Hidden Treasure: How to Break Free of Five Patterns that Hide Your True Self

by Alice McDowell

Overview

2018 Readers' Favorites Book Awards Bronze Medal in Non-Fiction—Motivational
National Indie Excellence Awards Winner - Personal Growth

National Indie Excellence Awards Finalist - Self-help

Body, Mind and Spirit Awards Finalist - Spiritual Psychology and Self-help categories

Do you long to live a more authentic life but feel you might be getting in your own way? In Hidden Treasure , author Alice McDowell reveals five personality patterns that cause unnecessary suffering and block individuals from living a full and radiant life. These patterns can be so ingrained that they influence body shape and even who a person thinks they are. Through a series of exercises, compelling true stories, fun cartoons, and spiritual insights, McDowell offers individuals and groups an opportunity to learn about—and break free of—these patterns. She provides guidelines for readers to join or create a Hidden Treasure group for ongoing exploration. No matter a person’s age or background, Hidden Treasure can light the way to soften and heal these patterns—and restore your true self and spiritual identity in the process.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781631523045
Publisher:	She Writes Press
Publication date:	11/14/2017
Pages:	253
Sales rank:	484,748
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Alice McDowell, PhD is a counselor in private practice, retreat guide, and cofounder of Light on the Hill Retreat Center, as well as the founder of the Hidden Treasure program—a three-year training in personal and spiritual growth. A professor of religious studies at Ithaca College for eighteen years, she now facilitates groups devoted to inner work. McDowell has trained with healers, humanist and transpersonal psychologists, Sufi and Buddhist teachers, and Christian contemplatives, and has guided people in their personal and spiritual journeys for over thirty years. She draws upon her diverse training and life experience to help others awaken to their true selves, their divinity within.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Searching for the Hidden Treasure xi

Chapter 1 Who I Thought Was "Me" is "Not-Me" 1

Character Structures that Hide the True Self

Chapter 2 Why Do I Feel I Don't Belong? 23

The Schizoid Structure: The Outsider/Creative One

Chapter 3 Why Do I Feel So Overwhelmed? 57

The Oral Structure: The Dependent/Independent One

Chapter 4 Why is Life So Hard? 97

The Masochist Structure: The Endurer

Chapter 5 Why Can't I Get Others to See What's Right? 137

The Psychopathic Structure: The Controller/Leader

Chapter 6 Why Do I Need to Have it All Together? 177

The Rigid Structure: The Achiever/Perfectionist

Chapter 7 Now What Do I Do? 211

Appendix A Becoming Aware of Your Idealized Self-image, Shadow, and True Self 225

Appendix B Active Imagination and Inner Child Work 231

Acknowledgements 239

About the Author 243

References 245

End Notes 251

Editorial Reviews

2018 National Indie Excellence Awards Winner in Personal Growth
2018 National Indie Excellence Awards Finalist in Self-Help: General
2018 Body, Mind, Spirit Book Award Finalist in Spiritual Psychology
2018 Body, Mind, Spirit Book Award Finalist in Self Help

“Alice McDowell has brought us a gem with Hidden Treasure ! She has masterfully shared with us her in-depth knowledge and clinical experience working with the 5 Belief Systems / Character Structure. The material is clear, practical, easy to understand, and the exercises are sure to deepen self-awareness on one’s transformational journey.”

—Anne Hoye, Dean, Barbara Brennan School of Healing and The Brennan Institute

“ Hidden Treasure provides a comprehensive, eye-opening exploration of five fundamental ways that humans distort their inner Light in order to ‘protect’ themselves from real or imagined harm. It is a pleasure to read, with abundant real-life vignettes that help to flesh out the subtle workings of each of the defense structures.Written with exceptional clarity, it offers a number of approaches for healing each structure, making it eminently useful to anyone motivated to grow emotionally, psychologically, or spiritually.”

—David Harman, PhD, Co-founder of Inner Source Healing and co-author of
The Way of Love

“Based on decades of experience in guiding people towards psychological and spiritual wholeness, Alice McDowell introduces the five personality types of bio-enegetic therapy and shows how they can support self-healing and transformation. Practical, clear, and wise, this book is a precious gift to anyone seeking to understand the patterns that underlie their behavior.”

—Jalaja Bonheim, PhD, author of The Sacred Ego: Making Peace with Ourselves and Our World

“ Hidden Treasure will be of immense value to anyone who seeks a deeper understanding of the forces and circumstances that create the sense of self. Readers may be surprised to learn how the five basic character defenses McDowell describes manifest as distinguishable traits in the physical body. The treasure is the path of personal development and spiritual unfolding that knowledge of our character structure offers.”

—Lisa Loustanau, Director of Education, Institute of Core Energetics

“Actions for the body, insights for the soul—Hidden Treasure is filled with gems polished by McDowell's patient, exacting, and extensive experience guiding people from many professions and life paths. She has synthesized a wise and gentle approach to human development and personal freedom that can be used alone or with others.”

—Mary Gilliland, author of Gathering Fire and the Writing Walk-In Service Handbook

From the Publisher