Freedom From the Self: The End of Delusion, Fear, Hurt and Suffering

I've read a lot of self-help books, but while I often take away a few useful tips, I rarely turn the final page and feel as if a clearer path forward has been presented. What I really appreciated about Freedom from the Self was the idea that you have to truly understand yourself before you can help yourself. I know that sounds obvious, but that's why this is such an enlightening book: it sets out what seems like an obvious idea but is in fact a life-changing one. There's no quick fix in this book. That makes for a more challenging read, but also a much more gratifying one. If you're like me, you'll walk away from Freedom from the Self feeling as if you have a better understanding of what you want to improve in life. You may think you know what you want to attain, but this book will help illuminate why you want to attain those things, and consequently how to go about doing so. First, you'll be asked to confront some tough questions about your life. This is a self-help book for those who truly want to improve themselves, and who aren't afraid of doing the necessary work. The author has included sets of questions that will assist you on your journey, which gave me a deeper understanding of the content. Well structured and clearly written, Freedom from the Self is full of universal truths while also giving you an intensely personal reward.

This isn’t your typical self-help book. In fact, the solutions proposed in its pages are so different from empty “self-help” promises that this book should be in its own category. I would say it’s a self-help book for people who are skeptical of self-help books. Most self-help books fail because they’re giving you “answers” when you don’t truly understand the questions. The author of this book doesn’t make impossible promises he can’t deliver on or lay out a detailed system to follow for guaranteed “results.” This book goes much deeper than that. It will challenge you to take an unflinching look at yourself and your life; it will guide you through a true self-questioning process; and, ultimately, it will illuminate you. Freedom from the Self is that rare book that helps you tackle the big questions in life, instead of placating you with empty, feel-good mantras. This means you will generate true change in your life and in yourself. There are helpful questions throughout the book which will guide you through the process. If you feel dissatisfied with your life but can’t figure out why, and if you're skeptical of self-help books, this is the book for you. The author is knowledgeable yet humble. He offers his own personal journey in order to help you on yours.

I’m older and I’m stuck. I’m a little surprised to find myself feeling like I have so few answers about my life when I thought I’d figured it out. Age may bring certain wisdom but it certainly hasn’t given me any more clues about why I feel so restless. I’m sure I’m searching for something, but it feels awkward to realize I don’t even know what I’m looking for. I like that the author of this book isn’t saying “I’ve got your answers.” It’s my life. It makes sense that I need to find my own answers. What the book has done is nudge me into thinking about the larger context. Who am I if I peel away the decades of messages from others? Over a lifetime, everyone from teachers to bosses to family members try to tell you who you are. How can I interact with the world without dragging my accumulated hurts and disappointments into each encounter? It’s not easy to dig deep for understanding, and sort out ways of moving forward and feeling positive. This book is a gentle and thoughtful guide to the process.

As a professional editor, I was privileged and honored to edit this book. On this project I was not only an editor; I was (and continue to be) a reader in search of a solution to my own lack of fulfillment. For most of my adult life I suffered from anxiety, chronic stress, and a void that remained long after I realized that the religion I was born into did not fulfill me. There have been periods of highs and lows in my life, but the lowest came after the birth of my daughter in 2016. With this enormous life change came acute anxiety, depression, and at times apathy. With every read through of this book I saw a little more of myself reflected in the pages. I eventually cleared my mind enough to temporarily set aside my biases and beliefs, which gave me the freedom to absorb the book’s contents and go further into my own exploration. As the author suggests in the introduction, I don’t simply accept that the words apply to me; I examine them and apply them to myself to see if they are true. What I’ve seen at times isn’t flattering. However, when I have been able to leave my mountain of conditioning for long enough to see clearly, I have felt freedom. What I’ve realized is that the more I reveal of myself to myself, the deeper my healing, and the freer I feel. I’ve read this book from beginning to end several times so far, and being a decades-long consumer of self-help books, I can say that this is the most effective book I’ve read. It’s not a book you read and highlight and pick up from time to time to refresh your memory or find comfort. This is a book you read from beginning to end slowly, again and again, truly contemplating its contents. There is nothing to highlight because this book contains no fluff. Every sentence reveals the truth about Humanity—me, you—and is an opportunity to learn about yourself, to look at yourself completely, and to see how it applies to you. Exploring internally can be incredibly overwhelming at first. The questions included at the end of each chapter helped me immensely. The healing I have experienced through this book has been life changing. The depression and acute anxiety I suffered in the year and a half after my daughter’s birth have subsided. I would say, to use phrasing from this book, that I have illuminated a small part of the warehouse of human consciousness, which has eased my own hurt a great deal. Some was hurt I didn’t even know I had. But I have many layers yet to go. I look forward to the challenge and to the healing it will bring. For more background on the author and his reasons and qualifications for writing this book, as well as more on my personal journey, you can download the free sample to read the preface, introduction, and table of contents. I wish you the best in your own journey to find lasting fulfillment.