Bessel van der Kolk, MD, explores the ways in which trauma rewires the brain and changes the way people experience the world. Trauma affects the mind and body immensely and prevents those affected from living in the present. Van der Kolk, who has researched trauma since the 1970s, first became interested in trauma after meeting with Vietnam veterans who had a very hard time living their lives after returning from the war.

Explore your multifaceted mind - an invitation to personal healing and spiritual awakening

Inside each of us, there are many distinct selves. “Though we’ve been raised to believe that healthy people have a single ‘self’”, explains Dr. Richard C. Schwartz, “acknowledging our multiplicity gives a far deeper awareness of how our minds actually work.” Dr. Schwartz’s pioneering Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy has become renowned in psychotherapy for its power to help us connect with and heal the many distinct facets - or parts - of our psyche. With Greater Than the Sum of Our Parts, he brings you a practical training course for using this method for your growth, well-being, and especially your spiritual journey.

Embracing your inner diversity as a path to wholeness

One of the key lessons of IFS therapy is that there are no bad parts. “Trauma or life experience can cause our parts to take on burdens”, says Dr. Schwartz. “Yet when we bring the spiritual values of curiosity, gratitude, and kindness to these burdened parts, we discover incredible opportunities for healing and awakening.” Through instruction and guided meditations, Dr. Schwartz shows us how to engage even the most disturbing or unwanted parts of our psyche with openness and love - so we may unlock the hidden gifts and wisdom each part contains.

Many forms of therapy and even spiritual practice inadvertently put us in conflict with ourselves as we try to transcend or reject our parts. With Greater Than the Sum of Our Parts, Dr. Schwartz invites you to embrace each of your many parts with self-compassion - and discover the inclusive greater Self that is your true, divine nature.

Waking the Tiger offers a new and hopeful vision of trauma. It views the human animal as a unique being, endowed with an instinctual capacity. It asks and answers an intriguing question: Why are animals in the wild, though threatened routinely, rarely traumatized? By understanding the dynamics that make wild animals virtually immune to traumatic symptoms, the mystery of human trauma is revealed. Waking the Tiger normalizes the symptoms of trauma and the steps needed to heal them. People are often traumatized by seemingly ordinary experiences. The listener is taken on a guided tour of the subtle, yet powerful impulses that govern our responses to overwhelming life events. To do this, it employs a series of exercises that help us focus on bodily sensations. Through heightened awareness of these sensations trauma can be healed.

You and your ego: how to develop strong self-confidence without becoming an egotist—so you can be happy with who you are and make others love you too

How can you build the healthy ego necessary to be effective in life—yet avoid the kind of egotism that makes people dislike you? Don’t worry; Dave Richo has the answers. You Are Not What You Think shows you how to navigate the tricky waters between egotism and selflessness in a way that avoids both extremes and makes you much more effective and loving. The key is to acknowledge your ego and to be kind to it, before you ultimately learn to let it go.

As with all Dave’s books, this one is full of examples from mythology, psychology, and religion, with plenty of exercises and practical advice.

Healing the Shame That Binds You is the most enduring work of family relationship expert and New York Times best-selling author John Bradshaw. In it, he shows how unhealthy toxic shame, often learned young and maintained into adulthood, is the core component in our compulsions, co-dependencies, addictions and drive to superachieve. While positive shame empowers us and sustains the fabric of our social system, inappropriate or misdirected shame results in the breakdown of our self-esteem, the destruction of the family system, and an inability to move forward with our lives. In an honest and emotionally revealing style based largely on his personal experience with addiction and his decades as a counselor, John Bradshaw moves from the source and manifestation of toxic shame to the practical tools---affirmations, visualizations, inner voice and feeling work, guided meditations, and other healing techniques---that will release the shame that binds us to our past.

You can change your personal capacity for happiness. Research psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky's pioneering concept of the 40% solution shows you how.

With this unprecedented promise, internationally esteemed psychologist Martin Seligman begins Flourish, his first book in 10 years - and the first to present his dynamic new concept of what well-being really is. Traditionally, the goal of psychology has been to relieve human suffering, but the goal of the Positive Psychology movement, which Dr. Seligman has led for 15 years, is different: it’s about actually raising the bar for the human condition.

Flourish builds on Dr. Seligman’s game-changing work on optimism, motivation, and character to show how to get the most out of life, unveiling an electrifying new theory of what makes a good life - for individuals, for communities, and for nations.

In a fascinating evolution of thought and practice, Flourish refines what Positive Psychology is all about. While certainly a part of well-being, happiness alone doesn’t give life meaning. Seligman now asks, What is it that enables you to cultivate your talents, to build deep, lasting relationships with others, to feel pleasure, and to contribute meaningfully to the world? In a word, what is it that allows you to flourish?

“Well-being” takes the stage front and center, and Happiness (or Positive Emotion) becomes one of the five pillars of Positive Psychology, along with Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment—or PERMA, the permanent building blocks for a life of profound fulfillment. Thought-provoking in its implications for education, economics, therapy, medicine, and public policy - the very fabric of society - Flourish tells inspiring stories of Positive Psychology in action, including how the entire U.S. Army is now trained in emotional resilience; how innovative schools can educate for fulfillment in life and not just for workplace success; and how corporations can improve performance at the same time as they raise employee well-being.

With interactive exercises to help readers explore their own attitudes and aims, Flourish is a watershed in the understanding of happiness as well as a tool for getting the most out of life. On the cutting edge of a science that has changed millions of lives, Dr. Seligman now creates the ultimate extension and capstone of his best-selling classics, Authentic Happiness and Learned Optimism.

The New York Times best-selling author of The Origins of Political Order offers a provocative examination of modern identity politics: its origins, its effects, and what it means for domestic and international affairs of state

In 2014, Francis Fukuyama wrote that American institutions were in decay, as the state was progressively captured by powerful interest groups. Two years later, his predictions were borne out by the rise to power of a series of political outsiders whose economic nationalism and authoritarian tendencies threatened to destabilize the entire international order. These populist nationalists seek direct charismatic connection to “the people”, who are usually defined in narrow identity terms that offer an irresistible call to an in-group and exclude large parts of the population as a whole.

Demand for recognition of one’s identity is a master concept that unifies much of what is going on in world politics today. The universal recognition on which liberal democracy is based has been increasingly challenged by narrower forms of recognition based on nation, religion, sect, race, ethnicity, or gender, which have resulted in anti-immigrant populism, the upsurge of politicized Islam, the fractious “identity liberalism” of college campuses, and the emergence of white nationalism. Populist nationalism, said to be rooted in economic motivation, actually springs from the demand for recognition and therefore cannot simply be satisfied by economic means. The demand for identity cannot be transcended; we must begin to shape identity in a way that supports rather than undermines democracy.

Identity is an urgent and necessary book - a sharp warning that unless we forge a universal understanding of human dignity, we will doom ourselves to continuing conflict.

Bring the power of Love into all areas of your life!

Once in a while, a person steps out from the crowd with a message so powerful that you can simply cannot ignore it. That person is Dr. Leo Buscaglia.

At a time when things are becoming increasingly impersonal, when electronic gadgets have taken the place of face-to-face embraces, when families are embittered and fragmented, a message of Leo's is more important than ever - the message of love. It's not a pipe dream. As crazy as things can get, love can abound in your life.

Listening to Leo is like opening a wonderful book - a book that suddenly gives you all the answers to the questions you've been asking. Leo's warm, positive, uplighting tone can brighten any day. As you listen to Leo, you'll find yourself agreeing with so much that he has to say. His message is delivered from the heart to the heart. He has a commonsense approach to what living fully and happily is all about.

Love is an inspirational guide for all who want to:

• Accept the challenge of life

• Build lasting, mutually rewarding relationships

• Teach the wonder of love to their children

• Forever rid themselves of loneliness and despair

• Realize their own unlimited, unique potential

• Focus on what is truly important in life and banish the trivial

The ideas expressed by Leo in Love are universal in concept and application. You'll be treated to several of Leo's powerful live lectures as well as an intimate up-close and personal interview with the legendary John Callaway. With Love you can create more joy in your life for yourself, every member of your family, and everyone you meet. Leo's words will offer personal encouragement to people of all ages at a time when it is desperately needed. Learn to love with Leo!

Philosophers and poets through the ages have tried to examine the powerful concept of human love - from Aristotle to DuJardin. Love has often been described as life’s prime motivator, but so often it’s found to be one of our most puzzling experiences.

The late Dr. Leo Buscaglia was perhaps one of the greatest experts on love - as a person who studied love intensely for most of his professional life. While teaching at USC, Professor Buscaglia was moved by a student's suicide to contemplate human disconnectedness and the meaning of life, and began a non-credit class he called Love 1A. This course quickly became one of the most popular courses at USC and formed the basis for a best-selling book in the 1980’s titled Love.

For years, Leo was a regular on public television, in magazines, and on radio interviews. Back in the 1980’s, Leo’s message was so well received because people found his message to be unifying and inspiring. In our current culture that seems so deeply divided, his message is needed now more than ever.

I think you’ll agree with me that Leo Buscaglia had a rare talent for showing us how we can experience, understand, and share more love. Leo Buscaglia suggested ways that we can bring more meaning to our lives by actively participating in the process of love. Leo believed that love is something we can learn and share with parents, children, friends, and strangers. His messages in this library are an urgent plea to be all we can be, because, as he said, “I like to think that the day you were born you were given the world as your birthday present. It frightens me that so few people have ever bothered to open up the ribbon. Well rip it open, cut off the top! It’s so full of love and magic and life and joy and wonder and tears - all of the things that are your gifts for being human.”

We begin this first volume with a series of live and studio segments where Leo answers the question: What is love? After listening to this volume, you’ll have a very good understanding of Leo’s answer to that question. During the rest of this series, we will continue to fill in the gray areas of that question by going deeper into the specific qualities of love. You’ll hear Leo in a number of venues: in front of thousands of people in an amphitheater, in front of just a small and intimate gathering of people on a variety of television shows and at our Nightingale-Conant studios, in a dynamic interview with the late PBS personality John Callaway, and alone in studio with Leo discussing the topic of love directly with listeners. Finally, we share another of classic segments taken from Leo’s unique Nightingale-Conant audio program, The Way of the Bull, which detailed lessons on life, spirituality, and love that Leo learned on his travels around the world as a young man.

I’m sure you’ll truly enjoy Dr. Leo Buscaglia. His zest for living to the fullest is an inspiration to us all.

“Caspar Walsh’s book navigates the reader through manhood, independence, and interdependence to help men fully grasp how his self-improvement exercises found in each section help men be more aware, intentional, and mindful in thought and action.” - The Good Men Project

Twenty-first century man is still crudely categorized as macho or metrosexual, yet male wellbeing and particularly mental health is demanding attention—much needed for a happy and harmonious society.

The Mindful Man embraces a positive approach to holistic growth for men and shares enlightening insights into modern day, masculinity. Engaging author Caspar Walsh explores the beautiful opportunities mindfulness offers for emotional development and spiritual resilience. Through meditative exercises rooted in wild nature and creative writing, Caspar offers a unique understanding of the ways every man can cultivate a naturally joyful and instinctive awareness. Alongside frank anecdotes and a gentle wisdom, he guides the reader towards meaningful connections, consciousness and community.

Since its release in 1949, The Hero with a Thousand Faces has influenced millions of readers by combining the insights of modern psychology with Joseph Campbell's revolutionary understanding of comparative mythology. In this book, Campbell outlines the Hero's Journey, a universal motif of adventure and transformation that runs through virtually all of the world's mythic traditions. He also explores the Cosmogonic Cycle, the mythic pattern of world creation and destruction.

As relevant today as when it was first published, The Hero with a Thousand Faces continues to find new audiences in fields ranging from religion and anthropology to literature and film studies. The book has also profoundly influenced creative artists - including authors, songwriters, game designers, and filmmakers - and continues to inspire all those interested in the inherent human need to tell stories.

“Pollan keeps you turning the pages . . . cleareyed and assured.” —New York Times

A #1 New York Times Bestseller, New York Times Book Review 10 Best Books of 2018, and New York Times Notable Book

A brilliant and brave investigation into the medical and scientific revolution taking place around psychedelic drugs--and the spellbinding story of his own life-changing psychedelic experiences

When Michael Pollan set out to research how LSD and psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) are being used to provide relief to people suffering from difficult-to-treat conditions such as depression, addiction and anxiety, he did not intend to write what is undoubtedly his most personal book. But upon discovering how these remarkable substances are improving the lives not only of the mentally ill but also of healthy people coming to grips with the challenges of everyday life, he decided to explore the landscape of the mind in the first person as well as the third. Thus began a singular adventure into various altered states of consciousness, along with a dive deep into both the latest brain science and the thriving underground community of psychedelic therapists. Pollan sifts the historical record to separate the truth about these mysterious drugs from the myths that have surrounded them since the 1960s, when a handful of psychedelic evangelists inadvertently catalyzed a powerful backlash against what was then a promising field of research.

A unique and elegant blend of science, memoir, travel writing, history, and medicine, How to Change Your Mind is a triumph of participatory journalism. By turns dazzling and edifying, it is the gripping account of a journey to an exciting and unexpected new frontier in our understanding of the mind, the self, and our place in the world. The true subject of Pollan's "mental travelogue" is not just psychedelic drugs but also the eternal puzzle of human consciousness and how, in a world that offers us both suffering and joy, we can do our best to be fully present and find meaning in our lives.

Two great spiritual masters share their own hard-won wisdom about living with joy even in the face of adversity.

The occasion was a big birthday. And it inspired two close friends to get together in Dharamsala for a talk about something very important to them. The friends were His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The subject was joy. Both winners of the Nobel Prize, both great spiritual masters and moral leaders of our time, they are also known for being among the most infectiously happy people on the planet.

From the beginning the book was envisioned as a three-layer birthday cake: their own stories and teachings about joy, the most recent findings in the science of deep happiness, and the daily practices that anchor their own emotional and spiritual lives. Both the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Tutu have been tested by great personal and national adversity, and here they share their personal stories of struggle and renewal. Now that they are both in their 80s, they especially want to spread the core message that to have joy yourself, you must bring joy to others.

Most of all, during that landmark week in Dharamsala, they demonstrated by their own exuberance, compassion, and humor how joy can be transformed from a fleeting emotion into an enduring way of life.

The number one New York Times best seller. One million copies sold!

From thought leader Dr. Brené Brown, a transformative new vision for the way we lead, love, work, parent, and educate that teaches us the power of vulnerability.

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; ...who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.” (Theodore Roosevelt)

Every day we experience the uncertainty, risks, and emotional exposure that define what it means to be vulnerable or to dare greatly. Based on 12 years of pioneering research, Dr. Brené Brown dispels the cultural myth that vulnerability is weakness and argues that it is, in truth, our most accurate measure of courage.

Brown explains how vulnerability is both the core of difficult emotions like fear, grief, and disappointment, and the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, empathy, innovation, and creativity. She writes: “When we shut ourselves off from vulnerability, we distance ourselves from the experiences that bring purpose and meaning to our lives.”

Daring Greatly is not about winning or losing. It’s about courage. In a world where “never enough” dominates and feeling afraid has become second nature, vulnerability is subversive. Uncomfortable. It’s even a little dangerous at times. And, without question, putting ourselves out there means there’s a far greater risk of getting criticized or feeling hurt. But when we step back and examine our lives, we will find that nothing is as uncomfortable, dangerous, and hurtful as standing on the outside of our lives looking in and wondering what it would be like if we had the courage to step into the arena - whether it’s a new relationship, an important meeting, the creative process, or a difficult family conversation. Daring Greatly is a practice and a powerful new vision for letting ourselves be seen.

Identifying the things you long for can reveal deep truths about yourself. The Five Longings can show you how to work with these desires to live in a happier, more satisfying way.

If you've ever had a vague sense that something's missing from your life, congratulations. That longing for something better is a sign of being fully human, fully alive. But what's even more wonderful, according to Dave Richo, is that when you identify and carefully examine the things you long for - like love, meaning, freedom, happiness, and growth - not only do you discover deep truths about yourself but you also find that the things you long for were never really missing at all. He provides enlightening advice and practices for accessing just this kind of profound self-discovery, with a wealth of examples from depth psychology, religion, and literature. Our longings, in fact, point to the presence of something transcendent in us, he shows. In seeking something better, we are seeking that which we already are.

A Dog's Purpose - the number one New York Times best seller and major motion picture - is a perfect gift to introduce dog lovers to this wonderful series.

Based on the beloved best-selling novel by W. Bruce Cameron, A Dog's Purpose, from director Lasse Hallström (The Cider House Rules, Dear John, The 100-Foot Journey), shares the soulful and surprising story of one devoted dog (voiced by Josh Gad) who finds the meaning of his own existence through the lives of the humans he teaches to laugh and love.

The family film told from the dog's perspective also stars Britt Robertson, KJ Apa, John Ortiz, Peggy Lipton, Juliet Rylance, Luke Kirby, Pooch Hall and Dennis Quaid. A Dog's Purpose is produced by Gavin Polone (Zombieland, TV's Gilmore Girls). The film from Amblin Entertainment and Walden Media will be distributed by Universal Pictures. Screenplay by W. Bruce Cameron & Cathryn Michon and Audrey Wells and Maya Forbes & Wally Wolodarsky.

Heartwarming, insightful, and often laugh-out-loud funny, A Dog's Purpose is not only the emotional and hilarious story of a dog's many lives, but also a dog's-eye commentary on human relationships and the unbreakable bonds between man and man's best friend. This moving and beautifully crafted story teaches us that love never dies, that our true friends are always with us, and that every creature on earth is born with a purpose.

This book precisely maps a unique journey that turns the problems and conflicts that inevitably arise in relationships into opportunities for deeper connection. Illuminating case studies, guided self-inquiries, and challenging exercises help you discover how to engage your partner in a deeper dialogue and find ways of expressing the most profound and untamed aspects of your nature.