Self-Help Books: Self-Help or Self-Sabotage? |
Posted: May 6, 2024 |
In the quest for personal growth, the allure of self-help books is undeniable. But are they truly effective, or is there a better path to self-improvement? To start unpacking this, let’s start by outlining a broad process by which genuine – sustainable – personal growth occurs:
So, where the advice acknowledges this growth process and guides you through each step there is a reasonable chance of enjoying some beneficial changes. The author, Kevin Whitelaw, is an accredited Solution Focused Hypnotherapist who helps adults across the globe become their best selves. He can be found here: Perma hypnotherapy Edinburgh. Ready to be your best self? Not all self-help books are created equal. Beware of titles promising quick & easy fixes and one-size-fits-all solutions. So many self-help books fall in to low value categories:
Remember that the industry behind this so called ‘self-help’ shares a commonality with the fad diet industry: they sell hope but need to make sure the products themselves deliver only – at best – limited results. Otherwise there would be no need for the next fad which will fuel next years’ profits. Caveat Emptor. OK – so what is the way forward here?There is an additional ‘self-help’ genre that I find are more credible: their general approach is to outline frameworks for you to consider and then work on applying these to your own context. Examples would include considerations of the PERMA model - Alan Carr from Dublin University has published the best I have found so far. Another is the Covey foundation’s Seven Habits: albeit in a way that I, personally, find very 1980’s Corporate American - I hear the ‘Dallas’ theme-tune whenever I think about it!
So, how do we get to some form of conclusion?Reflect on the sustainable change process outlined above – tweak it until it makes sense for you in your present situation. Consider the self-help books you have read – which genres do they fit in to? Have you found others? Which have resonated with you – and why? Which have left you cold – and why? Notice your responses to the content you’re reading: That sounds good, but (what is the ‘but’?) or that’s ok for other, but (what differentiates between you and those ‘others’?) or if only it was as easy as that ect? What are your responses telling you?What limiting beliefs are they pointing to? More often than not, limiting beliefs can be derived back to ‘I’m not good enough’ and / or ‘I’m not worthy enough.’ Or is there a block somewhere? in your environment, your behaviour, your capabilities, your beliefs, your values, your sense of self. Helping their clients work through such issues is every-day work for solution focused therapists. Supporting clients in developing their sense of agency sits at the heart of what we do. Investing in a few sessions can give you access to years of experience, a whole new toolbox, and a personalised approach to you building your own platform on which you can manage and build your own wellbeing for the rest of your life. Ready to Unlock your full potential and transform your life today? Click the link below to embark on your journey of transformation:
http://permahypnotherapy-25599865.hubspotpagebuilder.eu/break-free-0-0-0-0-0-0
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