Recovery

What I particularly appreciate about this book is its inclusive approach to the subject. While many books speak to heterosexual women who were victims of incest over a long period, this book speaks directly to people of all genders, sexual orientations, and the entire spectrum of sexual abuse experiences.

I have sometimes minimized my own experience because it only happened once and my perpetrator was a stranger. I have felt that perhaps the degree to which this has effected my life is due to my own defect. After reading this book I understand why individual reactions can vary widely. I feel more entitled to my pain and have placed blame where it belongs, on the perpetrator and the people who chose not to help me after the fact. After years of seeing all men as perpetrators, my heart has softened. I realize that many men have been victimized just as I have and that our cultural ideas about what it means to be a man add an extra measure of pain to their experience. I recognized myself in nearly every paragraph, sometimes every sentence, and finally accept that all the things I've experienced, all the difficulties, are real and are there for a reason, not just because I'm weak and unable to "Get over it and leave the past in the past."

After hundreds of hours of counseling, seminars, and books I was nearly finished grieving over the loss of my innocence and my childhood at the age of five, but I was left with one question, "Now what?" This book has helped me dare to hope, that I may be able to reclaim my sexuality as a genuine part of myself, something healthy and warm and joyful. It has given me some specific tools for getting there and it has been an invaluable ingredient in my ongoing recovery.

After reading several books on child sexual abuse, I finally came across THIS book to help me out with the sexual problems I am facing NOW. I am not a native English speaker (but an Enlgish student) and I find this book very easy to read. It is down-to-earth and inspirational all at the same time. However, I would suggest reading and working through this book can work AGAINST you if you do not have the proper support you need. If you are working through dealing with (child) sexual abuse, I would strongly recommend working through this book with the help of an experienced counselor. I consider myself quite a tough cookie but I can't tackle this subject on my own. But I am 100% satisfied with the information, quotations of fellow-strugglers, and exercises!

As a trauma survivor myself, I highly recommend this highly insightful book. Another book that readers may also want to check out (related to this topic) that is equal in comparison is Peaceful Heart: A Woman's Journey of Healing, by Aimee Jo Martin. Both books are a must read for all survivors and those who love them!!

I`ve been reviewing the book alcoholics anonymous for over ten years now.the funny thing is the more I review the more this amazing program reveals.1000 words would not due justice to the book,program or its` members! nor could I shorten the true miracles of a new life filled with unselfish love for friends,family & life. My very exsistance today is due only to AA. I will take my last space allocated to thank the NOW DECEASED founders BILL W. & DR. BOB, The true message is to simply pass it on!

While AA may not be the answer for everyone, it is for many thousands of alcoholics and others. 12-Step programs are popular in many places now, based on the Steps to recovery first written in this book. Alcoholics Anonymous has never been on any best seller list, but it has sold over 20 million copies. This is good reason to take seriously what the authors say in this book. I can add my personal testimonial: the 12 Steps have changed my life for the better. Given the choice between potential death or 12 Steps, I will take the Steps!

this book gave me a working relationship with power grater than myself ,that deepens day bye day. I owe my life to this book.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has gone through depression, or knows someone who is going through it. A very well written book that can help a lot of people.

Debbie Thurman has given us a much-needed book that, if anything, is well-organized and clearly written. The reader from Cleveland couldn't have read the book carefully. I take this person to be a post-modern revisionist, typifying those individuals who can't allow themselves to accept godly wisdom and the truth that Jesus Christ represents. It's easy to write off any attempt at illumination as being "preachy" or "short-sighted." The author clearly states she is offering a Christian viewpoint and lays out her thesis intelligently, acknowledging all the while that many people won't get it, a reality that Christ, himself, was well aware of. Thurman talks about the differences between relief and true healing. One may come from medications and various therapies while the other is the result of a spiritual quest, she says. Both avenues are pursued through choice, but the concept of grace is what ultimately separates them. The title of the book isn't "From Depression To Coping." The author chose the word "Wholeness" for a reason. Thurman makes beautiful use of scripture and classical literature to enlighten and comfort. She has clearly done her homework. Don't let fear or ignorance of the Christian worldview keep you from reading this valuable book.

I'm really impressed with Debbie Thurman's book. She shares not only from the depths of her own experience but also from a wealth of wisdom and knowledge about the subject of depression. Interspersed with her personal experience is scientific knowledge about the topic of depression. This is the kind of book I want to reread because there's so much to absorb. I highly recommend this book for those who suffer from depression and those whose loved ones suffer.

If you are trying to lose weight, you need this book! It changed my life and motivated me to do the inner work as well as outer work in order to lose weight permanently. I am living proof that OA works! And this book is written with encouragement and compassion for those of us who struggle with compulsive overeating. A MUST-READ!

I have been following the food plan outlined in this book for the last 14 months with truly miraculous results. Not only have I lost weight (over 100 pounds) but my life has changed dramatically.

People tend to read books like this because they want to lose weight (I wanted this too). However, if you follow, not just the food plan, but the entire program of recovery outlined in this book, you will be amazed and delighted by how your life just seems to change for the better! That has been my experience anyway. Just today, I gave away every diet book I own, there must have been 50 books! Diets are not the answer. I found what I need in this book. Try it, you won't be sorry.

The book offers a straightforward, practical plan of action for anyone who wants to overcome compulsive overeating. I've found this book to be very helpful in my own recovery, and have recommended it to others.

As someone who has struggled with ten to twenty pounds for fourty years, I have read just about every book on the market and tried most of the diets-diet pills, etc.. My journey has been more because of wanting to be my best as a Christian and feeling that that is my responsibility, than with vanity. Reasonably Thin, by Jesse Dillinger is the first book I've read which takes the approach of bringing God maximum glory by eliminating the issue rather than trying to control it. This thrills my heart, as this is my goal for my life- to bring him maximum glory. I think chapters 10 and 11 where she deals with Eve's part in all of this and talks about eating for illegitimate reasons are brilliant. Her insights throughout the book are remarkably revealing and helpful to all the areas of my life. This book is extremely deep in its implications yet so easy to read and understand that a child could manage it. Great writing - easy reading and powerfully useful to the Christian life. I hope Ms. Dillinger writes many more books! Everyone could use a therapist like her!

Many thanks to Jesse Dillinger for writing Reasonabley Thin. It opened my eyes to the concept of applying my faith to my eating habits, among other facets of my life.

I sincerely appreciate Ms. Dillinger's very apparant love for our Lord as it flows freely throughout her book.

How soon may we expect another great book from Jesse Dillinger? Very soon, I hope!

Reasonably Thin, for me, is not just about weight, but rather about living free. Changing my thinking, changes me in every way, and Jesse Dillinger teaches how to do just that in this book. For the reader working on not being in "bondage" to anything, the process Jesse suggests works. I am grateful for this book and the truth it presents. Though written for everyone, this speaks to the individual. It is like sitting with a friend who knows the way to the otherside of where we are.

"Seven Weeks to Sobriety," by Joan Mathews Larson. "The Proven Program to Fight Alcoholism Through Nutrition," as claimed on the front cover's subtitle. Proven by whom is not asserted; it is assumed to be of "Health Recovery Center" for which Dr. Larson is the director. I have few negative comments about any attempt at promoting recovery from alcoholism. Dr. Larson with Keith W. Sehnert, M.D. want to catch the coattails of AA's success and ubiquitous big book. Covering 12 chapters and three appendices over 335 pages, it offers their advice for breaking the habit of alcohol addiction through a specially modified diet.

I found nothing harmful in "Seven Weeks," except one exaggeration that claimed one naturally occurring supplement (GLA?) could "reverse aging" (I tried to find it again, but it's in there). There are also some practical mentionings of "research indicates that..." many times throughout the pages, although to which research they are referring is not indicated. Most of the time, Dr. Larson does cite her sources, and that makes all the difference. On page 44 there is a nice and simple comparison chart of a Swedish Study vs. HRC results; but in this chart, the HRC study is claiming a 100% recovery rate from alcoholic symptoms such as anxiety, insomnia, tremors, dizziness and three others. Can they really do that? Is anything 100% effective? Most of the information in "Seven Weeks..." is sound, although at times a little eccentric. On page 108-109, for example, we read "Since most alcoholics suffer blackouts, it makes sense to assume that insufficient tryptophan is to blame and that it also underlies any depression and sleeplessness they are experiencing." In any kind of scientific work, it NEVER makes sense to assume anything. It is either conclusive or it isn't. On page 144, they also state, "Insulin is the fat-storing hormone." Insulin metabolizes sugar, it doesn't store fat (or, that it is an indirect action of insulin). On pages 94-113, everything mentioned about the role of vitamins, minerals and aminos is believable, verifiable and duplicable.

I believe this book can be helpful for recovering alcoholics, in spite of that the carbohydrate-restricted diets might be difficult to follow. To cut out colas, coffee, bakery products, fried foods, margarine, taco shells, or anything made with hydrogenated oils from the diet--even diet sodas and nicotine--all at once may seem too much at once for someone in recovery. (We've got to have something left!) The proposed diet is rigid, taking a strong will to accomplish, but the price of sobriety is incomparable (did I give away my anonymity?) Details of the HRC diet and "Week Three: Correcting Chemistry" are at Chapter 7, page 115. I was particularly interested in the section "The Role of Adrenals," in which the authors discuss the effects of placing to many demands for adrenaline on the system, leading many alcoholics to suffer additional stress and emotional instability, even for a time after early sobriety. In this case, I can personally verify that, and it makes perfect sense. At Chapter 8, "Week Four: Tailoring Repair," many suggestions and formulas are given for certain vitamin, mineral and amino acid combination which assure the reader they will help to reverse the undesirable effects of alcohol abuse. Given the few overstatements and yet unproven FDA claims for certain minerals (e.g., chromium), and a few borrowings from the big book, I found nothing malignant in "Seven Weeks." I won't dog anything meant to help people get off of alcohol. It is not meant for the general public; it is meant to be used in conjunction with a doctor's help to break the addiction to alcohol. AA's big book was the first of its kind to offer a self-help plan with other alcoholics in attaining this admirable and monumental goal. This book is another next step, advancing this and new knowledge for the benefit of the common good.

I learned about this book when I attended my first Alanon meeting. My husband had just come off another binge and I was at my end. He agreed to stop drinking to save our marriage and began attending AA meetings, but it wasn't enough. He'd stopped drinking before and always returned to it eventually. He needed a different solution. So, I purchased this book and we both sat down and read it. I didn't order the vitamins through their treatment center, but found everything we needed through Puritan's Pride There are A LOT of vitamins to swallow, but it's worth it. We learned that there are different types of alcoholism and that there is a chemical imbalance that causes the cravings and mood swings. By replacing what your body is missing, you can eliminate all of these things. If you are skeptical, try it and you'll be convinced. My husband was skeptical and now he's been sober, HAPPY, free from depression and mood swings, and has NO DESIRE TO DRINK for 6 months now. These changes began happening overnight. As soon as he introduced the right chemicals (through the vitamins) into his system, he began to feel "normal". I more than recommend this book, I insist on its importance to the health and well-being of anyone that wants/needs to quit drinking. So often it's the emotional side-effects of quitting drinking that drives the drinker back to their old ways - depression, anxiety, mood swings, anger, frustration, etc. Quitting drinking is not enough to save a marriage, as we found. You have to fix the emotional side as well. By fixing the WHOLE PROBLEM, we've saved our marriage and our family. Thank you to the developers of this system and the authors of this book. I will forever be grateful for what this book has done for our lives. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Having been a "social" drinker since age 20, my dependency on alcohol crept up on me; not until I realized my relationships were going downhill(friends as well as spouse) did I try to cut back drinking---not very successful so I decided to research my condition. This book was full of inforrmation I needed; I didn't change my diet that drastically but relied on the nutitional supplements which I still take altho not all of them or as many anymore. Not sure I could have done it alone.

I read this book about a year ago, and it was the only thing that allowed me to stop a vicious binging/purging cycle that lasted for years. The book provides alternatives to detrimental ED behavior- simple alternatives that really work if you just do them. Rather than psychology sessions or almost any other ED book that is almost completely psycho-babble that takes such a long route to try to help you understand "why" and "how" your problem started (which i found to provide no avail), this book provides a solution that begins the day you BEGIN to read it. You don't need to read the whole book before you see results. By reading the first day of the 3-week plan and just doing what it says, you can see incredible results. By the way, what the book outlines and asks you to do does not take any more than 5 minutes total out of your day. You do not have to go out of your way or buy anything else besides a plain notebook and pen, which most already have. A wonderful find and the only book that has helped! :-)

This book leapt out at me at the bookstore 12 days ago. I bought it at a time when I was binging/purging several times daily and I was beginning to feel that I could never stop. I hated myself and what my life was all about. Although this book and its message takes real effort and commitment, it really worked for me! I am now 12 days into the program and have not binged for the entire 12 days. It hasn't always been easy, but this book offers great, practical advice (such as "things to do instead of binging" sections for each day). I like that the authors really focus on trying to accept your body and self the way it is, understanding that, for the bulimic, food is not really the problem. Please, if you are feeling desparate and like you have nowhere to turn, buy this book and give it a try. You are worthwhile and you can do it!

To any of you out there who are looking for a way out, TRY THIS!! I have tried lots of things, even therapy, but nothing has worked as well as this book. Especially helpful for those who need structure. Provides a day by day 3 week guide to stoping the binge/purge cycle. I found it extremely helpful.

This book is mainly about perspective and coping. The general idea is that not only are losses unavoidable in life, they are also necessary. Every decision involves loss (i.e., when you choose A over B, you lose the the chance to also choose B), and every loss involves learning and growth. When we lose someone or something important to us, we have the opportunity to discover strengths within ourselves. Viorst is not glib about these losses, however, and does not dismiss the pain involved. The pain is part of the growth and self-discovery. This theme is a first cousin to "Anything that doesn't kill me, makes me stronger." The book also has some interesting ideas about how losses are key elements to human development across the entire lifespan. It is a bit sobering to read, but is very worthwhile.

I wish I had read this book years ago - it would have saved me so much money, time & grief. In this book, Judith Viorst holds your hand as you navigate all the painfull places you have avoided before - losses, anxieties, dreams, expectations, fears, aging & death. In the process we gain an understanding of what has happened in our lives & in the lives of those we love & hate. She then teaches us how we can transcend those feelings, losses & fears to reach new levels in our growth - to become separate, responsible, reflective & connected people. We learn that there is life after loss, & if we learn how to look, we can see that real life can be infinitely sweeter than the expectations, dependencies, illusions & loves we have had to let go along the way.

This book allows us to understand that letting go of some things is part of a maturation process in life. Though many people commonly feel like letting go is like giving up and being a loser, we also know that the most important lessons in life are learned from our losses. This author sheds some light on the important difference between these two things by providing us with interesting examples from her experiences. I think this book is excellent for people who are at the brink of letting go of something important to them. It gives them an extra bit of inspiration to let go and move on with their lives. For people who are not near this stage, this book may not make much sense simply because they are not yet emotionally ready for the next step. Another book that is excellent in explaining the emotional process of letting go and how that relates to personal development is "The Ever-Transcending Spirit" by Toru Sato. It explains these seemingly complex things in such a simple way that it is absolutely stunning!

I've been an Oracle DBA for a couple of years. I bought this book to help me pass the backup and recovery OCP exam. I studied this book for two weeks and passed the exam with flying colors. Thank you Ms. Wong!

I just passed my first OCP test today,3 hours ago. Before reading this book, I tried the free self-test sofware from Oracle and made only 40%. Today I made 90% or 54 corrects out of 60 questions in the real exam. Without this book, I surely will fail, especially at the Recovery Manager sections (18 questions) which I am not familiar with. Besides, thanks to this book, I found many mistakes I made in the backup strategy for our databases and corrected them. Thanks, Debbie!. You wrote a great book!. It helped me more than the 2000-dollar course I attended.

Excellent preparation for the exam. Like the Performance Tuning, DBA, and Network Exam Crams, the material is well organized, thorough, and the practice exams are harder than the real thing.

I read this book and listen to the CD,but I still could not stop smoking. I was so excited to try this program. I have listen to the CD at lease 5 times and still I want to smoke. My husband also tryed this and he is still smoking. We really want to quit but this did not work.

When I read the reviews for this book, I thought, great. I don't have to go to a hypnotist. This book was very interesting and informative, and the CD was soothing and reinforcing. I would buy it again. Ms. Hepburn's voice and words, and the background music couldn't be more effective. I was a smoker for 32 years and was never able to quit for more than 4 hours. Did this book/CD do the trick? No, it was one of a combination of the armory I used to kick this addiction. She's right. You make the choice to smoke, then live with it. I know now that after trying everything available to help me quit, there's no magic pill, book, or patch that will make quitting any easier. These will only assist you in your effort. This one helped me. I'm three weeks quit tomorrow (11/11/03), and I know that this book was a large part of my recovery. Buy it only when you're serious about quitting, but if you're looking for a magic pill, there isn't one. It's the toughest thing I've ever taken on, and after three weeks, I couldn't be more proud. Thanks for your help Susan.

I enthusiastically recommend this book to anyone who wants to quit smoking. It worked for me! I am a real person and I gain nothing from recommending this book to you -- except the satisfaction of knowing I may have helped someone. I was a pack-a-day smoker for about 12 years, and I tried every method of quitting. Two weeks ago, I read this book, then listened to the CD before going to bed. I woke up the next day with no cravings! I did have brief moments of irritability, but nothing compared to the mood swings I experienced during past attempts to quit. I have been smoke free for two weeks, and I have no desire to smoke. It's a miracle if you ask me. If you're reading this review, you know how difficult it is to quit. And you also know how important it is for you to succeed in quitting. Try this book and CD! One caveat: This is not magic; you must really want to quit. You can't be wishy-washy about it. And it has to be for you. Not because someone is pressuring you to quit. Also, the simple breathing exercise suggested by the author really helps. So make sure you use it after you quit. Good luck! You can do it!