
Emotions, Inspiration & personal growth, Spiritual
In today's secular society, many people struggle with terms like love and happiness. Few consider that these vital concepts are connected with worshipping God, but we know equally that they have little to do with how much we earn and possess. Maybe the answer lies in relationships, but these can be changeable and troublesome. Is there a larger story we can be part of again? A framework within which our lives can make sense? Where can we get good advice? In the style of The Road Less Travelled, Larry Culliford tells stories of his work as a psychiatrist. Through these, he shows us how to face adversity, protect ourselves and others from self-destructive acts and temptations, and grow in maturity. We have more than our own resources to draw on. Bringing together East and West, ancient and contemporary traditions, he sees his patients using their "wisdom mind" to reach wholeness. This intuitive faculty connects us again with the universe, which science and materialism have rendered remote and uncaring. This is the route to a new sense of belonging and a meaningful life. It is our path to emotional health, happiness and maturity.
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Having been an RN for 30 years, it is particularly gratifying to read a physician’s words about the spiritual needs for healing in our times. The stories he shares are particularly enjoyable & edifying. Not only stories about some of his patients, but also lore from times long ago. I was totally caught up in the symbols and life lessons. There are times when have allowed ourselves to forget the sacredness of spiritual love. This book is the clarion call to ‘wake up’ & remember. I recommend this book to our readers who are looking for an in-depth study of the human condition & how it is made better through Love. ~ Rev Dr Sandra Gaskin, www.spirit-works.net
A comprehensive and compassionate exploration of the human experience of the process of being drawn to, of seeking, and of making a connection with the infinite. Hopeful and optimistic, profound and very moving. Accessible and illuminating to a wide readership. ~ , Merton Journal
The insights in this book culled from many sources encourage us to discover the opportunities to love, to hop, and to find happiness. ~ , Network Review
This will become a classic book on spirituality. It is immensely practical and grounded. We can learn from other people's experiences, dip into philosophy and psychiatry and, above all, feed our own 'wisdom mind'. It's a nourishing book that mirrors the author's compassion and lays the foundation for a higher understanding of human suffering and hope. ~ Reinhard Kowalski , Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Registered Psychotherapist, author of The Only Way Out Is In
This is a wonderful book for those who are searching for 'life in all its fullness'. It draws on secular and religious wisdom to speak to men and women who are looking for a spirituality that meets them where they are. ~ Rt Rev Dominic Walker, Bishop of Monmouth
Larry Culliford is a born story-teller, and the stories told in this book capture the essence of what it is to be human; to be mentally and physically vulnerable and yet through the pain of adversity, to grow in wisdom and stature. This is a book of practical spirituality and one not to be missed. ~ Dr Andrew Powell , Founding Chair of the \"Spirituality and Psychiatry's Special Interest Group of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, London
Dr. Larry Culliford's book is an unputdownable read. He is a marvellous writer, a born story-teller. His book is saying vitally important things about our need for a deep, spiritual life. In the tradition of Robert Coles' work of marrying psychology and story, this is a wisely "wholeminded" book, and readers will be spiritually refreshed if not transformed. ~ Robert Waldron, English Literature and Language at Boston Latin School, and prize-winning author of books including Thomas Merton in Search of His Soul
Larry Culliford's "Love, Healing and Happiness" will be a real boon to a world of health and social care. We have largely forgotten how to manifest love in 'human' services. Dr Culliford reminds of its importance and how to make it real, in a work of remarkable insights through narrative and reflection. ~ Professor Peter Gilbert, Staffordshire University
This is a book of modern wisdom. Not that wisdom has a sell-by-date, but it does have to be refreshed and brought into modern situations. This is exactly what Larry Culliford does. He tells us stories about healing, from his practice as a psychiatrist. Like all good teachers, he encourages us to find meanings in the stories but does not leave us alone with disconnected thoughts, but offers a structure within which we can build our own understandings. In the final chapters he encourages us to develop further. ~ Professor Dr David Aldridge
In this renaissance of spirituality, Larry Culliford's personal and scholarly contribution - representing East and West, ancient and contemporary - is readable, reassuring, and reinvigorating. He offers an explanation of how to grow beyond our everyday mind to our wisdom mind, which brings wholeness. ~ Sister Monica Weis SSJ,, Professor of English, Nazareth College, Rochester NY, USA, and past vice president of the International Thomas Merton Society
Larry Culliford has drawn together insights from his professional training and pastoral care interactions plus his own personal explorations and journey, and has woven the different threads together beautifully. It holds together most effectively and, as a result, has the possibility of touching on the thoughts, emotions and spiritual yearnings of those who read it. ~ Rev. Dr. Stuart Johnson, Anglican Priest and senior NHS Chaplain
This is a book about spiritual and emotional well being - challenging and accessible for all who search for life's meaning. Larry Culliford's storytelling is steeped in a wisdom inspired by psychological insight and spiritual traditions, yet grounded in real life and everyday experience. ~ Fiona Gardner , Psychotherapist and author; currently Chair of The Thomas Merton Society of Great Britain and Ireland
There are many self-help books which will teach you techniques to make yourself happy. Dr. Larry Culliford, on the other hand, takes the trouble to explain the roots of happiness, opening up the possibility that we can be happy. It is partly about getting to grips with our place in the universe, and here Larry is not afraid to use the kind of spiritual language that is appropriate for what he calls a "post-secular" age. Above all, he knows what he is talking about. ~ Kenneth Wilson , Priest and Director of Soul of India Tours