The Tao of Physics
Fritjof Capra
Here is the book that brought the mystical implications of subatomic physics to popular consciousness for the very first time—way back in 1975. This special edition celebrates the thirty-fifth anniversary of this early Shambhala best seller that has gone on to become a classic. It includes a new preface by the author, in which he reflects on the further discoveries and developments that have occurred in the years since the book’s original publication. “Physicists do not need mysticism,” Dr. Capra says, “and mystics do not need physics, but humanity needs both.” It’s a message of timeless importance.
7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Stephen Covey
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is recognised as one of the most influential books ever written. In this seminal work, Stephen R. Covey presents a holistic, integrated, principle-centred approach for solving personal and professional problems. With penetrating insights and pointed anecdotes, Covey reveals a step-by-step pathway for living with fairness, integrity, honesty and human dignity – principles that give us the security to adapt to change, and the wisdom and power to take advantage of the opportunities that change creates. Translated into thirty-four languages and with phenomenal sales, this book has been the key to the success of legions of business leaders and individuals the world over.
‘7 Habits’ is recommended reading for delegates on EQ4U Ltd’s ‘EQ Executive Leadership’ programme:
Emotions Revealed: Understanding Faces and Feelings
Paul Ekman
Using 40 years of groundbreaking research, Paul Ekman explores why and when we become emotional and what happens when we do – the external signs and facial expressions. So much of what we communicate is non-verbal. In this very practical book, Paul Ekman helps the reader to observe the underlying, concealed emotions that we can observe in those around us, and understand why our bodies react in the ways they do. Emotions Revealed also helps the reader to identify why they might feel ‘overly’ emotional in some situations, and why some people wear their heart on their sleeve whilst others manage to conceal their feelings, even from those close to them. Chapters include ‘When do we get emotional?’ ‘Changing what we become emotional about’ as well as ‘Anger’ ‘Fear’, ‘Surprise’ and ‘Happiness’. Most importantly, it shows how we can apply this understanding to everyday situations to improve our quality of life.
Bully in Sight – How to predict, resist, challenge and combat workplace bullying
Tim Field Bully in Sight is regarded as the world’s leading book on bullying at work. Written in non-academic plain English and based on hard-won practical experience, Tim Field wrote and published Bully in Sight in 1996, since when tens of thousands of people worldwide have benefited from its validation, insight and reassurance. Regularly described as a “Godsend”, a “bible” and “the best book on workplace bullying”, the book is packed with practical information, guidance and anti-bullying strategies – empowering you to take positive, purposeful action by making sense of the nightmare of trying to deal with an aggressive dysfunctional manager, co-worker or colleague.
Man’ s search for meaning
Viktor Frankl
A prominent Viennese psychiatrist before the war, Viktor Frankl was uniquely able to observe the way that both he and others in Auschwitz coped (or didn’t) with the experience. He noticed that it was the men who comforted others and who gave away their last piece of bread who survived the longest – and who offered proof that everything can be taken away from us except the ability to choose our attitude in any given set of circumstances. Only those who allowed their inner hold on their moral and spiritual selves to subside eventually fell victim to the camp’s degenerating influence – while those who made a victory of those experiences turned them into an inner triumph. Frankl came to believe man’s deepest desire is to search for meaning and purpose.
For information on 2 websites that may be of interest, including reference to ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’, links as follows:
http://www.hypnos.co.uk/hypnomag/pdurbin4.htm
http://www.selfhelpnetwork.com/Pages/SpiritualityInspiration.html
(Links to these plus other websites of interest in EQ4U websites section)
Destructive Emotions and how to deal with them – a dialogue with the Dalai Lama
Narrated by Daniel Goleman
This work brings together ancient Buddhist wisdom and contemporary breakthroughs in a wide variety of fields, from neuroscience to child development, to offer insights into how we can recognize and transform the destructive emotions that pose grave dangers to our individual and collective fate. Out of a week long discussion between the Dalai Lama and leading figures from the worlds of neuroscience and psychology, Goleman weaves together a narrative account of what the destructive emotions are, where they come from, how the child and then the adult brain is shaped, how these destructive emotions (craving, anger and delusion, known in Buddhism as the three poisons) can be transformed and how they must be transformed if they are not to threaten humanity’s collective safety and its future.
Emotional rollercoaster
Claudia Hammond With the help of scientists, artists, therapists, philosophers and even the faithful prairie vole, Claudia Hammond examines the physiological and sociological origins of emotions. Why do we feel better after a good cry? What might the length of your earlobes have to do with jealousy? Claudia Hammond takes nine universal emotions in turn and looks at the science behind them, combining the latest theories and discoveries from neuroscientists and psychologists with everyday human experience. In a highly entertaining and thought-provoking journey through the science of feelings, Emotional Rollercoaster asks how the brain and body interact to produce emotions, and what, if anything, we can do to harness them.
‘You can change your life; a future different from the past with the Hoffmann Process’
Tim Laurence The Hoffman Process is an intensive course of emotional healing now practised in 14 countries around the world. The Process helps you face your demons from the past – often rooted in your childhood and upbringing – and forgive, heal and move on. A synthesis of Freud, Jung and other leading psychologists’ work, the Process aims to help you achieve: renewed enthusiasm for life; increased self-confidence; a clearer sense of purpose; greater spiritual identity; better relationships with others; and relief from anger and depression.
Cancer – A Six Point Strategy for helping yourself to get well
Peter Marsden
Peter Marsden was diagnosed with an aggressive Prostate Cancer in 2007 at the age of 69. Trained as an Industrial Chemist he began to research hundreds of technical papers, web-sites and product details which had promise for the treatment of cancer. What he found was that the most promising solutions fell into six broad categories of lifestyle and nutritional choices. Irrespective of the treatment choices you have made or will make he believes that these Six Strategies will help you on your road to recovery.
Preview: http://www.blurb.com/books/551256
Happiness – the science behind your smile
Daniel Nettle Everybody wants it. But what exactly is happiness? The pursuit of happiness has been recognized by everyone from poets to politicians as what makes the world go round. ‘Happiness’ the science behind your smile’ is the first comprehensive book to address this most basic of human desires. Daniel Nettle explores why we want to be happy, how we assess our levels of happiness, and the different ways that happiness is interpreted in different cultures. Using statistical information from the National Child Development Study, a project that has collected social and emotional data from thousands of people since 1958, Nettle shows the ways in which definitions and sources of happiness have changed over time.
Chasing Daylight: How My Forthcoming Death Transformed My Life
Eugene O’ Kelly ‘Before this light in my mind faded and the shadows lengthened too much for me to see anymore. I chose at last to be master of my farewell’ – A moving memoir by one of the most powerful businessmen in America, who when diagnosed with brain cancer, described how his preparations for death taught him about his life. Its inclusion on the booklist was inspired by an extract printed in the Times on 14th March 2006. For link to Times Online ‘books first’ section: Click Here For an editorial review: Click Here
Why Zebras Don’ t get Ulcers
Robert Sapolsky
The third edition of Robert M. Sapolsky’s, ‘Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers’ features new chapters on how stress affects sleep and addiction, as well as new insights into anxiety and personality disorder and the impact of spirituality on managing stress. As Sapolsky explains, the diseases we fear are illnesses brought on by the slow accumulation of damage, such as heart disease and cancer. When we worry or experience stress, our body turns on the same physiological responses that an animal’s does, but we do not resolve conflict in the same way – through fighting or fleeing. Over time, this activation of a stress response makes us literally sick. Combining cutting-edge research with a healthy dose of good humour and practical advice, Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers explains how prolonged stress causes or intensifies a range of physical and mental afflictions, including depression, ulcers, colitis, heart disease, and more. It also provides essential guidance to controlling our stress responses.
An Open Heart: Practising Compassion in Everyday Life – The Dalai Lama
Edited by Nicholas Vreeland In the Dalai Lama’s own words: “it is my hope that the reader of this small book will take away a basic understanding of Buddhism and some of the key methods by which Buddhist practitioners have cultivated compassion and wisdom in their lives. The methods discussed have been taken from three sacred texts of Buddhism. I would like to stress at the outset, however, that one doesn’t have to be a Buddhist to make use of these meditation techniques. Meditation is merely the process whereby we gain control over the mind and guide it in a more virtuous direction. Meditation may also be thought of as a technique by which we diminish the force of old thought habits and develop new ones. Yet the techniques themselves do not lead to enlightenment or a compassionate and open heart. That is up to you, and the effort and motivation you bring to your spiritual practice”.
Mind-Body Medicine
A Clinician’s Guide to Psychoneuroimmunology
Edited by Alan Watkins
Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) or mind-body medicine is an exploding area of interest in the USA and is becoming of increasing interest worldwide. New and exciting research from both these fields shows that perceptions and emotions directly affect immunity and health. This book assesses the research in this area and assesses the implications of PNI and its application to general medical practice. It looks at the evidence supporting the concept that mind-body connections have an impact on the development and progress of illness, and at how health care providers can take advantage of this evidence to improve the well-being of their patients. This is a practical text and reference which gives a good general introduction to the concept of mind-body medicine as it has developed to date.
(You may find this book surprising as a recommendation, but despite the fact that it’s written ostensibly for clinicians, it provides a valuable insight into the links between psychological and physical health that is of relevance to us all.)
Human Instinct
Robert Winston
Whether we recognize it or not, instinct shapes our daily lives. It fashions the decisions we make moment to moment and our interaction with the people around us. From the ambition to be successful in our careers to what we will have for lunch today, instinct is the invisible motivating force that shapes our world. Our instincts have been programmed into us since the dawn of modern man. They played a huge role in our successful evolution as a species. The fight or flight response and the drive to reproduce were crucial to the survival of our caveman ancestors. But how well do these instincts, our most basic modes of interacting with the world, equip us for modern life? We are driven to pursue material wealth and status. We have an innate impulse to find a mate, to fight to protect our young and to find food and shelter. Do our instincts help or hinder us as we deal with large anonymous cities, low-level stress, fast food, addictive drugs, and the fracturing of communal life? In “Human Instinct”, which accompanies a BBC1 television series, Robert Winston takes us to the forefront of modern science in search of the answers to these questions and more. Through this accessible and entertaining scientific journey we explore our instincts and gain a deeper insight into the wonderful complexity of human nature.
The Luck Factor:
The Scientific Study of the Lucky Mind
Richard Wiseman
Why do some people lead happy successful lives whilst other face repeated failure and sadness? Why do some find their perfect partner whilst others stagger from one broken relationship to the next? What enables some people to have successful careers whilst apparently similar others find themselves trapped with jobs they detest? And can unlucky people do anything to improve their luck – and lives? Ten years ago, Dr Richard Wiseman decided to search for the elusive luck factor by investigating the actual beliefs and experiences of lucky and unlucky people. Looking at the results, Wiseman was able to identify four main factors which explained living a lucky and unlucky life. He was then able to show a group of people that considered themselves unlucky, how to think and behave like lucky people. The results were astounding with almost all participants reporting significant life changes: including increased levels of luck, self-esteem, physical well-being, confidence and success. In this study of luck, Dr Wiseman not only identifies ‘The Luck Factor’ , but shows us how we can all bring more luck into our lives.
