The House on the Cliff by Charlotte Williams - Great Psychological Suspense for Your Consideration!

I waited for him to start talking. The way I was trained, that's what you're supposed to do. Wait for the client to initiate the conversation. You listen attentively, then you "reflect back"--that is, repeat what they've just said, maybe paraphrasing it a bit. Only I don't always do what I'm supposed to. Hardly ever, in fact. These days, after all my years of practice, I trust myself to do whatever comes naturally. So, after a short pause, I asked, "How can I help?"...
"I don't know." He ran a hand through his hair, in a gesture of frustration. "It's a bit..." His voice trailed off.
Silence again. This time I didn't say anything. Experience has taught me that when someone comes to a grinding halt, something interesting is about to be said.
"It's odd...I don't know how to...He blushed.
I wondered if it was going to be premature ejaculation. That's one of the commonest problems I see with men. Especially men under thirty, like this one. So I waited for an opportunity to help him to say it, if that's what it was.
He looked down. The thick, black lashes fluttered against his flushed cheeks. Eventually, he spoke.
"It's to do with buttons," he said.
"Buttons?" I repeated the word quietly, evenly. Reflecting back, you see. Sometimes, of course, it's best to follow the correct procedure.
"Yes, buttons."
I glanced down to see if there was a rivet on his jeans. If there was, it was hidden by his belt.
"Any particular type?"
He looked up at me, relieved that I hadn't laughed at him.
"The plastic ones are worst. The ones with four little holes. But I don't like any of them, actually."
There was a pause. "Well," I gave him what I hoped was a reassuring smile. "That's not as unusual as you might think. It's a well-known syndrome. It's got a name. Koumpounophobia...
"I see." He smiled at me a little warily. "Well, I'm not that bad. I can talk about buttons. I can't wear them, but I can cope with seeing them. From a distance. I won't touch them, though. And if they come loose. Or fall off..." He shuddered.

~~~

The House on the Cliff

By Charlotte Williams

I am normally intrigued by psychological suspense and how writers manipulate personal issues as part of the mystery. Surely Jessica Mayhew, a successful therapist, had not imagined that this extremely good-looking young man would begin their first session in sharing his fear of buttons...

Frankly, she also didn''t expect to find herself, a long-time professional in her 40s, being attracted to her new patient, Gwydion Morgan...

Actually, I'm giving you a hint by sharing the particular excerpt and if you, as a reader, pay particular attention to details, you will later add these words to an anguished statement which began to explain what his fear really was directed toward... Ahhh, the pleasures of an excellent novel in one of your favorite genres! And I'll willingly share that I missed identifying who did it, so you know that means extra kudos for the author!

"Who the hell's parked their bloody car in the--?
he burst out. Then, seeing me, he stopped. He was
a well-built, good-looking man in his fifties or so,
with exactly the same luminous green eyes as his
son.
"Evan. This is Dr. Mayhew." Arianrhod seemed to
be surprised by his outburst. Dr. Mayhew, my
husband, Evan Morgan."...
We shook hands briefly. He looked remarkably
youthful, I noticed, and remarkably like Gwydion
except for the lines on his forehead and temples,
his jutting cheekbones and the lilac shadows under
his eyes. But there was nothing of Gwydion's
insecurity in his demeanor.
He let go of my hand and turned to Arianrhod. Is
Gwydion out of bed yet?"
"Not yet, no." An anxious note crept into her
voice. "But he'll be up sooner or later, I'm sure..."
"So, no joy, eh?" He turned to me, a look of
exasperation on his face. "I really don't know
what we're going to do with him. Lying around
in bed all day, like a teenager. Still tied to his
mother's apron strings. I despair of him..."
I didn't reply, but I felt my anger rising. No
wonder Gwydion has problems, with a father like
this, I thought...
~~~

There are some issues with the Psychiatrist that some will find a problem perhaps. Myself, I tend to feel that just because somebody is a professional in a particular field that they don't have problems themselves. It was even noted that, at one point, she knew she should have talked to her own therapist. So, having thoughts about her new younger client, just at the time that her husband had felt he had to confess, immediately, that he'd just had a one-night fling--well, I didn't have a problem with it...

My problem was with the husband who decided his guilt was worth stressing out his wife as soon as he'd returned home... I sometimes wonder about my way of thinking, have you? LOL...

Ioan Gruffudd

Anyway, my choice for Gwydion was another young Welsh actor and if any of you women readers would say that he wasn't worth a thought, well, I guess I'm just going to say, "Sigh, such a shame, really, that you have no taste...LOL

After I'd spoken to Mari on the phone, and found out that the girl who'd drowned in the bay was in fact the Morgans' au pair, I'd felt a compulsion to investigate further. In fact it had become something of an obsession. I knew that, to some degree, I had no own agenda here, that I was doubtless projecting my anger at Bob onto Evan, the philanderer par excellence. However, I was genuinely moved by Gwydion's story. I wanted to help him, and time was moving on: he was due to start rehearsals in only a few weeks, and unless he could get the insomnia and the button phobia under control before that, he might well struggle to cope. Moreover, I was convinced that the dream held the key to his problem. I'd come to believe that the jolt, as well as representing his desire to heal the rift between his parents, and thus within himself, might actually be a memory of a real, traumatic event that had occurred in his childhood--an accident, perhaps, that had been covered up, and lied about, by Evan... I'd searched for information...a couple walking their dog had found a young woman's body on the beach, that the police had established she was Elsa Lindberg, a nineteen-year-old student from Stockholm...and that she'd drowned as a result of being swept away by the current while swimming on her own..."

~~~

Actually, what we have here in a cold case! Was the au pair actually murdered? If I were in Jessica Mayhem's shoes about the time of the story, I can see myself delve into this whole mess, purposely going in over my head. Of course, she had no business getting involved, but, by law, she wasn't allowed to share what was coming from Gwydion, nor did she feel that she could help him if she didn't know more about what actually happened. Getting away from a husband who expected her to quickly forgive and forget...well, that was a side benefit that she probably needed in her personal life at that time...

I enjoyed the story very much. There was just a touch of gothic atmosphere with the setting for Gwydion's home that got me in the right mood to assume murder, LOL.  I'd enjoy Jessica in further stories, especially when she's not so personally involved, although this certainly helped the author build up the various roles...

There's an interesting twist between Jessica, Bob, and this family. Depending on the situation overall, I might feel differently, but in my opinion, Bob knifed Jessica in the back metaphorically. If you read it, tell me what you think. And I don't mean the personal infidelity but rather, a professional attack after that... I might even be curious enough on that exchange to write the author to ask what she was thinking... Anyway... Highly recommended if this sounds at all interesting to you...


GABixlerReviews

Biography

After studying philosophy in college, Charlotte Williams went on to work as an arts journalist, writing for newspapers and magazines, and making documentaries for the BBC. She now works in radio drama, writing original plays and adaptations.

Melissa Foster Shares Latest Release: Sisters In Love With BRH Readers!

http://www.italktofood.com/2011/03/best-feelings-in-world.html

"What on earth was taking so long? In seven minutes they'd
served only one person. The tables were pushed so close to the people standing in line that she couldn't step to the side to see. She was gridlocked. Danica leaned to the right and peered around the massive shoulder ahead of her just as the owner of that shoulder turned to look out the door. Whack!
He elbowed her right in the nose, knocking Danica's head back.
"Her hand flew to her bloody nose. Ow! Geez! She ducked in pain, covering her face and talking through her hands. "I think you broke my nose." Each word sent pain across her nose and below her eyes.
"I'm  so sorry. Let me get you a napkin," a deep, worried voice said. Two patrons rushed over and shoved napkins in her direction...Weren't you looking where--" Danica flipped her unruly, brown hair from her face and opened her eyes. Her venom-filled glare locked on the man who had elbowed her--the most beautiful specimen of a human being she had ever seen. Oh Shit. "I'm...What...?" Come on girl, Get it together. He's probably an egomaniac.
"I'm so sorry." His voice was rich and smooth, laden with concern. A thin blonde grabbed his arm and shoved a napkin into his hand. "Give this to her," she said, blinking her eyelashes in a come-hither way.
"The man held the woman's hand a beat too long. "Thanks," he said. His eyes trailed down the blonde's blouse.
"Really? I'm bleeding over here..." 

~~~

Sisters in Love

 Book One: 
  Snow Sisters 

By Melissa Foster

Foster's characters many times may remind you of somebody you know. Not necessarily somebody you like or would want to know, but clearly somebody about whom you will have some type of emotionally strong feeling. She writes about the women around this world, what they are doing, what they are feeling. I enjoyed the first book in the new Snow Sisters series. If you enjoy women's fiction, check this one out...

"Blake Carter listened to the two cougars
whispering about him from behind the ski rack.
He eyed them as he walked toward the front of
the store. The dark-haired one looked vaguely
familiar. The redhead flashed him a smile as he
walked past. He gave her his best over-the-
shoulder glance, holding her gaze. Nice rack,
nice ass. He busied himself behind the counter,
counting up the receipts, glancing up when they
giggled like schoolgirls. He was playing a game,
doing what he knew best. Bur ever since that
woman he'd hurt in the coffee shop noticed him
taking a last glance at the slinky blonde, he had
actually felt bad...
"They're hot for you."
"Blake lifted his eyes to Dave Tuft, his best
friend, business partner, and the best
acroskier he knew. Dave could flip and spin
on a pair of skis as well as Blake could land
women...
"What else is new?"
"Dave shook his head. "So, you goin' for it?
He lifted his eyebrows.
"No, thanks." Blake laughed, wishing the
woman from the cafe had accepted his offer
to buy her a cup of coffee. He could have
made up for the sneak peek at the blonde..."
~~~

Danica certainly had some strong feelings toward the man who had just rammed his elbow in her nose! She was mad!

Until she looked up and saw his face--a face she considered "the most beautiful specimen of a human being she had ever seen."

www.puaforums.com

Then she was mad again. Both at him for looking at another woman while she was hurting... Then at herself because she couldn't forget him!

"She had been a therapist long enough to know what kind of guy eyes another girl while she was tending to a bloody nose that he had caused...She lowered her eyes to avoid looking into his. "I'm fine, really. Just look behind you next time." Not for the first time, Danica wished she had Kaylie's flirting skills and her ability to look past his wandering eyes. She would have had him buying her coffee, a Danish, and breakfast the next morning..."
                                                                 ~~~

Danica knew that she was more professionally inclined while her sister was, frankly, more like the guy who had just rammed her. Wasn't there something in between? Danica enjoyed her role as a psychologist, helping her clients. She had even become a big sister to a young girl which gave her both a giving role and a relationship like no other.  Still, she rarely went out on dates or out at all unless it was with her sister and her friends. One of them was soon getting married and all of the group were taking time to discuss plans...

Blake and Dave Tuft had been friends for a long time and had finally gone into business together. Dave was now married, with a son, so that Blake and he rarely got together for their favorite sport acro-skiing. So while they saw each other daily, Blake was free to keep up his role--as a player...

Dave teased Blake a lot but often got serious and suggested he talked to somebody about his life, even giving him the card of a professional he had heard good things about. But they finally made plans to go skiing  one evening. When they got there, each was psyched, ready to head for the slopes. But then Dave got a call from home...

"Dave took out his phone. "Wifey calls." He held up one finger to Blake. "Hi, honey. Yeah, we made it. Yup, getting ready right now for our first run." He paused, listening to Sally. "Puty him on." Dave turned his back, then spoke sternly into the phone. "Is what your mother said true? What the hell were you thinking?" Dave paced. "You listen to me. If I come home and--" He stopped walking. "Rusty? Hello? Hello!" He looked at his phone. "Damn it." He shoved the phone in his pocket and, as he made his way through the thick curtain of snow that fell around them, Blake noticed him stabbing his poles into the ground and the fine lines forming around his pinched face.

"Everything okay?" Blake asked.

"Lost connection," he snapped. "Gawddamnit. You wouldn't understand. Let's just go."

"Okay, if you're sure." The last thing Blake wanted to do was listen to the details of an argument. He was itching to get onto the slopes.

"I'm takin' the back." Dave's breath came out in foggy huffs. He pulled his yellow goggles down over his eyes and turned away.

"Whoa, the back? Dave, come on. You know how this goes. Warm up. Then, when you're--" Blake watched Dave stomp, not ski, in the direction of the back side of the mountain. Visibility was already an issue. He pulled his goggles down over his eyes and opened his mouth to call to Dave, but he was nowhere in sight. "Meet you at the bottom," he said to himself..."

~~~

Two best friends had started out to ski together. But something happened. Dave decided to take a different route. He never came back alive...

The loss of Dave hit Blake very hard, especially when his wife called and asked him to come over. Blake didn't know how to deal with his own pain--nor the pain of his best friend's family. What was worse, it started to appear as if Dave had been having a secret life. Dave had never shared one word with Blake! And more, he discovered from his son that Dave had been lying to him...

As things moved on, Blake realized more and more that he wasn't able to deal with everything, so he pulled out the card for the counselor that Dave had once suggested... And surprised himself, as well as Danica, when he showed up for his appointment with the woman whose nose he had once nearly broken...

There is lots more going on in the book involving Danica, her sister, and her "Little Sister..." But nothing had her more in turmoil than deciding whether she could really work with Blake, the beautiful specimen who no longer wanted to be the player that he had become...

Relationships... Aren't they wonderful? Aren't they glorious? And aren't they scary as hell sometime? In my opinion, readers will enjoy Danica's emotional roller-coaster as she deals with the issues she faces and realizing for the first time in her life, she, too, wanted to change in some ways. Could she do it and remain a professional counselor? Enjoy this contemporary, realistic fictional look at today's women! I did and recommend you check it out as well!

GABixlerReviews 

Melissa Foster is an award-winning, International bestselling author. Her books have been recommended by USA Today's book blog, Hagerstown Magazine, The Patriot, and several other print venues. She is the founder of the Women’s Nest, a social and support community for women, the World Literary Café. When she's not writing, Melissa helps authors navigate the publishing industry through her author training programs on  Fostering Success. Melissa has been published in Calgary’s Child Magazine, the Huffington Post, and Women Business Owners magazine. 

Melissa hosts an annual Aspiring Authors contest for children and has painted and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC. Melissa lives in Maryland with her family.

Visit Melissa on The Women's Nest, Fostering Success, or World Lit Cafe. Melissa enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups, and welcomes an invitation to your event.

Related articles

• ARC Review: Sisters in Love by Melissa Foster
• Words that Heal, Words that Hurt

10 Minutes? If that's all it takes, I Want It! An Excerpt...

 THE 10-MINUTE MIRACLE:

  BEAT RECESSION DEPRESSION

edited by David Callinan

CONTENT




Introduction

10-Minute Miracle - what is it?
How to use this book
Stress and depression during world recession
Affirmations
Aromatherapy
Color therapy
Crystal energy
Meditation
Visualization
Chi Kung
Psychological counseling
Reflexology
Why 10 Minutes? Why a miracle?
How the 10-Minute Miracle works
A week of miracles
Final thoughts and conclusion


INTRODUCTION

The idea of writing a small book called 'The 10-Minute Miracle' occurred during an autumn weekend.  A group of us were talking about modern day living and how we dealt with the problems of everyday life, and what we had done when a big crisis hit home - how did we cope?  It emerged from our conversation that between us we had some similar views on how to combat stress and a lot more besides.  Some of our collective thoughts on the subject were solid tried-and-tested methods, others a little to the right or left of that, and some perhaps alluringly "different."

One thing we did agree on was that whoever we are, whatever our circumstances, we have all lived through moments of stress.  Some of us may be able to deal with it better than others, by facing whatever the problem is, square on, with grim determination to pull through.  In fact stress in our lives can often be the driving force, enabling us to win through a situation.  It's only when stress builds up in our lives and we don't, won't or simply can't alter our way of thinking about it, that causes the damage.  The tension starts to build up in our bodies, negative thoughts creep in, we start to feel below par we get a headache, go off our food, and feel out of sorts.  This is the spiralling down effects of stress.

Everybody is susceptible to the rigors of life.  No one would realistically expect to have a worry-free existence.  Yet, we can make the whole experience a lot better, by bolstering ourselves against some of the harsher realities that life offers at times.  When we work alongside these crises, with positive action on all fronts, we begin to feel and see the difference, not only in our mental and physical state, but also in the environment in which we live, work, love and play.

From the young (children being bullied or trying to excel because of peer pressure), right through to elderly couples or single people struggling to make ends meet on a small income or pension, there must be an awful lot of scope for the 10 Minute Miracle out there.  Young people on the dole, busy working mothers, young men/women, climbing up the career ladder, looking over their shoulders to see who's attempting to topple them:  office workers, nurses, teachers, dock workers, machine operators, salespersons, doctors, dentists, consultants, middle-aged people in an often precarious predicament - all trying to keep their jobs.

The 10-Minute Miracle - what is it?

Few of us can doubt that we live in an age of immense change, contrast and danger in which we can see before our very eyes examples of both the greatest and the very worst aspects of human nature. On the one hand we make wondrous discoveries both in science and in metaphysics. On the other hand, have there ever been so many wars, conflagrations or disputes? Modern society, both Eastern and Western is on the one hand torn apart by environmental concerns, strife and misery and on the other elevated by acts of great beauty and humanity.

And now, the worst recession in recent history has a stranglehold over a large chunk of the world. Although it will eventually pass, it will leave behind a legacy of twentieth century stress and depression that many people - maybe this includes you - will never fully recover from.

So it is little wonder that our collective and individual health has suffered and will go on suffering. Medicine has made great strides and performs miracles of surgical wonder and provides us with drugs and medicines for many ailments and complaints. Some work wonderfully others are little more than panaceas with side effects.

People have been looking for other ways to complement existing treatments and many have turned both to Eastern remedies and techniques to combat the strife and strain of modern twentieth century life. The truth is that a blend of modern Western medicine and Eastern holistic systems, balanced by judgment and common sense, can bring enormous benefits.

Human beings have enormous reserves of healing ability, but few make use of them. These abilities should not be seen as alternative, except in specific cases, but certainly as complementary. If you can heal yourself from many ailments and complaints – and you can (or at least make a considerable improvement) – then we should all be doing much more of it.

The trouble is where do you start? There are so many different philosophies and techniques that the choice is bewildering, particularly for those who are coming into contact with ideas that might appear different, illogical or plain 'wacky', for the first time.

The task seems daunting. How do you get to understand aromatherapy, crystals, meditation, psychological counselling, exercise, yoga, Tai Chi, reflexology, self hypnosis, spiritual healing and other related practices for your own benefit?

You ask yourself; how do I find the time when I have to go to work, take care of the kids, study, look for a job and nurture relationships? There are only so many hours in a day after all. And I'm so tired and stressed at night I can hardly get to sleep.

Or maybe your priority is simply to survive. Maybe your relationships have crumbled. Perhaps you are living on the bread line. Suppose that life has kicked you in the guts and is about to stamp on your face. Surely all this talk about miracles and holistic processes is all very well but it's not going to put my life back together.

No, not completely. But if you are in those kinds of situation then you need a miracle - don't you? This book is not going to solve all those problems but it can show you a personal, holistic "technology" to keep your spirit intact and keep your belief in yourself strong. With nothing else going right in your life, boy do you need this.

It is for people like you that the 10-Minute Miracle was written. Now, let's be honest with ourselves. Most of the practices mentioned above require considerable study to achieve any degree of real expertise. In some cases they are lifetime activities. Look at the numbers of books and courses on offer. You can't hope to become "expert" in ten-minutes.

But what you can do is learn to unlock the healing powers within you and combat stress, anxiety, road rage, aches and pains, headaches, insomnia, PMT and a host of other ailments by a regime that only takes ten-minutes each day.

You may find some of the techniques and ideas in this book so "esoteric" or "different" that you shy away from them. But you will find others that you feel instinctively comfortable with. Remember to think and decide for yourself. You have the capacity to make a huge difference to your life. The commitment you make is to your own health. You can heal yourself.

This is very much a workbook. It is designed to be your constant companion, a well-thumbed old friend. It is a compilation of techniques and routines that you can carry out yourself. There is enough information in this book to provide you with a host of different healing techniques. Just tell yourself that you are going to make a ten-minute self-healing regime part of your life.

This is not a medical textbook or a dry guide to alternative medicine or an in-depth course on aromatherapy. Those books already exist. This for busy, rushed-off-their-feet everyday people who need to find another route to health; who believe they can help themselves; cure themselves; and make good health and vitality a natural part of the quality of their lives. And it is for people who are suffering.

Let me tell you about John

John had just reached fifty years of age. He had always kept himself fairly fit, without being obsessive about it. He had played football, basketball, swam a fair bit and was not very much overweight. But he had eased off the serious sport in recent years.

He worked in the media and had his share of stress but it didn't bother him. Some stress was necessary to help his creative juices to flow. He was married with three kids and had the usual mortgage and the usual debts. He always knew that he was sailing on the edge of insecurity. He knew he wanted to be secure but he also knew it could be an illusory fancy on the one hand and on the other well, no-one was secure these days, were they?

Then one day he was made redundant. His worst nightmare had happened. He had rehearsed this moment in his mind for years. How would he cope? How would the mortgage get paid? He was a failure. Despite all his previous bravado, the shock penetrated deep in his psyche. On the surface he put on a brave face. Underneath the worms of self-doubt and fear had begun their destructive work.

Although he managed to get himself enough self-employed work to survive, it wasn't enough. He was growing old. He was on the scrap heap.

He began to experience panic attacks. They came out of the blue and left his heart pounding and his lungs heaving. They followed the same pattern. He found he could easily intellectualize what was happening, but it made not the slightest difference. John was experiencing real, raw emotional turmoil for the first time in his life. And he had no idea what to do about it.

He went to see his medical practitioner who muttered about Prozac and suggested he had reached his peak and not to worry about it.

"It's all downhill now, pal," he was told. It was meant as a joke!

Feeling more desperate than he would admit, he began to search elsewhere. A friend of his was a counsellor – a profession John had quietly scoffed at in his media days as a soft option and nothing to do with the "real world." The friend taught him some simple techniques to identify his raw emotions and face them. It was a painful process but it had to be done. John had never faced raw emotion before - at least not like this. It was difficult. He had to switch off his logical mind.  He had to forget his preconceptions. He realized he knew little or nothing about what really mattered to him. He could not "think" his way out of this. The emotions of fear and envy were lurking in the depths of his soul. Gradually, he faced them. He admitted his fear. He admitted his envy. He tasted the emotions and experienced the great black void behind them where his insecurity lay in wait.

Simultaneously, he took the advice of another friend and really went out on a limb. John wasn't very religious and he had never been to a spiritualist church before. But he was desperate. He turned up and found that, although he didn't know any of the hymns they sang at the start, they seemed fairly normal.

He spoke to a healer who was amazingly sympathetic. John's problem seemed commonplace. After the laying on of hands during which John just relaxed in a state of compliance, he went home feeling ravenously hungry. Next day he felt better. He had the odd relapse but by now he was catching on. He pinned the emotion to his mental blackboard as soon as it emerged and he faced it. And this time it wasn't as fearful as before.

He found himself thinking positively for the first time in months. He realized then that his negativity was like a real force, not just an abstract concept.

John began to take charge of his life. The panic attacks gradually subsided and he felt positive enough to go out and look for new freelance contracts. And one or two jobs came in, enough to pay for the usual family holiday.

These days John is still insecure but he tends to feel that he should do his best to live in the present moment; the only real moment there is.

John's story is not unique and is by no means as traumatic as others. How many of our ailments and conditions owe their origins to our mental state; our negativity; our fear of the future or our body's energy imbalance?

Ten-minutes a day is all it takes to make a difference!

How the 10-Minute Miracle works

The 10-Minute Miracle is a self-help guide that will show you how to practice simple holistic survival techniques, both in isolation, and as part of a comprehensive routine.

The first section of the book takes you through the techniques themselves - affirmations, meditation, reflexology, chi kung, crystal power and so on. Each of these practices or techniques is worthy of serious study in its own right. Each can be used for healing benefits and for general well being on their own. You could spend twenty to thirty minutes a day in meditation, for example, and this book will show you how. The same applies to all the techniques.

The second half of the book is the key to the system. By spending just ten-minutes at a time practicing combinations of techniques, you can make a huge difference to your own health, your confidence, your ability to think positively and not negatively and your overall wellbeing. This book says that you should spend just ten-minutes in self-healing practice, starting with an affirmation, then one or two other techniques, at least once a day. But you don't have to limit yourself to one ten-minute session. Escape the rush hour, combat the road rage, handle the difficult interview, cope with the kids and all the other trials and tribulations of life by tapping into your power as often as you like. If all it takes is ten-minutes to start the process of working a miracle in your life then the sooner you start the better. This book is saying that the healing power within you is already there. It's yours. It belongs to you. Why not find it and use it? The techniques are all methods of unlocking the essential power within. Do not get overwhelmed with the techniques. Yes, you must try to practice them correctly. There is a right way and wrong way to do most things. But remember that the essence is already there within you.

The second half of the book suggests a number of daily ten-minute routines. But many of the practices can be carried out or used almost continuously. The power of crystals, for instance, cannot be limited to just ten-minutes. You can practice crystal power at any time.

Treat this book as a work manual, a constant companion and a reference guide. If you go into any book shop or library, you will find many books, often large tomes, covering some of the individual practices described in the 10-Minute Miracle. If you start to become interested in some of these techniques above others, or feel more comfortable with some rather than others, then that's fine. This is your healing power telling you which direction to move in. As long as you keep a genuinely open mind and do not allow prejudice or long-established stereotypical thinking patterns to influence you, then you will be guided in the best and most beneficial direction for you to take.

First of all, read the book the whole way through. You will find very quickly that it is a fast track guide to a whole world of healing. Although it is fast track, it is not superficial. There is powerful knowledge in this book and the fruits of many years' experience.

When you have finished reading the whole book, you can then start to practice some of the individual techniques. A few of them require some basic equipment, such as essential oils, an oil burner, or crystals. Most however, require nothing more than your mind and body.

Start to prepare yourself to change your life. This is the real miracle. When you can do this; when you can take charge of your own health and well-being, then you are on the way to a revelation.

Take it slowly. Learn each technique if you can. If you find some simply impossible to do, then don't worry. There is enough in this book to change everyone's life. When you feel confident you can practice the basics of each technique, start putting the ten-minute miracle combinations into practice. Start by just allocating ten-minutes a day. Later you will find ten-minutes is not enough. Extend the time. Allocate two or three ten-minute sessions during the day, however busy or traumatic your life is. Remember, it is at moments like these, moments of stress, anxiety, depression, worry and fear, that you need your own miracle powers most.

So spend ten-minutes at a time and build this into the fabric of your life - like eating and sleeping. Treat your health in the same way. If you are fit and young, or older and not so fit, it matters not. This is the first step in holistic programming, and it takes just ten-minutes.

STRESS AND DEPRESSION

There are many symptoms of stress.  A few of these are; irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), headaches, sluggishness, panic attacks, claustrophobia, insomnia.  The 10-Minute Miracle allows the reader to select one of the ten-minute workouts each day, along with the Affirmations and Meditation, so that they gain the impetus to overcome many of life's perplexities.  And as you progress every day reciting your affirmations, meditating and performing a 10-Minute workout, your life will start to change, you will see the opportunities that are there and use them to maximum advantage.  Then, once you've started the programme, include affirmations for a weekend break, just to prove it works.  

By using affirmations, meditation, visualization, we tap into our own creative field and these processes enable us to 'pluck' ideas out of the air.  We can also learn how to turn around a somewhat difficult situation, learn from it and then go on to create value from the experience.  This, in turn, gives us more confidence and not only do we change within ourselves, but also change the environmental aspects of our lives and those we come in contact with, because they in turn will start to react to our positive vibrations.

THE QUICK FIX GUIDE SURVIVAL GUIDE TO LIFE

(first published by HarperCollins Publishers)

Original book written by Gloria Rawson and David Callinan.

This is an updated and revised version edited by David Callinan

All rights reserved

Copyright © David Callinan 2011. The right of David Callinan to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with The Copyright, Designs and Patent Act 1998.

The author is indemnified against the content of any third party websites over which he has no control.

Cover art: © istockphoto 000000733

Visit: http://www.davidcallinan.com