Self Help Stories: A therapist's stories to teach, heal and inspire change (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780639931791)

Want to change your life, but don't know where to begin? This collection of powerful therapeutic stories will help, heal, motivate and inspire your journey to self-improvement and greater happiness.

The human brain is hardwired for story, not facts.

Allegories, parables, metaphors, anecdotes and fables -- the way we learn best is to find the nuggets of wisdom, truth and inspiration tucked inside an unforgettable story. The powerful therapeutic tales in this collection will guide, heal, and motivate your journey to self-improvement and personal growth.

Baboons, pumpkins, red kettles, elephants, dandelions, scorpions, sinking ships, rebel planets, and toddlers at the wheel -- these fun fables and fascinating tales contain profound lessons to help you lead a healthier, happier and more meaningful life.

More than just a collection of inspirational anecdotes, each short chapter comes with:

- Questions to challenge and stimulate your thinking about the topic;
- A short story with a clear message;
- A simple analysis so that you can understand the relevance for your life;
- A set of practical action steps and tips which you can follow to make constructive changes in the way you think, feel, behave and relate to others;
- A short and sharp takeaway to help you remember the lesson.

Reading the stories, absorbing the messages, and implementing the recommended action steps will help you to:

- Change your negative, "stinking thinking" to more positive, helpful, constructive ways of thinking;
- Learn ways of processing difficult and destructive emotions;
- Increase your self-respect and assertiveness;
- Boost your motivation to improve your life;
- Deal with and let go of bad experiences in the past that still negatively impact on your present;
- Cultivate a happier and more positive attitude;
- Improve your self-concept and increase your self-esteem;
- Understand the debilitating impact of anxiety and depression on your life, and begin tackling these problems;
- Find the personal blind spots that prevent you from seeing yourself and your relationships clearly;
- Address bad habits;
- Steer your life actively and effectively;
- Identify and prioritize your life goals, and start taking practical action to achieve them, and
- Understand why changing yourself can be difficult, and how to minimize the resistance you'll experience from others when you embark on your process of self-improvement.

Joanne Macgregor is a Counselling Psychologist with over twenty years' experience in therapy and training. In her psychology practice, she uses these compelling, relatable stories as metaphors to help her clients grasp challenging truths and inspirational messages. Written in plain, simple language without confusing jargon, the stories and their lessons pull no punches.

If you are a therapist, you will find this book an invaluable aid in treating your patients.

These bite-sized stories offer no-nonsense advice, simple steps and practical suggestions. If you want to improve yourself and enrich your life, you'll want to dive into these entertaining yet powerful stories today.