Being Present in the Darkness: Depression as an Opportunity for Self-Discovery [Audio Cassette]

Cheri Huber (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1996

Written & Told by CHERI HUBER

Being Present in the Darkness suggests that hating and resisting depression–or anything else we don’t want–actually maintains it, and that compassionate acceptance of our feelings and ourselves leads you to freedom. Through simple exercises and meditations, you’ll learn to open yourself up to your emotions, good and bad. Because when you open yourself up to pain, you also open yourself up to joy.

3 hours 2 Cassettes Unabridged

Product Details

• Audio Cassette: 150 pages
• Publisher: Penton Overseas; Har/Cas edition (August 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1882071794
• ISBN-13: 978-1882071791
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,851,751 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Cheri Huber is the author of 19 books, including There Is Nothing Wrong with You, When You're Falling, Dive,and Sweet Zen. She founded the Mountain View Zen Center in Mountain View, California, and the Zen Monastery Practice Center in Murphys, California, and teaches in both communities. She travels widely and often, leading workshops and retreats around the United States and abroad, most recently in Costa Rica and Italy. She founded Living Compassion in 2003, a nonprofit group comprised of There Is Nothing Wrong With You Retreats (based on the book); Global Community for Peace: The Assisi Peace Project; The Africa Vulnerable Children Project; and Open Air Talk Radio, her weekly call-in radio show originating from Stanford University. She lives in Murphys, California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional, December 19, 2000

By 

Angela Martini "Spacegirl" (B'klyn, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Being Present in the Darkness: Depression as an Opportunity for Self-Discovery (Audio Cassette)

I spent most of my life in the numbing fog of depression. Unless you've experienced the horrors of chronic depression you have no idea how debilitating it is. There were times when I actually got to the point where I thought, "That's enough. I can't do this anymore," and wished I would get hit by a bus to save my family the heartache and embarrassment of having a suicide in the family. Thankfully I was able to stick it out. I learned to turn inward and rely on the strength that was part of me. There were people who helped me do this. And there was this book. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is depressed and is ready to kick the habit. It's not a quick fix, there are no quick fixes. All I can say is that it helped me. Maybe it could help you.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Zen in disguise, March 19, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Being Present in the Darkness (Paperback)

Cheri Huber, in her other books, talks about meditation as a spiritual practice, and the meditation she describes is basically sitting zen.

In this book, she describes these concepts and the practices as ways of coping with depression. For instance, the slogan, "it's not that you're depressed, it's what you're depressing," is a profound, useful insight. And "Being present in the darkness," itself, is simply sitting and watching your feelings without trying to encourage or squelch them. I've found that this practice has given me insights of the form, "OH! It's not that I want *x*, it's that I'm afraid of *y*. That's what's really going on."

I highly recommend this book and the audio-cassette version of it. It's an easy to understand, well-written, short, helpful book that don't admonish the reader to "Feel Better NOW NOW NOW" but rather help the reader to understand why they feel bad, and how to address those bad feelings constructively.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow! She wastes no time helping you see the light, June 10, 2000

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Being Present in the Darkness: Depression as an Opportunity for Self-Discovery (Audio Cassette)

and finding your way out of darkness. Deeply affecting and calming these tapes proved of immediate value to me. Cheri's simple sounding, but incredibly powerful message of self-discovery and compassion while in the midst of this darkness called depression is a must-have. Different from other books on the topic, Cheri Huber's approach offers tools for immediate change. Powerful Stuff.