This was a wonderfull book. I was very Sceptical at first but I think it just might save our marrige

While I don't know if this will save my relationship or not. Unfortunately, I may have waited too long to try. That said, I believe it WILL help me in the future (whether it's in my current relationship or a future one). It also helped me to better understand where the problems REALLY started. I like the analogy to pillars but I think chemistry is more a platform on top of the pillars because if any of the others start to crumble, chemistry quickly follows. (but that's just one humble opinion) I like the way the book is organized because it made for a quick easy read and while I didn't formally do the exercises at the end of each chapter, I read through them and think about them.

Dr. Goulston's book made so much sense to my husband, felt so right to me, and was extremely doable for both of us. It helped us recognize when and where the great things disappeared from our life and more importantly gave us a way to bring them back. Skeptical as were, this book really can help you to fall back in love again and stay there.

Philip Goldberg writes with the depth of a spiritual sojourner who has wrestled with the tough issues, and wants to share his wealth of knowledge. His metaphor of the road trip, with its twists and turns, confusions and changes is perfect for the spiritual path. He not only includes his own stories and those of others, making it a touching and personal sharing, but also deals directly with the difficulties of being a spiritual seeker. His ability to draw from many different traditions to punctuate and expand on his ideas creates an eclectic yet coherent, joyful and fulfilling guide book. At the same time, his humor, humility and encouragement will make anyone on the quest, whether a newbie or oldtimer, want to go further and deeper. I highly recommend it!

Philip Goldberg is an underappreciated writer in the field of spirituality and self-help. The classic path to success in this department seems to be to produce one hit book by make flashy claims (e.g., "Perfect Health," "How to Know God") or coining a super-catchy title ("Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus," "Chicken Soup for the Soul"), and then write essentially the same book over and over as long as the public will buy it. Goldberg doesn't do that. Over the years, whether solo or in collaboration with others, he's produced a long string of books like "The Intuitive Edge" and "Getting Out of Your Own Way" which actually offer useful information and do-able exercises, and which all bear the stamp of his common sense and warm sense of humor. "Roadsigns" is, in my opinion, his best yet. This is really a travel guide in the fullest sense, like a guidebook to Italy written by an old hand who's been going to Venice and Florence for years and can tell you which hotels are a bargain, which attractions are tourist traps, and how to keep from having your wallet stolen. If I were going to re-title it, I would call it "Everything I Wish I Had Known About Traveling the Spiritual Path 30 Years Ago." If I'd had any sense then of the way things REALLY work with regard to any number of subtopics (finding the balance between overachieving and laziness, avoiding spiritual envy and spiritual narcissism, the real deal on gurus, the place of sex in spiritual development, etc.), I could have saved myself a lot of wear and tear. Being on the spiritual path means shooting for the infinite - whether you call it God, Buddha-nature, or whatever - and such an enterprise naturally tends to give rise to fanaticism, delusions of grandeur (or worthlessness), and confusion about how to integrate spiritual practice with the demands of daily life. Goldberg is like a wise uncle who's been there and, with a funny story and a couple of potent aphorisms, will help you get it straight.

Who was it who once said that when the student is ready, the book will appear? Possibly no one. As someone who believes that we are all spiritual seekers (practicing or not), I am thrilled to discover a book I know I will reread, refer to, and give to EVERYBODY. "Roadsigns" is a friendly, approachable, and surprisingly funny book that happens to be about our deepest hunger and need: to connect with God (or the Divine, or the Universe, or all of the above), inside and beyond ourselves. With Roadsigns as my guide, I have newfound clarity and direction, and even, thankfully -- peace. I am grateful to Philip Goldberg for his wisdom, experience and HUMOR, and I can't wait to send ROADSIGNS to everyone I love as an early holiday gift! Yippeeee! Ooohhhmmmmmm! -- and Amen!

This isn't your ordinary coffee table book. Jim Goldberg delves into the lives of homeless kids living on the street, cataloging and following two kids through his collage of pictures and stories. Although it's hard to resist just leafing through it's pages, the real message and story is in reading the book from cover to cover. Jim Goldberg ties the pictures together with stories, giving you a real sense of what these kids go through, what their motivations are, what their daily lives are like.

I volunteer helping out homeless kids in Seattle, and from what I've seen this book does a good job of accurately protraying these children, including why they're on the street. He's unbiased and uncensored in his view, I think echo's review reflecting this (one of the kids followed in the book) only stands as a testament of this.

This is an eye-opening book full of amazing photographs that will leave you FEELING what these kids and adults are and have gone through living on the streets of San Francisco. Not too often are you experiencing so many emotions as you will when you flip page through page through this book. I can't say much more but it is worth the money...you will experience something that many of us are fortunate to have not experienced.

Accurate and thourough- Jim Goldberg told our stories truthfully, and lets you draw your own conclusions. - echo

Bloomfield and Goldberg manage to take a comprehensive and heartfelt perspective on a very sensitive subject: how do we explore and understand our relationship with God? They ask the hard questions from many different viewpoints in a way that invites us to ask those same questions of ourselves--what do we expect of God, how do our own attitudes of God color our vision of God? Ultimately the authors show us ways to find peace within ourselves and with the Divine by both challenging us, and empathizing with us, as we explore and strive to reconcile our connection with God. The book was rich with stories, metaphors, humor and pathos, allowing the reader to connect with this delicate issue in many different ways. I highly recommend it! --Susan Quinn

I'll admit I approached this book with some skepticism. I initially feared that the authors were bringing a feel-good, self-help approach to a subject that demands considerably more gravitas; and in any case "God" has not been an operative term in my vocabulary for some years now. I was pleasantly surprised. Bloomfield and Goldberg skillfully mine sources both Eastern and Western, scriptural and secular, and extract an expansive definition of God (or rather an expansive appreciation of the undefinability of God) that blows past the usual Sunday school Superbeing that has sent so many intelligent people running for the exits. There's a lot of warm humor and feet-on-the-ground spiritual pragmatism here. One innovation that I found particularly helpful is the idea, adapted from the Enneagram, of nine types of people (the Reformer, the Lover, the Boss, etc.), who all find different dynamics at play in their quest for the infinite, with different resources and different challenges. As the authors caution, everyone has elements of more than one type, but these psychological portraits can still be extremely valuable in pointing up limiting patterns and assumptions that we have been so locked into that we don't realize we're locked in. Once you see these patterns, you're a good part of the way toward transcending them. This is a useful book that will open doors for people who care about a relationship with God, and for many who think they don't.

Excellent reference book. Dittos to previous review.

This is a book no home should be without. At one time or another, everyone has pain -- whether the minor ache of a stiff neck or stubbed toe, the irritation of a sore throat, a trauma to a knee or ankle or shoulder, chronic back pain, recurring headaches, or serious conditions like cancer. Regardless of the severity of the problem, this easy-to-use guide will provide instant help. Each of the 77 conditions listed is explained in breezy, reader-friendly prose. Every one of the thousand or more remedies is drawn from a credentialed expert, in most cases an MD. In addition to do-it-yourself recommendations for easing pain and healing the condition, you'll find guidelines for when to see your doctor and tips for preventing recurrences.

I've read every book on intuition out there and this one remains the best, fifteen years after its publication. Its comprehensive sources and well-reasoned explanations about what intuition is and how it works make great sense of an elusive subject. And the chapters on how to improve your own intuition and make it work in your life are immensely practical without being airy-fairy. The book de-mystifies the hows and whys of intuition beautifully and is a pleasure to read.

The books content is straight forward and to the point unlike other books that "sugar coat" definitions, etc. I enjoyed learning about the Ancient Chinese.

Basing her study of Chinese tradition and philosophy, the author relates how informed [special type of] practice can not only strengthen relationships but also bolster the immune system and increase health and wellbeing. The author focuses on changing ... habits with your partner to increase pleasure and harmony, thereby enhancing health. Further work involves cultivating chi ...and using it to mutually increase energy. This is good text for introducing concepts and aspects of [human characteristics] as understood and practiced in traditional Chinese lore.

This is one of the best books on the market, besides Sexual Secrets and How to be a great lover
This book explains how our sexual activity is affected and affects our health
Absolutely the best

This was one of the most refreshing and helpful books I've read in a long time. I was expecting pop-psych, but instead found a sensible, constructive, no-nonsense approach to recognizing and dealing with self-defeating behavior. Summaries of each behavior and step-by-step guides to change at the end of each chapter were a definite plus. I'd recommend this book to anyone who's ready change and is willing to make the effort to do it!

The beauty of this book is that you can sit down and read from any of the stand on their own chapters and feel like you have a chance to make a significant change in your life. The perfect book for the person on the run, doing so many things that it is easy to be scattered. The lack of jargon also makes it friendlier and more enjoyable. I usually don't read self-help books, but I would read more like GET OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY,

I don't know whether or not I have ADD, but I do have a very short attention span. It's rare that I read a book and finish it. GET OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY has forty 3-4 page chapters that each stand by themselves and that I can read completely and feel that I am accomplishing something instead of feeling guilty about starting yet another book and never getting very far. This book is easy to understand, easy to read, and easy to finish book and is perfect for anyone with limited time or a limited attention span.

It was nice to learn about what has happened to Rafer Johnson over the years. The Best That I Can Be was a wonderful reminder of a marvelous athlete and competitor from years past plus an added bonus of hearing Rafer's incessant optimism and enthusiam. Gold Medalists come and go but few do so with the class and human decency that Johnson has displayed over a long period of time. If ever one is looking for a role model who demonstrated overcoming adversity with a smile on his face, it was Rafer Johnson. I only wished I had read this sooner.

I was so glad to learn that you've finally come out with a book, Rafer! I have always been fascinated with your decathalon vs CK YANG, and wish that there could be more films and pictures (book) just on the 1960 Decathalon, alone! I remember old tv ads with you in them years past and your roles in TARZAN movies. I knew from watching you that you would always be my life's role model! The "new" generation we live in today has so much technology and modern tech toys; but something "REAL BIG" is lacking! True greatness and love of (SPORT) for the love of it, from your heart, and not big money! Men were real men then, and athletes were real athletes! I have always dreamed of meeting you in person oneday! You and Ethiopia's ABBEE BIKILA were, are and always be two of my all-time favorite role models and athletes, forever! Sure wish that more could be done and written(pictures and films) of 1960 Olympics, especially the decathalon and marathon! You're truly a "great" man, and a "fine" american athlete of our time and the 20th century! write more books soon!

I grew up hearing and reading about Rafer Johnson all of my life. Track was never a sport I paid much attention to before Johnson. He made it bigger than life for me, as Tiger Woods does for golf. A few years ago I was introduced to Rafer and was stunned to find him remarkably shy and guarded, very much unlike the dynamic man I saw as an athlete. I could tell that he was warm, but very, very careful. It wasn't until I read THE BEST THAT I CAN BE that I understood the man, that I understood how much one's background can flavor an entire lifetime. This book not only gave me his remarkable story, it left me with an insight that I carry with me everyday.

www.signonsandiego.com
Psychiatrist pleads guilty, may avoid jail
By Onell R. Soto
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
January 24, 2002
VISTA - A Del Mar psychiatrist and best-selling author admitted yesterday he illegally drugged women in his home and office, but he probably will not be sent to jail as punishment, lawyers said.

Harold Bloomfield, 57, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of illegally furnishing drugs yesterday, defense attorney Bob Grimes said.

"This is the first time he's been to court since his release on bail," Grimes said in an interview. "He wanted to admit what he did and help with the healing process with the victims. He didn't want the victims to go to court and be cross-examined."

Prosecutor Richard Madruga said the two women whose drinks Bloomfield admitted drugging said they don't oppose a sentence without jail time.

"They want to see that the community is protected, that he not practice medicine, that he not be able to prescribe medications and that he get help for drug dependency, and counseling," Madruga said.

Such conditions are likely when Superior Court Judge Frederick Maguire sentences Bloomfield at a hearing scheduled for March 22, Madruga said.

As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors dropped three drug-related felony charges and a misdemeanor charge of sexual battery.

In court papers, detectives said a glass of lemonade Bloomfield gave a woman in July contained Ecstasy and methamphetamine.

The woman said Bloomfield met her in his Del Mar home for a therapy session wearing only a pair of blue boxer shorts printed with martini glasses, according to court records.

She felt strange after drinking the lemonade, and Bloomfield offered to examine her breasts after she complained of pain from recent surgery, according to the documents.

When asked about that, Bloomfield blamed his daughter for the drugs in the drink, detectives said. The daughter denied any involvement.

Then, in December, a woman who visited Bloomfield's home said he undressed her and fondled her after giving her a funny-tasting green smoothie.

At the time of Bloomfield's arrest Dec. 19, prosecutors said they were investigating reports from other women who said he drugged and then sexually assaulted them.

Madruga said yesterday that additional charges are not supported by evidence in the case.

Bloomfield was released the week following his arrest after posting $500,000 bail.

He and his wife, with whom he wrote several books, are divorcing.

He was once a frequent guest on television talk shows, including "The Oprah Winfrey Show," on which he last appeared in 1993.

Defense attorney Grimes said Bloomfield descended into drug use during a bout of depression about four years ago. It worsened after he emerged from plastic surgery with chronic pain, for which he took larger and larger quantities of painkillers.

"Ultimately he started on his own, medicating himself by smoking marijuana and ultimately using Ecstasy," Grimes said.

As a condition of his release from jail, Bloomfield agreed not to practice medicine.

I just completed the audio version of this book. It was hard to restrain myself from posting a review because there there is great good and even greater danger in this book! Red flags are waving! You may be drinking poison when you're looking for nutrition!

First the danger, then the good...

DANGER:
The author and his wife are unapologetic new age pantheists. Throughout the book the "virtues" of Transcendental Meditation (TM) and buying herbal remedies from a Hindu based organization are touted. Sadly, the "science" behind these practices and their application to "Making Peace With Your Past" are glossed over. Is there a connection? A clear explicit correlation is never REALLY made (it's implied) AND, frankly, I felt that this was one of the major flaws with this work.

Next danger, the author encourages you to "question" any resistance that you may have to the suggested therapies in this book. While is true that resistance to change can be an obstacle in therapy does this mean that discernment and moral judgment should be jettisoned as well? Apparently the author's answer is, "Yes". The author and his co-author wife trapple all over time honored and proven Western European values and sensibilities. Visualization - a controversial practice in some religious, medical, and cultural contexts is used and discussed as if there is no controversy at all and there is universal consensus on it's effectiveness and use.

Frankly, I DID feel uncomfortable at many points during this book. However, I can assure the reader that it had NOTHING to do with resistance to change and EVERYTHING to do with the fact that my value system and moral code was being directly challenged by the pan theistic (or more accurately "pan-everythingistic") approach of these authors.

Because I knew that this "if you feel uncomfortable..." tactic is used by cult leaders and unethical therapists to cause their followers to "snap" and allow an unreasonable level of control over their followers, I kept my value/moral boundaries in place while I waded through the author's thin veiled belief systems (Hinduism and New Age practices) and world view (Existential, Post Modern Relativism).

I feel that authors would be advised in future works to state up front: "We are practicing Hindus, New Agers, and moral relativists" THAT would at least be honest!

If you are a practicing Christian, Moslem, or conservative Jew, you will find MUCH to hate in this book!

THE GOOD:
Despite this work's obvious flaws there is *some* value here. Ironically, the author is at his best when he sticks to go old Western European style psycho-therapy. He is obviously well educated, experienced, and very intelligent. His explanations of the inner mechanics of unforgiveness, resentment, bitterness, painful memories are excellant and liberating.

Even the visualizations would have great value IF a greater emphasis on keep the patient in their cognitize mind via maintaining a very LIGHT, constant Alpha state rather than the deep Alpha state that the co-author employs. However since the authors are TM practitioners it should surprise no one that they advocate a very deep alpha state mode that makes the patient vulnerable to unwanted suggestion. Again, keep that "moral judgment" and "value system" switch set to "off"!

However, her word pictures are indeed very powerful and I have used them - while maintaining a cognitive mode alpha state - since finishing the book.

In the end, I can not recommend this book. The underlying world view and dishonesty of the authors is just too pronounced! I would encourage to explore the OTHER authors on this web-site. Personally, I don't think that you can go too wrong with the work of either Norm Wright or John Bradshaw (although Bradshaw's moral relativism does tend to "leak" at times). I especially Bradshaw's "Healing the Shame that Binds You" and his books on family.

Finally, I would add that the clipping from the San Diego Union regarding this author is not surprising to me having read his book. The TM/Hindu guru that he mentions in the book as his spiritual leader and guide has accused (and I believe indicted) of similar moral lapses. In the words of Adam Smith...

Emptor Caveat!

Or, in the words of Jesus Christ concerning false prophets: "By their fruit you will know them".

What an awesome book! I have read all of Dr. Bloomfield's books, however, I felt change taking place deep within 'as I read' this one. The third chapter on 'Breaking the Shackles of Shame' is worth buying and reading the whole book. It gave me a direct plan to dealing with the deep seated issues of shame in my psyche. It also uncovered things in me that I have repressed for many years. It taught me the language of knowing what was really going on inside of me. Helped me to specifically identify hurts and obstacles that were holding me back from living the quintessential life. Read this book if you want to experience healing for your past. Dr. Bloomfield not only identifies your past issues, he gives you remedies for dealing with them successfully.