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Press Release | |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE From Goldie Hawn to Deepak Chopra . . . How pain became a blessing in disguise (HONOLULU) It’s easy to rush to the pharmacy to uplift the sadness of a broken heart or the grief of a loved one’s death—and it’s something that Americans are doing in record numbers. Last year, more than 30 million Americans visited a doctor for depression, and nine of out 10 of them were prescribed medication. However, international peace advocate Barbara Altemus, author of The Gift of Pain: Transforming Hurt to Healing (Perigee, a division of Penguin, ISBN: 0-399-52778-8, $14.95), offers people a different way to “get better.” “Many people go to extraordinary lengths to avoid pain, often sacrificing the quality of their lives to do so,” says Altemus, who has worked in the healing arts for more than 25 years. “They don’t understand that pain can be used as a catalyst to help us transform our consciousness and to live our lives in a more meaningful and joyous manner.” The Gift of Pain is a unique and compelling compilation of stories from world-renowned visionaries, artists, healers and peacemakers. Often poignant, always insightful, the book helps people transform their painful responses to challenges in their lives. Through these stories, Altemus demonstrates what is possible and awakens the reader’s own potential to overcome struggle and excruciating pain. However, Altemus knows first-hand that there is no one “right way” to overcome pain, and she carefully avoids providing a how-to model to do so. Instead, throughout The Gift of Pain, readers will find inspiration from a wide range of contributors, including: Isabel Allende, Goldie Hawn, Rigoberta Menchu Tum, Martin Sheen, Ela Gandhi, Jack Canfield, Reverend Michael Beckwith and Dick Gregory. By drawing on themes of pain—failure, loss, addiction, lack of community and loss of homeland, among others—these contributors share their personal times of darkness and how, by working through the pain, these experiences ultimately led to spiritual awakening and even joy. “In writing this book,” Altemus says, “I was also given the opportunity to share my experiences with people from around the world, and we were able to shed light through our journeys in healing and transforming pain. We recognized that in our diversity, we are intensely interconnected and interdependent. It is so important to remember our sacred connection with each other and to all living beings…this is true strength and well-being.” Altemus currently resides in Honolulu, Hawaii with her daughter, Imani. She is a full-time writer and family therapist. Altemus also speaks nationally and internationally and leads workshops based on The Gift of Pain. For more information, please visit www.thegiftofpain.com
To schedule an interview with Barbara Altemus, or to request a review copy of The Gift of Pain,
please contact Barbara at:
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