book review: the power of presence

(♥)

I'm currently reading Richard Moss's book Inside-Out Healing: Transforming Your Life Through the Power of Presence. And I'm currently loving it. If you're at all interested in living in the present moment or focusing on the now, this is the book for you. I am a big fan of the book The Power of Now -- in fact, it was one of the reasons I created a site focused on living in the present -- but I found Moss's book about living in the moment even easier to relate to. Living in the present moment is so much harder than it sounds, and Moss's book really breaks down the concepts -- and helps his readers put them into practice. 

Richard Moss, MD, is an internationally respected leader in the field of conscious living and inner transformation. Before receiving a copy of his book, I wasn't at all familiar with his work, but I'm certainly intrigued now. Just so you know what the basis of the book is, Moss writes that "all suffering, even physical suffering, has a mental component. Inside-out healing is about learning to free yourself of that mental component: the emotional unhappiness created by your own thinking." Moss doesn't focus on positive thinking (I have to disagree with him a bit on that!), but instead focuses on how living in the now can help us to improve our lives. 

Though I'm still in the middle of reading (and enjoying!) the book, I wanted to share some of my favorite passages from the book with you so you could ponder them like I've been doing. The words Moss writes really stick with me and make me think about how I can implement his wisdom in my own life. I hope they will do the same for you... 

 

"The deeper suffering in life is usually less of a result of what is actually happening than it is a consequence of all that you tell yourself about what is happening... Once you step back from these thoughts and into the present moment, things are rarely as bad as they seem."

 

"Every time you leave the Now, you inevitably identify with a story you tell yourself, about yourself, you health, or your life. It is as though you've fallen down the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland into an imaginary universe. But unlike Alice, who know that she was in a fantasy world, most us are totally convinced that it is real." 

 

"Major events in life such as serious illness or injury, divorce, financial ruin, death, and the loss of those we love are intensely challenging, but they are not the worst that happens. The worst suffering often comes not from the situation itself, but from what we tell ourselves about it... [However,] when you are anchoring your attention in the present, you are not immune to pain, but what you feel is is the genuine, unadulterated feeling that accompanies whatever is happening."

 

The book's forward promises that "the book will help you: become more available and fully connected with yourself and others; improve both personal and professional relationships; be able to handle difficult situations with more elegance and ease; increase energy, creativity, productivity, and flow; build a solid foundation for healing in all areas of your life; expand your capacity for genuine empathy and compassion; and experience more richness, gratitude, and fullness in your life and relationships." Though I'm only a little more than half-way through the book, I have to say that I find myself thinking about the contents often and trying to apply them to my life. The wisdom Moss shares really sticks with you and he presents some abstract ideas in a way that make them easy (or easier) to understand. 

The above passages are copyright © 2011 Richard Moss, author of Inside-Out Healing: Transforming Your Life Through the Power of Presence. For more on these topics, please check out the book. As I said, if you're interested in living in the present moment -- or struggling with anything that has been preventing you from living in the present -- I'd highly recommend this book.  And for a calendar of future seminars and talks by Moss, and for further information on CDs and other available material, please visit www.richardmoss.com and follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

 

Comments

[Nic's Notebook]

I have read The Power of Now, think I would like this book too - thanks for the rec :) x

[positively present]

Nic - If you enjoyed The Power of Now, you'll definitely like this book. It's a good one!

[Jan]

I may have to check this book out!

[positively present]

Jan - You should! It's a good one!

[Carla Presente]

I like the concept of 'Power of Now' but it feels like it repeats the same idea over and over again. Personally I liked much better Tolle's new book "A New Earth". It really shows you how to stay in the present moment.

[positively present]

Carla - I haven't read "A New Earth" yet, but I have it sitting on my bookshelf. You've inspired me -- I need to start reading it!