How to Grow a Second Skin for Your Soul: For Those Who Feel Hurt, Judged, Criticized, Abandoned, Invalidated, When Someone Else Acts Like a Jerk

This book is amazing! Finally, an author who sees clearly into real life relationships. This author understands communication disconnect, the deception of criticism, the frustration of being misunderstood, and the helplessness of being caught off guard by jerks. This author puts you back in the drivers seat! She is great with the defensive arts! and teaches you how to get your personal power back and keep it. This book deserves the highest praise. Always edifying, self-affirming and filled with the best techniques for protecting yourself from negative people. A definite full 5 stars!

If you are an extremely decent and sensitive person who has been hurt repeatedly by others and unable to understand why others are hurting you and how to respond because you do not want to become "not nice," this book is for you. If in addition you enjoy clear and logical (almost scientific) explanations and easy to remember visualizations you are going to love this book. Dr Burgess finds the right words to approach feelings, fears, and emotions in the most logical way and provides answers to the questions I could not find anywhere else.

"How To Grow A Second Skin For Your Soul" is by far the best book that has ever been written on the topic of Boundaries, Relationships and developing a solid sense of self. Dr. Burgess knows her material well and teachers with a style that is both engaging and practical. Two particularly helpful `tools' were envisioning a "semi-permeable" bubble shield around you to keep out the "bad" while letting in the "good", as well as categorizing people into the "no", "maybe" and "yes" categories in order to discern the difference between malevolent and benevolent encounters (and in order to "see energy clearly"). The author offers verbal responses and tips for handling people you have categorized into the "no" and "maybe" categories as well as offering visualization and energetic techniques to help one stay centered when triggers and assaults occur. She guides you through the developmental process of growing through your fears to be able to speak the truth and become spiritually "free" from perceived oppressing energy, such as fear of judgment, criticism, guilt, abandonment and ostracism. And she guides you through the process of healing your heart in order to be able to trust and "let in the good" and to reach a space of neutrality, healthy self-esteem and inner peace. This is the first book to weave psychology with metaphysical principles and "tools", this approach really spoke to me and made sense. "How To Grow A Second Skin For Your Soul" will change your life in that it will make you emotionally centered, it will help you develop your core, your self-esteem, and your relationship with y our self and others. I enthusiastically and unreservedly recommend this book!

I loved the concept of NO people - those to stay away from for your sanity and safety - and the idea that you KNOW the NOs intuitively and can trust that inner sense. This book is not your typical self help pablum, not formulaic either. There are no meaningless charts and 'you are here and could be there'diagrams. Dr Burgess is smart and realistic and straightforward in her writing, making the info accessible and attainable.She doesnt make you feel like a jerk for thinking there are jerks out there- she validates that there ARE people who are cruel and calculating, and how to preserve your soul and sanity when you happen upon such miserable people.

A couple of people reviewing in this space gave this book one star, the lowest rating, apparently because they think it is more "spiritual" to let people walk all over you. The truth is, this book can help you become more spiritual, and a much happier person, by helping you to build strong boundaries, a solid sense of self. Only when you have done so are you truly free to grow into the spiritual being you were meant to be. When you are comfortable within your own skin, you are in a much better place to relate to and be compassionate toward others. Realize this. This solid sense of self, once created, will become the vehicle for your growth to a new and higher level of consciousness. If you are someone who is constantly hurt by others, who worries what others think of you, who says "yes" when in your heart you are thinking "no," get this book and begin moving off the deadend level you are stuck on. You CAN be the person you were meant to be. That's the message and the aim of this book. For goodness sake don't wait. Begin today. You owe it to yourself and your Maker.