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Summary: What do I want my purpose to be?
Review: A friend of mine recommended this book to me because she is crazy (not literally) about Thom as a person. I think of myself as a strong and powerful woman who is not fear based and approached the reading in this manner. I saw myself in several of Thom's clients. I came away with practical ideas and have written down several questions he provided in the book to keep in front of me. One question was my subject line and the other one is, "What are some things I can learn from this situation." Thom has a great gift for writing as though he's in conversation. He has wonderful humor woven throughout the book; and I really felt like I knew him on a personal level after finishing the book. What a humble guy! I would want to be in therapy sessions with him just to get a laughter fix, along with life lessons.
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Summary: A Book For Everyone
Review: Embracing Fear is not only a good read but also it is a book that makes a difference. Fear is a significant part of our lives. Thom Rutledge writes, "Fear fuels our negative and judgmental thoughts and our need to control things. Fear underlies guilt and shame and anger... Fear hides inside seemingly less severe emotions such as anxiety. The objects of anxiety can range from giving a presentation at work to the presence of terrorism in our world. We can be afraid that our shoes don't match an outfit or worry about larger concerns like world hunger." Embracing Fear shows us how to identify and face these fears that haunt us in our day-to-day lives. Once we isolate and identify the fear in our lives, Thom Rutledge takes us through the process of learning how to understand this fear and then eventually move beyond it. This is not some stuffy self-help manual nor is it a new age out there guide book, Embracing Fear is a book that makes sense while you read it and even better the principles and methods work. Thom Rutledge has indeed written a book for everyone.
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Summary: Taking the Fear Out of Fear
Review: Embracing Fear is not your typical self-help, full of psycho-jargoned text from some "expert" who claims, "I used to be afraid but now I'm not, and neither should you." The book reads more like an entertaining story about one man's journey toward understanding and dealing with his own fears, while helping others to do the same. Thom Rutledge's 20+ years as a practicing psychotherapist certainly qualifies him as an expert, but his extreme honesty and openness about his own life never separates himself from the rest of us. It's like reading a story from a dear friend. Thom tells us that fear comes in two forms: neurotic fear, which he calls the "bully," that tries to immobilize us and keep us from moving forward with our lives, and healthy fear, which he calls the "ally," that is simply a wake-up call that alerts us to greater possibilities. He says fear is like coming up against a wall, and when we face it, explore it, accept it, and respond to it, we can learn to lean into our walls of fear and pass beyond them. "Always move toward your demons; they take their power from your retreat," is one of many of Thom's Nutshells that appear throughout the book and in a glossary at the end. The greatest lesson I have learned from this book is that my fears do not have to be in charge of my life-I am in charge! "I reserve the right to disagree with myself," is another of Thom's wonderful Nutshells. With this, I have learned that when a wall appears in my life, I can walk right up to it and say, "Hello, Mr. Fear. Let's talk, then I will decide if I agree with you." Embracing Fear has given me the tools to pass beyond my walls and move forward toward my greater possibilities.
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Summary: Not Your Ordinary Self-Help Book
Review: Embracing Fear is similar to other self-help books that I have read in this way: between the front and back covers there are pages in sequential order. Beyond that, it's a whole different ball game. For one thing, I have never seen such extraordinary use of humor from an author writing about such a serious subject. I didn't just smile once in awhile; I literally laughed out loud throughout the entire book. Beyond the humor, this book contains an enormous amount of insight. From the beginning of the book, I learned what I could do to stop being controlled by fear. It was so refreshing to start reading about the solution in Chapter 1 instead of having to wait until halfway through the book to find any answers. And the tools in Embracing Fear don't require an unreal amount of time or attention. I have easily incorporated the techniques into my everyday life. Thom is honest about his own fear, too. He doesn't claim to have it all together, but candidly admits to being a "work in progress." Because Thom does not set himself on a pedestal, his book has a personal and conversational tone. Reading Embracing Fear is a collaborative experience, and it is worth reading more than once. A unique blend of practicality, simplicity, compassion and humor is what sets Embracing Fear apart from the other self-help books on the shelf. So don't be fooled by the front and back covers, and the sequentially numbered pages. Jenni Schaefer, author of Life Without Ed: How One Woman Declared Independence from her Eating Disorder and How You Can Too(McGraw-Hill/Contemporary Books - Feb '04 release)
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Summary: A message from the author of Embracing Fear
Review: Embracing Fear is the natural next step in my writing career, following books about addiction recovery, self-forgiveness, self-respect and personal responsibility. In my 20 years as a psychotherapist and close to 50 years on the planet, I have come to believe that who we are as individuals, as communities, as nations, and as a species is predominantly determined by how we deal with fear. Fear is universal. Natural, healthy fear is the best friend we will ever have, and neurotic fear is the arch-villain of our existence. Beneath every troubling thought and emotion we have ever had and will ever have, in the deepest part of any psychological wound, there you will find it: fear. My hope, as with all of my books, is that Embracing Fear will be both beneficial and enjoyable to read. As a psychotherapist I always encourage my clients to see the humor and have some fun as they travel the often difficult roads less traveled. As I tell the stories of some of those clients and of my own personal growth travels, I hope that same attitude is conveyed. Most of us will have little choice in how we die, but we all choose how we will live. And the choices we make about how to face, or not face, our fears are the most important choices of all. I hope that Embracing Fear can contribute something useful to your travels and to your choices. Let me know what you think. TR
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Summary: Recommended for those who normally avoid self-help books
Review: Embracing Fear will be appreciated by readers who usually avoid self-help books. Thom Rutledge, a Nashville psychotherapist, draws on his life and his clinical experience to share frank, irreverent insights into living and growing in today's world. Rutledge distinguishes healthy fear, which motivates us to move forward, from "neurotic" fear, which keeps us paralyzed. We should face fear, he says, but not let it rule our lives. This message is especially timely after the events of 9/11. Embracing Fear deserves attention not only for the main message, but also for the little gems that appear on almost every page. As a reader and writer in the self-help genre, I was impressed by Rutledge's originality. You won't find the usual "positive outlook" bromides here; in fact, we are warned to be leery of the New Age manifestation manifestos. As a therapist, says Rutledge, "I sometimes think of myself as an energy-efficiency consultant."Â
"Never trust someone who presents himself or herself as the ultimate expert on the human condition."
People who want to know their "life purpose" seem to imply there are "answers in the back of the book."   Embracing Fear will be a valuable resource for the thousands of people who face major career and life changes, which are often accompanied by fear. It will also be welcomed by those who are ready for self-help delivered heavy on the realism and easy on the hype. Â
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Summary: Kim Iverson, LCSW, Psychotherapist, from Bowling Green, Ky.
Review: Embracing Fear, is by far the best self-help book I have read--and I have read many during my professional career, in attempts to help clients of my own, and in my personal life, during attempts to help myself. I have read Thom Rutledge's other books as well (The Self-Forgiveness Handbook, Earning Your Own Respect, and Practice Makes Practice) but this one surpasses them all! Fear touches each of us, and sometimes we allow it to control us, however, this book teaches us how to stand up and take charge of our own life. While reading Embracing Fear, I found that it allowed me feel a number of emotions, from tears to laughing hysterically.... overall, very healing in the end. It is written with compassion, courage, and humor, but even more so with honesty. Unusual for a therapist to admit their own weaknesses, but a quality that I have learned is essential to being effective in helping others.
I plan to buy many of these books to pass along to family, colleagues, and friends--What a awesome way to show someone you care.
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Summary: Embracing Fear (..... and much more)
Review: From the very first pages of Thom Rhutledge's "Embracing Fear" I was hooked. This book has the rare quality of both informing the reader and encouraging self exploration. Mr. Rhutledge is able to inspire the reader to reflect and contemplate without being prescriptive...not an easy task. It was refreshing to see examples, validation, from Mr. Rhutledge's experiences as opposed to "others" or "them". Examples which made me laugh, sigh in agreement and consider my own views. This is a book full of valuable thoughts, ideas and suggestions for more deeply exploring something inherent in life - fear. "Embracing Fear" successfully inspires the reader. Without having to carry the book around, I find myself reflecting and contemplating it's main points and thoughts throughout my day. A must have for anyone interested in stepping into a more conscious relationship with self and other.
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Summary: What do I have to fear?
Review: I am a physician and former patient of Thom's. I ordered "Embracing Fear" even before it was published because I wanted to be supportive of his talent as a therapist and writer. I did wonder, however what I would learn by reading the book,after all "I do not have any paralyzing fears to speak of." How ironic that my opportunity to read the book came when I was flying to a rural town to work in a hospital as the only physician for the community. I had heard tales from colleagues about the desperately ill patients that are brought to this particular hospital and the lack of available technology that I had come to know so well in my comfortable urban setting. Over the course of that weekend, as I anticipated the arrival of those "desperately ill patients," I would scurry back to my call room and read chapters between patients. I realized that I did indeed have a paralyzing fear - it was fear of the unknown. Chapter after chapter I identified with Thom's clients and his personal vignettes. His self-effacing writing style was comforting, just as it had been in our sessions together. Despite all of his personal exploration, Thom does not pretend to have mastered this experience we call life. Nor did I anticipate developing mastery over this fear of who might land on my doorstep next. Instead, I became equipped with tools that allowed me explore the fear in a rational manner. So at 2am when I was called to the ER to care for a patient in cardiac arrest, I ran down the hall embracing the task at hand. A chance to use my new skills. The patient recovered and was up in bed the following morning eating breakfast. My new skills had directed me into and past the fear such that I could direct all of my attention on providing the necessary therapy to this patient. I got on a plane later that morning and flew home. As I unpacked I realized I left "Embracing Fear" on the plane. I started to call the airport lost and found number when I imagined the next passenger discovering the book and asking, "Interesting title but I do not have any fear to speak of."
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Summary: Conquer your fears in this safe environment....
Review: I like this book because of Thom's simple, down-to-earth language and his sharing from his own personal experiences. He helps us realize how pervasively and unconsciously fear operates in our lives. His viewing fear as normal, rather than the result of personal weaknesses, enables us to see ourselves as struggling, growing and traveling together with him and others, not set apart and different. He has a safe, inviting approach to dealing with the Bullies, as he calls our fears. I believe, without exception, those who want to live their lives to the fullest will benefit from Thom's perspective and the steps to being in charge of fear. He holds our hand and convincingly shows us page by page.
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