References and Resources
Recommendation of the Month: August 2010
Nomad by Ayaan Hirsi AliSomalian-born Hirsi Ali is a simple but powerful writer. She describes the dangers of any dogmatic religion - and in particular, Islam. Ayaan takes us on her journey of an upbringing of discrimination and virtual imprisonment within a supposedly loving family, to her escape after her father wanted her to marry a man who was not of her choice. Despite the limitations of being raised an Islamic child in East Africa, Ayaan escaped to Holland and more recently to America, where she is campaigning bravely and in my opinion, mostly alone, for the rights of Islamic women and for the freedom of those being indoctrinated with the ancient dictums of the Quran. In Nomad, Ayaan criticises the Christian Church for failing to highlight the problems with the Islamic religion and its worship of the Quran. She maintains that the Christians need to provide an alternative, more open-minded faith for Islamic people. She questions all of us, especially feminists, for paying misplaced respect to a culture and religion that is harsh and rigid. The implication is that by remaining passive, we enable violent practices, using the excuse of respecting other cultures. This book is thought-provoking and frightening.
Books
Below is a list of books I find helpful.
Articles in the reading room were written with the guidance of some of the books and links below.
A General Theory of Love by Thomas Lewis, Fari Amini, and Richard LannonCesar's Way: The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems by Cesar Millan and Melissa Jo Peltier
Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui: Space Clearing Can Change Your Life by Karen Kingston
Destructive Emotions by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Daniel Goleman
Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
Fight Your Dark Shadow by Therrie Rosenwald and Tian P.S. Oei. Illustrated by Marco Schmidt
Forgiveness & Other Acts of Love by Stephanie Dowrick
Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn
Good Poems edited by Garrison Keillor
Live Love Laugh by Janette Philp, Michelle Ferry and Terri Gibbs
Mindfulness, Bliss, and Beyond: A Meditator's Handbook by Ajahn Brahm
Opening the Door to Your Heart by Ajahn Brahm
Stop Walking On Eggshells: Taking Back Your Life When Someone You Care About Has BPD by Paul Mason and Randi Kreger
The Anatomy of the Spirit by Caroline Myss
The Book of Qualities by J. Ruth Gendler
The Developing Mind by Daniel J. Siegel
The Fifth Agreement by Don Miguel Ruiz and Don Jose Ruiz
The Five Languages of Love by Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell
The Five-Minute Meditator by Eric Harrison
The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
The Inner Tradition of Yoga by Michael Stone
The Mastery of Love by Don Miguel Ruiz
The Mindful Brain by Daniel J. Siegel
The Path of Emancipation byThich Nhat Hanh
The Secret Language of Eating Disorders by Peggy Claude-Pierre
The Power of Mindfulness by Nyanaponika Thera
Why Love Matters: How Affection Shapes a Baby's Brain by Sue Gerhardt
Interesting links
If you would like to recommend a site, please email me the details.
General Psychological Overview
Psych Central is one of the first-ever Psychology websites. I found it in the early 1990s and have watched it grow into a very large, informative, well-organised site. You'll find just about everything you need here.
Beyond Blue is a professional Australian website, where you can find out more about depression and anxiety.
The Centre for Clinical Interventions website is based in Perth. You'll find lots of psychological information on this page, including information and resources on psychological assessments and interventions.
www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/resources/consumers.cfm
Buddhism
It can be a fulfilling end to the working week to travel to the WA Buddhist Society's centre in Nollamara on Friday nights to meditate and hear a talk by one of the Society's monks. Ajahn Brahm is especially entertaining and his talks, which are available online, are thought-provoking.
One of my favourite Buddhist authors is Thich Nhat Hanh. A good start to explore the teachings of this Vietnamese Buddhist monk is through the Plum Village website.
Psychological Information
You'll find information on these sites about psychologists' services, articles, tips and referral networks.
Hypnotherapy
This page has a professional overview about hypnotherapy and its many benefits.
www.hypnotherapy-australia.com
Hakomi
The Australian Psychological Society has a number of helpful tip sheets at:
http://www.psychology.org.au/publications/tip_sheets
Other Online Therapy Sites
Lisa Laba is based in Sydney and offers online counselling at