The Gift: 12 Lessons to Save Your Life

Product Information

When Edith was sixteen, she and her family were sent to Auschwitz. She is a psychologist and wrote this book when she was 92. Here is what she wrote: Life—even with its inevitable trauma, pain, grief, misery, and death—is a gift. A gift we sabotage when we imprison ourselves in our fears of punishment, failure, and abandonment; in our need for approval; in shame and blame; in superiority and inferiority; in our need for power and control. To celebrate the gift of life is to find the gift in everything that happens, even the parts that are difficult, that we’re not sure we can survive. To celebrate life, period. To live with joy, love, and passion.” I used to ask, “Why me?” But now I ask, “Why not me?” Perhaps I survived so I can choose what to do with what happened, and how to be here now. So I can show others how to choose life, so my parents and all the innocents didn’t die in vain. So I can turn all the lessons I learned in hell into a gift I offer you now: the opportunity to decide what kind of life you want to have, to discover the untapped potential lying in the shadows, to reveal and reclaim who you really are. April 8 is a Day of Remembrance for victims of the Holocaust. Dr. Edith Eger speaks about “The Gift,” her book that mentions grief as a force for positive change, inspired by her story surviving the Auschwitz concentration camp, and her healing process from the trauma. The Choice is a gift to humanity. One of those rare and eternal stories that you don’t want to end and that leave you forever changed. Dr. Eger’s life reveals our capacity to transcend even the greatest of horrors and to use that suffering for the benefit of others. She has found true freedom and forgiveness and shows us how we can as well.’—DESMOND TUTU, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate#TheChoice thechoicememoir.com

The Gift by Edith Eger | Waterstones

Haar therapeutische aanpak noemt zij zelf eclectisch en intuïtief en zij beschrijft deze aanpak zelf als volgt: “het is een mengeling van inzichtelijke en cognitief-georiënteerde theorieën en methodes. Ik noem het keuzetherapie, omdat vrijheid in wezen betekent dat je kunt kiezen. Hoewel lijden onvermijdelijk en universeel is, kunnen we altijd kiezen hoe we erop reageren.” That is so powerful. I’m sure we all have been hurt by people in the past, who have done some severe damage, but rather than suppressing the rage, we need to embrace it. We need to feel the full extent of it until we can finally let it go. And when we do choose to let it go, we are giving ourselves the gift of freedom.Wiesel and Frankl were both Holocaust survivors who made it their mission to bring peace and healing to the world. They both went through extreme suffering — suffering that you and I can hardly imagine. Sophia and Dr. Eger discuss the power of thought, how the most obnoxious person can be your best teacher, why “How are you doing?” is a stupid question, and how love is what you do rather than what you say. Harness your freedom to. Make a vision board—a visual representation of what you want to create or embrace in your life. Cut out pictures and words from magazines, old calendars, etc.—there are no rules, just see what attracts you. When I was 40, I was told to go for a doctorate and I said, “It’s impossible because by the time I get a doctorate, I’ll be 50.” And the person said, “You’ll be 50 anyway.” Isn’t that brilliant? Don’t cover garlic with chocolate. It’s tempting to confuse hope with idealism, but idealism is just another form of denial, a way of evading a true confrontation with suffering. Resiliency and freedom don’t come from pretending away our pain. Listen to the way you talk about a hard or hurtful situation. It’s okay. It’s not that bad. Others have it so much worse. I don’t have anything to complain about. Everything will work out in the end. No pain, no glory! The next time you hear yourself using the language of minimization, delusion, or denial, try replacing the words with: ‘It hurts. And it’s temporary.’ Remind yourself, ‘I’ve survived pain before.’��

The Gift by Edith Eger 40 Best Quotes From The Gift by Edith Eger

Edith Eger brings her own life experiences as a survivor of Auschwitz. We get some great tips in this intriguing story. It's full of wisdom and compassion. The book is well written and easy to understand. There's stories from other survivors of various events. Edith has lots of life experiences. It teaches us new techniques to change how we are feeling/reacting/behaving. Everybody could learn something from reading this well written book about mental health and self care. Don’t ask your partner stupid questions like, “How are you?” because they are going to say “fine,” even if they’re not fine. Instead, make a statement. “Good to see you,” “I missed you.” And then you have good sex. A moving conversation with the renowned psychologist and Holocaust survivor, about her complicated life and the lessons it taught her 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.

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. Oprah Winfrey as long as you’re avoiding your feelings, you’re denying reality. And if you try to shut something out and say, ‘I don’t want to think about it,’ I guarantee that you’re going to think about it. So invite the feeling in, sit down with it, keep it company. And then decide how long you’re going to hold on to it. Because you’re not a fragile little somebody. It’s good to face every reality. To stop fighting and hiding. To remember that a feeling is just a feeling—it’s not your identity.” The Choice is a gift to humanity. One of those rare and eternal stories that you don't want to end and that leave you forever changed. Dr. Eger's life reveals our capacity to transcend even the greatest of horrors and to use that suffering for the benefit of others. She has found true freedom and forgiveness and shows us how we can as well." When you change your life, it isn’t to become the new you. It’s to become the real you—the one-of-a-kind diamond that will never exist again and can never be replaced.

Edith Eger The Book - Dr. Edith Eger

While Dr. Edie had found her purpose in helping others heal from trauma, she herself hadn’t fully healed. She realized she couldn’t fully help her patients if she hadn’t healed herself. That’s when she decided she was going to return to Auschwitz.

I earned my doctorate in clinical psychology in 1978 and I’ve been treating patients in a therapeutic setting for over forty years. I have worked with combat veterans and survivors of sexual assault; students, civic leaders, and CEOs; people battling addiction and those struggling with anxiety and depression; couples grappling with resentment and those longing to rekindle intimacy; parents and children learning how to live together and those discovering how to live apart. As a psychologist; as a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother; as an observer of my own and others’ behavior; and as an Auschwitz survivor, I am here to tell you that the worst prison is not the one the Nazis put me in. The worst prison is the one I built for myself.” 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. I can’t imagine a more important message for modern times. Eger’s book is a triumph, and should be read by all who care about both their inner freedom and the future of humanity. New York Times Book Review - Lori Gottlieb Edie and her sister survived multiple death camps and the death march. When the American troops liberated the camps in 1945 they found Edie barely alive in a pile of corpses. To heal doesn’t mean to get over it, but it does mean that we are able to be wounded and whole, to find happiness and fulfillment in our lives despite our loss.”

Summary: Gift: 12 Lessons to Save Your Life By Edith Eger Summary: Gift: 12 Lessons to Save Your Life By Edith Eger

But as long as you’re avoiding your feelings, you’re denying reality. And if you try to shut something out and say, “I don’t want to think about it,” I guarantee that you’re going to think about it. So invite the feeling in, sit down with it, keep it company. And then decide how long you’re going to hold on to it. Because you’re not a fragile little somebody. It’s good to face every reality. To stop fighting and hiding. To remember that a feeling is just a feeling—it’s not your identity.”Reality hit me, and I was very suicidal after I was liberated. … God told me, ‘If you’re going to die, you’re not going to be able to experience the life that is ahead of you. And so, you’ve got to be for something.’ And that’s when I began to really commit myself to be for life and for the survivors and for becoming a doctor now and being a member of the healing arts profession.”– Dr. Edith Eger Listen at one of the links below as Edie talks with Julie and Eve about how to escape the prison of victimhood, fight feelings of hopelessness and powerlessness through choice, and learn to turn hate into pity as we journey through uncertain times. Coming clean is a podcast committed to bringing together thought leaders from across the globe to help others adapt, evolve, and thrive in this ever new changing world.