THE LITTLE BOOK OF TOOLS

Debut author Neideffer pens a self-help book that lists 16 tools to help one become a stronger, more positive person.

The author says that when she first tried the energy-healing technique known as reiki, she had life-changing visions: “My heart, now floating above me, looked like a cartoon heart…bright red, with a big, cheesy smile and angel wings. As it smiled at me, I heard a man’s voice say, ‘You are free!’ ” Shortly afterward, she upended her life to learn and practice reiki on her own; she later became a reiki master. Using what she learned, she came up with tools to help others experience the same freedom they include “Creating Safe Space In the Mind,” reframing one’s perspective on life, instituting new rituals, and cutting emotional cords with negative attachments. Many of these tips will sound generally familiar to self-help aficionados, but the author does a fair job putting her own spin on them. Other tools include becoming an observer in one’s own life; reintegrating discarded versions of one’s self; and sound healing; these are somewhat less common, and the author offers them with solid explanations and reasoning. She includes exercises to help readers use and practice each new idea, and these include keeping a tally, tackling writing prompts, and speaking to oneself in the mirror. A few of the exercises, specifically those involving meditation, seem like they might have worked better as audio tracks, as attempting to meditate while continually reading directions may leave some eager students frustrated. Also included are quotations for reflection, along with references and recommended reading in the back of the book. Self-help readers looking for something new to try will likely find a few hidden gems in this toolbox.

A short and sweet self-improvement guide.