Customer Reviews

Self-Esteem: Your Fundamental Power

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Wow, Having read the review by Clark I feel compelled to offer a somewhat more temperate opinion on this audio series by Caroline Myss. First, I must confess, I am an avid fan of Caroline's work and have read and/or listened to most of her books and audio recordings. This particular series starts with the somewhat surprising revelation that self-esteem, contrary to the average book in the self-help section, is a spiritual concept. Therefore the lack of self-esteem is not just a psychological problem but a spiritual crisis. The rest of the series goes on in some depth developing a working definition of self-esteem, discussing how to develop self esteem, and interspered through out, giving examples of how the lack of self-esteem is at the root of many of life's problems.

Couple of things I found particularly interesting.

- Her recommendation that you should start with something physical (losing weight, new hairstyle, clothes, etc) to build self-esteem is interesting, particularly given that many "new age" types tend to emphasize "spiritual" techniques like meditation or affirmation, and ignore the role of physical movement and change in creating spiritual health

- Her argument that you build self-esteem by honoring the commitments you make to yourself really spoke to me, as I can vividly recall many failed New Year's resolutions because I did not honor my commitments to myself. However she doesn't recommend beating yourself up if this happens, but rather asks that you recognize that this is self-sabotaging behavior and explore what part of yourself fears your own empowerment and why. Great stuff here!

- Finally she discusses self-esteem within the context of relationships, finances, and health.

- For those who have followed Caroline's work I found this series more personal than the others, as she shares more about herself and her own struggles with self-esteem than in previous series. I also love the fact that she takes some of the more narrow notions of "new age" philosophy to task. Sure meditation, affirmation, and "oms" have their place, but as Caroline notes they're not the end all and be all of living a spiritual life. You've got to live the principles, and when you don't, you need to be conscious of that choice and take responsiblity for it. This isn't "feel good" spirituality. The path she recommends requires thoughtful, continuous self-examination, trust in a higher power, and the courage to follow through on your intution with action. Personally, I find her approach the best blending of spritual principles with common-sense living out there.

- I gave this series 4 stars for two main reasons. First, even though it's 4 cassette/CD's I didn't find it as meaty as her other series. Sometimes the material seemed thin and stretched out to cover the alloted time. Second, she does use words like "always", "never", and "only" a bit much for my taste. Personally, I find absolutes like this rarely useful and they made me feel like I was being lectured at by a parent

Hope this is helpful and more balanced

"You change the rules or you are going under." ~Caroline Myss

Imagine a life where no one can intimidate you, where you have an invisible sense of knowing who you are, a life where you are no longer fighting for the right to be alive.

Are you willing to change the rules? Are you playing games with people in your life who do not have your best interests at heart? Are you afraid of what you want most? Do you want to know who you really are? Do you want to feel empowered and healed spiritually? Do relationships make you feel needy?

One of the most beautiful spiritual gifts anyone has given me was introducing me to the Caroline Myss Self-Esteem CDs.

You will learn the details of why:

1. People with healthy self-esteem heal faster.
2. The old view of self-esteem differs from the new view.
3. Wars are started due to lack of self-esteem.
4. Meditation is not the only answer.
5. People around you won't celebrate your empowerment.
6. Knowledge is not a spiritual practice.
7. Standing up for yourself can change your entire life.
8. We destroy others to compensate for our own fears.
9. Our greatest fears are being alone and abandoned and how we smother people.

Caroline's teachings are healing, beautiful gifts for your soul. Heal your life, heal your friendships, start giving love instead of always asking for love.

An Empowering, healing, spiritually electrifying journey. If you want to be primarily responsible for your spiritual growth and understand how to create the empowered self, these CDs will help you in your search for understanding self-esteem on the spiritual level.

~The Rebecca Review

I have listened to my 4 CD set about 5 times since I bought it. It is terrific. Any fans of the Advanced Energetic Anatomy CD's, Anatomy of the Spirit CD's, Spiritual Power - Spiritual Practice CD's will love this - they will not be disappointed. Caroline is always educational, and is a brilliant teacher. We are so lucky to be alive in this era; and to be able to listen to and act upon her teachings.
Even now when I listen to it I laugh out loud at the humorous anecdotes she shares with us. It has a warm and genuine dialogue and I think this will become one of the most easily listened to and cherished Caroline Myss CD sets around.

If you are familiar with Caroline's work and have enjoyed it then I can say you will enjoy Self Esteem and find this well grounded, well rounded, sensible and wholistic approach to Self Esteem to be of real value. There are so many of us (including those actively on their spiritual path) who suffer from the effects of poor self-esteem. Much of information we come across on the spiritual path (the path to wholeness) even sets people up to have or maintain a low self-esteem. Our self-esteem equates to our willingness to BE HERE and to participate in life fully, lovingly, with power and presence, and in service to the Big Picture. With poor self-esteem this is a formidable task that many of us are are bound to sabotage time and time again.

For those that are not familiar with the work of Caroline Myss, this is as good a place to start as any. I know you will find many treasures in this work of hers that you will treasure for years to come. You might also like to explore "Advanced Energy Anatomy", "Sacred Contracts", "Why people don't heal", "Spiritual Madness".

Myss takes a grounded and pragmatic approach to healing and spiritual development. I know a lot of people (including myself) who really appreciate this about her, especially in a world where lots of "nice ideas" are often convey yet many have very little basis in our day-to-day reality. If you are seeking wholeness and a balance understand of yourself and the ways you relate to self, the world, and life, that perhaps leave you feeling unsatisfied then please explore this audio book and enjoy the ride.

- Jonathan Evatt
International lecturer, spiritual mentor, natural health coach, and award-winning author of Peace, Power, and Presence: A guide to Self Empowerment, Inner Peace, and Spiritual Enlightenment (available on Amazon.com, ASIN: 1877492019)

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I have been in the practice of personal development for 20 years and this CD is one of the most powerful contributions on the nature of "self", conscious, and fulfilling ones destiny and place in the world, that I have encountered in a long time. THERE IS NOTHING ELSE LIKE THIS THAT I'VE READ OR HEARD. Buy it!

I'm just on the 2nd CD in this series and already a 5 year
block on a creative project has just left. Her challenge
to confront the sabateour is powerful. I'm so glad I bought
this CD. I learn more from Caroline when I listen to a CD
several times because there is so much wisdom.

Classic Myss...the mash up of Catholicism and New Age "manifest your reality" mixed with a heavy dose of the trademark gimme-a-break, take-no-prisoners sense of humor. It's an unconventional approach to what is usually a humorless subject, especially when she turns the tables on the listener.

This is a valuable book for any person where they consider themselves to be well adjusted and no one's doormat, or if they know their self esteem is lacking. The message is not about contemplating the navel but about practical action. This book should come before any other self help book especially weight loss books! Absolutely brilliant!

I saw a lot of positive reviews and decided to give this set of CD's a shot. I was very optimistic and listened to all four of them feeling like it was going to make a big difference in my life. But no. As I got to the fourth CD, I could tell that the so-called "excercises" were unconnected and there was no evaluation of your results. She would go rambling along in her entertaining style, and say something like, "take out a piece of paper and make a list of all the...". This list would never be referred to again.

Over and over, she gives interesting examples of self-esteem and shows us the irony in how we act. She is great to listen to. But if you want some real change in the self-esteem that you possess, this set of CD's is NOT for you. If you are truly looking to improve your self-esteem, check out books by Marilyn Sorenson or Tim Ursiny.

Also, as I was listening, it occurred to me that if she had to actually make a written book out of this stuff, it would be a disaster. She would have to organize her ideas (and this thing is NOT organized), and present them in a concise manner. The result most likely would not be much more than 50 pages! Which explains why so much of her stuff is strictly on CD. You can't sell 50 page books.

Great for those who like fresh, in-depth thoughts on a topic that is infamous for being covered in a superficial way.

Liked the part where she brings in the subject of men and making a living in her field. She is a ground breaker there in my opinion. Mentions that healthy self esteem is not inborn and has to be learned in her Advanced Energy Medicine tapes(wholeheartedly recommend) but inexplicably, this is not mentioned in these tapes on self esteem. Made me wonder if she is still formulating her ideas on the material...

Excellent conversations about self respect, assertiveness, and self care in front of a live audience. Not the definitive work on the subject(I believe that it is still evolving and lies with the next generation of writers/teachers)but she enlightens with her unique outlook that fans are sure to love.