o88's review against another edition

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4.0

“The moment you acknowledge all aspects of yourself, the good and the bad, the ego begins to feel a loss of power.”

“In order to be completely free, we need to be able to own and embrace all the qualities that upset us in other people.”

Great insight here on human nature and how to recognize and accept the good and bad within all of us. New Age gets a bad rep. Yes there's some 'woo-woo', and some ideas are out there, but the sentiment is good which is all that really matters as she's able to effectively communicate the importance of integrating the Jungian shadow to live more authentically and compassionately.

4/5

baileydot's review against another edition

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4.0

I came to this book through Holly Whitaker of Hip Sobriety. She references it often and I was glad to finally delve into it. I appreciated the way the concepts were presented, and I found it to be a really engaging read. What I got from the book was some really useful ways to examine projection, and the narratives we create for ourselves that limit or empower us and how we can shift them throughout our lives. The information felt a bit dated and I felt like I would enjoy more psychological context. I also felt frustrated by the repeated lack of body positivity and focus on her opinion of people's weight. All in all, I would recommend it as an uplifting read that might introduce you to some new concepts around being a human - which is no easy thing to be.

yipeng's review

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3.0

I’m reading this book at a time in my life where I feel directionless and unhappy with my current job. I knew I had to seek something new in order to get out of this funk. Michelle from Holisticism recommended this book in one of their live workshops. I did have a few takeaways from this book, but found it repetitive after a few chapters. The last chapter did speak to me and has driven me to find my life purpose. However, this book does have some fatphobic ideology and showcases heteronormative ideals that I’m not a fan of. The experiences are not varied, which makes it a bland read.

morganbrown's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

natalia71091's review

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4.0

4.5 stars actually. Judging by the highlights I found in my copy when I read this book, I apparently started reading it earlier (which I only vaguely remember). Back then those concepts did not reach me somehow. This time around it was a different story, and I am grateful for what I have learned.

kellyd's review

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4.0

Ford offers insight into the dark parts of our subconscious with exercises to extract knowledge and healing on our mental wounds. I’m excited to try some of the exercises.

dustyloup's review

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I read this in 2016- maybe some in 2017. I used it for journaling ideas but I don't know how effective it was for me. I think it would be better for somebody who's truly fallen down the trippy dippy rabbit hole and is only looking for good in the world. Not sure if so many of those people are left after the past few years and God bless them. I wouldn't want to change them with this book! a big thumbs sideways from me with a tilt downwards looking back but if you're the kind of person who will actually do the exercises in the book you might get something good out of it I hope.

kirinmccrory's review

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3.0

There are a lot of helpful ideas and thought exercises in this book, and I do feel like it shifted my perspective on judgment and parts of myself. That being said, you'll have to wade through a lot of the author reminding you how skinny and beautiful she is, and she repeatedly fixates on weight, using the words "fat" or "overweight" and contrasting it with "skinny," as though the latter is necessarily healthy and the former necessarily unhealthy. There's also a section on racism that has some intense language in the service of "honesty." All in all, worth a read if you can ignore or skim through Ford's occasionally excessive boomer mentality.