now is the truest path to happiness and enlightenment. He shares ideas about personal integration with uncommon eloquence and a deep understanding of the human condition. A spiritual self-help guidebook that has the potential to inspire the reader to live more fully in the present. 1999, New World Library
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Best Self-Help Books on Stress Management and Relaxation Techniques
This 2-CD guided meditation set is a delicious combination of evocative words, original music and the soothing voice of Sandi Anders. Learn to deeply and fully relax using the Deep Rest Meditaion, a guided body scan relaxation. This meditation will help you to create the Relaxation Response which combats the ravages of chronic stress.
Full-Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness
The program of the stress reduction clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center invites the reader to embark upon a journey of self-development, self-discovery, learning and healing. Originally developed to help persons with life-threatening illness, the program has been thoroughly researched and found to be useful in reducing stress and increasing health and wellbeing. 1990, Delta
The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook
This sixth edition self-help classic offers many self-assessment tools and calming techniques to help overcome anxiety and promote physical and emotional wellbeing. It presents a comprehensive look at stress, its physical manifestations and the multiple ways it can be managed. Chapters on breathing, relaxation, meditation, thought stopping, stress management, time management, assertiveness training, and body awareness offer the reader focused approaches to dealing with the many varieties of stress. 2008, New Harbinger
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Best Self-Help Books on Success and Personal Effectiveness
Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life
Seligman says that pessimists believe that bad events are their fault, will last a long time and undermine everything. Optimists, on the other hand, believe that defeat is a temporary setback or a challenge. In this book, he teaches the skills of changing from pessimism to optimism which will enable you to take charge, resist depression, feel better and accomplish more. 2006, Vintage
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Covey, an internationally respected leadership authority, emphasizes that true success encompasses a balance of personal and professional effectiveness. This self-help book is a manual for performing better in both arenas. Covey lists seven basic habits that are necessary for quality-oriented success: be proactive, be clear about the end goal, put first things first, think win-win, seek first to understand, synergize, and focus on renewal. Personal, family, educational and professional examples are used to illustrate the habits of highly effective people. 2004, Free Press
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Best Self-Help Books on Tantra
This landmark book on human sexuality makes the sacred lovemaking techniques of the East fully comprehensible to western readers. Elegantly illustrated and filled with detailed exercises, it helps the reader acquire new attitudes and broaden his or her range of experience. This self-help book is especially strong on methods for couples to revitalize and strengthen their relationship. 1991, Jeremy P. Tarcher
Tantric Quest: An Encounter with Absolute Love
Daniel Odier writes about his search to find a Tantric master. On the verge of giving up, he retreats to a small village in India where he finds a great Tantric master, Devi, in the forest. She agrees to take him on as her student and warns him that his journey will be difficult. As the master-student bond is strengthened, Devi's teachings become more deep and subtle. The final part of the time spent with Devi involves his initiation into Tantric ritual sexuality, the joining of Shiva and Shakti, which causes the rising of the Kundalini, the sacred spiritual force that purifies the body. Odier also relates the challenges of coming back to the "real world" to use what he learned. 1997, Inner Traditions
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Best Self-Help Books on Yoga and Pilates
Back Care Basics: A Doctor's Gentle Yoga Program for Back and Neck Pain Relief
This classic self-help book has helped many people become free of chronic back and neck pain. Dr. Schatz offers simple, practical techniques to correct alignment problems, cope with stress, and help you become more aware of the early warning signs of painful flare-ups. 1992, Rodmell Press
Moving Toward Balance: Eight Weeks of Yoga with Rodney Yee
Internationally renowned yoga instructor Rodney Yee offers yoga practitioners a two-month regimen that they can adopt as a home practice. Anatomy lessons, advice on breathing, photographs and detailed directions enhance this friendly guide. 2004, Rodale Books
