Publisher: 25th May 2021 by Pan Macmillan Australia
Pages: 288 pages
How I Read It: ARC book
Genre: Health, Mind & Body | Nonfiction (Adult)
My Rating: 5 cups
Synopsis:
What if there were parts of our minds that we never use, but if awakened, could make us so much happier, connected and alive? What if awakening those parts could bring peace to the conflicts and struggles we all go through?
From the cutting edge, where therapy meets neuroscience, Steve Biddulph explores the new concept of 'supersense' - the feelings beneath our feelings - which can guide us to a more awake and free way of living every minute of our lives. And the Four Storey Mansion, a way of using your mind that can be taught to a five-year-old, but can also help the most damaged adult.
In Fully Human, Steve Biddulph draws on deeply personal stories from his own life, as well as those of his clients, and from the frontiers of thinking about how the brain works with the body and the wisdom of the 'wild creature' inside all of us.
At the peak of a lifetime's work, one of the world's best-known psychotherapists and educators shows how you can be more alive, more connected. More Fully Human.
My Thoughts
‘... if you are struggling in any area of your life, that is something that can change. You can reawaken your supersense and begin to know who you are and what matters to you, and bring wholeness back into your life again. Your life can be so much more.’
I was aware of Steve Biddulph’s writing from his books on ‘Raising Boys’. So I was keen to read about his more encompassing, ‘Fully Human’. I was not disappointed - what a fabulous read.
‘Because one day it stops, and then it’s too late. And the realization of that is the saddest thing in the whole of life. We chased the wrong things, and while we did, the ordinary but wonderful joys of our life - sunshine, flowers, animals, loving partners, children, friends, beaches - were all ignored or relegated to the gaps and small glimpses, to one day, when there’s time. And we wasted our lives.’
This book is all about tuning into your intuition or ‘supersense’ as Steve likes to call it. He also breaks down and adopts a Maslow style hierarchy of needs model in what he calls our mansion - wonderful tips about how to really tune into self and all in an effort to create our best self. The mansion has four floors - the first floor represents the body, the second our emotions, the third our thoughts and the fourth a roof terrace open to the stars and our incredible spirituality and wisdom.
‘... this is your natural state, this is you with the stress taken away. It’s simply that, in modern life, we are over-revved nearly all the time, and have come to think that’s how it must be. Meditation is getting back to how our bodies and brains are supposed to work.’
I went crazy with my highlighter in this book - so many gems and key concepts to really remind and assist us on this journey of life. It truly is packed with so many words of wisdom, a wonderful book to have and hold, especially when you need some gentle reminders.
‘A part of you is needing attention, it’s been neglected, and might even be dying. But its perfume is suddenly there, and you must follow it down.’
Something I learnt (obvious when you come to think of it) is how much of an impact the events of the 20th century have had on our emotional evolution. Why do we struggle so much today? Well maybe it is because of the huge trauma our great grandparents, grandparents, parents endured - world wars, depressions, refugee crisis - and that is just the tip of the iceberg. How could they cope with all that? Shut down emotionally.
‘You can arrive at a life full of meaning by consciously deciding to care. Thinking at its best can ease your suffering, give you a perspective and instil meaning in the tough corners of life.’
Fully Human is somewhat like a roadmap and Steve your guide on how to navigate the ups and downs of life. He wants this book to teach us how to engage with the natural guidance system that is within each of us. It is such an excellent resource perfect for those of us already on this journey of discovery to make the most of this gift of life and would be a wonderful treasure for anyone wondering where to begin.
‘The skill that will grow in you from reading this book is that, little by little, you’ll find yourself being a calm observer, someone who moves easily through the rooms of your mansion, never getting stuck in any of them ..... Perhaps we can become, at last, fully human.’
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.
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