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Cover Page
LASTING Transformation
Life-Lesson and Soul-Wisdom Therapy
for Inner Growth and Transformation
Abby Rosen, PhD
A Guide to Develop a Stronger Sense of Self,
More Fulfilling Relationships,
and Higher Consciousness
Contents
Foreword, by Sidra Stone, PhD, and Hal Stone, PhD
Introduction: An Overview of the Road Map
Table of Contents
- Uncovering the Cover-up In Practice: Getting to Know Your Cover-ups
- Transforming Soul Holes into Whole Souls In Practice: Soul Holes into Whole Souls
- Our Vulnerability Is Our Strength In Practice: The Checking-In Process
- Vulnerability Is the Key to Intimacy In Practice: The Formula for Conscious Communication
- For Men, Mainly In Practice: Learning to Recognize Anxiety
- The Higher Purpose of Relationships In Practice: Getting to Know Your Primary and Disowned Selves
- How Behavioral Change and Transformation Happen In Practice: Behavioral Change and Transformation Experiment
- Grow a Conscious Self: Know Your Inner Self In Practice: Misidentification and Self-Identification
- Communicating with the Source: The Power of Meditation In Practice: Developing A Meditation Practice
- Accessing Our Intuition In Practice: Listening to Our Intuitive Wisdom
- The Gift of Faith In Practice: Transpersonal Inspiration and Psychological Mountain Climbing
- From “Self-Serving” to the Serving Self In Practice: Finding Right Livelihood
A Summary of the Journey: Life’s Rules of the Road
The Inspiration for the Book and an Inspiration for our Lives
Recommended Resources
Glossary
Appendix A – Discovering Ourselves
Appendix B – Subpersonalities
Appendix C – Inner Child Visualization
Appendix D – Anxiety Self Test
Appendix E – Primary and Disowned Selves
Appendix F – Meditation Practices
Appendix G – Resources on Meditation
Foreword
Fine wine must be aged properly. It cannot be rushed, but must wait, fermenting in the proper way and for the proper amount of time. Only then can we experience that wonderful sense of well-being as we inhale the exquisite aroma and sip the first delicious sip. Although we are not true wine connoisseurs, it was this image that came to us as we thought about Abby Rosen and this fully matured book, LASTING Transformation.
We have known Abby Rosen for a very long time. She brings to the transformational table a long and varied life of fermentation. She has always been a worldly person, grounded in the material realities of living and family and work and business. On the other side, she has been, from early in her life, a woman of spirit; always searching for the deeper meaning, the higher intelligence, and finding ways to access this other dimension of consciousness. She is also a senior Voice Dialogue teacher and facilitator and this has provided an important contribution to the development of her overall philosophy of life and healing and her approach to the transformational process.
It is quite natural for this book to emerge out of Abby’s long experience as a psycho-spiritual therapist and teacher as well as her experience as a woman of the world. It is perfect timing—just the right amount of maturation—in many different ways. From the depths of her unconscious came the message that the wine was ready. The title of the book came to her in a dream and she refers to this experience in the Introduction to the book as a “download from the Universe.” That is how it works for people who have allowed themselves to gradually ripen in these spheres and experiences that combine the worlds of earth and spirit. They don’t need to chase after wisdom any longer; it seems to emerge more and more in the form of “downloads from the Universe.”
The book itself is actually two different books, woven into a single tapestry of earth and spirit. Stage One refers to what Abby calls “Life-Lesson Therapy.” Stage Two refers to “Soul-Wisdom Therapy.” The book is very personal and, at the same time, an objective and practical manual for moving along one’s own transformational path. It seems very important to us that people understand the inseparable nature of learning practically about living life in a physical body on the planet earth while, at the same time, reaching out and embracing the transpersonal selves that thirst for union with spiritual realities. All of us are struggling with these opposites, sometimes more successfully than other times. Living between opposites of all kinds is very hard work and we need all the help we can get, especially when it comes to the challenge of embracing heaven and earth.
So we welcome Abby Rosen’s book and we are pleased that the complex process of fermentation is at an end. It is now time for everyone to taste the fruits of a life well lived and a book well written.
Sidra Stone, PhD and Hal Stone, PhD, Albion, California
Introduction: An Overview of the Road Map
I awoke one morning to neon shimmering letters in front of my eyes. At first, I had no idea what was going on—nothing like this had ever happened to me before. The shimmering letters spelled out L.A.S.T.I.N.G Transformation. A few moments elapsed and then it struck me—this was the title for the book I had been working on. It was a download from the Universe! Then, with its inimitable sense of wise humor, I was told that it was an acronym for Life-Lesson And Soul-Wisdom Therapy for Inner Growth & Transformation.
This book takes the reader on a journey to experience this process of transformation, which can result in powerful change for the better. We will focus on tools that transform those behavioral patterns that create obstacles in our relationships and in our lives.
They say you learn your biggest life lessons from your most difficult experiences.
What a stupid system!
For such an important journey, you would think we would have gotten a road map to show us how to navigate it more easily. LASTING Transformation is such a road map. When life situations cause us stress, there are tools we can use to move into a place of greater awareness, resulting in a more conscious response.
A lifetime is a sacred journey we need to travel mindfully if we are to live lives filled with joy, love, and meaning, connected to ourselves, our Source, and the significant others in our lives. Life’s journey provides us with many opportunities for self-knowledge, self-love, and deep personal transformation. The road map outlined in this book provides the reader with specific guidance for this sacred journey.
Why don’t more people embark on this journey? The main reason is the guidance on how to find the path of self-awareness and transformation is not readily accessible, it is not yet mainstream in our society. One of the goals of this book is to awaken people to the idea that there is a path, and then to give them the tools, resources and guidance necessary to embark on this journey. Another reason that many people don’t take the road less traveled is that it is hard work and the rewards aren’t instantaneous. However, the results we can achieve are exquisitely worth the effort.
Like most transformational journeys, this one has stages:
Stage One: Life-Lesson Therapy
focuses on reversing negative patterns of behavior that cause pain and problems in relationships. During this first stage the work centers on strengthening our sense of self and refining our personality, made up of our body, feelings, and mind. These chapters are based on a proven formula for communicating clearly with ourselves and others as we learn our life lessons. In the process, we gain a more profound understanding of how relationships work, and we develop the skills to move from behavioral change to lasting transformation. As we become more self-aware, self-loving, and able to navigate in our relationships in a healthy and conscious way, we enter the next stage of the journey.
Stage Two: Soul-Wisdom Therapy involves learning techniques for listening within, which open us to experience the deeper spiritual realms of consciousness—those that are home to the soul and to that inner source of wisdom within each of us—the Inner Self. This Self-awareness helps us develop soul-wisdom, which leads to a stronger sense of self and a deeper connection with the Inner Self. This, in turn, often evokes a desire to be of service in helping to repair our world.
LASTING Transformation offers a comprehensive approach that leads us on a step-by-step journey through these stages. The twelve chapters that follow are each divided into two parts. The first presents a theoretical framework, interlaced with client examples drawn from my experience as a practicing psychologist. These examples clarify the principles under discussion. Identifying characteristics of each client have been changed to protect their privacy. The first part of each chapter concludes with a “Personal Experiences” subsection relating to the theme of that chapter. These experiences are designed to give us a deeper understanding of the evolution of consciousness by which different people have moved from awareness to behavioral change to transformation.
WOW! This Transformation stuff really works!
The second part of each chapter, “In Practice,” provides personal guidance and exercises that enable us to integrate a deep experience of the principles described in part one. The skills developed in the “In Practice” sections build on those taught in each chapter. All are designed to give us tools that can be life-changing. This is a proven process of therapy, which I have successfully used with many clients to promote self-awareness, personal growth, spiritual awakening, and lasting transformation. For those who don’t have access to counseling, or would like to supplement their counseling, this book will help serve as a valuable resource.
This book is a transpersonal guidebook. The term transpersonal, coined by Abraham Maslow, PhD, and Stanislav Grof, MD, refers to a human being as more than the personality. According to Maslow, we are able to transcend the personality and experience the higher spiritual planes of consciousness beyond the personality. LASTING Transformation gives you the tools to reach these higher planes.
Transpersonal Psychology is the psychological modality that goes beyond traditional and humanistic psychology and incorporates the spiritual dimension of personal growth. This alignment of the mind, body, and spirit creates a sense of wholeness that can result in lasting transformation. In addition, as we work toward such personal wholeness, our relationships tend to expand to include a deep concern for each other and the planet.
Today, more than ever, there is a desperate need to repair our world. In order for society to change, and to minimize conflict by managing how we deal with the stress in our world, we need to transform how we conduct our relationships, not only with ourselves and with each other, but also with our communities, with other societies, and with the planet itself. May this book be a guide for you on your journey toward this lasting transformation.
