The Self-Acceptance Project

[woodsgnome]

The Self-Acceptance Project: Being Kind and Compassionate Toward Yourself.
...20 authors...Tami Simon, editor
...2016, Sounds True Publishing

Self-acceptance seems so simple, and turns out so complex--and for a desperately hurt person like many of us here, it's one of the more elusive paths we find. Our inner stuff is so torn that we easily stumble; and in pounces the Inner Critic with its messages of "no good; told you so; loser; you should feel ashamed; don't deserve"; and the endless lists we're so familiar with.

Sure, we take all the steps on our own, but even that first little step can seem too daunting to even want to open the door. We want a way, a surefire fix and someone to lead us out of the mess. Then we try, think we've failed, and end up with an even happier Inner Critic. THE SELF-ACCEPTANCE PROJECT speaks directly to this. And as the editor's intro points out, if we can learn to better accept ourselves, we will also find it easier to reach out and be with other people as well.

This book isn't the answer, either. No book ever is, as its words don't live your life. At best they're symbols and pointers--and that's where THE SELF-ACCEPTANCE PROJECT flourishes. While not the definitive and sure way out of cptsd or any other mental health difficulties, it includes lots of pointers to ideas, outlooks, philosophies and aids to making a dent in the where-do-I-go quest to start living better, and to even feel human.

Based on a series of podcast interviews the editor did a couple of years ago, the 20 individual guests range from neuroscientists to psychologists, therapists, and authors who specialize in mental-health related concerns. All are articulate, personable, and many admit to their own difficulties with self-acceptance. I've taken several nuggets and probed further to learn more from a couple of these people especially. And they've proved enormously helpful. Your Inner Critic will hate the book for this reason. One advantage of the book over the podcasts is one can more easily compare some of the guests' commentaries.

The only note of caution is not to dive in thinking one is going to find the sure path that will wrap up this slog through so much disappointment. 'Sure' paths are always up to you, but they're all boosted from a grounding in self-acceptance. This book will provide lots of pointers to what's possible in an inquiring manner. They gave me a lot of hope that even my own lost self can find self-acceptance and value it as my starting point to making some sense out of the senseless. Self-acceptance even seems possible, and for the first time. So my self lauds this book, my Inner Child feels safer, and the Inner Critic can take another hike; maybe even accept that I've finally caught on to its tricks.

[radical]

 

I'm cheering you on, Woodsgnome. 
This quest is the foundation for everything else.  I'm glad you are not looking for 'the one true path' as per someone else's directions,  that would be a bit of a contradiction in terms    There are a lot of valuable insights to be found in others' experiences, but as you say, they need to be carefully sifted through, and sometimes adapted to fit.  Every child is unique.