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Sacred Therapy: Jewish Spiritual Teachings on Emotional Healing and Inner Wholeness
     

Sacred Therapy: Jewish Spiritual Teachings on Emotional Healing and Inner Wholeness

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by Estelle Frankel
 

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In Sacred Therapy Estelle Frankel travels to the heart of Jewish mysticism to reveal how people of any faith can draw upon this rich body of teachings to gain wisdom, clarity, and a deeper sense of meaning in the midst of modern life. In an engaging and accessible style, Frankel brings together tales and teachings from the Bible, the Talmud, Kabbalah, and the
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Overview

In Sacred Therapy Estelle Frankel travels to the heart of Jewish mysticism to reveal how people of any faith can draw upon this rich body of teachings to gain wisdom, clarity, and a deeper sense of meaning in the midst of modern life. In an engaging and accessible style, Frankel brings together tales and teachings from the Bible, the Talmud, Kabbalah, and the Hasidic traditions as well as evocative case studies and stories from her own life to create an original, inspirational guide to emotional healing and spiritual growth.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher
"Frankel exhibits a stunning breadth of knowledge, particularly of Judaism's rich mystical tradition, and a profound depth of understanding of emotional and spiritual development."—Jewish Woman Magazine

"Her use of Kabalistic cosmology to reflect on emotional pain, broken-heartedness, and separation is especially strong and moving."—Library Journal

"Frankel has done an impressive job of blending ancient Jewish wisdom with modern psychology to fashion a powerful force for healing."—Harold Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People

"I highly recommend this compelling book to readers from all backgrounds, for its wisdom is rich and universal."—David A. Cooper, author of God Is a Verb

Science and Theology News
...a practical exploration of how humans can heal and be whole...credibly researched, thoughtfully written...applicable to all.
—April 2004
Presence Magazine
a stunning breadth of knowledge..a profound depth of understanding.. a breathtaking glimpse of the transformative potential of this ancient..tradition.
—Oct. 2004
Publishers Weekly
"There is nothing more whole than a broken heart," taught Hasidic master Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotsk. Frankel cites that paradoxical wisdom as well as other biblical, Hasidic, Talmudic and kabbalistic traditions to shape her thesis: healing begins with brokenness and leads to transformation, wholeheartedness and renewal. As a psychotherapist and teacher of Jewish mysticism, Frankel integrates the psyche and spirit so they "flow as two currents in a single stream, creating a synergistic healing power." She uses the kabbalistic myth of the shattered vessels to mirror the inevitability of brokenness in our lives, the broken tablets at Sinai as a metaphor for imperfection, the Exodus from Egypt as a reflection of change and self-liberation and the process of teshuvah (repentance) and the High Holiday cycle as paradigms for healing. "Locating ourselves in Jewish myth and metaphor," she says, can lessen the sense of isolation in suffering, as well as enlarge our identities through spiritual awareness. The book is divided into three parts: kabbalistic cosmology and healing; healing and birthing the self; and wholeness and integration. Client case studies and reflections on her own life focus on common psychological complaints: a broken heart, transition, loss, depression and illness. Suggestions for guided meditations and spiritual rituals give readers practical ways to be "healed by, or in spite of, whatever illnesses and difficulties we face in our lives." Those familiar with the concept of tikkun olam-repairing the world-will discover here its more personal and interconnected form-tikkun nefesh: healing our own souls. (Dec.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
Psychotherapist Frankel draws on the Torah, the Talmud, and the Kabala to provide a Jewish perspective on the universal issues of pain, healing, and growth that are faced in a therapist's office. Throughout, Frankel interweaves her personal story and experiences with Judaism with her accounts of working with clients. Her background knowledge is extensive and she readily quotes from an impressive variety of sources to illustrate her points. Her use of Kabalistic cosmology-involving shattered vessels and sparks of light to reflect on emotional pain, broken-heartedness, and separation-is especially strong and moving, as is her linking of these themes with the image of the broken tablets of the law at Mt. Sinai. The book seems to be written for both clients and therapists. It is more substantive than a typical self-help book and would be best used by someone with a strong connection to Judaism. Therapists who include a spiritual perspective in their work would likely benefit from the many moving metaphors and images Frankel illuminates. Recommended for academic and public libraries.-Stephen Joseph, Butler Cty. Community Coll. Lib., PA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Product Details

ISBN-13:
9781590302040
Publisher:
Shambhala
Publication date:
03/08/2005
Edition description:
Reissue
Pages:
352
Sales rank:
250,597
Product dimensions:
6.10(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)

What People are Saying About This

Michael Lerner
For years people have talked about the need for an integration of spiritual insights into therapy-Estelle Frankel actually does it, and does it in a way that avoids simplistic New Agey nonsense and pop-psychology and instead provides a new vision of what spiritually informed psychology could be.
—Rabbi , editor of Tikkun Magazine and author of Spirit Matters
Zalman Schachter-Shalomi
Estelle Frankel is a masterful and seasoned spiritual helper who has the expertise of both the empirical-spiritual and the Jewish mystical in her competence. Her writing opens awareness so that readers can find the tools for inner work as well as the hope that makes for sustained effort.
—Rabbi , Rabbinic Chair of Aleph, Alliance for Jewish Renewal
Harold Kushner
Frankel has done an impressive job of blending ancient Jewish wisdom with modern psychology to fashion a powerful force for healing.
—Rabbi, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People
David A. Cooper
"Sacred Therapy integrates profound Hasidic and Kabbalistic teachings with psychotherapeutic insight, revealing to readers how to shift from ordinary self-centeredness to a more spacious, 'spirit-centered' perspective. I highly recommend this compelling book to readers from all backgrounds for its wisdom is rich and universal."
—Rabbi, author of God is a Verb
Tirzah Firestone
Frankel deftly harvests the pearls of her own deep-sea dive into the intimate world of spiritual counseling. Filled with usable stories, quotes, and concepts, this book is a must-read for rabbis, therapists, Jewish educators, and other professional who take to heart the transformative power of the spiritual journey
—Rabbi, author of The Receiving: Reclaiming Jewish Women's Wisdom

Meet the Author

Estelle Frankel is a practicing psychotherapist and a seasoned teacher of Jewish mysticism and meditation. She was ordained as a rabbinic pastor and spiritual guide (mashpiah ruchanit) by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and is one of the spiritual leaders of her local Jewish Renewal community. Estelle has taught widely in the United States and in Israel, where she lived for over eight years, and is currently on the core faculty of Chochmat Halev: Wisdom of the Heart Meditation Center. She lives in Berkeley, California, with her husband and two children.

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Sacred Therapy: Jewish Spiritual Teachings on Emotional Healing and Inner Wholeness 5 out of 5 based on 0 ratings. 1 reviews.
Anonymous More than 1 year ago