My all time top 10 best books to change your life!

If you've made the conscious decision to reduce your screen time and break free from the endless cycle of doom scrolling, then congratulations! You've taken the first step towards enhancing yourself and reclaiming your spare time for something more meaningful. And what better way to make the most of this newfound freedom than by diving into the world of books?

I'm here to offer you a carefully curated list of fabulous books that I highly recommend if you're looking to enhance yourself during your  downtime. These books have the power to enlighten, inspire, and transform your perspective on life. So, without further ado, let's explore this literary treasure trove!

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Why Woo-Woo Works – The Surprising Science behind meditation, being kind and how the mind
can heal the body Dr David Hamilton

I like this book because it is very accessible and provides well researched support for why some of
the things we see as mystical or ‘out there’ are in fact a simple matter of science. It spans everything
from mind over matter, meditation and crystals to reiki, distance healing and law of attraction. So if
you have ever wondered whether there’s any truth behind the notion of crystals having power, or
prayer making things happen, or how people can use their mind to heal their body, you’ll find lots of
interesting answers in this book.

Conversations with God: An Uncommon Dialogue Book One – Neale Walsch

I stumbled across this book in the shared lounge of a hostel I stayed in in Wales and was gripped
from the moment I browsed the first chapter. I was raised Catholic, but as a rebellious type, I always
struggled with what I perceived to be too many rules, judgements and controls that came with
Catholicism. But I never lost my curiosity about religion, the ‘God concept’ and the mysteries of the
Universe. Here was a book (which seemingly just dropped into my world!) that was articulating with
clarity the hazy and muddled questions and beliefs I had been turning over in my mind for many
years. If you are interested in exploring your own spirituality and how this might fit alongside
traditional religious frameworks, if you are curious about this concept of God, how it can be
understood in relation to the Universe, collective consciousness and personal experience of being
alive, then I would recommend you have a read.

Activate Your RAS: The Art and Science of Creating Your Reality from the Inside Out – Sian Hill

Sian was the person that trained me as a Master Hypnotherapist, Timeline Therapy and NLP
Practitioner. I always enjoyed her highly pragmatic and broad ranging approach to her (and now my)
field, of harnessing the power of your subconscious mind to make great things happen in your life.
This book, as well as being a super-accessible and fun read, will help you understand how you can
apply some of the most simple and powerful tools for changing your experience of life into
something that you enjoy more. It also provides some of the science and psychology of this so that
you know why this stuff works. Highly recommended!

Quantum Healing (Revised and Updated): Exploring the Frontiers of Mind/Body Medicine –
Deepak Chopra MD 

This book helps uncover the mind blowing world of the intelligence of the body. From how cells can
heal, to the electrochemical messaging system that connects up the body with the mind, to the basic
patterns that govern health, immunity and ageing. It draws on the often perceived ‘hard science’ of
wester medicine, provides support rooted in quantum physics and how this reveals the
extraordinary goings on of the cellular (and smaller!) components of our physical make up. This is
integrated with the more holistic and spiritual principles of Eastern medical traditions, providing a
valuable illustration of the profound power of the ways we think and feel and how they can
influence our physical health.

A New Earth – Create your Better Life Today - Eckhart Tolle

Whilst most people are more familiar with Eckhart Tolle’s more famous ‘The Power of Now’, I
stumbled across ‘A New Earth’ first, and this is what brought me to his philosophy. I found the
book’s exploration of the nature of human consciousness, the ego and pain to be a fascinating and
eye opening one. Whilst Power of Now is arguably more actionable and helpful at the individual, as a
bit of an armchair philosopher and all-round consciousness geek, I really enjoyed his perspectives on
topics like the pain body, becoming ‘awakened’ and the collective enlightenment of humankind. It’s
a good read because it thinks BIG! Prepare to be a bit mind-blown in the opening chapters.

Positive Intelligence: Why Only 20% of Teams and Individuals Achieve Their True Potential AND
HOW YOU CAN ACHIEVE YOURS – Shirzad Chamine 

I read this book as part of an excellent professional development programme I participated in with
the author Shirzad Chamine himself. Whilst billed as a book for professional development, the
concepts are far more far-reaching. The central concept, really, is about moving through life and
career with far greater awareness of your emotional triggers and thoughts and then using moment-
to-moment mindfulness practises to regulate and manage those thoughts and emotions so that you
can build better relationships and outcomes. I love that the book provides evidence-based theory
rooted in psychology, mindfulness and other well researched modes of practise. Well worth a read!

Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself: How to lose your mind and create a new one – Dr Joe
Dispenza, Adam Boyce et al. 

I really enjoy books that provide a more logical, science-based backdrop to personal development
and holistic practises that I am working with. This book is rich in both real-life stories of people that
have made profound change in their lives through the techniques described, as well as providing a
good research basis (rooted in quantum physics and the latest science on neuroplasticity) for why
these techniques work. A couple of the stories and examples given are truly extraordinary and really
open the reader up to the possibilities of manifestation, healing and rewiring the mind. The only
downside is that the recommended accompanying meditation exercises - whilst deliciously deep and
calming – would require a daily commitment of a full hour, which I simply don’t believe is practical
for any but the most hardened meditators!

Sedona Method: Your key to lasting happiness, success, peace and emotional wellbeing – Hale
Dwoskin 

Full disclosure. I haven’t finished this one yet. I was recommended it by a connection and it sounded
really aligned to the work I do, so I began reading it. The book is a mixture of stories of people who
have used the method to transform their lives, with practical exercises to use the method on
yourself. I initially didn’t get great results from my attempts to use the tools described and relayed
this back to the person that recommended me the book. She offered to take me through some of
the exercises in person and I realised that I hadn’t actually understood how to do the work properly.
Having been taken through it first hand, I had much more success with the method and now use it
personally and with clients quite regularly! So my caution on the book is, reach out for an experience
of how to use the method first [call booking link] and then you’ll get a lot more from it.

The Magic - Rhonda Byrne 

In this follow up to ‘The Secret’ by the same author, and which I have never read (!!), you are taken
on a journey of daily exercises to cultivate the high vibration energy of gratitude over the course of
one month. The work is intense and takes a fair bit of time, but the results are unmistakeable. When
I started the book I was employed in a high intensity corporate role and feeling unfulfilled and stressed. By the time I had finished, I had left the role and was spending a month travelling Ireland to
search for the property that would become my home later that year. One of the exercises in the
book involves you writing a cheque to yourself ‘from the bank of the Universe’ for a figure of your
choice. I have never forgotten how the sum I had in the bank, after taking my final salary, selling my
home in the UK and buying my home in Ireland was within a few pounds of the round figure I had
written on my ‘cheque’ and invited the Universe to provide for me. At the time, I wasn’t so aware of
how the book and the associated gratitude work I was doing was creating this change in my life, but
with the benefit of hindsight, I think the effect was profound. And as I’m writing this I’m thinking, I
must go back and do the 28 day’s of exercises again!

How to Improve Your Psychic Power: A Practical Guide for Developing Your Natural Clairvoyant
Abilities – Carl Rider 

I found this book in a charity store in the mid 1990’s as a lost and confused teenager experiencing
night terrors and otherworldly experiences that I was searching to make sense of. I have not re-read
the book in the 30 years since, but I know that at the time it affected me and opened up a curiosity
and connection to the world of higher consciousness, inner-world journeying and energy work that
has been with me in the decades since. The book contains a series of lighthearted ‘games’ and
exercises to help you develop your ‘natural clairvoyant abilities’ as well as providing a discussion of
the spirit world and the possible landscape beyond our immediate tangible material world. Whether
you are ready to embrace ‘full woowoo’ or just interested in developing a stronger connection to
your intuition, ability to read others’ energy and develop your emotional awareness, this could be an
interesting addition to your reading list!

Note: The original hardback published in 1988 which I still have, was much prettier and more
appealing than the current paperback edition. But as far as I know, the content is the same!

1988 Edition (left)                             Newer Edition (not as pretty!)

So, dear reader, which will you choose, one, two or all of these?