The Emotions God Gave You: A Guide for Catholics to Healthy and Holy Living

by Art Bennett, Laraine Bennett

Emotions such as anger or sadness or desire arise within us, often without our directly willing them. But we are still free to choose how we respond to them. How can we better understand our God-given emotions and manage them so that we gain the emotional equilibrium and healthy balance we need to take charge of our lives, grow closer to Christ, and share in the joy of his love?In this insightful and easy-to-read book, Catholic therapist Art Bennett and his wife Laraine explain how our emotions affect us and how our thoughts, attitudes, and behavior can affect our emotions. In a conversational and non-technical way, the authors address these and other questions: What are the effects of temperament and our past experiences on our emotional health? Can we trust our feelings? When do our emotions become destructive? How do past emotional wounds affect our present-day emotional balance?--Outlines the Catholic understanding of emotions.--Uses real-life examples of people dealing with emotional issues.--Helps us see how managing our emotions can lead to healthier relationships with others as well as growth in virtue and a closer relationship with the Lord.--Includes questions for reflection and prayer at the end of each chapter.Emotions are a part of every human life, one that greatly influences our behavior and affects our relationships with others and with God. Emotions can lead us to acts of great charity and compassion, but they can also turn us toward sin and destructive behavior. In The Emotions God Gave You, Art and Laraine Bennett enable us to identify our often muddled emotions, gain control over them, and even turn them toward virtue. Fr. Benedict J. Groeschel, CFR, psychologist, speaker, author, and EWTN host.Art and Laraine Bennett are the authors of the best-selling book: "The Temperament God Gave You". Art is a licensed marriage and family counselor and founder of the Alpha Omega Clinics in Maryland and Virginia. He currently serves as president of Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Arlington. Laraine has a master s degree in philosophy and is a regular columnist for Catholic Match and Catholic News Agency. The Bennetts have four children and live in Northern Virginia.

Genres: Catholic, Reference, Self Help, Nonfiction, Religion

156 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2011

Reviews

[Doreen Petersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book for all Catholics!

[Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great little book which takes the best of contemporary psychology and combines it with the teachings of the Bible, the Catechism and the saints on handling our emotions. The people referenced show the high level of the content: Seligman (Learned Optimism), Gladwell (Blink), Goleman (Emotional Intelligence), Meg Meeker (Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters), Von Hildebrand, Aquinas, St Paul, the Psalms, John Paul II, Benedict XVI and many more.

The topics covered also show the high level: virtue and its link with happiness, the importance of being 'other-centred', the impact of optimism, working with good and bad emotions, recognising and understanding others' emotions, compassion and forgiveness, how acceptance of the past helps the present and future, how to attain peace in one's spiritual life, and ultimately, the central importance of holiness.

That's enough of an indication, just read the book. www.GoodReadingGuide.com

[Gab Nug · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was, as they say in my home country, good stuff. If I'm honest, I wasn't expecting to benefit from this as much as I did. I imagine most of it is basic therapy practice as integrated into Catholic thought and spirituality. It was definitely a benefit to me, particularly as I reflected and prayed through each chapter's guided questions. I know this was precisely what the Holy Spirit wanted me to read at this time, as it so perfectly fell in line with recent overarching spiritual movements of grace in my life.

[AK · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn't bad. I didn't know what to expect from this book considering emotions are broad, but it did come from the perspective of the four major temperaments sanguine, choleric, melancholic, and phlegmatic and how those temperaments experience and process different emotions and experiences. It's a fairly broad book, so if you're interested in the four temperaments, check out "The Temperament God Gave You".

I would have liked to have learnt the difference between "emotional needs", as stated in the book, vs wants and the line between selfishness and fulfilling emotional needs. Since this book is written from a psychological and a general Catholic perspective, one does not need to be Catholic to read it.

[Sofia Castaneda Evans · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ok to clarify, this is not a bad book. I personally just didn’t relate to it. It was all about learning how to be vulnerable with your emotions, which I do not struggle with. Ya girl needs to learn how to CHILL. I would recommend this to someone who struggles with vulnerability but I just didn’t relate!!

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a huge fan of the Bennetts. This book is well worth the read.

[Danise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked their Temperament book. I think if I'd read this first, I'd have liked it more. But it felt like a bit of a lead-up to the Temperament book and like a lot of repetition to fill a whole book itself. But there were a few good points that I took away! It was a quick/short read, so I'm not sorry I did it by any means.

[Alanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book to help you understand the relationship between Christian virtue and emotional and mental well being. To master one's emotions is the pathway to holiness and happiness. Scholarly as well as Christian, it's definitely worth a read for those who want to know themselves and God better.

[Damos · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great little book. So worth reading again. Well written, enjoyable to read, wonderful & timeless advice.