Because the Baha’i Faith recognizes that the mind is part of the soul, not just an expression of the brain, we have a unique perspective on mental health.
That’s why I have written eight books offering my own understanding of how the spiritual perspective of the Baha’i Faith can aid the process of emotional healing.
They are both powerful self-help books and wonderful teaching tools.
I started with Falling Into Grace – a book about the unique “mental tests” that come with joining a new and very diverse religious community. It was the best-selling Baha’i book the year it was published, selling over 3,000 copies due to word-of-mouth recommendations.
Next came Why Me? A Spiritual Guide to Growing Through Tests. It helped people understand that tests were gifts to help them grow, not punishments for being bad people. I was recently invited to join an interfaith Zoom book club that was reading this book. They liked it so much that they decided to follow up with
The Secret of Happiness. This started out as a pamphlet, but the expanded gift edition added supporting quotations and beautiful borders. It explains how happiness is the result of developing our virtues.
From Happiness to ALL of our emotions, The Secret of Emotions explains that our emotions are the tools God gave us to help us identify the presence or absence of His virtues in our lives.
Four of the most important virtues for happiness and healing are Forgiveness, Honesty, Compassion and Faith. These are the subject of 4 Tools of Emotional Healing.
The emotion and the virtue we long for the most is love. Longing for Love is about nurturing healthy relationships.
Then I put these last three books together into one volume, called Love, Lust and the Longing for God. Bad title, great book.
My most recent book Twelve Steps & the Baha’ Faith explores the common principles between these two communities and the unique qualities they have to offer one another.
Other Helpful Books
Of course, I’m not the only one who has applied Baha’i principles to solving personal issues. There are 27 great books on our Self-Help and Relationships page, including favorites like Divine Therapy and The Family Virtues Guide.
Sometimes it takes more than a book…
Sometimes we need to get out of our heads and into our hearts in order to heal. Here are some things that can help:
Cuddlebuddies to hug while rubbing a comfort coin and saying positive affirmations.
Virtue Reflection Cards to inspire you or to meditate on when facing a specific problem.
Character Coins to hold onto and rub throughout the day to keep you grounded.
Prayer Beads to help you relax and focus, and center your mind on God.
Coloring Books to help you unwind.
I am currently working on a new book called The Secret of Forgiveness. Here is a short excerpt:
To heal anger; to heal our wounded hearts so that we can let go of anger; we must first give ourselves permission to feel the anger. We need to hear that, yes, something bad did happen to us, and that we didn’t deserve it. Yes, there is a wound under that bandage. I believe you, so you don’t have to rip it back open. You can tell me about it and I will take your side and offer you solace.
So let me do just that:
I’m sorry that this bad thing happened to you. All of it. All 10 minutes of it. All 20 years of it.
You didn’t deserve it. You deserve to be treated with respect – as a noble human being with wonderful qualities. What happened to you was wrong and unfair and you have a right to be angry about it.
Take a moment to breathe that in.
You are innocent. You deserve good things. They were wrong.
Breathe it in again.
You are innocent. You deserve good things. They were wrong.
And again.
You are innocent. You deserve good things. They were wrong.
When we are hurt, we need to know that:
The pain is real.
Our feelings are valid.
And that our pain matters to someone.
Your pain matters to me.