BRILLIANT EMOTIONS

Psychotherapist Cashman offers a guide to transforming inner turmoil into actionable insight.

The author draws from the rich tradition of Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism, and his influence by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, under whom he trained, to present a road map for navigating modern life by harnessing the power of negative emotions. His book is rooted in the “Four Karmas,” a Tibetan Buddhist practice of transformation, and features a series of engaging, anonymized case studies. The author invites readers to explore the transformative power of emotions and convert them from a source of suffering into one of wisdom and insight. By reframing the Four Karmas with his own Four Step Practice—tapping into, exploring, befriending, and ultimately liberating emotions such as anxiety, anger, and jealousy—Cashman demonstrates “how a person can discover their basic goodness or enlightened energy by learning to explore the texture of any negative emotion.” Readers will find relatable examples here—particularly those that address feelings of anxiety and inadequacy. Cashman suggests those who suffer from anxiety can train themselves to process this feeling to the point that it’s “no longer a threat but becomes information.” The chapter on inadequacy is also informative, highlighting the tendency of those who feel unworthy to neglect self-care while prioritizing others. Some readers may struggle with Cashman’s advice on anger, which suggests wrapping the feeling in “awareness and kindness instead of attacking someone else or ourselves,” which seems easier said than done. Although the prose is clear and informative throughout, the how-to of the four-step process feels too simplistic to allow readers to fully integrate the Four Steps Practice into their daily lives. Cashman concludes each chapter with practical exercises, however, enabling readers to deepen their understanding of the material—and, potentially, themselves.

An often engaging handbook on emotional resilience and self-discovery.