Becoming Alive draws on the Winnicottian idea of transitional objects, and puts forward the argument that human beings relate to and use objects in order to generate experiences of 'being alive'.

Anthropology is a disciplined inquiry into the conditions and potentials of human life. Generations of theorists, however, have expunged life from their accounts, treating it as the mere output of patterns, codes, structures or systems variously defined as genetic or cultural, natural or social. Building on his classic work The Perception of the Environment, Tim Ingold sets out to restore life to where it should belong, at the heart of anthropological concern. Being Alive ranges over such themes as the vitality of materials, what it means to make things, the perception and formation of the ground, the mingling of earth and sky in the weather-world, the experiences of light, sound and feeling, the role of storytelling in the integration of knowledge, and the potential of drawing to unite observation and description. Our humanity, Ingold argues, does not come ready-made but is continually fashioned in our movements along ways of life. Starting from the idea of life as a process of wayfaring, Ingold presents a radically new understanding of movement, knowledge and description as dimensions not just of being in the world, but of being alive to what is going on there.

A radical revaluation of how contemporary society perceives death—and an argument for how it can make us happy. “He who would teach men to die would teach them to live,” writes Montaigne in Essais, and in How to Die: A Book about Being Alive, Ray Robertson takes up the challenge. Though contemporary society avoids the subject and often values the mere continuation of existence over its quality, Robertson argues that the active and intentional consideration of death is neither morbid nor frivolous, but instead essential to our ability to fully value life. How to Die is both an absorbing excursion through some of Western literature’s most compelling works on the subject of death as well as an anecdote-driven argument for cultivating a better understanding of death in the belief that, if we do, we’ll know more about what it means to live a meaningful life.

Through exposition, scriptural stories, and question and answer sessions with seekers, Swami Muktananda addresses subjects such as spiritual discipline, ego, money, marriage, and parenting.

This book is a celebration of the work of Anne Alvarez, an enormously influential psychoanalytic psychotherapist whose work on autism and severe personality disorders in children has been important internationally. This book: * brings together assessment of the influence of Alvarez's work across a range of child psychotherapy and related areas * evaluates how her ideas affect the most current developments in these areas * includes contributions from renowned psychoanalysts and psychotherapists from around the world. It will be of great interest to child and adolescent psychotherapists in training and practice, and also to clinical psychologists, psychoanalysts and psychiatrists working with autistic/severely disturbed children.

Married mother of two discovers the part alcohol has played in her lifelong struggle with anxiety.Raised in rural Kentucky in the 1980s, Perkins takes her readers on a nostalgic journey as she evolves from a little girl who idealized the beautiful, happy people in beer commercials to a college kid who loses her full-ride scholarship for drinking in the dorms. She grew up thinking the world was divided into drinkers and drunks. Drinkers used alcohol to celebrate-freedom, good weather, youth. Drunks were sweaty, messy losers day-drinking in sticky bars.She spent her young adult life searching-in college parties, in dark bars wearing Forever 21 outfits, in antidepressants that put her in a fog, in dead-end relationships, in bags of overpriced kale from Whole Foods, in local breweries serving hand-crafted beer made from organic hops. She was searching for something to stop the racing thoughts, the irrational moments of panic, the feeling disaster is about to strike. She didn't miss work, her house was clean, her kids were happy. Clearly, she was not an alcoholic. Have you ever taken one of those online quizzes to see if you're an alcoholic? You know, the ones that ask questions like: Do you often miss work or family obligations due to drinking? Never. Does your drinking put you in dangerous situations? Nope. Does your drinking cause persistent health problems? Absolutely not...unless you count debilitating anxiety.Perkins tried tweaking her diet, exercise, sleep and many other health practices while attempting to get her anxiety under control. While still drinking daily. Despite her efforts at avoidance, she finally had to face the truth that alcohol consumption was getting into the way of her living. But how do you get help for drinking if you're not an alcoholic? Hours of online research finally led her to a blog that changed the way she would think about alcohol forever. She finally connected the dots. Alcohol was making everything worse-not better. Read how Samantha Perkins became Alive AF (Alcohol Free) and found the tools to rebuild a life full of love, support and genuine human connection.

Spirituality has an indispensable role to play in the expression of our humanity. However, spiritual practices can sometimes make us less, not more, authentically human. We may be good Christians, but we aren't good human beings. How can we ensure that our spiritual journey is conducted in a way that allows us to become fully alive and deeply human? David Benner has spent thirty-five years integrating psychology and spirituality. Here he presents an expansive, psychologically informed understanding of spirituality, probing the contrasts between soulful and soulless spirituality, deep and shallow religion, and healthy and unhealthy relationships with God to affirm the vital role of human development in the spiritual journey. Benner then suggests soulful practices for cultivating the Christian spiritual life. This book will appeal to readers seeking depth and substance in their quest for authentic spirituality. It will also be a helpful resource for mental health professionals and spiritual directors. Reflection questions and exercises for individual or group use are included at the end of each chapter.d