The Intimate Enemy: Winning the War Within Yourself [Paperback]

Guy Finley (Author), Ellen Dickstein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 8, 1997

This book introduces you to astounding parts of yourself that you never knew existed. Observe the inner dramas that control your life without your knowledge. Awaken to a higher awareness that provides the only true strength you need to walk into a fearless future. By uncovering the exciting truth about who you really are, you will gain an unshakable understanding of the human struggle and witness proof of a world free from strife.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Guy Finley's encouraging and accessible message is one of the true bright lights in our world today. His ideas cut straight to the heart of our most pressing personal and social issues -- relationships, fear, addiction, stress/anxiety, peace, happiness, freedom ­ and lead the way to a higher life.

Guy is the best-selling author of The Secret of Letting Go and more than 36 other books and audio albums that have sold over a million copies in 16 languages worldwide. In addition, he has presented over 4,000 unique self-realization seminars to thousands of grateful students throughout North America and Europe over the past 20 years and has been a guest on over 400 television and radio shows, including national appearances on ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, NPR, Wisdom Network, and many others. His radio program, "Guy Finley Live," is a live chat that airs monthly on HealthyLife.net as part of the network's "Visionary Celebrity Host Series." His syndicated weekly radio program is aired on several international networks including Healthylife Radio Network, WorldTalkRadio Network, and Contact Talk Radio International. His work is widely endorsed by doctors, business professionals, celebrities, and religious leaders of all denominations.

Guy's career reached this point through a circuitous path. Born into a successful show business family, he is the son of Late-Night TV and radio pioneer Larry Finley. His childhood friends were the sons and daughters of the most famous celebrities in the world. As a young man Guy enjoyed success in a number of areas including composing award-winning music for many popular recording artists including Diana Ross, Debbie Boone, The Jackson 5, Billy Preston, The Four Seasons, as well as writing the scores for several motion pictures and TV shows. From 1970-1979 he wrote and recorded his own albums under the Motown and RCA recording labels.

Throughout his youth, Guy suspected there was more to life than the type of worldly success that led to the emptiness and frustration he saw among his own "successful" friends and colleagues. In 1979, after travels throughout North America, India and the Far East in search of truth and Higher Wisdom, Guy voluntarily retired from his flourishing music career in order to simplify his life and to concentrate on deeper self-studies.

In addition to his writing and appearance schedule, Guy presents four inner-life classes each week at his non-profit Life of Learning Foundation headquarters in Merlin, Oregon. These classes are ongoing and open to the public.

Ellen Dickstein earned her Ph.D. in Psychology from the Johns Hopkins University and has published many papers on issues such as the development of the self-concept and the internal sense of what is right. After being awarded tenure at Dallas' Southern Methodist University, she realized that the genuine answers she sought did not lie within traditional Psychology and began her spiritual journey studying with noted self-development author Vernon Howard.

Currently, Ellen writes and directs an international self-study program for inner discovery.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications; 1st edition (October 8, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567182798
• ISBN-13: 978-1567182798
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 4.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #334,309 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Best-selling "Letting Go" author Guy Finley's encouraging and accessible message is one of the true bright lights in our world today. His ideas go straight to the heart of our most important personal and social issues - relationships, success, addiction, stress, peace, happiness, freedom - and lead the way to a higher life.

Finley is the acclaimed author of The Essential Laws of Fearless Living and more than 38 other books and audio programs that have sold over a million copies in 18 languages worldwide. In addition, he has presented over 4,000 unique self-realization seminars to thousands of grateful students throughout North America and Europe over the past 30 years and has been a guest on over 500 television and radio shows, including national appearances on ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, NPR, and many others.

Finley is Director of Life of Learning Foundation, the renowned non-profit Center for Self-study in Merlin, Oregon, and his popular Key Lesson e-mails are read each week by over 200,000 subscribers in 142 countries. His work is widely endorsed by doctors, business professionals, celebrities, and religious leaders of all denominations.

Guy's career reached this point through a circuitous path. Born into a successful show business family, he is the son of Late-Night TV and radio pioneer Larry Finley. His childhood friends were the sons and daughters of the most famous celebrities in the world. As a young man Guy enjoyed success in a number of areas including composing award-winning music for many popular recording artists including Diana Ross, Debbie Boone, The Jackson 5, Billy Preston, The Four Seasons, as well as writing the scores for several motion pictures and TV shows. From 1970-1979 he wrote and recorded his own albums under the Motown and RCA recording labels.

Throughout his youth, Guy suspected there was more to life than the type of worldly success that led to the emptiness and frustration he saw among his own "successful" friends and colleagues. In 1979, after travels throughout North America, India and the Far East in search of truth and Higher Wisdom, Guy voluntarily retired from his flourishing music career in order to simplify his life and to concentrate on deeper self-studies.

In addition to his writing and appearance schedule, Guy presents four inner-life classes each week at Life of Learning Foundation headquarters in Merlin, Oregon. These classes are ongoing and open to the public. For more information about Guy Finley, and his life-changing work, visit www.guyfinley.org

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A life-changing book!, February 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Intimate Enemy: Winning the War Within Yourself (Paperback)

The Intimate Enemy is a self-help book and more. For those who have been searching for real help in understanding themselves and their lives, this book is what you've been looking for. Written in an easy to understand, step-be-step fashion, you will learn how to detach yourself from what has been preventing you from realizing your potential as a human being. I have read all of Finley's books and have been working with his concepts and exercises for several years. There is no question that applying the principles found in this book can change one's life for the better!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Most Aweome Book, November 9, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Intimate Enemy: Winning the War Within Yourself (Paperback)

This book is tremendous, it is filled with such practical insight. There are many books out their on the self-help shelves, but this work is not in the same category. Unlike all those other books which only seem to keep you running around like a dog chasing it's tail, this book not only tells you, but shows you how you can be free of any fear or limitation. In fact The Intimate Enemy shows you the only thing that has been holding you back has no more substance than a shadow. Sound unbelievable? IT IS! Don't believe me, test REALITY AND FIND OUT FOR YOURSELF. I also recomend The Lost Secrets of Prayer (by Guy Finley). I have met Guy Finley in person and I can honestly say he is as Genuine as his books. Enjoy! Cousin Vinnie NY

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Intimate Enemy: Winning the War Within Yourself, March 9, 2001

By 

Cassandra Barnes "Cassandra" (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Intimate Enemy: Winning the War Within Yourself (Paperback)

Self-development expert Guy Finley and psychologist Ellen Dickstein teamed up to write The Intimate Enemy: Winning the War Within Yourself. Their book is intended for people who are tired of struggling and wish to "sign a peace treaty with life."

Finley and Dickstein explain that "we each have, and operate from, a false nature that is a jumble of our memories, conditioning, and some tempermental qualities." That false self responds to everything that happens to us, and its response is usually negative or defensive. We then find "ourselves caught up in the same kinds of situations again and again, and nothing ever seems to be resolved in a new way."

They call the false self an intimate enemy and say that we are our own worst enemies when it comes to finding true happiness.

Their book devoted to learning how to recognize the intimate enemy and "discover how to rise above our own present psychology."

Our false selves blame events outside ourselves for our unhappiness or see neutral events as threats, with the result that we are contantly battling to control external circumstances. Only when we become aware of the "True Self" within do we learn we are a part of a world of truth and light where all battles are non-existent.

The authors use short stories and examples to show how people misunderstand the world around them. They explain how to become aware of the fallacies the false self continually attempts to foist off as truth, and how to determine what is real and what is deceit. They say that "understanding that we are a multiplicity of selves is critical to recognizing, and ultimately defeating, the intimate enemy."

They emphasize self-study as the primary way of overcoming the false self. Self-study involves rousing ourselves from "psychic slumber" and becoming aware of our thoughts and internal actions. They offer specific tips for achieving greater self-awareness.

The Intimate Enemy is for anyone who wants more from life than a daily battle against unseen enemies.