The Practically Shameless blog

Releasing trauma while hiking

Alyce Barry — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:10:51 GMT

I want to write about an amazing hike I did on Saturday. That night I was pretty tired by the time I got home and jotted down a few notes so I wouldn't forget. And then I was too tired and/or burned out yesterday to flesh them out. Right now it feels as if my feet are wading through sludge, and I'm hoping I'll pick up steam as I remember how much I enjoyed the hike.

The hike was to Fern Lake, one of several hikes in an area of Rocky Mountain National Park called Moraine Park. In that same area is the Cub Lake Trail, which I've done many times (and blogged about), and which I did the previous week.

The Fern Lake trail has an altitude gain of 1,375 feet, and I was fully prepared for it to be beyond my stamina, particularly for my knees. But I made it the whole way up and was well rewarded with some beautiful views at the top. Better than the views, however, was the rushing river alongside the trail for most of the way, with numerous waterfalls. I love hiking beside water: the water gives the path an aliveness that a "dry" hike doesn't have, and I also love the sound of rushing water, there are few sounds I find as rejuvenating.

Sometimes I go hiking because I'm feeling full after working with a client or after doing as much writing as I can do for the day. On Saturday, however, I was seeking refuge and comfort and contact with the Divine. I wasn't sure what that would mean for my hiking stamina. I knew I might end up stopping and sitting somewhere, without the oomph to go on.

I was seeking comfort for several reasons. I've been feeling lonely, with several friends unavailable all week, and doing some very challenging work for my brother, Cliff. I've been transcribing some talks he's given about more advanced ways to understand the archetypes and shadows. My Inner Critic started chewing on me pretty badly as I listened, telling me how stupid I am for not having seen this stuff years ago. One of the challenges of being related to a very brilliant person is that by comparison you end up feeling pretty dim.

So when I arrived at the Park, I'd been beating myself up pretty thoroughly most of the day, and I could feel the emotions waiting just beneath the surface.

In Practically Shameless, I wrote about an event that happened when I was nine, when my father ridiculed me. There were other events in my childhood that were more traumatic than that one, and I chose that one on purpose. I didn't want to overload the information I wanted to get across with a story that was too intense.

One of those other events was an operation I had when I was two. My mother left me alone in the hospital (they had a rule that parents couldn't stay with their children, and Mom didn't fight it). I was terrified and paced back and forth in my crib for hours, possibly throughout the night. Sometimes, if I'm feeling very afraid and don't know what to do, I touch into that little girl pacing back and forth in the crib. And I touched into it on my hike on Saturday.

What terrifies me most about that place is the "I don't know what to do" part. It seems as if I'm going to die if I don't do something, and not knowing what to do leaves me feeling very alone and helpless.

As I hiked up to Fern Lake, I began to speak aloud about how afraid I was, and how alone I felt, and how I didn't know what to do. And as I did so, my legs kept moving. Most of the time there were no other people nearby, so I didn't feel uncomfortable about talking aloud and crying as I walked. And I was amazed at how good it felt just to speak the words aloud. It seemed to help me release some of the fear, and I began to feel much better. I enjoyed the rest of my hike feeling greatly relieved, as if I'd gotten something off my chest.

I'm not sure yet, but it's possible that I got some answers to the "I don't know what to do" part. One answer is, It doesn't matter. This is just a feeling (fear), and it will pass, and I don't have to do anything. Another answer is, Get my body moving. Hike up the side of a mountain, and my body knows it wants to get to the top, and that's the only thing I need to do at that moment.

I've known for some years that releasing is, in general, a very big issue for me -- simply getting feelings out. My friend Jeff Baugher, who's an astrologer, tells me that one reason releasing is such a big issue is that I was born about 24 hours before the new moon, and therefore in the releasing phase of the moon's monthly cycle. I'm sure it's a big reason why I became a writer. And I did pick up steam as I wrote about this, another example of the healing power of releasing.

Thoughts on phobias

Alyce Barry — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:33:38 GMT

A while back, I subscribed to a daily email called the Shankman Report. It lists stories that various reporters are working on for which they are seeking sources. I sometimes email a reporter looking for info on a topic I feel reasonably knowledgeable about.

Yesterday a reporter in Canada was looking for sources on phobias, on where they come from and how to get over them. She specifically requested sources in Canada, so when I emailed, I made it clear I wasn't in Canada but hoped my thoughts on phobias might be useful to her, and she wrote back to thank me.

Here's what I wrote.

I had a phobia of spiders from childhood through to my 20s. I'm now in the personal growth business, so I help people with similar issues. I've come to believe that a phobia has something to tell us, and once we find out what that is, the phobia will go away of its own accord, or can at least be treated much more easily, because the "purpose" of the phobia is gone.

In my case, I had a phobia of spiders because my mother was acting like a spider, and although I sensed that something was hurting me, I couldn't see or understand it until much later in life. When I say my mother was acting like a spider, I mean that she would placate me with subtle flattery, so that I let my guard down, and then she'd "sting" me with a subtle but devastating criticism or dismissal. As with a spider bite, however, I wouldn't realize for some time that I'd been bitten -- I'd feel terrible but not know why, because the sting had been so subtle. The whole process was so hidden, it was like getting caught in spiderweb, which is almost invisible but surprisingly strong.

I didn't come to this belief until my 50s. In my 20s, I was living in Florida, and a very large spider (4" diameter) entered my apartment. My phobia had always made it impossible for me to remain in the room with a spider, much less kill it. Usually I had to leave a room and ask someone else to kill it. But I was alone with no one to ask, and it was in the kitchen where I had no way to avoid it. I managed to throw a phone book across the room to land on the spider and kill it. And I left that phone book there until I moved out of the apartment about a month later, I believe, without ever picking it up or looking underneath. It seemed like a huge breakthrough to me at the time, that I'd been able to kill a spider, and I'm certain that the phone book was the only way I could have done it, because it meant I could kill it remotely without making any physical contact with the spider (as I would have if I'd used a broom, for example), and also because the phone book landing on the floor made a loud enough noise that I couldn't hear the horrible sound of the spider being crushed. From that time until my 50s, I found I could kill spiders when I needed to.

I figured out the mom connection about 5 years ago (I'm 57). Since then, I've become less and less afraid of spiders, until today I'm not afraid of them at all, with the exception that I'm not very happy about them crawling on me. When I see them in the house, I generally say hello, trap them and take them outdoors. In fact, I've come to believe that the more I spare the lives of spiders, the more writing energy I have, because the spider is really my totem as a writer/author. I think a writer "weaves a web" for a reader to fall happily into. A spider is one of the most creative beings in the animal kingdom: many species of spiders spin a new web every day. The dark side of spider energy is the kind of manipulation my mother was doing (probably because she was manipulated in the same way as a girl). But the positive side of the same energy is a good kind of manipulation that a writer uses to "spin" a good story, to "trap" the reader in a wonderful story or in suspense, and the reader can "fall into the web" to escape the world for a little while.

What I would add is that it would have been too risky for me as a child to see my mother as doing anything negative and that's why my fear of "spider energy" manifested instead as a phobia. It makes sense that I wouldn't be able to kill a spider, since that would symbolize killing my connection with my mother.

The perfect summer evening Schmooze

Alyce Barry — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 21:27:24 GMT

As I mentioned in Practically Shameless (on page 145 of the paperback edition), I started a weekly get-together for Boulder Media Women called the Schmooze. My love for the Schmooze and for various other opportunities to be in groups of women demonstrate to me how far I've come.

This evening's Schmooze was at the Corner Bar at the Boulderado Hotel, on the corner of 13th and Spruce in Boulder, and it was the perfect summer evening. The air was the perfect temperature, we were well-shaded from the afternoon sun, the food and drink were excellent, and of course the company was superb. Nothing beats a group of women writers for interesting conversation.

Pictured on my left is my good friend Barbara Darling, who helped me with PR for the book and hosted a book-signing party for me at her house in north Boulder last fall. (She even loaned me a blouse when I discovered mine was unwearable!)

The photo was taken by Andrea Meyer, another regular Schmooze attender and good friend. I began taking photos of the Schmooze several years ago, with my cell phone, and posted them on a private web page for the group, and mine are rarely this sharp.

Our conversations at the Schmooze generally range over quite a variety of topics, and tonight was no exception, from books to popular culture and politics. There have even been magical conversations about life and death. A member once commented that the Schmooze was beginning to resemble the Algonquin Round Table, and I felt honored by the comparison.

As the coordinator who picks our venues for the Schmooze each week, I'm usually called the Schmooze Queen. Andrea has been filling in for me in a variety of ways lately, so tonight (with her permission, of course) I officially dubbed Andrea our Schmooze Duchess.
And while I was at it, I named Andi O'Conor our Chancellor of the Exchequer, since she's nobly volunteered to be our calculator and enforcer when it's time to pay the bill.

Summer Solstice Special - Five days only!

Alyce Barry — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 21:47:48 GMT

I'm offering a Summer Solstice Special on all items for sale in the Practically Shameless Online Store - for five days only!

25% off all orders!

To receive your 25% off, enter the coupon code SOLSTICE on the order form.
This offer expires midnight, June 26, 2008, Mountain Daylight Time.

Order now at 25% off!
Practically Shameless - paperback edition - regularly $16.95 - $12.71
Practically Shameless - audio book edition - regularly $24.95 - $18.71
The Clean Talk CD - regularly $19.95 - $14.96
The Tombstone CD - regularly $19.95 - $14.96
The Shadow Work Basics CD - regularly $7.00 - $5.25
The Shadow Work Basics audio cassette - regularly $6.00 - $4.50
The 9/11 Grieving Process CD - regularly $4.00 - $3.00

Don't forget to enter coupon code SOLSTICE on your order form.

And thank you for supporting Practically Shameless Press!

Audio book gets review from Midwest Book Review

Alyce Barry — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 05:26:32 GMT

I have happy news to share this morning: a review for the audio book edition of Practically Shameless from the Midwest Book Review!

It's on MBR's Library Bookshelf page in the Audiobook Shelf section, for June 2008.

MBR posted it at Amazon.com as well, with a rating of 5 stars.

The text of the review:

"Practically Shameless: How Shadow Work Helped Me Find My Voice, My Path, and My Inner Gold is the unabridged audiobook rendition of author and Shadow Work facilitator Alyce Barry's self-help guide to revitalizing one's life. Barry draws upon her personal story of overcoming depression to explain the human shadow, and the transformative power of the Shadow Work processes. Shadow Work founder Cliff Barry provides a foreword to this helpful guide to positive metamorphosis, which delves into why humans resist change so much and how to tap into one's positive inner sources. Especially recommended for anyone interested in discovering the mental and emotional benefits of shadow work. 5 CDs, 5 hours 32 min."

The Clean Talk CD

Alyce Barry — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 18:22:43 GMT

I'm very happy to announce a new product for sale, which I helped create: The Clean Talk CD, Communication Tools for Group Leaders.

I recorded the CD with my brother, Cliff, last fall. I wrote most of the script and did the sound editing. It was my first experience producing a CD, and I find that very exciting.

So what is Clean Talk? It's a set of communication tools that can make any conversation safer and more productive. Clean Talk is the method we use in Shadow Work when we want to speak cleanly and especially when there is conflict present. Clean Talk can both prevent and resolve conflicts.

The word "clean" refers to Clean Talk's clear-cut guidelines that help each person in the conversation take responsibility for their part of what's happening instead of placing the responsibility on someone else.

If you're a group leader, the Clean Talk tools help you prevent your shadows from leaking out and hurting other people. As Cliff says on the CD, "As a group facilitator, the words that come out of your mouth are what you're selling. They're your bottom line."

Clean Talk also helps you build trust, and that trust will make you more successful as a group leader. The Clean Talk CD teaches you how to recognize and use all four channels of communication (assessments, feelings, wants, and data). It also offers humorous examples of the most common "no-nos" or misspeaks. (Cliff and I used quite a bit of humor on the CD, and we're already hearing that it's fun to listen to.)

The Clean Talk CD also teaches you to do Word Coaching, a skill you can offer as a facilitator to help people speak more cleanly in important situations.

The CD comes with two handouts: a map of the four channels of communication, and a cheat sheet for Word Coaching in all four channels.

The Clean Talk CD is approximately 79 minutes long and costs $19.95. It comes in a shatterproof plastic case. You can buy it from the Practically Shameless home page.

Tomorrow starts the 14th week on the bestseller list

Alyce Barry — Sun, 18 May 2008 10:33:29 GMT

Tomorrow the paperback edition of Practically Shameless starts its 14th week on Amazon.com's bestseller list of books about Jungian psychology. I find this so satisfying that it's hard to put into words.

This weekend I'm catching up on things around the house, and on blog entries, after one of the busiest months I've had in a long while. I ran three weekend workshops in a row, and all were a big success. I knew in advance of the first of three that there would be things I wouldn't have a chance to do in between, and I was right. About all I had time to do was keep up with family and get enough sleep.

Rest really becomes the issue when I'm running workshops, and I'm finally getting good at dropping into bed promptly when I get back home or back to a hotel, rather than trying to stay up to get some things done. It's a little like parenting in that way, when it's often necessary to let the house be dirty or messy in order to do what's more important.

So far, 74 copies of the audio book have sold, all purchased from me, and so far none from Amazon. Sometime soon I'll send emails to buyers of the audio book asking them to do me a favor and post a review at Amazon. I learned from Amazon this week that reviews of the paperback and audio editions will be mingled together on the pages for both, rather than separated, and I guess that makes sense. But it means that someone wanting to know what the audio book is like as a listening experience won't necessarily find out from reading customer reviews if those customers comment more on the story than on the technical aspects of the recording.

A lot is happening on the publishing front, and I'm at work on several manuscripts. It's wonderful to be back at work on a book. It's hard to describe what it feels like to know that I can write a book and see it published and in people's hands and getting read. Really thrilling, and the fulfillment of a dream I've had since I was quite young.

I'll also be putting the Clean Talk CD for sale at this website sometime within the next week. It's a CD I recorded with my brother Cliff last fall, primarily for group facilitators.

Feedback from a Library reader

Alyce Barry — Wed, 07 May 2008 08:26:38 GMT

My friend Jan DeCourtney started a group called Colorado Healing Publishers, and last November I exhibited with other group members at the Nexus Expo in Denver. For the Expo, we created a flyer featuring books by group members, including Practically Shameless, and we've been passing out leftover flyers ever since.

This morning Jan passed along this message in an email from a friend:

"I found at the library the book in your flyer: Practically Shameless ... it had just been put on the shelf the day before.

I am 1/2 way through . I found today that I could also go through my own process while reading....chapter on self acceptance.

It is helping me work more clearly with my shadow from having heard her process.

Thanks for the healing publishers who are getting the word out and to you for your brilliant idea to help form that group.

Blessings and thanks for your work."

Customers in 12 countries (or 13, sort of)

Alyce Barry — Fri, 02 May 2008 13:49:32 GMT

I received a book order this morning from someone in Austria, which makes the 12th country from which customers have made purchases: the U.S., Canada, England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, France, Denmark, Norway, South Africa, Australia, and Austria.

Oh, and someone in the U.S. purchased a copy to send to a family member serving in Iraq, so that's 13, sort of.

"Practically Shameless" paperback in May 2008 edition of Paper Clips

Alyce Barry — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:25:07 GMT

The paperback edition of Practically Shameless is featured in the May 2008 edition of Paper Clips, the adult trade paperback catalog of book distributor giant Baker & Taylor.

Practically Shameless appears on page 58 at the top of the Psychology section.

I've just returned from 5 days out of town, leading a Shadow Work weekend with my brother, Cliff, in Madison, Wisconsin. Though Cliff lived in Madison for many years, this was actually the first Shadow Work weekend done within the city limits. We had 16 participants and 4 people on staff, along with Cliff's daughter, Susanne Benton, offering Sensory Repatterning sessions in an adjoining room.

It was a weekend of stunning magic. Cliff was at his most adept, facilitating with such deep insight into people's needs that it was extraordinary to watch. I feel honored to work with someone so gifted. I also had some worthwhile insights that I was able to offer, and I very much enjoyed performing several visualizations more evocatively, I think, than I ever have before.

I realized . . . I realized . . . I realized . . .

Alyce Barry — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 08:14:07 GMT

After complaining a few days ago that the pace of Alan Alda's audio book Never Have Your Dog Stuffed was a bit too fast, I listened to the rest of it yesterday, first while taking a bath and then while tidying up the house. At times the pace was still a bit uncomfortable, but I discovered belatedly that this version was abridged, and that may have been part of the problem. I wasn't listening to Alda's unaltered rhythm of speaking; I was listening to some abridger's version.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed the audio book on the whole and found out the many ways in which Alan Alda is not actually Hawkeye Pierce, which is a good thing to have learned.

Another thing leapt out at me while I listened, though, and that is Alda's regular pattern of realizing things. "I realized... I realized... I realized..." A pattern that appears in Practically Shameless as well, and in many of my essays.

As I generally do, I was trying to figure out the whole time I was listening what Enneagram type Alda is. I began thinking he was the same type as me -- a Six -- mostly for two characteristics: his habit of making everything humorous, which is a common Six strategy because it reduces anxiety, and because his energy is so "edgy," a word often applied to Sixes. (Think Robin Williams.) "Antsy" would be another word for it, and if you're as familiar with old M*A*S*H episodes as I am, I'm pretty sure you'll agree.

As I listened, however, I heard some characteristics of other types, mostly One and Eight, so I kept an open mind about it, but came back to my original conclusion about 3/4 way through the book. That's about the time when the "realized" pattern struck me as well -- and of course now, as I talk about it, I'm exhibiting that very pattern -- "I realized that Alan Alda says 'I realized' a lot!"

The childhood of a Six is sometimes described as a lack of guidance and support, and that certainly describes both our backgrounds. What's striking me this morning -- okay, I'll say it -- what I'm realizing this morning -- is that the series of realizations makes sense for a person who grew up figuring things out for themselves, and gradually finding trusted sources of guidance, because guidance was missing in childhood.

For me, as I described in Practically Shameless, the sources became Shadow Work, Carl Jung, Joseph Campbell and others, and for Alda the sources were different, but the pattern is remarkably similar.

The pace of an audio book

Alyce Barry — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 20:13:17 GMT

I listened today to half a dozen chapters of an audio book -- Alan Alda's autobiography, Never Have Your Dog Stuffed -- and I'm realizing how much I want feedback on how my own audio book turned out. Not sure how to do that -- perhaps just email people who have purchased it with a list of questions, or I could create a formal questionnaire, but that might suggest that I'm really worried about it.

I love Alan Alda, I've been watching old M*A*S*H episodes on and off for years, and his autobiography is startlingly personal and very funny in places. But he reads too quickly.

As I recorded Practically Shameless, I was well aware of the issue of pacing, as a friend of mine had just purchased Garrison Keillor's newest book, Pontoon and found it almost impossible to listen to because of its speed.

For the company producing the audio book, of course it's best if the recording is as short as possible because it fits on the minimum number of CDs. But what a shame that one can't enjoy the brilliance of Garrison Keillor because he's talking too fast.

Ironically, the best word for the sensation I had after listening to Alda's too-fast performance was -- stuffed.

I read Practically Shameless at a much easier pace, and I'm anxious to find out if that worked well for listeners.

In the Recommended section

Alyce Barry — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 21:04:12 GMT

I stopped by the Boulder Book Store last week to see Practically Shameless in the Recommended section. The section consists of 3 cases
along the left side of the front of the store, just past a case of recommended children's books.

Each book in this section has a tag hanging over the shelf beneath it indicating whether it's been recommended by staff or by customers. The tags are large enough to obscure the tops of the books below, so that the books with titles farther down the front cover are most visible.

The tag below Practically Shameless features one of the wonderful customer review posted at the book's Amazon.com page:

"A compelling personal journey through courageous self-discovery and growth that was hard to put down. Alyce travels through her life, revealing her growing inner struggles to escape from her 'box.' She hides nothing. Someone has finally written a book on the pervasive shame that shrouds everyday lives in America." – Mary Walilko, small business owner

I've drawn a circle around the book's position on the shelf, since that's next to impossible to see in the photo above. The man standing in the foreground is reading something else. There were 5 copies on the shelf, meaing that most likely 5 copies have sold. One copy was purchased by a woman who has decided to attend my May Shadow Work weekend here in Boulder.

It's a kick to see my work in a bookstore, and especially in a store as classy as Boulder Book Store on Boulder's Pearl Street Mall.

Stop complaining -- at your peril

Alyce Barry — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 11:36:36 GMT

I've just posted an essay entitled "Stop complaining--at your peril" at my Amazon.com blog.

For some reason it's not showing up on the Practically Shameless page yet, as it should, but it's at the main blog page.

Amazon's processing more quickly

Alyce Barry — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 11:09:23 GMT

Either I've forgotten how long it took to get the paperback edition of Practically Shameless for sale on Amazon.com, or their processing has sped up considerably, because they're offering the audio book for sale in record time and have correctly linked it to the page for the paperback edition.

The audio book's page at Amazon

Amazon hasn't sent me a purchase order for any copies of the audio book yet, so it's listed as "temporarily out of stock." I guess that looks better for them than "We haven't gotten our butts in gear to ask for any yet."

I will presumably receive an order in the next few days, and after I pay through the nose to UPS to ship them to Kentucky (Amazon unfortunately doesn't do well with USPS shipments), audio books will be for sale about a week after that.

On an email list I belong to for Colorado Independent Publishers, someone wrote, "Everything at Amazon takes a week. No one knows why."

While I await the purchase order, I uploaded front and back cover images of the audio book, and they were on view in less than 15 minutes.

While I was at it, I uploaded an image of the back cover of the paperback. You'll spot a tiny version of it beneath the photo of the front cover, and you can click it to see a larger version.

Last day to get audio book at pre-release price

Alyce Barry — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 10:35:30 GMT

Today is the last day to purchase the audio book edition of Practically Shameless at the pre-release price of $19.95 plus shipping.

To listen to an excerpt, see more photos, or place an order,
http://www.practicallyshameless.com/shameless-audio.html

The audio book is unabridged, read by the author (me), on 5 CDs with a total run time of 5 hours 32 minutes. My brother Cliff reads his Foreword.

Included is a booklet containing illustrations from the paperback edition and a list of CD tracks.

Hope that wherever you are, March is going out like a lamb.

Audio books assembled and shipped!

Alyce Barry — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 22:00:08 GMT

The Practically Shameless audio book has been assembled, and all orders received so far were shipped today!

I'm terribly proud of the final product, I think it looks wonderful and very professional. The color cover inserts are vibrant, and the illustrated booklet came out really well if I do say so myself.

A reminder, that the deadline for purchasing the audio book at its special pre-release price of $19.95 is Monday, March 31, at midnight. At this page you can listen to a four-minute excerpt.

You can place your order at the Practically Shameless online store.

"Practically Shameless" debuts in Boulder Book Store email newsletter

Alyce Barry — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 08:24:45 GMT

Practically Shameless made its debut in the Boulder Book Store's email newsletter today, in the "Local Authors Corner" section.

Unfortunately, with a typo in the text which was not of my making. I notified the newsletter editor to ask her to change it for the next issue.

I paid BBS to carry my book on consignment, which is apparently what one does when one is a small press. They have two consignment packages, costing $75 and $125 respectively, and I chose the more expensive of the two because it offers the book for sale at the BBS website for several weeks. Both packages include the book being in the Recommended section at the front of the store for a minimum of two weeks. The package I bought also includes featuring the book on the Local Favorites page of the BBS website for at least 6 weeks, and offering the book for sale online for the entire time the book is in stock at the store. I was able briefly to look at that site this morning before the site apparently went down for repairs. It described the book as available "by special order," which would suggest to a buyer, I think, that it would take some time to get, which is pretty unsatisfactory.

I stopped by the Store on Sunday on my way to Cliff and Vicki's house for Easter dinner and found 6 copies in the New Nonfiction section on the first floor, on the top shelf. The Store took 10 copies from me to sell on consignment, so perhaps this means 4 have sold already.

I checked upstairs in the section called Jungian Studies, and the book wasn't stocked there as well, so I'll be checking in with the consignment buyer, Liesl Freudenstein, about it. Neither was it in the general Psychology section.

Why you're not selfish

Alyce Barry — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 11:45:16 GMT

I finished an essay yesterday for the Shadow Work email newsletter, entitled "Selfish," A Label That Isn't True.

It argues, from a Shadow Work perspective, why you're not selfish, even if you think you are.

The newsletter goes out about six times a year, and its subscribers are the first to hear about the new essays. Subscribe here.

Audio book edition of "Practically Shameless" at special pre-release price

Alyce Barry — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 12:15:58 GMT

Practically Shameless Press will release the audio book edition of Practically Shameless on Monday, March 31, 2008.

Prior to the release date, the audio book will be offered for sale at $5.00 off the regular retail price of $24.95.

The pre-release purchase price of $19.95 plus shipping is available from the Practically Shameless Press online store for orders placed no later than Monday March 31.

An audio excerpt can be heard at this page.

The audio book edition of Practically Shameless is unabridged and read by author Alyce Barry. Shadow Work founder Cliff Barry reads his Foreword.

The audio book contains 5 CDs with a total run time of 5 hours 32 minutes. It comes in an attractive disc wallet holding each CD in its own protective sleeve and a booklet containing illustrations from the paperback edition.

The special pre-release price of $19.95 is available only through March 31, 2008.

Meanwhile, the paperback edition of Practically Shameless is in its fifth week on Amazon.com's Bestseller list of books by and about Swiss psychiatrist Carl G. Jung. It was Jung who first coined the term "the human shadow." Practically Shameless is author Alyce Barry's personal story of awakening from depression using Shadow Work, a personal growth methodology developed in the early 1990s.

Copies of the paperback edition of Practically Shameless are also available, personally autographed by the author, from the Practically Shameless Press website.

The site also offers
> study guides
> excerpts
> a synopsis of Practically Shameless
> excerpts from taped interviews with the author's late father, John Barry, to whom Practically Shameless is dedicated.