Living the Truth: Transform Your Life Through the Power of Insight and Honesty Paperback – April 9, 2008

This book was referred to me by a friend of more than 20+ years. I am 66 years old, a college grad that minor in psych and truly appreciate how the insights from this book will help me heal my wounds of traumatic childhood of losing my mom to cancer at the age of 4 and being abandoned by my father to a foreign country against his will. I highly recommend the reading to those whose life is ready to face their pain and live the truth.

I starting reading this book thinking I was not in denial, but I wanted to see what it had to say. I did the exercises even if I didn't see the point. Well I found out although I had not blanked out any memories, I had repainted some seemingly small details that made a huge difference when I saw them for what they are. This book has helped me to start working on things that I really didn't know were a problem, and it has brought significant change into my life.For the first time I can remember in my 38 years, I have a sense of peace and I am starting to feel comfortable in my own skin, which is something I didn't think was possible. I still have a long way to go on the road I am on, but before this book I didn't even know the road was there.This book takes you through the steps to dig into what things have caused you pain and see them for what they are. Then it gives you the steps to overcome the limits you placed on yourself due to what you have uncovered. This is not a feel good cover up, this is the real thing that will help deep within yourself. It isn't always easy, but it is absolutely worth it.Edit July 2012 to say: Dr. Ablow seems to have aligned himself with a political side since this book came out and that may scare some people off. I didn't want that to stop anyone from getting this book, because I really think it can help so many people. This book came out when he was politically neutral so there is nothing political in it, and it is still great at helping someone uncover what hurt them and the behaviours that are not in their own best interests.I wrote my first review on the book about 5 years ago and after reading it I am reminded how far I have come. I really thought I was pretty much together when I picked up this book. I have an interest in Psychology, so I was reading it for that mostly. Sure I had an awful childhood, but who didn't. I had mostly sorted that out long ago. What's one little abandonment issue when you are in a good marriage? It's nothing! Well I found out I was wrong after I started working through this book! I had a lot more going on than I thought. The changes for me have been mostly internal. I let go of a lot of anger I didn't even know I had, and I did a lot of forgiving, something I was never good at. It's a process to this day, I still have issues with self esteem, that is such a complex issue for me...but I feel so much better than I did before. When you are working through Living the Truth, you have to be honest with yourself and be willing to write out past events when you were hurt by someone.I will say it again after all these years... This is not an easy book to work through, it is not a quick fix, feel good quick, fade away fast answer. This will actually help you make your life better, it isn't going to be easy, you have to do the exercises but if you do, it will pay off.

I LOVE this book! Although I have read lots of self-help books and undergone years of working through and trying to understand my issues of the past, I still have had something lacking. This book put the pieces together for me, helping me to reach deeper levels of understanding. I read like a crazy woman for a couple of days and then somewhere near the end of the book, I closed it and let it all sink in...and I fully realized for the first time that I really am the product of my past, and running from that past has only made things worse. I let go of the guilt and anger that I have been harboring inside myself for not being a better person than I am and I let myself just accept it all. That was about a month ago and my days have been filled with hope and excitement for the future every day since then. I had already done a lot of the work that Dr. Ablow leads his readers through, but I had never had it come together and give me peace like I feel now. I love Dr. Ablow's style of writing in a way that makes you feel like he is sitting right beside you, cheering you along. I am deeply grateful for this wonderful book and the miracle it has worked in my life.

This book changed my life in so many amazing ways. Get it. Read it. Do the work! You’ll be proud of yourself for it.

The audio version of this work kind of put me to sleep. Perhaps if I weren't so busy (which is why I ordered the audio version), I could have listened with pen in hand and a desire to run through the exercises... As my life most likely will not slow down for awhile, this product has been relinquished to a back burner and might (or might not) be reviewed in another year or two! THX.

This is a wonderful book! If you are contemplating getting it, you should just add it to your cart now. It is a guided tour of your life and past and how it has shaped you into who you are today. Keith really wants us to focus on our pain and how we can work through it to become our best self and to live our truth. This is a must read for everyone! Really you'll want your significant other and friends to read it. It is a very therapeutic read. He prompts readers to reflect back on their childhood and adolescence and see the events that caused them pain. There are questions to ask yourself and places to answer those questions in the book. READ IT! It will be empowering if you apply the principles.