When it comes to spiritual growth, we humans are solar-seeking beings; eager for the bright lights of clarity and the bliss of illumination. Paradoxically, we all need to walk through the shadow of the dark night in order to discover a life worth living, according to psychotherapist and spiritual commentator Thomas Moore.
Unlike depression, which is more of an emotional state, Moore calls the dark night a slow transformation process, which is fueled by a profound period of doubt, disorientation and questioning. Ultimately, a journey into the dark night will reshape the very meaning of your life. As a self-proclaimed "lunar type," Moore is comfortable leading his clients and readers into the shadows, where ambiguities and mysteries lurk around every corner. He describes the dark night journey in stages, starting with feeling distant from your life even as you continue to go through the motions.
The second phase is "liminality," meaning living on the threshold between the known self and the unknown self. This is perhaps the most uncomfortable phase as the dark night may "take you away from the cultivation and persona you have developed in your education and from family learning," he explains. After dwelling in this murky darkness, there's a stage of "re-incorporation," in which one integrates the profound inner transitions into daily life.
Like a tour guide to the underworld, Moore leads readers through all these phases, offering tools and rituals for making the journey more tolerable or at least more meaningful. He also speaks to the many arenas and stages of life in which we might find ourselves stumbling through the dark, with chapters on marriage, parenting, sexuality, creativity and health. The scope is ambitious, and at times the structure seems disjointed—but this is perhaps Moore’s best contribution since Care of the Soul, proving once again that he is a wise and formidable spiritual teacher. --Gail Hudson --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
To find out more or purchase
this book: amazon.com link...
Dark nights of the soul: A guide to finding your way through life's ordeals
This book by Roberta M Gilbert is helpful if you are wanting your relationship to be great... AND/OR if you want to relate better to anyone anyway... Murray Bowen's Theory —
"The theory postulates two opposing life forces. One
is a built in life growth force
toward
individuality and the differentiation of a separate
"self", and the other an
equally intense emotional closeness..."
To find out more or purchase
this book: amazon.com link...
Roberta M Gilbert

Extraordinary Relationships:
A new way of thinking about human relationships
Since the late 1980s, queer studies and theory have become vital to the intellectual life of the U.S. This has been, to no small degree, due to the popularity of Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick's critically acclaimed Epistemology of the Closet. Working from classic texts of European and American writers--including Herman Melville, Henry James, Marcel Proust, and Oscar Wilde--Sedgwick delineates a historical moment in which sexual identity became as important a demarcation of personhood as gende had been for centuries.
Epistemology of the Closet is a sometimes-dense work, but one filled with wit and empathy. Sedgwick writes with great intelligence and an eye for irony, but always makes clear that her theories and critical acumen are in the service of a politic that seeks to make the world a better and more humane place for everyone. An extraordinary book that reshapes how we think about literature, sexuality, and everyday life. --Michael Bronski
To find out more or purchase
this book: amazon.com
link...
Epistemology of the Closet
(Centennial Books)
Schnarch says that a man is more likely to let a relationship suffer in order to hold on to his sense of self, while a woman is more apt to let her identity suffer to help strengthen it.
Schnarch gives explicit tips on how to alter this pattern, an essential step he calls "differentiation." He also explains why compromise isn't always the best route to take when conflicts arise. The couples profiled here deal with the usual suspects: uneven sexual desire and initiation, battles about oral sex, self-image problems, the "boondoggle" of trust (both of one's self and one's partner), and the specter of divorce.
Instead of focusing on each client's weaknesses, Schnarch teaches how to find inner strength and resilience that can be used to reaffirm a relationship and reignite sex. William H. Masters of Masters and Johnson fame calls this book "a classic," and no wonder. --Erica Jorgensen
To find out more or purchase
this book: amazon.com
link...
Passionate Marriage:
Keeping Love and Intimacy
Alive in Committed Relationships
This list is added to all the time.
Philip Johnson operates the
choosingchange
clinic from 147 King Street,
Sydney CBD.
choosingchange
, Counselling Sydney CBD,
Relationship Psychotherapy Sydney, Smart Couples... serving the Sydney CBD and the
Eastern Suburbs and North Sydney — including Surry Hills, Bondi
Junction, Darling Point, Woollahra, Edgecliff,
Kings Cross, Double Bay, Paddington, Paddington, Potts Point, Darlinghurst,
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Minutes from Town Hall,
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Beyond Blue —
Depression (anxiety, social phobias, post-natal unpleasant experiences, extreme
restlessness, having difficulty focusing and concentrating... among other
symptoms) is a common problem in our society. One in five people
experience depression at some stage of their lives. Something can be done about
it...
Read more...
Dark Side
of the Moon — Most people think that depression is just a prolonged bad
mood. If someone say, "I'm depressed", people will ask: "What about?" In
reality, depression is more like a feeling of numbness than a feeling of
sadness. And while it can be triggered by a particular event like loss of a job
or a loved one, it can also come on for no apparent reason.
Read more...