MY MYSTICAL PATH

A psychotherapist blends memoir and self-help advice in this nonfiction work.

“My hope is that you will find my story inspirational,” writes Shin-Ward in the book’s opening lines, adding, “and it will help you connect with the universal oneness that we all share.” A self-described “modern-day mystic,” the author here shares her personal experiences in a Christian guidebook for women who have experienced grief, divorce, and abuse. Structured in three parts, the book is thematical divided by Shin-Ward’s relationships with her three husbands. The first section, “Companionship,” centers around her first marriage and raising three daughters as a young mother. While she recognized her husband was a “good man,” after experiencing romantic feelings for a professor in graduate school, the author came to terms with “a lack of emotional and spiritual connection” within her marriage. The book’s second part focuses on her second husband, “the classic Don Juan archetype, a man of seduction,” whose “magical” moments of intensity and chemistry were offset by his psychological abuse and narcissistic manipulation. The book’s final section, “Grace,” explores Shin-Ward’s sense of failure following two “failed marriages” as she found herself single in her late 50s. Serendipitously, “Grace stepped in” and she found her third and current husband, whom she describes as her “Knight.” The book’s vulnerable, often emotionally raw text should resonate with readers who need help with finding balance in their identities as women, business professionals, mothers, and lovers. A licensed clinical psychotherapist and holistic wellness coach with a private practice in Towson, Maryland, the author engagingly combines her personal stories with pragmatic self-help advice informed by best practices in the field. While Shin-Ward’s distinctly Christian outlook on spirituality may not resonate with all readers, the book provides a welcoming space to those of alternative faith traditions with inspirational quotations from non-Christian spiritual leaders as well as broad descriptions of God as “universal Divine Love.”

An approachable and deeply personal resource for women searching for emotional and spiritual fulfillment.