Fear lies behind every stress, angst and anxiety. "At a certain level there are no problems, only fear; there is no illness, only fear; there are no conflicts, only fear and there is no devil, only fear. Heal the fear and you rediscover your freedom", he says. And the way to clear your life of fear, he suggests, is to confront it by aiming for higher thought and God's help. So who or what is God? Although contemptuous of "churchianity" Holden often advises turning to God who, he says, does not believe in atheists. "God is your immeasurable Self--your unconditional 'you.' When you reach to God you are simply reaching to the highest in yourself", declares Holden.

Like the proverbial optimist whose glass is half full, not half empty, Holden argues that there are no problems only opportunities. He also insists that both sacrifice ("martyrdom always ends in tears") and independence ("'I' strain") are obstacles to happiness. An independent person is too scared to ask for help and fears intimacy. A checklist enables the reader to see whether s/he is dysfunctionally independent on Holden's terms.

Subtitled "Powerful Ways to Transform your Life", this is a sharply written, exceptionally readable book, organised in short sections. It is, however, inspirational rather than practical. Few would be strong enough to achieve much of what Holden advocates without face-to-face help. --Susan Elkin

2007-10-17 More bad than good