This book tells the story of an ordinary girl from New Jersey and the subsequent transformational journey she took. This extraordinary journey, and the story she recounts, culminates with donating her kidney to her husband. It also tells of her struggles with adolescence, with food and alcohol issues, finding her way as a parent, and creative recovery. Her recovery from surgery led to a more powerful and deeper spiritual connection that allowed for a better more fulfilled life, all of which have led her ultimately to a truer self. Told in a relatable and honest way, Melissa’s authenticity and devotion to self discovery will inspire those looking to find meaning in their lives and empower them to transform everyday obstacles into miraculous opportunities.

When a person is abused by a member of the clergy, he or she may feel separated not only from the human community but from God as well. "Recovering the Lost Self" offers a model for those who seek relief from the isolating and devastating shame that goes with the betrayal they have experienced. It is in booklet form to facilitate its use as an informational resource and counseling tool.

This volume covers experimental and theoretical advances on the relationship between composition, structure and macroscopic mechanical properties of novel hydrogels containing dynamic bonds. The chapters of this volume focus on the control of the mechanical properties of several recently discovered gels with the design of monomer composition, chain architecture, type of crosslinking or internal structure. The gels discussed in the different chapters have in common the capability to dissipate energy upon deformation, a desired property for mechanical toughness, while retaining the ability to recover the properties of the virgin material over time or to self-heal when put back in contact after fracture. Some chapters focus on the synthesis and structural aspects while others focus on properties or modelling at the continuum or mesoscopic scale. The volume will be of interest to chemists and material scientists by providing guidelines and general structure-property considerations to synthesize and develop innovative gels tuned for applications. In addition it will provide physicists with a better understanding of the role of weak interactions between molecules and physical crosslinking on macroscopic dissipative properties and self-healing or self-recovering properties.

In the tradition of Quantum Healing and Guns, Germs and Steel, Philip Shepherd's New Self, New World makes an intellectual inquiry into how we might restore freedom, creativity, and a sense of presence in the moment by rejecting several fundamental myths about being human New Self, New World challenges the primary story of what it means to be human, the random and materialistic lifestyle that author Philip Shepherd calls our “shattered reality.” This reality encourages us to live in our heads, self-absorbed in our own anxieties. Drawing on diverse sources and inspiration, New Self, New World reveals that our state of head-consciousness falsely teaches us to see the body as something we possess and to try to take care of it without ever really learning how to inhabit it. Shepherd articulates his vision of a world in which each of us enjoys a direct, unmediated experience of being alive. He petitions against the futile pursuit of the “known self” and instead reveals the simple grace of just being present. In compelling prose, Shepherd asks us to surrender to the reality of “what is” that enables us to reunite with our own being. Each chapter is accompanied by exercises meant to bring Shepherd’s vision into daily life, what the author calls a practice that “facilitates the voluntary sabotage of long-standing patterns.” New Self, New World is at once a philosophical primer, a spiritual handbook, and a roaming inquiry into human history.

This quarterly journal explores the themes of recovery and healing through poetry, memoir, essays, fiction, humor, media reviews, and psycho-education. Areas of concern include aging, disabilities, health, abuse recovery, trauma/PTSD, anxiety, and depression.

Healing and Recovering from Co-dependency, Addiction, Enabling, and Low Self-Esteem This story is told through the jagged peephole of the author's awareness, examining her formative wounds and influences from the perspective of a woman who has now gained experience and wisdom. As she peers over her soul's shoulder, she recalls the chaos of her once-fragile childhood mind. She shudders as she is reminded of the sting of her lonely childhood, her feelings of abandonment, and her painful memories of being bullied. Her childhood self was once so lost that she even contemplated suicide. As the years progress, her mind is riddled with obsession, compulsion, and a crippling sense of low self-esteem. A turning point arrives many years later, after marriage and the birth of three children. This story is about healing the faulty programming of childhood. It is about recovery from relationship addiction, food addiction, anxiety, and constant fear. It is a human story that will resonate with readers from all walks of life, and which offers hope to anyone who has felt imprisoned by the past.

"...a profound, deep awakening and inspiration..." On our life’s journey there are major turning points. Falling, fracturing her hip, and then having surgery were experiences that forced Barbara Sinor to travel an unknown path. These experiences took her beyond her normal life to exploring emotions and thoughts in foreign regions. While Barbara was confined to a rehabilitation facility to recover, her inner journey took her through territories of fear, doubt, pain, guilt, and down other emotional paths. Regardless of your personal struggle, the lessons in Inspirational Musings offer courage and insights to awaken and transform. "Drawing on words from many teachers and adding her own honest stories and reflection during a time of convalescence, Barbara offers us a small book to dip into when we want to go deeper, when we need to find healing for this moment. Inspirational Musings is a book to slip into your pocket or bag as you travel the journey that is taken by human beings." --Oriah “Mountain Dreamer” House, author, The Invitation "Sinor's poetic musings around topics such as Compassion, Suffering, Beauty, Joy, Awakening, and Faith not only inspire us, but awaken our souls to discover meaning and purpose both during and after our pain." --Holli Kenley, M.A., MFT, author, Daughters Betrayed By Their Mothers "Reading this booklet of insights reached up and grabbed me within the first few pages. I experienced a profound, deep awakening and inspiration of some buried feelings I didn’t know existed within my being." --Reverend Peggy Tennent, Astara Learn more at www.DrSinor.com From Loving Healing Press www.LHPress.com