Fighting for Acceptance


Book Description

In recent years, mixed martial arts, also known as "ultimate fighting", has become the fastest-growing sport in American society, but it is also considered the most controversial. Based on interviews conducted with forty mixed martial arts athletes, Fighting for Acceptance answers these questions: Who are the ultimate fighters? How did they become involved in the sport? What goes on in their heads while competing? Do the fighters feel a social responsibility to preach nonviolence out of the sport? How do they see themselves fitting into today's society? Authors David Mayeda, a mixed martial arts fan and occasional fighter, and David Ching explore these political and sociological issues through in-depth interviews with fighters such as Randy "The Natural" Couture, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, "Dangerous" Dan Henderson, Jason "MayheM" Miller, Antonio McKee, Frank Trigg, Travis Lutter, Chris "The Crippler" Leben, and Guy Mezger. Fighting for Acceptance is for the sport's fans and its critics alike as it delves into the ramifications of the athletic event. This growing phenomenon is so controversial that many still question if it should even be considered a sport.




ACT with Love


Book Description

Build more compassionate, accepting, and loving relationships with acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Let’s face it: Picture-perfect storybook romances don’t exist in real life. Couples fight. Feelings of love wax and wane through the years. And the stress and tedium of everyday life and work can often drive a wedge between even the most devoted couples. So, how can you reignite passion and intimacy in your relationship, cultivate greater understanding and compassion between yourself and your partner, and bring the joy back to your love life? In this fully revised and updated edition of ACT with Love, therapist and world-renowned ACT expert Russ Harris shows how developing psychological flexibility—the ability to be in the present moment with openness, awareness, and focus, and to take effective action in line with one's values—can help you and your partner strengthen and deepen your relationship. Also included is new information on attachment theory, powerful mindfulness and self-compassion techniques, and assertiveness and boundary-setting skills. ACT with Love will show you how to: Let go of conflict, open up, and live fully in the present Use mindfulness to increase intimacy, connection, and understanding Resolve painful conflicts and reconcile long-standing differences Act on your values to build a rich and meaningful relationship If you’re looking to increase feelings of intimacy, love, and connection with your partner, this book has everything you need to get started—together.




The Power of Acceptance


Book Description

The "Wheelchair Supermodel" is back with an Inspirational Book on the Power of Acceptance What if, starting today, you stopped thinking in terms of lack and imperfection? What if you stopped trying to change reality with the power of our thoughts and intention? What if you no longer thought that everything needs to be fixed, healed or improved? In her new book, The Power of Acceptance, Postma (author of The Deeper Secret and The Secret Within) explores the mental and emotional blocks that keep us from true joy. She writes, "Rarely has anything in my life gone the way I had hoped, expected or thought. There have been some heavy blows. However, in hindsight, I can see that everything turned out just as it should have." Calling upon many wisdom traditions and her own hard-won insights, Postma traces a gentle path that will lead to the renewal of your mind and spirit. She writes, "To embrace reality is an act of total renewal. When we dare to see things as they truly are it immediately brings us a feeling of liberation, strength and healing. Therefore it is no coincidence that Buddhists describe 'experiencing God' as being 'completely present' in reality. To surrender means to let go of the control you think you have in your life. It means releasing your preconceived thoughts and notions about how you think your life should be. It is all about no longer forcing your personal will on reality. In fact, to surrender is a celebration of real freedom." Postma knows whereof she speaks. As a precocious 11 year old with her whole life in front of her, she was struck with a sudden illness that left her wheelchair-bound for the rest of her life. Doctors now believe that she was bit by a virulent tick. Instead of wallowing in misery, however, Postma took it as a wake-up call. "From the beginning," she says, "nothing needed to be ‘made bearable’ for me. I knew and felt from the start: This is OK." Since then, she has dedicated her life to overcoming obstacles and helping others do the same. She studied law and became the first professional model in Europe with a disability. She has been a goodwill ambassador of the Netherlands Foundation for Handicapped Children and speaks frequently across northern Europe on issues of self-esteem and self-respect. Postma is also known for her gentle critique of the hit book, The Secret. In her two previous titles she urged readers to trust the workings of the Universe rather than try to change them or to manifest a different reality. In her latest book she continues the theme and engages in conversations with some of the best-known spirituality writers about it. With Gregg Braden she has a dialog on life; with Lynn McTaggart she discusses the idea that life is not a fight that needs to be won; and with Dr. Eric Pearl she converses about reconnecting with the cosmic frequencies. Writes Postma, “Spirituality is nothing more than giving up your resistance to what is. Living spiritually is daring to see what is in front of you and daring to experience your life as it is right now. And experience means conquering our greatest human fear: living as a complete human being."




Before I Forget


Book Description

"Working with Vanity Fair contributing editor Michael Shnayerson, B. and her husband Dan share B.'s unfolding story on dealing with early-onset Alzheimer's. Crafted in short chapters that interweave their narrative with ... advice, readers learn in small bites about dealing with Alzheimer's disease's day-to-day challenges, the family tensions, and ways of coping, as well as gain tips on diet and exercise from a lifestyle maven using her decades of expertise in a new and unexpected way"--




The Art and Power of Acceptance


Book Description

Imagine the relief of not being stuck in anger, resentment or regret. Imagine the emotional freedom of stopping the battle with yourself, other people, your circumstances and even your past. Imagine the peace of mind you would have if you stopped fighting the current of life and instead flowed with it, effortlessly. Exploring the journey from resistance to alignment to possibility, Ashley Davis Bush (a psychotherapist with over 30 years' experience and author of eight self-help books) debunks the idea that acceptance is merely passive apathy or resignation. In The Art and Power of Acceptance she introduces you to the simple but radical practice of self-compassion as the key to disarming resistance, expanding positive emotions and allowing you to move easily with "what is". She invites you to see how acceptance paradoxically leads to powerful, lasting change. Using personal and clinical stories, practical suggestions, and evidence-based research, Ashley illuminates a new way of being with life. Choose acceptance today and discover first hand how it leads to your emotional freedom.




Acceptance


Book Description

“Nietfeld’s gifts for capturing the fury of living at the mercy of bad circumstances, for critiquing the hero’s journey even while she tells it, make Acceptance a remarkable memoir.” —The New York Times Book Review A hard-hitting and hilarious memoir of ambition, desperation, and the dark side of grit Growing up in a house filled with dirty feather boas and fearless mice, Emi Nietfeld dreams of escaping to the Ivy League. Emi’s single mom believes in her, but can’t stop hoarding—catapulting Emi into the underworld of troubled teen treatment, foster care, and homelessness. When her shot arrives to trade sleeping in her car for the hallowed halls of an elite college, Emi must decide: How far will she go to market herself as a perfect “overcomer” when her problems are far from over? And what will it cost to maintain that illusion at Harvard and into adulthood? From journalist, mental health advocate, and software engineer Emi Nietfeld, this searing coming-of-age story is both a chronicle of the American Dream and an indictment of it. Exposing the price of trading a troubled past for the promise of a bright future, Nietfeld explores whether any amount of success can make trauma worth it. With a ribbon of dark humor, Acceptance challenges our ideas of what it means to overcome—and live on your own terms.




Radical Acceptance


Book Description

“If you’re at the end of your relationship rope, reach for Radical Acceptance.” —Elle A refreshing new approach to romantic partnerships, grounded in the importance of unconditional love that shows how “prioritizing your partner [creates] true happiness in your relationship” (John Gray, PhD, author of Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus). Loving the lovable parts of your partner is easy. He’s funny, charming, smart, successful, and kind. He’s perfect. Except for when he is not. Like when he is late. Or short-tempered. Or lazy. Or he’s incorrectly loaded the dishwasher (again). Maybe he feels like the most frustrating person on the planet. Or maybe you’re simply not feeling heard or seen. Or loved enough. It’s these proverbial unlovable parts that make loving all of him so tough. But imagine if you let go of your itch to fix, judge, improve, or control your partner. Imagine if you replaced judgement with compassion and empathy. Tremendous empowerment and liberation come from loving someone—and being loved—for who we really are. This practice is called Radical Acceptance. Whether you’re looking for Mr. Right or are already with him, this is your powerful five-step guide to attaining life’s ultimate prize: unconditional love. You’ll learn how to increase your emotional resilience, feel more confident, determine whether you’re settling, quiet those doubt-filled voices in your head, get out of that endless cycle of dead-end dates, reduce conflict, and build a deeply fulfilling, affirming relationship—all through highly actionable advice. Best of all, you will discover how amazing it feels to have your heart expanded by an abundance of love and compassion for your partner and yourself. Featuring compelling stories for real-life couples and insights from the foremost thought leaders and researchers in brain science, sexuality, psychotherapy, and neurobiology, Radical Acceptance illustrates that embracing your partner for exactly who they are will lead to a more harmonious relationship—and provide an unexpected path to your own personal transformation.




The Acceptance Guidebook


Book Description

Today more than ever we are awakening to our spiritual truth and learning how to live as enlightened beings. The human mind may be complex, but when we tap into our true self life becomes far simpler than we could ever imagine. Sincerely and ingeniously, Todd Schaefer leads us along this path to self discovery ensuring we stop to admire the scenery along the way. By reading The Acceptance Guidebook and applying the lessons within youll gain the wisdom and insight necessary to lead a richer life, brimming with love, joy, peace and bliss.







The Deepest Acceptance


Book Description

So much of our lives are spent running—from pain, from vulnerability, and from everyday struggle. Jeff Foster understands that sense of pursuit. After years of depression and illness, he came to realize that what he had been seeking had been available to him all along—he needed only to shed his resistance and step into the limitless ocean of the present moment. In Jeff’s words, "The armor we wear to protect ourselves from the full experience of life does not really protect us—it just keeps us comfortably numb." In The Deepest Acceptance, Jeff provides readers with a series of insights intended to help strip away that armor and embrace life now, as it is and as you are. This warm, humorous, and candid offering invites us to stop trying to "do" acceptance and start falling in love with "what has already been allowed."