The Awakened Family: A Revolution in Parenting

Amazing book, very deep, not for the light hearted. Will most likely help you understand your own and child's behaviour... It is hard work / intense / condensed / compact so I have bought this on Audio CD too and listen to it in my car. Usually i listen to each CD twice. This book alone has more highlights, bookmarks than any other book i have (and i have bucket loads). Nearly every page has some amazing insights that resonate and ring true with me. I have quite a few books about Mindfulness / Conscious Parenting / Mindful Parenting but this one goes deeper into our inner workings of our mind, triggers, emotions, fears etc. Now just waiting for this to be cheaper on kindle so i can pick that up too...! :-) "If you want world peace, go home and love your family!" - Mother Teresa

this book will change your life, i know that sounds slightly crazy but i fully stand behind it. Dr Shefali helps you navigate through raising children in a calm and confident way. No one wants stress and especially not around children who are so porous. if you find you're in a battle of wills situation at home it will help you tremendously. It's a MUST BUY for any parent.

Highly recommend

Very interesting book. I saw this book on Oprah and got it because this lady speaks so well. I am happy to have the book and am enjoying reading it. Hopefully it will make a difference as to how I take care of my grandchildren.

Got this after reading the conscious parent book. I wasn't going to get it as I thought she had already covered so much in the other book but Im so glad I did. I'm only half way through because I have to read each page so slowly to take in all the info it's fascinating and very easy to implement into my family life and my boys respond so well to this parenting. This book is v helpful as it gives lots of examples from Shefalis own experiences working with clients so it goes into a much more practical level of how a conscious parent responds to their children- and of course it begins with the parent, not the child!

bought as a gift but I have been told its a very good read by the receiver

Every parent needs to read this book. I am literally obsessed with Dr Shefalis work. I could talk all day about how amazing this book is but I just urge you to buy it and found out for yourself.

This book is so important! Anyone with children, working with children, thinking about starting a family should definitely get this book!

It all comes down to taking full responsibility for our own inner world and to take the blame and the schame out of our relationships, with our kids, family and with ourselves. Should be a must read for all new parents, grandparents, anybody really.

great book

Great concepts to get your mind thinking

As a relationship therapist and parent, I can say that this is the absolute best and most important parenting book there is. Dr. Shefali boldly accomplishes what no other parenting book has been able to fully achieve. She addresses the many challenges that parents experience with their children--at the causal level. She gets to the root of problems. The author shows us that our children are never triggering us. Conversely, what is getting triggered are our past wounds. That in every moment there is always a choice to react or respond. When we move into reactivity, this is about our own hurt and fear. Dr. Shefali masterfully helps us see that our children are here to show us where we need to grow. She says children are our "awakeners." In the excerpt below, the author explains the parent-child dynamic: "Our children are particularly effective mirrors, because although we can divorce our spouse and abandon our friends, our children are here to stay. It's in our relationship with them more than any other that we are challenged to examine those aspects of ourselves we would ordinarily deny or avoid. When we are able to look into the mirror they provide us with and address our issues, we not only clear the fog form our own vision, but also begin to see our children for who they truly are. In this way, we become a reflection of their authentic self." We are asked to consider questions like, "`Is my child in some way reflecting the way I tend to operate?'" With numerous examples, we are shown that the cost of addressing behavioral problems at the effect level is increased negative behavior. Through the author's profound insights and plethora of real-life examples, it becomes clear that our own fear, which stems from past conditionings, paralyzes us by keeping us from knowing how to connect with our children. That real change can only happen when we have heightened awareness or become conscious of our own behavioral patterns. This means noticing our thoughts and feelings and exploring our belief systems. When reading this book, you feel like the author takes you on an intimate journey of awakenings and opens your heart to a whole new way of seeing your essential role as a parent. The authors ideas are truly revolutionary and liberating. You are able to see and experience a real path to having stronger, deeper connections in all your relationships. In The Awakened Family, the author explains that we need to give up our expectations of how we would like things to be and to accept whatever enters the present moment. In the following passage, the author helps us to understand what acceptance means: "Acceptance of the present moment doesn't mean you are passive or resigned to things. It simply means that the sting of the emotional charge is taken out of the situation. Sure, you can correct your child and even assertively create boundaries if these are needed, but the entire exchange is executed without adding in the emotional charge of fear, panic, shame, or guilt." We are able to see that only when we learn how to "be" can we know what doing action, if any, is needed. Dr. Shefali so eloquently explains our responsibility as parents when she says, "It's our sacred responsibility as parents to remember that within every child is a deep desire to be seen, heard, and understood. Indeed, a child's deepest yearning is to know the answer to the question, "`Am I good, am I okay, am I worthy?'" When we are willing to open our heart to the author's message, we can only experience its resounding truth. Conscious parenting has personally transformed me and the way I parent my son. This is not a quick-fix philosophy; it is a way of living, finding more peace and joy in your life. Every parent, therapist, parenting coach, and educator should read this book and keep it close by for reference. With the brilliant insights that Dr. Shefali provides in her latest book, we can all become more awakened and join a growing consciousness that has the power to heal our world.

This book made me reflect about the way I see the children's world and how it reflect to myself. It brought many insights into how I can become more aware of my actions, and how it affects the relationship with my kids.