KAYE TROUT'S BOOK REVIEWS 1

I specialize in reviewing Print-On-Demand (POD) published books for my website and Midwest Book Review. Please query for a review by email to hgunther234@hotmail.com.

Monday, June 09, 2008

HEALING YOUR INNER CORE by John Boswell

How to Rewrite Your Life Script and Change Your Destiny
Parra Grande Press
Santa Barbara, CA
Genre: Self Help/Mind and Body
ISBN: 9780981554105, $14.95, 130 pp.


Quoting from the back cover:

"Is it really possible to change your programming, your life and your destiny? Yes, it is.

"Healing Your Inner Core presents a new approach to repairing and restoring the wounded self. If you sincerely desire to heal your inner core and change your life, this book is for you.

"John Boswell is an entrepreneur living in California. As a young man he realized that his life wasn’t working and that he needed to fundamentally change. After an extraordinary journey, he succeeded. This is the story of that trip and a description of the powerful techniques he adopted to accomplish something extremely unusual.

"Healing Your Inner Core is one of the best books on the Healing Journey I’ve seen–succinct and to the point as the author lived the process himself. If you’ve ever wondered what happens behind the therapist’s door, or whether your life script might need some rewriting as well, then this is the book for you. To some extent, Boswell gives us a brilliant description of just what can happen when we decide to open them up, once and for all. James Redfield, author of The Celestine Prophecy."

John Boswell has taken his time, energy, and knowledge to share with readers his personal struggle to overcome a dysfunctional childhood. Does his book contain anything new or unique that we haven’t read before in other self-help books?...I don’t think so. The process seems to be pretty standard: recognition that one has a significant problem; making a commitment to change; honesty with oneself; and seeking help...from whatever source works.

As the author is not a psychiatrist or psychologist with client case histories, John relates personal stories about his friends, which I found questionable. Quoting from page 115:

"Now that we’ve defined the tools to rewrite life script, let’s put them to use. Remember my friend Russ, whose father abandoned him emotionally? He’s in real danger of passing that script forward as a result of emotionally abandoning his own son. If Russ were willing, he could learn how to stop reciprocating his father’s abandonment, develop a real relationship with his son, and put an end to the transmission of this unfortunate and very damaging script.

"It’s clear that Russ needs to be re-parented. He has a big gap in his script because of his dad’s inability to father him. Assume that Russ visits a counselor who understands these principles. Russ complains about his lack of relationship with his son. How can he be helped?..."

The parts that bothered me in these two paragraphs were: "If Russ were willing..." and "It’s clear that Russ needs to be re-parented." Really? Some people are raised by loving parents but still have problematic family relationships, and the reverse is also true. I don’t think there is one ‘clear’ answer to the source or solution of another person’s problems...life is complicated...and so it goes. What do you think?

Kaye Trout - June 9, 2008