Change: What Really Leads to Lasting Personal Transformation [Hardcover]

What causes human beings to make a significant change in their lives, a transformative shift in thinking and actions? This fundamental question has preoccupied philosophers, priests, politicians, authors, and scholars for centuries. Today, psychologists and therapists who sit with clients session after session have a unique window into the human psyche, watching the rhythms of change unfold in front of them every day, and yet the process remains a mystery. Research has shown that even in cases of unqualified success, the client and the therapist often have wildly different views on what made it work. Taking that as his starting point, Jeffrey Kottler leads the reader on an exploration of human behavior, seeking to find out what it is that really makes a difference that can lead to transformative and lasting change.Change is often a mystery, one that baffles doctors, therapists, teachers, coaches, parents--and especially those of us who struggle to alter our own bad habits or make lasting improvements in our lives. Why do we suddenly change for the better after years of failed efforts? Why do some of us never escape our self-destructive behaviors, even when we desperately want to? What is it that most reliably and effectively produces growth, learning, and development that persist over time?In this vividly written volume, psychotherapist Jeffrey Kottler weaves together inspiring stories and the latest research, taking the reader on a fascinating exploration of human behavior while highlighting what does--and does not--lead to lasting change. Kottler illuminates our many efforts to change--to stop taking drugs, reduce dependencies, leave a destructive relationship, find new and more meaningful work, or adjust to a devastating accident or trauma. Readers are invited to explore key triggers such as hitting bottom, moments of clarity, the power of altruism and service, travel to new surroundings, reading or listening to stories, religious conversion, and much more. KottllS‡