Ritual as Resource: Energy for Vibrant Living (Paperback)

by Michael Picucci (Author), Peter A. Levine (Foreword) "Could human beings, faced with a rapidly changing world full of trauma and distractions, ever develop an art for filling the mind and spirit with..." (more)
Key Phrases: Curious Observer, Old Brain, Peter Levine (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Michael Picucci has survived HIV, heart attacks, cancer, and the loss of many loved ones. Beyond merely coping, he has thrived — but how? This book explains. Mixing vivid life stories and simple, step-by-step creative ritual exercises, Picucci offers readers a self-empowering path to energetic healing through contact with what he calls "healing resources." These resources are varied but center on a higher power that can be accessed through ritual. Ritual, he explains, allows anyone to tap into the "instinctual brain" that is traumatized by the unnatural demands of modern life, and further into the "shamanistic brain" that opens the way to four important energetic pathways: awakening the felt-senses of the body; resolving emotional traumas; communicating with the instinctive self; and journeying into the "spirit world," the worlds of light, energy, and consciousness. Ritual as Resource shows how to stimulate dormant internal energy to heal and transform the troubled self.

About the Author
Dr. Michael Picucci is a psychotherapist in practice twenty years and an accomplished researcher. He has a doctorate in psychology, is a nationally certified Master Addictions Counselor, and a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner. His previous books are Complete Recovery: An Expanded Model of Community Healing and The Journey Toward Complete Recovery: Reclaiming Your Emotional, Spiritual & Sexual Wholeness.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: North Atlantic Books (November 10, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556435665
• ISBN-13: 978-1556435669
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #846,572 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Creating Rituals for Your Own Life, May 10, 2006

By	D. McGovern - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Michael Picucci's Ritual as Resource is a worthy successor to his landmark, award-winning volume: The Journey Toward Complete Recovery. In this new book, Dr. Picucci introduces the reader to core themes from the "energetics" field and then blends them with "authentic process", a community-based approach to growth and recovery outlined in his previous work. One key theme in this book is the presence of the opposing energies in our lives; sometimes we experience them as stress, inter-personal conflict, or trauma. With the conscious use of ritual, we can learn to accept and even thrive on these opposing energies. Readers encountering the "energetics" field for the first time may find these ideas somewhat challenging. But the reader is well-rewarded as the themes come together in an uplifting message about how to live an emotionally healthy life in modern society.

The true richness of the book comes through most clearly in the author's discussion of how to create your own "rituals" for healing, health and personal power. Rituals are consciously crafted sets of actions incorporated directly into one's daily life - from the delightfully simple "shower and health" rituals to deeply moving rituals to cope with life threatening illness and death. Dr. Picucci shares his own life experiences in an intensely personal way, helping the reader understand how energy and resources can help a person face virtually any life challenge. Using this book as a guide, I have created my own rituals that now are essential and deeply satisfying parts of my daily life. Readers will find this book a wonderful source for creating their own rituals, to make their own lives richer and more spiritually fulfilling.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gifts from a Survivor , May 8, 2006

By	Jude Jussim (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Ritual as Resource is part psychology theory, part autobiography, part spiritual guidebook, and wholly a resource for having energy to deal with contemporary life. The initial chapters set out the framework for using ritual to connect with our own energies. The writing is accessible and comfortable, if sometimes less than graceful. The book would be worth it just for the understanding it provides of the felt senses and how working with them helps us connect with our own energies--a real resource for vibrant living. There are many examples of rituals that we can use in our daily lives; most are straightforward ways of transforming situations at work, at play, and in our relationships. For me, it was the inspiration and concept of working with ritual in this way that was most exciting. Picucci's autobiographical revelations--he is a very dynamic survivor of cancer, a heart attack and AIDS, as well as more mundane threats such as total career transition--illustrate just how valuable this kind of energetic resource can be.

Because I can see the value of what the book has to offer, not just to those with a spiritual orientation but to others, I would have liked a presentation that assumed less about what the reader would accept with minimal evidence. However, I would encourage open-minded readers to explore its pages. Picucci has provided enough gifts that most readers will find plenty to gather.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars RITUAL AS RESOURCE, June 10, 2006

By	Susanne Tyrrell "BEAUTY" (WALNUT CREEK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I found Michael's gentle loving words very nurturing. Reading "Ritual as Resource" brought me back to peaceful basics.It reminded me to go for the simplicity of life,uncomplicated and easy. Coming from love, first for myself, and then others. The rituals and practices Michael guides you through are simple and very healing.I continue ro re-read and practice them and discover new insights every time. Michael's openess and shared personal growth are very inspirational. I am grateful for the positive energies I receive. Thank you, Michael.