An informative, empowering guide to mental and spiritual discontents.
A sophisticated theory of the mind underpins a compendium of New Age therapies, from acupressure to essential oils, in this wide-ranging self-help work.
McClellan, an integrative health practitioner, advances a “Mind Matrix Model” with three components: the “Vital Self” of physical energy, toggling between hyperarousal and collapse; the emotional and relational “Heart Self” that varies between closed-off introversion and extroverted connection; and the mental “Head Self” that oscillates between analytic rationalism and holistic intuition. The interplay of selves makes the mind fluctuate between positive, well-regulated states and negative, dysregulated states, per the author. He analyzes the roots of negative states in knee-jerk emotional and behavioral scripts—he calls these negative scripts “Sentries” for their role in overprotecting the psyche against old traumas—and in repetitive mental “Loops” that can be broken up by “Overrides” that nudge the mind into healthier patterns. McClellan applies his framework to many mental issues, from anxiety and depression to narcissism, and discusses a variety of remedies for them, including meditation, nutritional supplements—he’s big on magnesium, “The Mineral of Calm”—and positive self-affirmations (“Say quietly to yourself: I am safe / I am well / I am grounded in my body”). The author especially focuses on acupressure (he presents charts of meridians and pressure points), essential oils (ylang-ylang oil, he notes, “Softens rigidity and emotional suppression”), and homeopathy (he recommends the homeopathic formula Pulsatilla 30c “For gentle, shy individuals who crave connection but fear rejection”). McClellan grounds his ideas in lucid discussions of brain science and psychotherapy as well as traditional Chinese medicine, Eastern philosophy, and beguiling Buddhist parables. The author mixes straightforward practical tips—“instead of writing the whole email, Open the email draft and type ‘Hi,’” he suggests in a chapter on overcoming procrastination—with incisive, richly nuanced discussions of psychology and character. Readers will find many shrewd insights into their own mental roadblocks here, along with clear maps for getting past them.
An informative, empowering guide to mental and spiritual discontents.Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2025
ISBN: 9798998788406
Page Count: 494
Publisher: Finger Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 10, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A conversational, pleasurable look into McConaughey’s life and thought.
All right, all right, all right: The affable, laconic actor delivers a combination of memoir and self-help book.
“This is an approach book,” writes McConaughey, adding that it contains “philosophies that can be objectively understood, and if you choose, subjectively adopted, by either changing your reality, or changing how you see it. This is a playbook, based on adventures in my life.” Some of those philosophies come in the form of apothegms: “When you can design your own weather, blow in the breeze”; “Simplify, focus, conserve to liberate.” Others come in the form of sometimes rambling stories that never take the shortest route from point A to point B, as when he recounts a dream-spurred, challenging visit to the Malian musician Ali Farka Touré, who offered a significant lesson in how disagreement can be expressed politely and without rancor. Fans of McConaughey will enjoy his memories—which line up squarely with other accounts in Melissa Maerz’s recent oral history, Alright, Alright, Alright—of his debut in Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused, to which he contributed not just that signature phrase, but also a kind of too-cool-for-school hipness that dissolves a bit upon realizing that he’s an older guy on the prowl for teenage girls. McConaughey’s prep to settle into the role of Wooderson involved inhabiting the mind of a dude who digs cars, rock ’n’ roll, and “chicks,” and he ran with it, reminding readers that the film originally had only three scripted scenes for his character. The lesson: “Do one thing well, then another. Once, then once more.” It’s clear that the author is a thoughtful man, even an intellectual of sorts, though without the earnestness of Ethan Hawke or James Franco. Though some of the sentiments are greeting card–ish, this book is entertaining and full of good lessons.
A conversational, pleasurable look into McConaughey’s life and thought.Pub Date: Oct. 20, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-13913-4
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet final word from an actor who leaves a legacy of compassion and kindness.
The late actor offers a gentle guide for living with more purpose, love, and joy.
Mixing poetry, prescriptive challenges, and elements of memoir, Heche (1969-2022) delivers a narrative that is more encouraging workbook than life story. The author wants to share what she has discovered over the course of a life filled with abuse, advocacy, and uncanny turning points. Her greatest discovery? Love. “Open yourself up to love and transform kindness from a feeling you extend to those around you to actions that you perform for them,” she writes. “Only by caring can we open ourselves up to the universe, and only by opening up to the universe can we fully experience all the wonders that it holds, the greatest of which is love.” Throughout the occasionally overwrought text, Heche is heavy on the concept of care. She wants us to experience joy as she does, and she provides a road map for how to get there. Instead of slinking away from Hollywood and the ridicule that she endured there, Heche found the good and hung on, with Alec Baldwin and Harrison Ford starring as particularly shining knights in her story. Some readers may dismiss this material as vapid Hollywood stuff, but Heche’s perspective is an empathetic blend of Buddhism (minimize suffering), dialectical behavioral therapy (tolerating distress), Christianity (do unto others), and pre-Socratic philosophy (sufficient reason). “You’re not out to change the whole world, but to increase the levels of love and kindness in the world, drop by drop,” she writes. “Over time, these actions wear away the coldness, hate, and indifference around us as surely as water slowly wearing away stone.” Readers grieving her loss will take solace knowing that she lived her love-filled life on her own terms. Heche’s business and podcast partner, Heather Duffy, writes the epilogue, closing the book on a life well lived.
A sweet final word from an actor who leaves a legacy of compassion and kindness.Pub Date: Jan. 24, 2023
ISBN: 9781627783316
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Viva Editions
Review Posted Online: Feb. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2023
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