I’ll be forever changed by Dr. Eger’s story… The Choice is a reminder of what courage looks like in the worst of times and that we all have the ability to pay attention to what we’ve lost, or to pay attention to what we still have.” Edith is a psychologist and Holocaust survivor who just released the book “The Gift”. I got chills throughout the book and know members of this community will love every word. Edith is an embodied teacher who gifts us with the wisdom that we are not not victims of our past, but powerful creators of our future. Her story is a testament to our true human potential. She’s a gift.

The Gift by Edith Eger | Waterstones The Gift by Edith Eger | Waterstones

You never know what’s coming from the outside. You can’t predict who might show up to cause harm—yell an insult, throw a punch, break a promise, betray your trust, drop a bomb, start a war. I wish I could tell you that tomorrow the world will be safe from cruelty and violence and prejudice, from rape and depravity and genocide. But that world may not ever come. We live in a world with danger, and so we live in a world with fear. Your safety isn’t guaranteed. Another misconception about forgiveness is that the way to make peace with someone who has harmed us is to say, “I’m done with her.”Our minds come up with all sorts of brilliant ways to protect us. Victimhood is a tempting shield because it suggests that if we make ourselves blameless, our grief will hurt less. As long as Emily identified as the victim, she could pass all the blame and responsibility for her well-being on to her ex-husband. Victimhood offers a false respite by deferring and delaying growth. The longer we stay there, the harder it is to leave.” Divorce doesn’t resolve the emotional business of the relationship. It just gives you legal permission to repeat the same pattern with someone else! It doesn’t make you free.” Honey, don’t cover garlic with chocolate. It doesn’t taste good. Likewise, there’s no freedom in denying reality, or trying to cloak it in something sweet. Hope isn’t a distraction from darkness. It’s a confrontation with darkness.”

The Gift by Edith Eger | Waterstones

Resolving grief means both to release ourselves from responsibility for all the things that weren’t up to us, and to come to terms with the choices we’ve made that can’t be undone.” Remember: You don’t have to live in the past, and you don’t have to suppress your emotions either. When you’re ready, share your story, and choose the path towards healing. If you want to take charge of your thinking, first examine what you’re practicing, and then decide: is it empowering or depleting me? Before you say anything, especially to yourself, ask, “Is it kind and loving?”” This month, I’ve had the great honour of having a unique and exciting conversation with one of the people who became my role models. This spring, I read her first book and it moved me so much, I felt both pain and a lot of liberation. I listened to as much of her interviews as I could, then I read her second book and I thought what would it be like for me to meet her, not only in my imagination, but in real life…and life was generous with me. So I got the opportunity of having an online conversation with Edith Eva Eger herself – the therapist who, at 90, published her first book, who survived the Holocaust, who took her life in her own hands and chose love instead of suffering. Our conversation was on Zoom, and below you have fragments of our dialogue.Health & Wellness A sex therapist shares some very surprising truths about men's desire It’s OK to argue, but never have sex after a fight It doesn’t take courage to strive for perfection. It takes courage to be average. To say, “I’m okay with me.” To say, “Good enough is good enough.”” Dr. Edith “Edie” Eger (IG: @dr.editheger) is a sought-after clinical psychologist and lecturer. She helps individuals discard their limitations, discover their powers of self-renewal, and achieve things they previously thought were unattainable. If we can’t move on from our guilt and make peace with our grief, it’s damaging to our loved ones, and not a compliment to those who’ve died. We have to let the dead be dead, to stop yanking them up again and again, to let them go and to live our own best lives so they can rest in peace.” As readers seek to find joy and some peace in these challenging times, Eger’s wisdom and heartfelt advice is as timely, and timeless, as ever and certain to resonate with Eger’s devoted readers and those who have not yet found her transformational wisdom.