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Broken Open: How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow
 
 
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Broken Open: How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow (Paperback)

~ (Author) "MANY OF US FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE revealing to othersand even to ourselveswhat lies beneath the surface of our day-to-day consciousness..." (more)
Key Phrases: Ram Dass, Phoenix Process, Shaman Lover (more...)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (65 customer reviews)

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Phoenix Rising
Read a Q&A with Elizabeth Lesser on the process of overcoming loss and emerging with new optimism [PDF].

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Buy Broken Open: How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow and get The Seeker's Guide (previously published as The New American Spirituality) at an additional 5% off Amazon.com's everyday low price.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Cofounder of the upstate New York Omega Institute and author of The Seeker’s Guide, Lesser uses her own life story, and those of others, to explore what she calls the "Phoenix Process," or positive life change that can emerge from very difficult life events. In short, episodic chapters, Lesser cites stories of those who have gone through a divorce (as she has), lost a child or suffered a terminal illness. She brings in thinkers such as Tibetan Buddhist Pema Chodron, the late philosopher Joseph Campbell and her longtime friend and colleague Ram Dass to illustrate how meditation and belief in a spirit that works through people can help break through fear and hopelessness. Lesser’s own Phoenix Process began when, having previously been "betrayed" by her husband, she embarked on an adulterous affair (with a "shaman lover") that lasted a year and, in her terms, broke her open and allowed her to change. Lesser doesn’t describe her life events in enough detail for them to stand on their own as memoir; rather, she puts them in the service of an explicitly Nietzschean argument: that one needs to embrace one’s own "evil" in order to grow. Lesser’s resolve comes through in her clear, even, declarative prose, and her use of jargon is sparing and directed. But with conventional morality off the table and frequently overgeneralized musings sprinkled in ("Women still nurture and sustain me, but it is men who call me to grow, to examine my presumptions, to widen the boundaries of my heart"), the book can feel less the delineation of a process than a careful set of self-justifications. That sense is mitigated, however, by the anecdotes of other Phoenix veterans, via Omega and other parts of Lesser’s life.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


Review

"Elizabeth Lesser bravely and beautifully explores one of the most compelling questions of life: how do we emerge from suffering and challenge with real, encompassing wisdom and love. Broken Open is personal, pragmatic and enlightening."
- Sharon Salzberg, author of Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience

"Never again will a painful experience wipe me out. This book shows how you can transform any difficult transition into a time of great strength and awakening."
-Jane Fonda

?There's more food for philosophical mastication--and more sparkling good sense--in one lucid chapter of Broken Open than in a library of ordinary books on similar subjects.?
-Tom Robbins -- Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Villard (June 14, 2005)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0375759913
  • ISBN-13: 978-0375759918
  • Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (65 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,360 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

    #14 in  Books > Health, Mind & Body > Self-Help > Spiritual
    #28 in  Books > Religion & Spirituality > New Age > Mental & Spiritual Healing
    #47 in  Books > Health, Mind & Body > Self-Help > Motivational

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Elizabeth Lesser
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Customer Reviews

65 Reviews
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 (4)
3 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (65 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
88 of 88 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read, May 26, 2004
Don't let the Publisher's Weekly review stop you from buying this wonderful book. The idea is not that we MUST embrace our evils in order to grow, but that we can use our times of depression,anxiety, or pain to transform us into more open people. I spotted it in Barnes and Noble the other day, bought it, and haven't been able to put it down since. Lesser calls this process of transformation "The Phoenix Process." She beautifully illustrates how difficult times really can help us grow by giving us the story of her first marriage and how the pain she endured during it made her better afterward. She also includes stories of others who have gone through their own struggles in life. Broken Open is well written, and interesting from the first page to the last. The stories in it are truly amazing and inspirational. I reccomend this book to everyone!
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47 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Amazing..., May 13, 2004
By A Hero (Bearsville, NY United States) - See all my reviews
With Broken Open, Elizabeth Lesser has written a book that is more than capable of changing ones outlook on life. She explores the ways we can use the hardships we face in life to become better people. Through her own "breaking open" story and the true stories of others, she masterfully weaves a web of spiritual and emotional wisdom, showing how times of pain and strife can awaken us to new ways of living more meaningful lives. I'll never look at an emotional problem the same way again. The imagery that Elizabeth Lesser creates in this majestic work of literature is some of the best I have ever experienced. Not only is Broken Open emotionally educational, it is also interesting and entertaining. From the first chapter, you will be drawn into this book, only to emerge later on with a completely different outlook on the pain and strife of your daily life. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in having a more meaningful life, and anyone who likes to read amazing stories.
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51 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars I have treasured this book, December 25, 2005
By Jill Guntur (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)      
It is one thing to espouse spiritual or philisophical teachings. It is another thing to offer a humanistic understanding of what it means to seek, grow, evolve and endure until we can each transform. I found myself lulled with the voice of the writer and my head kept nodding because I understood the journey. I find that empathetic witnessing is a great teacher for me, so hearing the story of others creates a wider canvas for me to see things on. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has the gift for introspection and perspective. If you are looking for a "how to be a better person" manual, you're not going to find that in any book. If your life is your onw manual on how to strive to change, grow and break open... this book with sooth, uplift and inspire you.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars My Favorite Book
This has become my favorite book to date!! I love Elizabeth Lesser's writing style; it's so open and descriptive and meaningful. Read more
Published 5 days ago by DGR

5.0 out of 5 stars Broken open....Insightful!
This was a great read and whether you are going through difficult times now or have throughout your life this book will be very insightful and you will enjoy and relate to the... Read more
Published 7 days ago by Wendy Bialek

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
I loved this book. I'm going through a bad time and this book helped me so much and still helps everyday. Read more
Published 12 days ago by B K

5.0 out of 5 stars For all those who think they have been broken
If you think you can't go on, read Broken Open and you will gain strength and perspective.

Margaret Marshall Rhyne, Remembering Alexis, Finding Perspective in Love... Read more
Published 24 days ago by Margaret M. Rhyne

5.0 out of 5 stars Very meaningful book and beautifully written.
This books helps us to take another look at crisis in our lives as a healing tool. Elizabeth Lesser is a beautiful author with an authentic insight into life. Read more
Published 1 month ago by K. Clancy

5.0 out of 5 stars Helped me heal after the death of my father
As I am sure many of you have experienced, the unexpected death of someone you love deeply can leave you feeling empty, scared and so deeply sad. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Keira Raines

5.0 out of 5 stars When Life Broke Me Open
My mother died from cancer in 08 and two months later, my son was diagnosed with brain cancer, he is 15 years old. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Doris Walker

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing
This book touched me deeply. Each chapter is like a meditation. To fully grasp this book requires insight and spiritual openness. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Sharilpah

5.0 out of 5 stars Difficult times can make you stronger.
While I thought this book was a bit 'mature' and a little 'new-agey', and I don't mean that in a condescending way, it was a great read. Read more
Published 3 months ago by D. Blakely

3.0 out of 5 stars smweaver
Very new age. Very positive for someone that is going thru very rough times.
Published 4 months ago by Stephanie M. Weaver

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