Here I Am: Using Jewish Spiritual Wisdom to Become More Present, Centered, and Available for Life

A Must read

Here I Am. is a carefully crafted guide to help one deal with many of the stressful situations in life. I have used some of the methods Dr. Felder presents personally and in volunteer work counseling seniors. They work! I gained valuable insight into all of the methods and their applicability from the many examples drawn from his own counseling work.
The writing is very clear and informal.The loving care he takes with us, his audience, with his clients, with others he talks about is beautiful to see/feel and,for me, very inspiring

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A Must Read

Here I Am. is a carefully crafted guide to help one deal with many of the stressful situations in life. I have used some of the methods Dr. Felder presents personally and in volunteer work counseling seniors. They work! I gained valuable insight into all of the methods and their applicability from the many examples drawn from his own counseling work.
The writing is very clear and informal.The loving care he takes with us, his audience, with his clients, with others he talks about is beautiful to see/feel and,for me, very inspiring

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Finally Ready to Make Some Inner Changes? Here's the Book for You.

Reading Here I Am by Leonard Felder, Ph.D. felt like coming home. Or seeing the home I have lived in all my life in a new light. Or maybe even re-entering the home I know and love so well only to discover new rooms I never knew existed. And eight rooms at that.

The book's subtitle -- Using Jewish Spiritual Wisdom to Become More Present, Centered and Available for Life -- says it all. And that's what the coming home is about. Because until this beautiful book came my way, the soul-fortifying concepts of being present, centered, and here now seemed the provenance of Eckhart Tolle, Buddhists, JuBus (Jewish Buddhists), and others whose wisdom came from sources outside my own religious heritage. In his book, Felder offers up eight simple and powerful remedies from Jewish sources that can open doorways to inner peace, stress reduction, gratitude and more. Not just for Jews, but for everyone.
This is a practical book. It doesn't overwhelm the reader with time- consuming tasks. There's no journaling or checking in with a prayer partner. No 21-day pledges. Just eight simple statements chosen for their power to transform spiritual, physical and emotional distraction into calm.

The book's title comes directly from the Hebrew Bible. Where are you? God asks Adam. Hineini, Adam replies. Here I am. Felder uses this ancient exchange between God and God's first creation as the model for centering. He guides readers to take a moment, and a breath, and then ask themselves this primal question: "Where are you?" The answer, "Hineini/Here I am," allows space to check in with self. Felder reports that his clients found themselves less anxious, better able to manage difficult people, and re-energized for the tasks at hand in their daily lives.

From outsmarting the "anxious moody brain" with a blessing of gratitude, to viewing those who intimidate and/or enrage us as potential teachers, to finding a moment of peace by recognizing and connecting with the soul placed within us, Felder's techniques are sensible and accessible. He examines their effectiveness from a scientific perspective as well, drawing on research by neuroscientists, biologists and others who have devoted their careers to the relationship between emotions and physical well-being.

Will incorporating these techniques into your life take a bit of dedication? Absolutely. This book is not a get-out-of-angst-free card. But each technique is simple to follow and adaptable to any spiritual/emotional comfort level. I am grateful to Leonard Felder for bringing into the spiritual marketplace wisdom from Jewish tradition that will guide the harried among us back to a place of peace, health, gratitude and confidence.

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Powerful

Dealing with stress situations and people has often put me in a non-constructive emotional state and injured my physical health. Dr. Felder's book, written in comfortable and loving style, draws upon a few aspects of Jewish wisdom couched in contemporary terms. It is amazing how much more centered I have become utilizing the approach developed in this book.

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