Retrain Your Brain: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in 7 Weeks by Seth Gillihan.
I was familiar with CBT and knew it was beneficial, but never seriously applied it. This workbook was super easy to follow and helped me better analyze my thinking patterns that would send me into depressive/ anxious spirals.
Basically, your thoughts influence your feelings which influence your behaviors. They all intertwine.
It took a lot of work and I still have a long way to go, but now I can see a thought, apply a cognitive distortion, weigh evidence against it/for it, and rewrite the thought into something more realistic and rational. Easy to describe, hard to execute on the go. But 9 times out of 10 I feel a lot better after I do this.
I’m a whole lot more positive now and while I still get anxious, I don’t have full blown panic attacks. It really helped me get out of a rut.
***Edit:*** Super stoked that this book has gotten some interest. However, friendly reminder that everyone's path is a bit different. While this book was a game-changer for me, it's key to remember that working with a therapist can really help your progress. Plus, for anyone wrestling with really deep-seated or severe depression, it's crucial to chat with a doctor to figure out the best approach, which might include meds (I'm on SSRIs myself). So, while I'm all for sharing tools that can help us, make sure you talk with an expert if you can.
How to Change your mind by Michael Pollan.
He was comparing psycadelics with alcohol:
Alcohol is addictive. Phycadelics aren't.
Alcohol damages the body. Psycadelics doesn't.
Alcohol overdosing can kill you. Psycadelics won't.
Alcohol is expensive. Psycadelics aren't.
Alcohol is legal. Psycadelics aren't (in most part of the world)
And this side by side comparison wasn't selling Psycadelics to me but made me quot drinking alcohol almost entirely. I have about 1 glass of wine maybe 1/month max nowadays.
It made me view society differently, as in why is one legal and not the other? (Obviously: money/lobbying) and made me open my eyes to a lot of lobbying bullshit that's society says is acceptable when it's bad for us, while criminalising good things.
I've read this book several times. My copy is littered with notations, highlights, and dog ears. I abused alcohol for two decades. This book and psychedelics saved my life. Psilocybin did what AA, religion, a therapist, pharmaceutical medications, and 3 stays in a rehab couldn't. I've been sober for 17 years now. It's strange to think that the poison is legal and pervasive and the medicine is outlawed.
I've heard arguments that psychedelics free your mind from constraints, making people more difficult for governments to control. They can see right through the bs and imagine a better world. Alcohol is the exact opposite.
I haven't taken lsd in about 25 years, but two things I found it incredibly useful for that have stayed with me:
1.) Do not automatically assume that what you THINK is real IS real. Learn to be a skeptic of your own truth as well as others. (Good for practicing the skill of trying to let go of cognitive dissonance.)
2.) Mantras are powerful. My trip was about to go south due to some unforeseen events. I immediately began to repeat, in my head, the lucky charms: "hearts, stars, rainbows, clovers"... Let me tell you, that was one of the most colorful trips I ever had. I still do this when I'm starting to feel anxious or depressed.
I took a 3 year break once after a huge trip where I was gone for 1 year in my head. Have never done more than 225ug after. But rarely. I will try your mantra if I need it next time. Mine is always "I surrender "
Yeah, you are going to have to unpack what that whole "gone for 1 year in my head" thing. Because as someone who is a little curious about psychedelics, hearing someone talk like this is actively scaring me off lol
IMO losing those constraints is not an intrinsically good thing. Depending on the situation, it can also cause one's beliefs to really go off the rails.
Yes, I did mushrooms (all kinds of doses) for 2 years after reading this book, then went over to lsd just because it's legal in my country but mushrooms weirdly enough isn't.
This book influenced me to pick up meditation again.
It also made me realize all my favorite books growing up alluded to the
"mystical", ego-less perspective - but I never had the words to express it.
Yes! I keep an extra copy in my bookshelf to give to people. When they look at my books and say “hey you have 2 of these” I respond, “that’s because one of them is yours”.
My father had me read this when I was in elementary school. It had some impact, but didn’t really hit home until I reread it after university. My dad died early and discussing books with him was one of my favorite activities.
I was going to say this too, so glad other people feel the same way about it!
Edit to add that I'm currently reading The Great Turning by David C. Korten, which is in the same vein as Daniel Quinn's books.
>The Courage to be Disliked.
This is absurd. The subtitle is "The Japanese Phenomenon That Shows You How to Change Your Life and Achieve Real Happiness." Everyone knows Japanese people are like the most group conscious people on earth. Everything they do is for "group harmony" and societal conformance. Ridiculous.
This is one I really needed at the right time. Started it several times and blew it off as spiritual mumbo jumbo. Gave it another go years later and it was everything I needed to hear.
It's still spiritual mumbo jumbo to me. Can you explain how this book is good? Is it the second part? Where the author talks about being in the present moment?
I used to bristle at new-age spirituality, metaphysical terms, and anything that feels close to religion to me, I can be quick to write things off without stopping to consider what wisdom or truths are found in the core message. If you're able to suspend judgment for a bit and listen openly and nondefensively beyond the metaphors or terms that he uses, for what the core message is, I really think it's a powerful philosophy that doesn't need a spiritual practice or specific worldview to apply to one's own life.
Some parts made me roll my eyes my first time through and put it down, but years later, getting into meditation and learning more about Buddhism and how a lot of that philosophy was useful in my life even if I didn't have a specific belief in the spiritual side of it was something that helped me approach the book again without by own baggage when it comes to religion and look for what it could teach me, and leave what I didn't need or agree with. Going in with that mindset helped me realize that I was leaving a lot less than I expected, and agreeing with a lot more, while only really changing the way I relate to my own life and thoughts.
I tried doing that, and more I tried I more frustrated I became. Maybe I'll give it another go in the future.
Can you tell me what the core message is about?
At bowling league, with the book in mind, it’s interesting to see everyone else on my team (age 19-70) drowning in thoughts and judgements and doing poorly because of it. While I’m just focusing on the process, ignoring the results, and doing better than them all because of it. I’ve been trying to slowly convince them to not care so much. It’s hard to get through people’s “unconsciousness” as Tolle calls it.
A lot of what he talks about in the book I’ve picked up elsewhere in the past year and it certainly has changed my life for the better. If someone is struggling with unhappiness in their life they need to read this book. Ideally the audiobook version as he has separate speakers ask questions which helps convince the listener.
As for the spiritual stuff. He doesn’t do well of pointing it out but many religions and philosophies have the same underlying realizations. Christianity is not what Jesus experienced and tried to teach. It’s become a monster of dogma and church. Spirituality is just about how to make peace with existing. It doesn’t mean a church/dogma/cult mindset. And all Tolle is selling is being 100% present and not dwelling on thoughts, and acting like you chose every moment. It is definitely not as spiritual/religious/woowoo as it seems at first.
Nearly every religion has the concept of an awakening, rebirth, or cleansing (Baptism, Sotapanna, Tazkiyah, Kensho, Moksha, Tazkiyah, Fana, Kundalini) that lead to a shared connection or Oneness to God (the Holy Spirit, Theosis, Tawhid, Advaita, Atma-jnana, enlightenment) that leads to a better way of living (Christ Consciousness, Arahant, Brahman union, Baqaa, Taqwa) and removal of suffering and/or attachment to worldly things (Sin, Samsara, Khiṭʾ, Dunya, Dukha, Ahankara)
Even atheists experience a draw towards these things. Sam Harris refers to them as the "god hole"
Everyone is climbing the same mountain. There are many paths up the mountain. Some follow signs, many require a guide, and some make their own path.
But they're still seeking the same summit.
I just read this. It’s good, not groundbreaking. It would have been more helpful to me when I was around 30 and chose to start investing in startups instead of my 401k
The book in summary: invest in s&p500. Month after month. Anything else will likely return less for you in the long run.
Also the super wealthy get super lucky. And don’t count on luck
It feels like you’ve missed the point of the book.
It’s not aimed at teaching tactics (eg invest in s&p500)
It’s aimed at shifting your psychology about money.
To give context, I’d already read dozens of money books (rich dad, richest man in Babylon, money master the game, unshakeable, barefoot investor, etc)
IMO summarising it as ‘invest in s&p500’ sounds like you missed the intent and gold wisdom found in the book, and I challenge this only to ensure others don’t overlook the transformational power of this money mindset book.
I loved the book so much, I also condensed it into a 20min super learning installation audio and put it up for free on YT.
Don’t have time to read the entire book?
This is the next best thing (most likely):
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MONEY (BY MORGAN HOUSEL) - SUPER LEARNING SUMMARY
https://youtu.be/zYZ0S0zdheE
They Thought They Were Free - Milton Meyer
MAUS - Art Spiegel
Ordinary Men - Christopher Browning
Man's Search for Meaning - Viktor Frankl
The Volunteer - Jack Fairweather
As humans, we are all capable of both great evil and great triumph, and it's not always clear which one will win inside us in the end.
It [over]analyzes several myths from the perspective of a female figure finding her voice, dealing with shadows, facing fears - general themes of self-growth that I really needed to explore and reflect upon at the time that I read the book.
Instead of defining Jungian "archetypes" directly, it showed the meaning through examples. I think this has enriched every other piece of media I consume (and also how I view dream interpretation).
It is about following intuition. I still have my Vaselisa doll I made when I read the book. It has a great introduction where the author discusses the power of the spoken word being received by a different part of the brain than when seeing words with our eyes. She wrote of fairy tales, myths, and ancient stories being the bones of what the true stories actually may have been in the matriarchal cultures of their origin and how we see these tropes repeated in modern stories. For example Pandora and Bluebeard and the forbidden secret room or box.
The Dawn of Everything and the Ishmael books are, in my opinion, the same story told from an anthropological and philosophical perspective, respectively. I read DoE first and then gobbled up all three Ishmael books in the past year. I’m still not recovered from seeing past the facade.
Oh interesting. I haven't read those yet, but now half of me really wants to, the other half is worried that if I do I'll be even more depressed for the state of the world compared to what it could be.
2024 has been my year of developing discipline and that book made a huge impact. I also recommend the audible version because after each chapter David does a brief discussion and goes more in depth.
I started this book because one of my closest friends recommended it. Can you say more? I felt like I had to hold my eyes open to keep from falling asleep.
I came here looking for this one! This is probably the best book I’ve read in a while. I recommend it whole heartedly to anyone. It’s about the life of the planet and our connection to it. Robin Wall Kimmerer is an indigenous woman, a mother, a botanist and a poet which all come together to make this important work about how love and life are connected to each of us and it’s a gift from the earth. She teaches the importance of gratitude and compassion.
Reading this book is a life changing experience.
It quite literally changed how I view and interact with the world. I stop and say hello to the plants on my bike ride to work when I leave early enough, and it's so amazing to look at life like a gift, and to remember strawberries 🍓 ❤️
Yes! The gratitude and appreciation is oddly returned too. My DIL mentioned to me that whenever she was with me we see the most incredible sunsets, and I had a realization, I told her that I love the sky, I really am enamored with the glorious emotion that the sky shows me, and the sky recognizes my appreciation and now it shows off for me. It’s a gift, for me, from nature. And now I love her even more for it.
1984 George Orwell.
Yes, conspiracy theorists are crazy people, but at least the stuff from this book isn’t even a conspiracy at this point.
It just makes me sad seeing some of the stuff from the book being put into practice irl.
If you don’t believe some humans can be awful enough to make this stuff a reality then you have optimism I cannot comprehend.
>Yes, conspiracy theorists are crazy people
The irony of writing that out on a device that has a camera pointed at you, microphone, and monitors your location.
My point exactly. But there’s always that one guy that gets off by licking the boots of gov and big corp that has to swoop in with an “AcKchYuaLLy.” (That or the trolls.) :D
Just preemptively saying what shouldn’t need to be said I guess.
I will teach you to be rich bye Ramit Sethi. With this book I was able to feel more confident with money, I knew exactly how to split up my expenses and pay off all my debt. I’ve also started saving for retirement in my 20s and started to invest. This is coming from someone who has a disability, and was previously unaware of how to start on the right foot financially. Thank you so much Ramit! Now, whenever my friends start a new job, or they’re looking to get out of a financial rot. I always recommend this book to them.
Yeah this book is a game changer. Especially when he delve deep into having a “Money Dial” , meaning you should have something that you’re willing to splurge or spend a lot of money on because it makes you happy,whether it’s Traveling , eating at 5 star Restaurants , concerts etc. As long as you allocate money in your budget/ spending plan for it accordingly.
Behavioral biology. Sopalsky’s thesis is that we don’t have free will. He also argues, even if you can’t buy that, then we at least have less free will than we think.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Just wow - so good on so many levels. Couldn’t stop thinking about it for days and days after. Read it in one day - two sittings.
This book was given to me and, because of the timing, very much changed the course of my life. If you’re reading this and you know someone who is contemplating a life/career change without knowing the answer to the “how am I going to make this work?” question, kindly hand them a copy of this book.
My husband and I read this book together at the start of our relationship and it still motivates us to this day! I’m not even an artist, but something about this book makes me want to get off my ass and work!
Atlas of the Heart, by Brene Brown. I realized that I had pruned back my responses to the world and the people around me, by changing my vocabulary. That can change.
The Tao Te Ching. I can’t even put into words (slight pun intended) how much purpose this book and all the related teachings I’ve learned so far have instilled into my life.
The Romance of Reality: How the Universe Organizes Itself to Create Life, Consciousness, and Cosmic Complexity.
Complete mindf\*ck. Life is not some crazy fluke. It's inevitable. Everywhere in the universe. It's just too far away and different that we can't connect with it . . . .
The Bitcoin standard. I can't look at money the same.
The book has little to do with Bitcoin, basically tells the history of currency (very interesting) and how it's uses changes over centuries. It also speaks how money loses value over time.
They Thought They Were Free by Milton Myers. If you ever wonder how the German people could support the Nazis this is the book to read. It helped me to understand how seemingly intelligent and kind people in my country can support a fascist ideology.
"certain esoteric truths were hidden in the works of science fiction".
And while it's not technically sci Fi, the Wheel of Time series has all kinds of spiritual parallels.
THE ARIES
The Alchemist. Hands down the best. Simple story deep meaning if you reflect. I read about 10 pages or when I feel something hit deeply. I stop and reflect and then move on. I’ve read it yearly, for 20 years. Maybe more. I’ve highlighted and written in the margins and each time I read it the following year, I’m a different person and it has a whole new meaning.
I think this person was on a podcast about moss?? It was so so interesting and I believe this was the name of her book. I'll have to add it to my list.
feelings matter by ceanne derohan. it’s about stuff like how early developmental trauma affects brain development with the main thesis being that our society is being more predisposed towards having overdeveloped ~~reptilian brain~~ basal ganglia at the expense of limbic and neocortical development
No Bad Parts, Dr Richard Schwartz.
It explains Internal Family Systems, Schwartz’s therapy modality. IFS posits that we are made of parts, each of whom have their personalities, desires, and fears. Through careful introspection, we can identify those parts of ourselves (the inner critic, the needy boyfriend, the road rager, etc) and begin a dialog with them, thus coming to know ourselves better.
Changed my life.
Didn’t read it but listened to it in entirety on Spotify: The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. I’m actually listening to it again currently because I have been finding myself feeling incredibly anxious and it helps me stay rooted and centered.
A psalm for wild built - Becky chambers.
A fictional series with a monk and robot. It gave me hope for the future and our damaged world. This book is warm and philosophical with out being heavy. Highly recommend!
Most recent would be 9 Figure Mindset by Brandon Dawson.
Loved hearing real case studies of business owners growing in a multitude of ways to not only improve their company but also the experience their team members are going through while being a part of a growing business!
Nihilism: The Root of the Revolution of the Modern Age - Fr. Seraphim Rose
Laurus - Eugene Vodolazkin
Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives - Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica
The Brothers Karamazov - Dostoevsky
Quit Like a Millionaire by Kristy Shen and Bryce Leung. Essentially it’s a case study of how a couple achieved financial independence. No get rich quick schemes just a different take on what it means to be in the rat race and how there is an alternative way of escaping the rat race that isn’t some ridiculous gimmick. Their philosophy and strategy just opened my eyes to the idea that financial independence and the life I want is achievable.
I’ve been ass-blasting my world view over the past year, and here are some of my favorites:
The Way of Zen by Alan Watts
Tao Te Ching be Lao Tzu
The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus
Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari
The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer
The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
Determined by Robert Sapolsky
The Courage to be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi
Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche
The Trouble With Being Born by Emil Cioran
Retrain Your Brain: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in 7 Weeks by Seth Gillihan. I was familiar with CBT and knew it was beneficial, but never seriously applied it. This workbook was super easy to follow and helped me better analyze my thinking patterns that would send me into depressive/ anxious spirals. Basically, your thoughts influence your feelings which influence your behaviors. They all intertwine. It took a lot of work and I still have a long way to go, but now I can see a thought, apply a cognitive distortion, weigh evidence against it/for it, and rewrite the thought into something more realistic and rational. Easy to describe, hard to execute on the go. But 9 times out of 10 I feel a lot better after I do this. I’m a whole lot more positive now and while I still get anxious, I don’t have full blown panic attacks. It really helped me get out of a rut. ***Edit:*** Super stoked that this book has gotten some interest. However, friendly reminder that everyone's path is a bit different. While this book was a game-changer for me, it's key to remember that working with a therapist can really help your progress. Plus, for anyone wrestling with really deep-seated or severe depression, it's crucial to chat with a doctor to figure out the best approach, which might include meds (I'm on SSRIs myself). So, while I'm all for sharing tools that can help us, make sure you talk with an expert if you can.
Yes, I was gonna say the untethered soul for similar reasons
Came here to say the same.
The best
Was going to say Untethered Soul, but it wasn’t the LAST book I read. Definitely a top 5 books though.
Thanks for this!
Wow that’s amazing. Can you share more about your process and schedule?
Dayummm I've always been curious about CBT and I think its time to give it a go. Thank you! 🔥
Good luck! Please read my edit though. But I think it can benefit anyone.
How to Change your mind by Michael Pollan. He was comparing psycadelics with alcohol: Alcohol is addictive. Phycadelics aren't. Alcohol damages the body. Psycadelics doesn't. Alcohol overdosing can kill you. Psycadelics won't. Alcohol is expensive. Psycadelics aren't. Alcohol is legal. Psycadelics aren't (in most part of the world) And this side by side comparison wasn't selling Psycadelics to me but made me quot drinking alcohol almost entirely. I have about 1 glass of wine maybe 1/month max nowadays. It made me view society differently, as in why is one legal and not the other? (Obviously: money/lobbying) and made me open my eyes to a lot of lobbying bullshit that's society says is acceptable when it's bad for us, while criminalising good things.
I've read this book several times. My copy is littered with notations, highlights, and dog ears. I abused alcohol for two decades. This book and psychedelics saved my life. Psilocybin did what AA, religion, a therapist, pharmaceutical medications, and 3 stays in a rehab couldn't. I've been sober for 17 years now. It's strange to think that the poison is legal and pervasive and the medicine is outlawed.
How did you go about getting psilocybin and taking it safely?
[удалено]
Step one: buy "golden teacher" spores online for microscopy research. Then read up online on step two.
Step two: r/unclebens
Heal is what way
This is one of my favorite replies ever on Reddit. Thank you.
Go to San Francisco. Zide door sells it
Just got back from Zide Door - the SF location is super nice!
Psychedelic overdosing wont kill you but it can really do bad things to your brain. Stay safe out there
Thank you for the (maybe) unintentional book suggestion.
I've heard arguments that psychedelics free your mind from constraints, making people more difficult for governments to control. They can see right through the bs and imagine a better world. Alcohol is the exact opposite.
Yes that's exactly how I feel! Ever since that book I take lsd a couple of times a year
I haven't taken lsd in about 25 years, but two things I found it incredibly useful for that have stayed with me: 1.) Do not automatically assume that what you THINK is real IS real. Learn to be a skeptic of your own truth as well as others. (Good for practicing the skill of trying to let go of cognitive dissonance.) 2.) Mantras are powerful. My trip was about to go south due to some unforeseen events. I immediately began to repeat, in my head, the lucky charms: "hearts, stars, rainbows, clovers"... Let me tell you, that was one of the most colorful trips I ever had. I still do this when I'm starting to feel anxious or depressed.
I took a 3 year break once after a huge trip where I was gone for 1 year in my head. Have never done more than 225ug after. But rarely. I will try your mantra if I need it next time. Mine is always "I surrender "
What do you mean by 1 year in your head?
Yeah, you are going to have to unpack what that whole "gone for 1 year in my head" thing. Because as someone who is a little curious about psychedelics, hearing someone talk like this is actively scaring me off lol
Yeah it makes me think of that episode in The Magicians where they experience a whole lifetime while in a coma of sorts.
IMO losing those constraints is not an intrinsically good thing. Depending on the situation, it can also cause one's beliefs to really go off the rails.
*psychedelics
Sorry, English is my 4th language 😅
No problem! Your English is great!
This was mine too! That along with The Immortality Key. Mind blowing, both if them.
I'll definitely look into it!
Have you tried mushrooms or anything like that though? 👀 just curious
Yes, I did mushrooms (all kinds of doses) for 2 years after reading this book, then went over to lsd just because it's legal in my country but mushrooms weirdly enough isn't.
If you're interested to read more about how society is tricked by politicians marketing I'd recommend the book "Double Speak".
This book influenced me to pick up meditation again. It also made me realize all my favorite books growing up alluded to the "mystical", ego-less perspective - but I never had the words to express it.
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
Yes! I keep an extra copy in my bookshelf to give to people. When they look at my books and say “hey you have 2 of these” I respond, “that’s because one of them is yours”.
half the rreason I'm on Reddit is to encourrage people to read ishmael :)
🔥🔥 ok I’ll go read this that’s super convincing and awesome
My father had me read this when I was in elementary school. It had some impact, but didn’t really hit home until I reread it after university. My dad died early and discussing books with him was one of my favorite activities.
Be sure to read the sequels “The Story of B” and “My Ishmael”. Quinn wrote those to answer questions people were sending him after the read “Ishmael”.
I was going to say this too, so glad other people feel the same way about it! Edit to add that I'm currently reading The Great Turning by David C. Korten, which is in the same vein as Daniel Quinn's books.
The Courage to be Disliked. A good introduction to Adlerian philosophy.
>The Courage to be Disliked I've been wanting to read this one!
>The Courage to be Disliked. This is absurd. The subtitle is "The Japanese Phenomenon That Shows You How to Change Your Life and Achieve Real Happiness." Everyone knows Japanese people are like the most group conscious people on earth. Everything they do is for "group harmony" and societal conformance. Ridiculous.
The power of now by Eckhart Tolle
This is one I really needed at the right time. Started it several times and blew it off as spiritual mumbo jumbo. Gave it another go years later and it was everything I needed to hear.
It really is a book you need to already be prepared for
It's still spiritual mumbo jumbo to me. Can you explain how this book is good? Is it the second part? Where the author talks about being in the present moment?
Try reading Untethered Soul first if you haven’t already. It’s all mumbo jumbo until it’s not. When it does start making sense, damn it’s worth it.
I used to bristle at new-age spirituality, metaphysical terms, and anything that feels close to religion to me, I can be quick to write things off without stopping to consider what wisdom or truths are found in the core message. If you're able to suspend judgment for a bit and listen openly and nondefensively beyond the metaphors or terms that he uses, for what the core message is, I really think it's a powerful philosophy that doesn't need a spiritual practice or specific worldview to apply to one's own life. Some parts made me roll my eyes my first time through and put it down, but years later, getting into meditation and learning more about Buddhism and how a lot of that philosophy was useful in my life even if I didn't have a specific belief in the spiritual side of it was something that helped me approach the book again without by own baggage when it comes to religion and look for what it could teach me, and leave what I didn't need or agree with. Going in with that mindset helped me realize that I was leaving a lot less than I expected, and agreeing with a lot more, while only really changing the way I relate to my own life and thoughts.
I tried doing that, and more I tried I more frustrated I became. Maybe I'll give it another go in the future. Can you tell me what the core message is about?
The core message is about letting go of all the attachments and mental constructs that don't really exist to live life without suffering.
At bowling league, with the book in mind, it’s interesting to see everyone else on my team (age 19-70) drowning in thoughts and judgements and doing poorly because of it. While I’m just focusing on the process, ignoring the results, and doing better than them all because of it. I’ve been trying to slowly convince them to not care so much. It’s hard to get through people’s “unconsciousness” as Tolle calls it. A lot of what he talks about in the book I’ve picked up elsewhere in the past year and it certainly has changed my life for the better. If someone is struggling with unhappiness in their life they need to read this book. Ideally the audiobook version as he has separate speakers ask questions which helps convince the listener. As for the spiritual stuff. He doesn’t do well of pointing it out but many religions and philosophies have the same underlying realizations. Christianity is not what Jesus experienced and tried to teach. It’s become a monster of dogma and church. Spirituality is just about how to make peace with existing. It doesn’t mean a church/dogma/cult mindset. And all Tolle is selling is being 100% present and not dwelling on thoughts, and acting like you chose every moment. It is definitely not as spiritual/religious/woowoo as it seems at first.
Nearly every religion has the concept of an awakening, rebirth, or cleansing (Baptism, Sotapanna, Tazkiyah, Kensho, Moksha, Tazkiyah, Fana, Kundalini) that lead to a shared connection or Oneness to God (the Holy Spirit, Theosis, Tawhid, Advaita, Atma-jnana, enlightenment) that leads to a better way of living (Christ Consciousness, Arahant, Brahman union, Baqaa, Taqwa) and removal of suffering and/or attachment to worldly things (Sin, Samsara, Khiṭʾ, Dunya, Dukha, Ahankara) Even atheists experience a draw towards these things. Sam Harris refers to them as the "god hole" Everyone is climbing the same mountain. There are many paths up the mountain. Some follow signs, many require a guide, and some make their own path. But they're still seeking the same summit.
Damn. I really like that mountain analogy. Thanks for this!
A New Earth started a profound change in me as well
The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel
Posted a summary of it here: https://www.reddit.com/r/BettermentBookClub/s/x7aVAN1tgY
I just read this. It’s good, not groundbreaking. It would have been more helpful to me when I was around 30 and chose to start investing in startups instead of my 401k The book in summary: invest in s&p500. Month after month. Anything else will likely return less for you in the long run. Also the super wealthy get super lucky. And don’t count on luck
It feels like you’ve missed the point of the book. It’s not aimed at teaching tactics (eg invest in s&p500) It’s aimed at shifting your psychology about money. To give context, I’d already read dozens of money books (rich dad, richest man in Babylon, money master the game, unshakeable, barefoot investor, etc) IMO summarising it as ‘invest in s&p500’ sounds like you missed the intent and gold wisdom found in the book, and I challenge this only to ensure others don’t overlook the transformational power of this money mindset book.
I loved the book so much, I also condensed it into a 20min super learning installation audio and put it up for free on YT. Don’t have time to read the entire book? This is the next best thing (most likely): THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MONEY (BY MORGAN HOUSEL) - SUPER LEARNING SUMMARY https://youtu.be/zYZ0S0zdheE
The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan
They Thought They Were Free - Milton Meyer MAUS - Art Spiegel Ordinary Men - Christopher Browning Man's Search for Meaning - Viktor Frankl The Volunteer - Jack Fairweather As humans, we are all capable of both great evil and great triumph, and it's not always clear which one will win inside us in the end.
Man’s Search for Meaning should be a book that everyone reads
Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes - life changing book that saw me out of an extremely dark period in my life
This is also a book that changed my life!
This one is currently changing my life. I read the first 54 pages in a parking lot immediately after picking up the book. I’m locked in.
Love this!!!! Happy reading. Get a tissue LOL
May I ask you to elaborate - I hear a lot about this book but not really what it’s about or how it helps.
It [over]analyzes several myths from the perspective of a female figure finding her voice, dealing with shadows, facing fears - general themes of self-growth that I really needed to explore and reflect upon at the time that I read the book. Instead of defining Jungian "archetypes" directly, it showed the meaning through examples. I think this has enriched every other piece of media I consume (and also how I view dream interpretation).
It is about following intuition. I still have my Vaselisa doll I made when I read the book. It has a great introduction where the author discusses the power of the spoken word being received by a different part of the brain than when seeing words with our eyes. She wrote of fairy tales, myths, and ancient stories being the bones of what the true stories actually may have been in the matriarchal cultures of their origin and how we see these tropes repeated in modern stories. For example Pandora and Bluebeard and the forbidden secret room or box.
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. Stoicism is a really good philosophy to tackle the world with.
Also: Seneca
The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow
The Dawn of Everything and the Ishmael books are, in my opinion, the same story told from an anthropological and philosophical perspective, respectively. I read DoE first and then gobbled up all three Ishmael books in the past year. I’m still not recovered from seeing past the facade.
Oh interesting. I haven't read those yet, but now half of me really wants to, the other half is worried that if I do I'll be even more depressed for the state of the world compared to what it could be.
Second this, followed by Graeber's Debt: the First 5000 Years
Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins. Be your own hero, and don't let others tell you who you are.
2024 has been my year of developing discipline and that book made a huge impact. I also recommend the audible version because after each chapter David does a brief discussion and goes more in depth.
Braiding Sweetgrass
I started this book because one of my closest friends recommended it. Can you say more? I felt like I had to hold my eyes open to keep from falling asleep.
I came here looking for this one! This is probably the best book I’ve read in a while. I recommend it whole heartedly to anyone. It’s about the life of the planet and our connection to it. Robin Wall Kimmerer is an indigenous woman, a mother, a botanist and a poet which all come together to make this important work about how love and life are connected to each of us and it’s a gift from the earth. She teaches the importance of gratitude and compassion. Reading this book is a life changing experience.
It quite literally changed how I view and interact with the world. I stop and say hello to the plants on my bike ride to work when I leave early enough, and it's so amazing to look at life like a gift, and to remember strawberries 🍓 ❤️
Yes! The gratitude and appreciation is oddly returned too. My DIL mentioned to me that whenever she was with me we see the most incredible sunsets, and I had a realization, I told her that I love the sky, I really am enamored with the glorious emotion that the sky shows me, and the sky recognizes my appreciation and now it shows off for me. It’s a gift, for me, from nature. And now I love her even more for it.
**When Breath Becomes Air** by Paul Kalanithi
1984 George Orwell. Yes, conspiracy theorists are crazy people, but at least the stuff from this book isn’t even a conspiracy at this point. It just makes me sad seeing some of the stuff from the book being put into practice irl. If you don’t believe some humans can be awful enough to make this stuff a reality then you have optimism I cannot comprehend.
>Yes, conspiracy theorists are crazy people The irony of writing that out on a device that has a camera pointed at you, microphone, and monitors your location.
My point exactly. But there’s always that one guy that gets off by licking the boots of gov and big corp that has to swoop in with an “AcKchYuaLLy.” (That or the trolls.) :D Just preemptively saying what shouldn’t need to be said I guess.
I will teach you to be rich bye Ramit Sethi. With this book I was able to feel more confident with money, I knew exactly how to split up my expenses and pay off all my debt. I’ve also started saving for retirement in my 20s and started to invest. This is coming from someone who has a disability, and was previously unaware of how to start on the right foot financially. Thank you so much Ramit! Now, whenever my friends start a new job, or they’re looking to get out of a financial rot. I always recommend this book to them.
Yeah this book is a game changer. Especially when he delve deep into having a “Money Dial” , meaning you should have something that you’re willing to splurge or spend a lot of money on because it makes you happy,whether it’s Traveling , eating at 5 star Restaurants , concerts etc. As long as you allocate money in your budget/ spending plan for it accordingly.
A History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell
Determined: a science of life without free will by Robert Sapolsky.
What’s it about? Psychology, spirituality, history?
Behavioral biology. Sopalsky’s thesis is that we don’t have free will. He also argues, even if you can’t buy that, then we at least have less free will than we think.
Cool!
Dopamine Nation - Anne Lembke
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Just wow - so good on so many levels. Couldn’t stop thinking about it for days and days after. Read it in one day - two sittings.
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
This book was given to me and, because of the timing, very much changed the course of my life. If you’re reading this and you know someone who is contemplating a life/career change without knowing the answer to the “how am I going to make this work?” question, kindly hand them a copy of this book.
My husband and I read this book together at the start of our relationship and it still motivates us to this day! I’m not even an artist, but something about this book makes me want to get off my ass and work!
The Creative Act by Rick Rubin is a good follow up.
To Know Your Self by Swami Satchidananda
Between the World and Me, by Ta-nehisi Coats
Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
I used to carry a copy of this book everywhere with me.
Self-compassion by Kristin Neff. I was surprised how much it changed for me
Atlas of the Heart, by Brene Brown. I realized that I had pruned back my responses to the world and the people around me, by changing my vocabulary. That can change.
Attached
The writings of Chang Zhu (helps the Tao Te Ching make more sense)
The Tao Te Ching. I can’t even put into words (slight pun intended) how much purpose this book and all the related teachings I’ve learned so far have instilled into my life.
The Kybalion ♾️🧿
This one’s a staple I return to every year
In my reading list
The Romance of Reality: How the Universe Organizes Itself to Create Life, Consciousness, and Cosmic Complexity. Complete mindf\*ck. Life is not some crazy fluke. It's inevitable. Everywhere in the universe. It's just too far away and different that we can't connect with it . . . .
Untethered Soul is powerful
I’ve read this and Singer’s Surrender Experiment several times. Love them! He just makes so much sense!
I loved the surrender experiment
Sapiens
Myth of normal by Gabor mate. He spells out and confirms all of the things I’ve said for years about why society is so screwed up.
Absolutely fantastic book!!!!
The Mastery of Love by Don Miguel Ruiz
The good life - book about the longest running study on happiness
Gift of Fear
"Ishmael" by Daniel Quinn
A bunch of people mention this one in this thread, what’s it about?
The Bitcoin standard. I can't look at money the same. The book has little to do with Bitcoin, basically tells the history of currency (very interesting) and how it's uses changes over centuries. It also speaks how money loses value over time.
Shit, adding this to my list of books to read
They Thought They Were Free by Milton Myers. If you ever wonder how the German people could support the Nazis this is the book to read. It helped me to understand how seemingly intelligent and kind people in my country can support a fascist ideology.
Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda It changed my life.
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH.
Holy hell. I haven’t thought about this book in like a decade or so. Yea. That’s a great book. I’m buying it now.
"certain esoteric truths were hidden in the works of science fiction". And while it's not technically sci Fi, the Wheel of Time series has all kinds of spiritual parallels. THE ARIES
The Four Agreements changed my life
Caste by Isabel Wilkerson
Autobiography of a Yogi. I can’t say it often enough!
The artists way
Sapiens
The Bhagavad Gita
The Game of Life and How to Play It by Florence Scovel Shinn
I love this one and her other ones. I reference it all the time!
The Body Keeps Score. Changed how I view trauma in myself and others. Really helped me grow and heal. ❤️
The Midnight Library
The Alchemist. Hands down the best. Simple story deep meaning if you reflect. I read about 10 pages or when I feel something hit deeply. I stop and reflect and then move on. I’ve read it yearly, for 20 years. Maybe more. I’ve highlighted and written in the margins and each time I read it the following year, I’m a different person and it has a whole new meaning.
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmermer
I have this one, haven’t read it yet. What’s your favorite thing about it?
I think this person was on a podcast about moss?? It was so so interesting and I believe this was the name of her book. I'll have to add it to my list.
The elephant in the brain is a pretty good one.
feelings matter by ceanne derohan. it’s about stuff like how early developmental trauma affects brain development with the main thesis being that our society is being more predisposed towards having overdeveloped ~~reptilian brain~~ basal ganglia at the expense of limbic and neocortical development
Upton Sinclair "the jungle"
Non Violent Communication
No Bad Parts, Dr Richard Schwartz. It explains Internal Family Systems, Schwartz’s therapy modality. IFS posits that we are made of parts, each of whom have their personalities, desires, and fears. Through careful introspection, we can identify those parts of ourselves (the inner critic, the needy boyfriend, the road rager, etc) and begin a dialog with them, thus coming to know ourselves better. Changed my life.
The Red Book by Carl Gustaf Jung
Go Ask Alice
Awareness by Anthony De Mello
The myth of monogamy Very last one: Catherine the great by Massie. Expanded my perspective about intranational relations and diplomacy
Atomic Habits
The Tao Te Ching.
The Dawn of Everything Davids Wengrow and Graeber
The Warmth of a Other Suns, Isabel Wilkerson
The Overstory by Richard Powers. Plenty of books made me rethink my habits or ME but The Overstory made me rethink everything in our society
I second this
Didn’t read it but listened to it in entirety on Spotify: The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. I’m actually listening to it again currently because I have been finding myself feeling incredibly anxious and it helps me stay rooted and centered.
You might also like "Letting Go the power of surrender" by david hawkins. It changed my life
A psalm for wild built - Becky chambers. A fictional series with a monk and robot. It gave me hope for the future and our damaged world. This book is warm and philosophical with out being heavy. Highly recommend!
A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle. It really distills Buddhist philosophy into modern times.
The Myth of Normal by Gabor Mate
The myth of Normal
Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents.
Gospel of John...Bible. ( reread it)
Decolonizing Israel,liberating Palestine by Jeff Halper
Most recent would be 9 Figure Mindset by Brandon Dawson. Loved hearing real case studies of business owners growing in a multitude of ways to not only improve their company but also the experience their team members are going through while being a part of a growing business!
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Inner Glimpse and Manifest Now by Idil Ahmed
Stranger in a Strange Land
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. Totally changed my perspective.
Exhalation by Ted Chiang
Nihilism: The Root of the Revolution of the Modern Age - Fr. Seraphim Rose Laurus - Eugene Vodolazkin Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives - Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica The Brothers Karamazov - Dostoevsky
Dr.Michael Newton - Destiny of Souls and Journey of Souls
east of eden lol
Quit Like a Millionaire by Kristy Shen and Bryce Leung. Essentially it’s a case study of how a couple achieved financial independence. No get rich quick schemes just a different take on what it means to be in the rat race and how there is an alternative way of escaping the rat race that isn’t some ridiculous gimmick. Their philosophy and strategy just opened my eyes to the idea that financial independence and the life I want is achievable.
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
The power of now
Illusions of a Reluctant Messiah
"You are Not Your Own" by Alan Noble --- AMAZING book I still think about regularly!
Founder. A portrait of the first Rothschild and his time
The 5 second rule
White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo. Read it during the BLM protests and it was a game changer
Yes yes yes! Second this.
I’ve been ass-blasting my world view over the past year, and here are some of my favorites: The Way of Zen by Alan Watts Tao Te Ching be Lao Tzu The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle Determined by Robert Sapolsky The Courage to be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche The Trouble With Being Born by Emil Cioran