Thank You for Being Such a Pain: Spiritual Guidance for Dealing with Difficult People - Softcover

Mark I. Rosen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0609804146 ISBN 13: 9780609804148

Publisher: Harmony, 1999

Synopsis

With wisdom and humor, Thank You for Being Such a Pain offers gentle and compassionate guidance for understanding and healing relationships with difficult people. By embracing four fundamental premises and putting into practice the author's many helpful and practical suggestions, you'll acquire the skills and insights necessary for turning around even the most troublesome relationship. What you need to keep in mind is that: (1) nothing in your life happens randomly and your difficulties have a deeper purpose; (2) frustration and even emotional pain are as necessary for your personal and spiritual growth as love and joy; (3) transforming enmity and completing unfinished business may be the most important skills you can learn in life; and (4) when you make an effort to work on your inner self, your outer relationships will be transformed.
        
This groundbreaking book draws upon state-of-the-art psychological principles and timeless spiritual practices from all traditions. Filled with enlightening exercises and entertaining stories, Thank You for Being Such a Pain will forever change the way you see the difficult people in your life . . . as well as the way you see yourself.

About this title

From the Author:

I've written this book to help anyone who is struggling with a difficult person but doesn't want to respond by being nasty or vindictive. The book combines state-of-the-art principles of interpersonal communication and conflict resolution with spiritual teachings, flavored by the many things I've learned from my own relationship difficulties. I've tried to make the book readable and practical so that the reader can open it to any page and learn something useful. There are about 75 entertaining stories involving difficult people to illustrate the book's principles, and lots of humor to help lighten what can be a very trying experience. Each chapter ends with a section called Explorations, containing exercises that help readers to apply the book's principles to their own circumstances. There are also quotations from a variety of sources, ranging from Groucho Marx to the Dalai Lama to Emily Dickinson, that introduce each section. One of my favorites, and the book's core philosophy, comes from theologian Martin Buber, who wrote: "A person should realize that conflict situations between oneself and others are nothing but the effects of conflict situations in one's own soul." My sincere hope is that this book will help readers to resolve their difficulties and find healing.

From the Back Cover:

"This book will change your life. Rosen shows you how to perform a miracle and live so that difficult people stop weakening you and start making you stronger, better, and happier."
--Charles Foster, Ph.D., Psychotherapist and Author of There's Something I Have to Tell You

About this edition

• Publisher: Harmony
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0609804146
• ISBN 13: 9780609804148
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 286