The after affects of being involved in aggressive positivity-like cults, has left me numb and lacking motivation for growth. I am turning to therapy for help in some areas, which books can not help with. However, I was wondering if there were any legit self-help books. I read some anthony robbins, eckhart tolle, and some other spiritual self-helpy stuff, but it lead to many problems, and create an instability in my life. To sum it up, I am wondering if there are any books that cut out any bullshit spiritual and focus on healthy and real growth in all areas of life. BTW anyone have insigh on Keith Ablow? I have a book of his, but I am weary on any self-help. Advice would be greatly appreciated.

Here is one item that might be worth a peek. Its pretty raw, but the author is writing for people who have been through rough times.

Get Up by Bucky Sinister

It was written for people working the AA program, but there is a lot of great advice in it that can be used by anyone, even if they dont need AA or disagree with it.

[www.google.com]

Bucky Sinister is a poet. Get Up is not designed to get you to buy any of his other merchandise. Its a guide to customize your own growth and social economic maintainance program. What you need to do for yourself is different from what other people need to do.

Bucky grew up in a fundamentalist Christian family, then became involved as a recruiter for a cult church. He faced how dishonest it all was. Then he moved out West and became part of the punk rock and street poetry scene.

He writes for people who are skeptical of spirituality and dont fit easily into groups or catagories and has some very detailed observations and advice for people in the arts.

And he has info on how to identify your goals, make them manageable, and describes how he rebuilt his own situation. And he puts things nicely such as finding your inner A Team and how to ID your 'hustle monkey' and find ways to put that hustle monkey to work on constructive goals.

Even if you dont agree with AA, Get Up has a lot of good tools and great stories. Gritty details. I have visited the areas described in the book and the author is right on the bull's eye.

Its worth looking at Get Up, just to get a feel for a 'help' book written by someone who is not part of the Enlightenment/Self Growth Industry.

You may want to check out Seligman's "What you can Change and What you can't." It presents the research on what works and what doesn't in therapy and other change-promising programs.