Stasi Eldredge, Becoming Myself

Becoming Myself: Embracing God's Dream of You on Amazon

Author Stasi Eldredge's Becoming Myself mostly keeps women readers in mind, but really, this book could benefit anyone of any gender or chronology beyond ten years old or so. It's from Christian publisher David C Cook, and I feel Christians ranging from conservative evangelical to the more theologically and socially liberal mainline can relate to Becoming Myself. I expect to read this book a few more times (yes, it was that good, and that helpful!), and I'd encourage women – and guys, too – from almost any or no faith perspective to read and benefit from the author's wisdom.

Describing how she has triumphed, prevailed, and changed – by looking to the witness and examples in scripture, and especially to the witness and example of Jesus Christ – Stasi necessarily includes a whole lot of autobiographical material; real life experiences rather than abstract ideas fill the paragraphs and pages. At least one reviewer mentioned that Stasi's not a professional psychologist, psychotherapist, or counselor, but she has learned to revisit past situations in healthy ways, and to benefit from scriptural and proven psychological insights.

The content and general style of Becoming Myself encourages a person to look inward, to look back, to assess and to affirm the pain, the messiness, the failures, the what might have beens, in ways that acknowledge what has happened—because you know you can't change what you don't acknowledge! A good psychotherapist or counselor can help with this kind of "inner work," but in the end, you actually do it yourself, as you clear out the old to make space for different, healthier behaviors. Stasi Eldredge's Becoming Myself can help with that journey! There's also a study guide and a Spanish-language edition of the book.

my amazon review: help and hope for the journey