The bestselling author of The Power of Kindness shows how the ability to appreciate beauty-far from being a luxury or an afterthought-is vital to leading a happy, balanced, and satisfying life. Beauty is all around us-in a flower, a song, the sound of falling water, or a dramatic painting. We often think of it as just "window dressing." But it's not. It is the balm of our existence, and we cannot live full and satisfying lives without it. Transpersonal psychologist Piero Ferrucci helps us to see everyday beauty in a whole new way-and to understand its powers to guide us through periods of darkness or stress, to speed recovery, to make life feel purposeful. He uses stories, case studies, clinical histories, and anecdotes to explain how different kinds of beauty complement and complete our lives in different ways. So much of the malaise and low-grade depression we may find in our lives and those of people we love is due to our inability to understand the extraordinary power-and necessity-of taking time to "smell the flowers." Ferrucci shows how we can place ourselves in closer proximity to the therapeutic healing that only beauty can bring.

Why do physicians who've taken the Hippocratic Oath willingly cut into seemingly healthy patients? How do you measure the success of surgery aimed at making someone happier by altering his or her body? Sander L. Gilman explores such questions in Creating Beauty to Cure the Soul, a cultural history of the connections between beauty of body and happiness of mind. Following these themes through an impressive range of historical moments and players, Gilman traces how aesthetic alterations of the body have been used to "cure" dissatisfied states of mind. In his exploration of the striking parallels between the development of cosmetic surgery and the field of psychiatry, Gilman entertains an array of philosophical and psychological questions that underlie the more practical decisions rountinely made by doctors and potential patients considering these types of surgery. While surveying and incorporating the relevant theories of Sigmund Freud, Alfred Adler, Karl Menninger, Paul Schilder, contemporary feminist critics, and others, Gilman considers the highly unstable nature of cultural notions of health, happiness, and beauty. He reveals how ideas of race and gender structured early understandings of aesthetic surgery in discussions of both the "abnormality" of the Jewish nose and the historical requirement that healthy and virtuous females look "normal," thereby enabling them to achieve invisibility. Reflecting upon historically widespread prejudices, Gilman describes the persecutions, harrassment, attacks, and even murders that continue to result from bodily difference and he encourages readers to question the cultural assumptions that underlie the increasing acceptability of this surgical form of psychotherapy. Synthesizing a vast body of related literature and containing a comprehensive bibliography, Creating Beauty to Cure the Soul will appeal to a broad audience, including those interested in the histories of medicine and psychiatry, and in philosophy, cultural studies, Jewish cultural studies, and race and ethnicity.

From Queen Latifa to Count Basie, Madonna to Monk, Hole in Our Soul: The Loss of Beauty and Meaning in American Popular Music traces popular music back to its roots in jazz, blues, country, and gospel through the rise in rock 'n' roll and the emergence of heavy metal, punk, and rap. Yet despite the vigor and balance of these musical origins, Martha Bayles argues, something has gone seriously wrong, both with the sound of popular music and the sensibility it expresses. Bayles defends the tough, affirmative spirit of Afro-American music against the strain of artistic modernism she calls 'perverse.' She describes how perverse modernism was grafted onto popular music in the late 1960s, and argues that the result has been a cult of brutality and obscenity that is profoundly anti-musical. Unlike other recent critics of popular music, Bayles does not blame the problem on commerce. She argues that culture shapes the market and not the other way around. Finding censorship of popular music "both a practical and a constitutional impossibility," Bayles insists that "an informed shift in public tastes may be our only hope of reversing the current malignant mood."

SpaRitual founder Shel Pink's Slow Beauty is all about carving a few moments out of each day to practice the kind of mindful self-care and wellness that makes us glow. Slow Beauty works because it's a lifestyle, not a quick fix. It provides inspiration, support, and tools for working from within toward looking and feeling healthier and more joyful than ever. In this book you'll find: Ideas on beauty with substance from around the world; Rituals such as finding and designing your own sanctuary, breathing exercises, meditation, and deepening relationships (and inner strength) through women's gatherings; Recipes for teas, soups, juices, smoothies, scrubs, body oils, and even how to create your own mantra; How to incorporate these practices into daily life in the best way for you. Filled with inspirational images and a message that's sustainable for a lifetime, Slow Beauty will harness the power within every woman to physically, mentally, and spiritually nourish their bodies from the inside out.

Take Your Skin to the Next Level with This Guide to Korean Skin Care “This book feels like talking with a trusted friend, one so generous with practical advice and wisdom. I wish our Dermatology textbooks had chapters like these!” —Dr. Erin Tababa-Santos, creator of The Nerdy Derma #1 New Release in Massage and Skin Ailments Have you always longed for that fresh, glowing, no-makeup look? With this step-by-step guide to Korean skincare routines, anyone can attain healthy skin. But Skincare for Your Soul takes it one step further?it guides you to a place where skincare is also self-care. The Korean skin care journey. As much as we’d like, glowing, clear skin doesn’t happen overnight. But there is beauty in the process?not just the results. Author Jude Chao links skincare to self-care culture, giving readers a practical guide to developing an ideal skincare routine and using it to help manage stress, anxiety, and depression. The Korean skincare routine invites us to look at our skincare not only as a way to reduce lines and wrinkles or clear up breakouts, but as a tool for developing our self-care habits. Steady improvement is the goal. Photoshopped perfection is neither realistic nor a healthy goal. What matters is caring for our mental health and building our self-esteem by intentionally taking time each day to give our skin some love. But it starts with changing how we view skincare and developing a routine that fits our personal needs and goals, and Chao helps you do that. Dive into Chao’s book on K-beauty and discover: An easy-to-follow, step-by-step guide to skincare A clear breakdown of skincare products (not brands), and pros and cons to help customize your routine How Korean skin care can be a reliable and effective mental health management tool Tips for avoiding common types of exploitative and manipulative beauty marketing If you enjoyed books like The Little Book of Skin Care, The Skincare Bible, or Glow from Within, you’ll love Skincare for Your Soul.

Grammy Award–winning gospel singer, television star, and radio host Erica Campbell speaks to women of all shapes and sizes and “takes the time to dissect and reveal the beauty that exists in being our authentic, vulnerable selves” (Sarah Jakes Roberts, author of Don’t Settle for Safe) and celebrating the person God made you to be. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be pretty. But Erica Campbell believes we were made to be so much more. As so many women struggle with issues of low self-esteem, depression, and unhealthy habits, Campbell offers a spiritual path that cuts through the highly commercialized, hypersexualized media messages of popular culture, leading women to the true meaning of “pretty” and the true self God wants them to be: empowered, confident, loving, and real. Erica uses her own personal and professional triumphs and failures and the stories of others to help motivate women to redefine and develop true beauty based on biblical principles. With inspirational prose, she shows us how to overcome childhood struggles, push past fears, sharpen our spiritual IQ, and free ourselves from guilt, shame, and low self-confidence. More Than Pretty is a stirring call to action for all women to a life full of power and purpose.