I
have read many books on external boundaries and found them very
beneficial. I was intrigued by the idea of establishing internal
boundaries. It might offer help for runaway thoughts and feelings.
The
authors present a Christian approach to the Internal Family Systems
Model of Therapy, integrating it with boundaries concepts. The first
third of the book concentrates of helping us understand the parts of our souls, how to identify the parts that need care, and how we can
be Spirit-led. The authors write, “The focus of this book is to
help you access the Spirit of God abiding in your soul and to
encourage you to invite his Spirit to be near those parts of your
soul needing care.” (722/4229)
The
next part of the book outlines the five part strategy the authors
prescribe to do a you-turn and bring the parts of the soul under the
leadership of the Spirit-led self. They include focus on an
overwhelming part of yourself, befriend this part you don't like,
invite Jesus to draw near, unburden this weary part, and finally,
integrate it into your internal team of rivals. Specific instructions
are given as well as personal examples from their counseling experiences as to how the
technique works.
The
authors address specific issues in the last third of the book, such
as anger, fear, perfectionism, etc. Readers are taken through the
five steps for each issue, including an example from the authors'
counseling experiences. The authors even point out good aspects of
each of these emotions generally thought to be detrimental. Each can
be put to good use. There is even a chapter for strategy when the
other person has the challenging soul issues.
I
think this book has great personal potential. It reminds me of the
healing of memories technique that was popular in the Christian realm
decades ago. Imagining Jesus coming into the situation is essential.
The successful examples in the text are of people doing the imagining
as they are directed by one of the authors. How well this process can
work by reading a book may be very different. I tried to go through a few
of their exercises but my scientifically trained mind had difficulty
with the whole imagining Jesus idea.
I
do recommend this book to readers who desire to deal with parts of
their souls and establish soul integration. Just know there will be
much work on the part of the reader required. Just reading the text
will not create the healing. Reading this book and going through the
suggested exercises might be quite a journey. It may be most helpful
to read this book with a trusted friend who can help with the
process.
You
can watch the book trailer here.
You
can read an interview with the authors here.
You
can download a free chapter and take a quiz here.
My
rating: 4/5 stars.
Alison
Cook, MA, PhD, practices in the greater Boston area, where she
specializes in the integration of spiritual formation and psychology.
She has taught and counseled teens, adults, and couples, for over two
decades and speaks on emotional and spiritual wholeness at churches,
conferences, and retreats across the country. She earned her MA in
counseling from Denver Seminary and a PhD in religion and psychology
from the University of Denver. She is certified in Internal Family
Systems Therapy. You can find out more at www.alisoncookphd.com.
Kimberly
Miller, MTH, LMFT, is a licensed marriage and family therapist in
private practice, specializing in preventing burnout among leaders.
She is the founder of Leading Wholeheartedly, a ministry equipping
people to cultivate their inner lives so that their service to others
is more deeply rooted, productive, and sustainable. She also founded
Doing Good Well, a program of Christians in the Visual Arts. She
studied at Davidson College, earned a master's in theology from
Regent College, and an MA in clinical psychology from Azusa Pacific
University. She is certified in Internal Family Systems Therapy and
Image Relationship Therapy. She and her husband live in southern
California. You can find out more at www.kimberlyjunemiller.com.
Thomas
Nelson, 256 pages.
I
received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My
comments are an independent and honest review.
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