Here is finally an update to the way overdue reading list as requested by some of you. This time I have a selection of lifestyle & health improvement books but also a recommendation in the field of parapsychology. Hope you all enjoy!
Daily Rituals: How Artists Work
There are many times in my life where I have questioned my own sanity when it comes to creativity and work related habits. Sometimes it is easy to feel alone in the world when it comes to these things and this book is a true gem when it comes to revealing the secret lives of many of the most talented artists in the history of time. This book proves not only that most of us is far from perfect and that we all struggle, but also contains insight on productive and life sustaining habits from some of the most talented minds in history. For me this book was a great comfort in times of struggle but also a motivational tool to keep me going. One of my most interesting reads this year, highly recommended!
Franz Kafka, frustrated with his living quarters and day job, wrote in a letter to Felice Bauer in 1912, “time is short, my strength is limited, the office is a horror, the apartment is noisy, and if a pleasant, straightforward life is not possible then one must try to wriggle through by subtle maneuvers.”
Kafka is one of 161 inspired—and inspiring—minds, among them, novelists, poets, playwrights, painters, philosophers, scientists, and mathematicians, who describe how they subtly maneuver the many (self-inflicted) obstacles and (self-imposed) daily rituals to get done the work they love to do, whether by waking early or staying up late; whether by self-medicating with doughnuts or bathing, drinking vast quantities of coffee, or taking long daily walks. Thomas Wolfe wrote standing up in the kitchen, the top of the refrigerator as his desk, dreamily fondling his “male configurations”. . . Jean-Paul Sartre chewed on Corydrane tablets (a mix of amphetamine and aspirin), ingesting ten times the recommended dose each day . . . Descartes liked to linger in bed, his mind wandering in sleep through woods, gardens, and enchanted palaces where he experienced “every pleasure imaginable.”
Here are: Anthony Trollope, who demanded of himself that each morning he write three thousand words (250 words every fifteen minutes for three hours) before going off to his job at the postal service, which he kept for thirty-three years during the writing of more than two dozen books . . . Karl Marx . . . Woody Allen . . . Agatha Christie . . . George Balanchine, who did most of his work while ironing . . . Leo Tolstoy . . . Charles Dickens . . . Pablo Picasso . . . George Gershwin, who, said his brother Ira, worked for twelve hours a day from late morning to midnight, composing at the piano in pajamas, bathrobe, and slippers . . .
Here also are the daily rituals of Charles Darwin, Andy Warhol, John Updike, Twyla Tharp, Benjamin Franklin, William Faulkner, Jane Austen, Anne Rice, and Igor Stravinsky (he was never able to compose unless he was sure no one could hear him and, when blocked, stood on his head to “clear the brain”).
Brilliantly compiled and edited, and filled with detail and anecdote, Daily Rituals is irresistible, addictive, magically inspiring.
Get it here:
Daily Rituals: How Artists Work
The Book of Floating: Exploring the Private Sea
At the start of 2014 I tried floating (sensory deprivation tank) for the first time and I have kept it up as often as I can ever since. Floating is an amazing experience which is difficult to put into words. If you are interested in meditation and exploring your mind you will love floating. The best part is that it will supercharge your meditation practice and make it possible for you to reach deeper levels quickly which would otherwise take up to years to develop. With practice floating makes OBE and astral projection experiences a reality and provides deep emotional relaxation that lasts for a long time after your floating session. In some countries floating is used as a proven treatment for depression, anxiety and insomnia. If you have a possibility to try floating where you live I highly recommend it, I will write more about floating in my upcoming ebook.
Michael Hutchison wrote a definitive book about all the studies done concerning floating. The book is called “The Book of Floating”. He addresses sleep studies and brain wave states where floaters were compared to Tibetan Lamas. It seems that for every year a Zen Monk or Tibetan Lama meditates, their brain can produce one minute of “Theta” brain wave while meditating. Theta is the mystical brain wave that normal people only produce for a split second when falling asleep and then again when waking, it’s considered a euphoric brain state.
With this premise a monk who has been meditating for 20 years can produce up to twenty minutes of Theta brain wave while in meditation. Michael says however, that these are the only people in the world who are able to produce theta like this except floaters. Michael’s book says that floating studies revealed that floaters with no meditation experience easily produced twenty minutes of Theta durring a one hour floating session.
There are many other stories, studies, anecdotes and revealing facts regarding FAQ and paranoia about drowning, sanitation, constructing a tank, and claustrophobia, etc.
Get it here:
The Book of Floating: Exploring the Private Sea (Consciousness Classics)
Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome
If you suffer from chronic stress, fatigue, anxiety or insomnia I highly suggest you read up on adrenal disorders. Especially if you are an HSP which are more susceptible to these kinds of problems. It is estimated that 90% of doctors visits are for issues that stem from stress. Prolonged stress is also the source of most of our diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, which all belong to some of the most common causes of death in modern society. Stress disorders is something that are just now beginning to be fully understood and I believe that in the future it will be one of the most important things to educate the public about in order to prevent disease. I have personal experience with suffering from adrenal fatigue and chronic low cortisol levels, this book is one of the best ones on the subject and provides lot’s of good tips on how to heal. I will be writing more about these type of problems in my upcoming ebook.
Dr. James Wilson has helped hundreds of people with adrenal fatigue regain their health and vitality during his 24 years of private practice. For the past 10 years he has also lectured extensively to physicians and is acknowledged as an expert on adrenal function and other endocrine imbalances, and their impact on health. With a researcher’s grasp of the science behind adrenal function and a clinician’s understanding of its human impact, he has helped many understand the physiology behind the condition.One of the few people to hold 3 doctorate degrees and 2 master’s degrees, all from different disciplines, he received his Ph.D. in Human Nutrition from the University of Arizona, with minors in immunology, microbiol-ogy, pharmacology and toxicology. In addition, he holds degrees as a Doctor of Chiropractic and Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine. His master’s degrees are in bio/nutrition and experimental psychology. Dr. Wilson was also one of 14 founding fathers of the Canadian College of Naturopathic medicine (CCNM) in Toronto, Ontario. He is listed in The International Who’s Who in Medicine (Cambridge, England) and currently resides in Tucson, Arizona.
Get it here:
Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome
The Mood Cure: The 4-Step Program to Take Charge of Your Emotions–Today
This is the #1 book on the field of treating health problems like depression, insomnia and fatigue with the supplementation of amino acids. This approach is superior to antidepressants like SSRIs and should always be tried first before considering any medication. The reason why this is not done is because you cannot patent these amino acids because they exist naturally in our bodies, hence there is no money to be made for big pharma. Germany is one of the few countries in the world where doctors often consider a more natural approach like this before prescribing antidepressant medications. Amino acids like 5-HTP, Tryptophan, GABA, Tyrosine and Phenylalanine are used to correct imbalances in serotonin, dopamine, GABA and endorphins that help regulate our moods.
Are you a part of the bad mood epidemic? Here are the answers you’ve been looking for!
Julia Ross’s plan provides a natural cure for your mood. Drawing on thirty years of experience, she presents breakthrough solutions to overcoming depression, anxiety, irritability, stress, and other negative emotional states that are diminishing the quality of our lives. Her comprehensive program is based on the use of four mood-building amino acids and other surprisingly potent nutrient supplements, plus a diet rich in good-mood foods such as protein, healthy fat, and certain key vegetables. Including an individualized mood-type questionnaire,The Mood Cure has all the tools to help
you get started today and feel better tomorrow.
Get it here:
The Mood Cure: The 4-Step Program to Take Charge of Your Emotions–Today
Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle
Here is a interesting read on consciousness from the talented mind of one, if not the most famous psychologist of all time, Carl Jung. Synchronicity is the word for the meaningful coincidences that appear both in the external world and in the mind. On multiple occasions in my life strange things have happened which I cannot explain. Things that seem connected but cannot possibly be because the chance that they would is so extremely small. An simplified example would be the times when you thought about something or said something, just to have it appear or be mentioned on television or in a song a few seconds later. It happens to all of us but science have yet to been able to explain the nature of this phenomenon. In this book Carl Jung provides his beliefs and experiences with it and provides ample food for thought for you to explore this further in the mysterious world of consciousness.
Jung was intrigued from early in his career with coincidences, especially those surprising juxtapositions that scientific rationality could not adequately explain. He discussed these ideas with Albert Einstein before World War I, but first used the term “synchronicity” in a 1930 lecture, in reference to the unusual psychological insights generated from consulting the I Ching. A long correspondence and friendship with the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Wolfgang Pauli stimulated a final, mature statement of Jung’s thinking on synchronicity, originally published in 1952 and reproduced here. Together with a wealth of historical and contemporary material, this essay describes an astrological experiment Jung conducted to test his theory.Synchronicity reveals the full extent of Jung’s research into a wide range of psychic phenomena.
This paperback edition of Jung’s classic work includes a new foreword by Sonu Shamdasani, Philemon Professor of Jung History at University College London.
Hi Alex,
Thank you very much for this site and the reading list suggestions.
As a fellow HSP INFJ, I like reading about others with similar traits and also which books can be interesting to improve my living experience.