Archive for the ‘Books’ Category

Have you heard that mental illness, according to some in the profession of psychiatry (mainly in the United States) is “brain disease”? What do you think? Is it a coincidence that many studies aiding in these theories of what is known as biopsychiatry are being made on the basis of the outcomes of studies that are largely funded by pharmaceutical companies in the United States? Do you think that all psychiatrists or even all psychologists agree with this un-proven conclusion? Many do  not agree. One very well known opponent of his own profession’s all-too-common practice in recent years is Australian psychiatrist, Dr. Niall (Jock) McLaren. On Friday July 23, 2010, 7pm EST on The Psyche Whisperer Radio Show on blogtalkradio, A.J. Mahari will interview Dr. McLaren on this topic and talk to him about the two books he’s authored and the very courageous stance he has taken that has not left him popular in the profession of psychiatry.

Niall (Jock) McLaren, MD, is an Australian psychiatrist, author and theoretician. His work opposes the mainstream view in psychiatry to the extent that he argues modern psychiatry has no scientific basis whatsoever. However, he insists that he is not “anti-psychiatry,” but a committed scientist following his duty of criticizing the prevailing models in his field in order to improve it. He is the author of the two books, Humanizing Madness: Psychiatry and the Cognitive Neurosciences. 2007; and Humanizing Psychiatry: The Biocognitive Model. 2009. He is working on another book due out later this year.

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© A.J. Mahari and The Psyche Whisperer Radio show

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Author, Life Coach, Mental Health and BPD Coach, A.J. Mahari has written 6 Books specifically about Borderline Personality Disorder and 4 Books specifically for Loved Ones about Borderline Personality Disorder.

A.J. Mahari has also written and narrated 12 Audio Programs about Borderline Personality Disorder, along with 4 Audios about BPD Recovery and 13 Audio Programs specifically for Loved ones with someone with BPD in (or who was in) their lives.

A.J. Mahari also has Books and Audios about various topics under the category of Self Help that can be of help to those with BPD and/or to their loved ones as well.

You can also purchase coaching sessions with A.J. Mahari

© Phoenix Rising Publications and Touchstone Life Coaching Services – All rights reserved.

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The Essential Family Guide To Borderline Personality Disorder – New Tools and Techniques To Stop Walking On Eggshellsby Randi Kreger – A.J. Mahari's book review.

Randi Kreger has been and remains a pioneer in information, support, and education about Borderline Personality Disorder for loved ones, family members, and relationship partners of those with BPD. Her website BPD Central is one of the oldest and most respected on the internet on the subject of Borderline Personality Disorder.  Kreger also  co-authored the very popular and ground-breaking book, Stop Walking On Eggshells along with the follow up  Stop Walking on Eggshells Workbook.   

This, her latest book, is one of the most comprehensive I've ever read. I would call it the encyclopedia of BPD for family members.

It is well written, well organized, and gives most every detail one could ever want or need to know.

Kreger's style of presenting this in depth information is very compassionate and non-judgmental of those who have BPD.

This is a testament to Kreger's commitment to educate in a caring and compassionate way that ensures the reader can feel engaged regardless of what his or her individual relational situation with the person with BPD in his or her life is.

For this book Kreger did three types of research, "an exhaustive, three-year survey of the last est scientific studies related to borderline personality disorder (BPD), interviews with more than two dozen top mental health clinicians and researchers and the collective experiences of thousands of people affected in one way or another by BPD."

Part one of the book lays out what Kreger calls the A.B.C's of BPD in what is a detailed and informative explanation of all of the information that loved ones will benefit greatly from reading in efforts to better understand BPD.

Among all of the insight Kreger provides her readers with in this book, is one of the most unique descriptions of the "impulsive aggression" of those with BPD that she so aptly and very creatively refers to as, "the border-lion". The "border-lion"as Kreger describes this central aspect of borderline reality and behavior can be "directed inward or directed outward." Kreger's separation of the "border-lion" and its impulsive aggressiveness from the actual person – your loved one - with Borderline Personality Disorder reflects not only her profound understanding of BPD but also her compassion for both those with BPD and their loved ones.

In part two of this book, Kreger outlines what she calls, "Five Power Tools to help you organize your thinking, learn specific skills, and focus on what you need to do instead of becoming overwhelmed."

The Five Power Tools are:

1) Take good care of yourself

2) Uncover what keeps you feeling stuck

3) Communicate to be heard

4) Set limits with love

5) Reinforce the right behavior

Kreger explains each one and how to integrate all five together, in order, and how best to apply them to your own needs and experience.

The Essential Family Guide to Borderline Personality Disorderis a must read for anyone who loves or cares about someone with Borderline Personality Disorder. I highly recommend it. It will add to your understanding. It will give you the kind of information that will provide some foundational framework, at the very least, and likely much more, to help you in your experience on the journey that is relating to someone with BPD and learning how to also take care of yourself.

© A.J. Mahari February 25, 2009

A.J. Mahari has recently launched her new website, Phoenix Rising Publications where you can purchase her Ebooks, Audio Programs, Life Coaching Services, Self Help Courses, and Educational Videos.

Phoenix Rising Publications is a very user-friendly website that makes not only purchasing Mahari’s products and services much simpler but also makes the electronic delivery and download of those products and services very straight-forward and very convenient.

Along with all that is available now for purchase at Phoenix Rising Publications Mahari has many new Ebooks, Audio Programs, Self Help Courses, and Educational Videos on a wider variety of topics coming very soon and of course offers her life coaching services and life coaching programs as well.

© Phoenix Rising Publications – October 10, 2008

My Up-coming Memoir about My Life with Borderline Personality Disorder and my Recovery From It

I am currently writing a memoir about my recovery from Borderline Personality Disorder. In this memoir I will be sharing relevant experiences from my life, from childhood through to adulthood, from the making of me – the borderline, to the healing of me – the now non borderline – therapy experiences and lessons – authentic self found – no longer borderline. I will also outline and identify the stages of my recovery and talk about what recovery is, looks like, how it I define it and what it means.

It has been an incredible journey for me thus far. I think that my memoir will be a valuable and hopefully inspiring, maybe even helpful read for both those who have Borderline Personality Disorder and those who love or care (or who have loved or cared about) someone with BPD.

I believe that the universal themed main messages of my memoir may well be of help and inspiration to any reader with any challenge. One does not have to be directly associated with BPD to relate to my story of recovery and triumph over adversity. Each one of us faces adversity, at times, in our lives that truly isn’t, in many ways, that different from my experience. Above and beyond the details of life experience there is truly is the universal ways in which we are all inter-connected and in which we have more in common than we often pay attention to.

You can stay up-dated about when my memoir will be available for purchase and read up-coming excerpts by going to: ajmahari.ca where I will have a video up with some more information about my memoir and why I am writing it.

I hope that you will check my website for excerpts and videos about my memoir and put your name on the list for notification as to when it will be available.

From a friend of A.J. Mahari’s:

“A.J. Mahari’s up-coming memoir about her recovery from Borderline Personality Disorder, like everything that A.J. writes, will feature her most insightful and wise honesty. A.J. will not pull punches in the telling of her story. She will lay it all out for the reader. Mahari’s unique voice as a woman who had 2 parents with BPD, as woman who had BPD, as a woman who has recovered from BPD, and as a woman who had a relationship six years after her recovery from BPD with someone with BPD, and subsequently as a woman now living her life in what is commonly referred to as the “non borderline” role will touch and inspire you.

A.J. Mahari took the lemons of her life experience and her own choices as she freely admits in her memoir that were the foundation of so much of her painful and seemingly purposeless (at the time)journey and definitely made them into a most inspiring and educational lemonade. A rich brand of lemonade made up of incredible healing and recovery through her learning so many of life’s challenging lessons on the road to her recovery. A lemonade that sustains her today. A lemonade that more than just a metaphor is a attitude of gratitude Mahari chose to live from and that she continues to nurture in her life to this day.”  — J.T. Brewster

• A.J.’s Ebooks
• A.J.’s Audio Programs