Customer Reviews

Emotional Genius : Discovering the Deepest Language of the Soul

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Karla McLaren is a genius! Her work is totally body-based which means you aren't meditating to the cosmos to find an escape from your life, you're welcoming the cosmos in to lead a meaningful, whole life. And that means getting back in touch with your emotions so they can flow through you instead of getting stuck in your mind or body. NOBODY else has written a book like this, trust me. She gives beautiful descriptions of the emotions and what their real gifts are to you. She guides you through various questions to get to the heart of the problem you are having. She teaches you how to get to the heart of your emotions with incredible acceptance and kindness. Another plus is that she goes into depth about balancing your quaternity or elemental nature (earth, air, fire, water) whether you know you have one or not. But it never gets heavy. It's like you're chatting with her over coffee! The author also gives explicit directions for beginning or maintaining a "grounded meditation" to include as a daily practice. I've been practicing it for several years and it has made a tremendous difference in my life and my view of the world. It makes you feel fully alive and grounded. None of that spacey, "what's it all about", out-of-body stuff in this book. BUY THIS BOOK. You won't regret it. Karla is earthy, funny, inspired, and sincerely wants people to become whole again.

Yes, it's true Karla McLaren has converted to skepticism. And I fully agree with the insightful review posted by Leela. That said, I still found this book very helpful. It is peppered with "unsubstantiated" concepts like chakras, auras, and such, but setting aside the ability to irrefutably confirm the existence of these concepts, the techniques she recommends are still very useful for understanding and processing various emotional states. Self-examination is a healthy endeavor and in many respects Karla's repudiation of her work is courageous. However to me, skepticism as is it typically practiced appears to be the mirror image of blind faith. Personally, I believe it's possible to marry a healthy interest in honest inquiry with the ability to embrace the mysteries and magic of life. I will still keep this book in my library, and wish only the best for Karla as she continues along her own personal journey.

This book manages to be down-to-earth and sensible even though it's about energetic healing, which can sometimes lead writers into the ozone. But McLaren is funny and practical, and she knows a huge amount about what it means to be human and how it feels to be grappling with anger, panic, and fear. And she has solutions!

Right now, when people are so sad and scared, is the best possible time for a book like this. We can't do anything useful for the world if we don't make friends with and understand our own emotional reactions. But even in calmer political times, I plan to keep this nearby to help me with all the emotions that come up in life, to help me function better at my job, with my family, and with my friends.

Emotional Genius is a) hugely useful, and b) deeply comforting. I'm very glad to have found it.

THis book should be a text book for all parents and children in school. Its a manual for how to handle our and other people emotions. It takes the stigma out of all those emotions we try to suppress and hide for social reasons and for fear we are mentally sick. I wish I had read this book a long time ago, it could have saved me a lot of suffering. Thankyou Karla!

I agree with the rest of reviewers. This has to be THE best book on emotions and one of the best psychology/spirituality books overall. If you suffer from depression, anxiety, addictions, PTSD or any other disorder of this kind, please do yourself a favor and get this book. If you don't get this book anyway. You will love and re-read it for the rest of your life!

I just wanted to add something. I do agree with the reviewer Leela on her comments about Carla's conversion to scepticism, but we are not judging the author here, we are judging the book. And as the reviewer herself noted, the insights in Emotional Genius are profound and grounded to say the least.

I highly suggest reading an article that Karla wrote recently for Skepitical Inquirer magazine before you purchase any of her books. The first couple chapters of her book was really well written, but as she moves along through her explanations of emotions and correlates them to the concepts of the 4 elements, I personally think she can be a little reduntant. Some of her insights are profound and grounded, yet she appears to be struggling on a personal level to really accept and embody her own inner truth. She is now a full advocate of "skepticism" which is not the healthiest form of "critical thinking" either. While the "New Age" culture can be overly steeped in fads, shams, and naivety, the skeptical culture is often saturated with excessive intellectualism and fear-based fact. Neither in the extreme is healthy or grounded. She makes some clear points in that, yes, it is good to question things. There would be no point in life if we had the answer to everything--but so called "real science" is not the Holy Grail of answers either--it's just another way, albeit more culturally acceptible way, to describe what we perceive through a "human lens." Quantum physics, for example, can give you a pretty good taste of how much we don't know and also how beatuful it is--just as much as opening up a book of Rumi poetry can. We are limited as human beings by our own perceptions and experiences of consciousness and the ways we can describle/translate this experience--our very language limits us in this. We need mystery to help propel us forward with passion and purpose. Yes, we need intellect and intuition in sync. While Karla is by nature a very intelligent-intuitive person, she seems more confused on finding the appropriate balance within herself, and it seems to have pulled the rug right out from under her. Here is a sample quote from her article:

"My voice was an important one in my [New Age] culture; therefore, I've got to take responsibility for what [damage] I've done. I need to educate myself and come back into the fray in a healthy and respectful way. Maybe by the time I've organized my thoughts, a bridging culture [between Metaphysical thinking and Skepticism] will already exist. Maybe I'll find a way to be heard - or to translate the skeptical lexicon in such a way that people in my culture can access it without being insulted or shamed. One thing I'll be sure to stress is the fact that there is actually more beauty, wonder, brilliance, and mystery in science than there is in the mystical world."

Skeptical Inquirer link:
http://www.csicop.org/si/2004-05/new-age.html

Some other interesting titles I would recommend for those in seek of more perspectives in how the mind/body/emotions/spirit heal and interact in the world:

-Awakening Intuition - Mona Lisa Schulz, M.D., Ph.D.

-Hands of Life - Julie Motz

-Emotional Yoga - Bija Bennett

-The Balance Within - The Science Connecting Health and Emotions - Esther M. Sternberg, M.D.

-Healing Through the Dark Emotions: The wisdom of grief, fear and despair - Miriam Greenspan

-Grace and Grit - Ken Wilber

-Bodymind - Ken Dychtwald

-Body-Centered Psychotherapy - Ron Kurtz

-Intelligence Reframed: Multiple Intelligences for the 21st Century

-The Gifted Adult: A Revolutionary Guide for Liberating Everyday Genius - Mary-Elaine Jacobsen

-A sense of the Mysterious - Science and the Human Spirit - Alan Lightman

-The Cosmic Serpent: DNA and the Origins of Knowledge - Jeremy Narby

-Mysticism and the New Physics - Michael Talbot

-Ecopsycology: Restoring the Earth, Healing the Mind - Allen D. Kanner

-Open to Desire: Embracing a Lust for Life Insights from Buddhism and Psychotherapy

-Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience - Sharon Salzberg

There are many other great books out there, but I hope this list helps.

I purchased The Language of Emotions and was so intrigued by the book, I searched for additional books by the same author - I was absolutely thrilled when I came across this book! Imagine my surprise - and disappointment - when I reviewed the Table of Contents to discover the book is almost IDENTICAL to her newest book, The Language of Emotions. If I had known that, I would not have bothered to purchase Emotional Genius.

An author with a world of experience provides a world of information from which the rest of us can benefit.
An intense and practical learning tool for establishing boundaries and re-learning instincts that are generally stiffled as we grow.

I found the service excllent and the book very very interesting. I would buy from this supplier and Amazon again.
The only problem was the mail redirect from the USA to Canada which took much longer than expected but it was over the Christmas Season.
Great book and I got a copy in excellent condition which was as advertised/promised by seller.
Great service and I am enjoying the book hugely.