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Beyond the Myth of Dominance: An Alternative to a Violent Society

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so many of us in the West have become estranged from Christianity, for all kinds of good reasons... finding ourselves drawn to Eastern religions, or Earth-based spirituality... yet, as the renowned monk Thich Naht Hanh reminds us, we need to find a way to reconcile with our cultural heritage, in order to be truly at peace with who we are... and, it may also be that Christianity itself, like all major spiritual traditions on the planet, needs to be healed and renewed, rather than simply tossed aside, in order that our world may become whole...

Ed McMahon's work is one of the most hopeful developments i have encountered along these lines... what might it mean to truly embody the mystery of the Incarnation, by listening deeply to the inner truth of our own bodies, with the transformational power of unconditional love?

what might it mean to meet and greet our own brokenness -- our own fear, anger, hatred, despair -- with loving-kindness and faith in the "unwrapped gift" we are being offered, rather than with the subtle or not-so-subtle rejection conveyed by our efforts at "fixing" and "self-improvement"??

most amazingly, what might it mean, that we do not have to do this alone.... nor is it something that we have to be wealthy enough to purchase... instead, we can learn to offer one another our Presence, accompanying one another as witnesses to the inner unfolding of grace, in our bodies and in our lives...

the work that Ed McMahon describes is Bio-Spiritual Focusing... it is based on Eugene Gendlin's Focusing, applied within a Christian context... which, in my view, ends up transforming both Christianity and Focusing, bringing a richer texture and wholeness to both.

this book will be of both theoretical and practical value to serious students of psychological and spiritual transformation...
while it may be difficult to learn Focusing from a book, the many stories and vivid examples of the process help bring the practice to life, and may inspire folks to continue their exploration of this valuable path.

To be recommended to all grown ups and their children. The first intelligent diagnosis of man's incurable desire to dominate others. More than just information but a programme of processing domineering or aggressive behaviours.