Customer Reviews

The Spiritual Self: Reflections on Recovery and God

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Twerski has a very interesting background and training. He was a son of a rabbi, but went to medical school instead and now runs a substance abuse center. This makes him very qualified to talk on the subject of spirituality in recovery, which he does brilliantly in The Spiritual Self. A short book, I consider it a must read for anyone in a 12-step spiritual recovery program (as I am). We always wonder what people mean by saying 'I want to get more spiritual'. Well, the answer is explained eloquently and simply in Twerski's book.

After accidentally ordering "Addictive Thinking" I remembered that there is no such a thing as "accidentally; I finished the book in few hours and started reading it all over again and right away decided to order two more books by Twerski. Coming from academic philosophy, it was refreshing to find a positive and un-complicated yet so thought-provoking writing about an issue so deep. Empowered by Twerski's "Life is too Short," I found new courage in me, and decided to begin working on a non-academic, practical writing on the subject myself. Yes, his words are THAT powerful.
One restrain thought: as a practicing Jew, though I could understand the rationale not to touch G-d from a religious perspective in his other books, I was a bit disappointed not to find anything "Jewish" about the Spiritual Self and G-d.

Abraham Twerski has been a giant in the field of recovery for decades. This book may be one of his best. What's not to like?

This author is a prolific scholar in his field, but I stopped reading when he began to argue that contentment and tranquility were goals unworthy of human beings because such deny their God-given skillful brain. In a book about spirituality, I was most seeking a route to contentment and tranquility -- what a disappointment to be told I was on the wrong path!