Clearing Emotional Clutter: Mindfulness Practices for Letting Go of What's Blocking Your Fulfillment and Transformation

by Donald Altman

A Fresh Start to a Healthy Emotional Life

Is emotional clutter blocking success in your personal and professional life? You’ve likely heard about the psychological benefits of clearing out the clutter in your surroundings, but how do you handle your emotional clutter — the psychological version of the jam-packed closet or impenetrable garage? Shutting away and trying to hide old pains and traumas creates toxic patterns that can keep you from having the life of your dreams. Integrating mindfulness and cutting-edge neuroscience, international mindfulness expert Donald Altman teaches how to modify entrenched habits and patterns with only a few minutes of attention daily.

Altman first helps you realize what your baggage consists of and how to transform or jettison it. He then shows how to avoid the daily danger of accumulating new emotional clutter. No matter how fraught your life or relationships may be, you can cleanse, heal, or accept the old wounds, mistakes, and disappointments. With Altman’s lifestyle tools, you’ll discover how to address your past, better deal with the present, and cultivate the best possible future. Start fresh with Clearing Emotional Clutter .

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Psychology

256 pages, Paperback

First published March 15, 2016

About the author

Donald Altman, M.A., LPC, is a psychotherapist, former Buddhist monk, international mindfulness expert, and award-winning author of over 15 books on spirituality and mindfulness translated worldwide.

Donald currently writes the Practical Mindfulness Blog for Psychology Today.

His book The Mindfulness Toolbox was Gold Award winner of two national book publishing IBPA awards in the Body-Mind-Spirit and Psychology categories. Two other books, Clearing Emotional Clutter and The Mindfulness Code were chosen by Spirituality and Practice as "On of the Best Spiritual Books" of 2016 and 2010, respectively.

Profiled in the Living Spiritual Teachers Project and featured as an expert in The Mindfulness Movie, Donald has been an adjunct professor at Portland State University's Interpersonal Neurobiology Certificate Program, as well as the Lewis and Clark College Graduate School of Education and Counseling.

Donald's new novel "Travelers" is a gripping mystical journey of spiritual awakening and initiation that takes place in a psychiatric hospital. Inspired by Kesey's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," Travelers is a story of overcoming loss to find hope, healing and renewal.

He lives in Portland, Oregon.

Reviews

[PennsyLady (Bev) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clearing Emotional Clutter

"Awareness simply observes without an agenda, other than to let you be aware, present, and at rest." (Donald Altman)

The author speaks with simplicity in defining emotional clutter and translating concepts such as a mindful pathway.
He presents a series of lifestyle tools that I think could provide results that are both achievable and realistic.
Would one reading suffice?
I think you will return to investigate particulars that might benefit you.
D. Altman uses the term "mindful lifestyle reboot"-"a way of clearing out old habitual methods of living and thinking that keep us stuck in emotional clutter to the point that we can't imagine a way out."

Sit quietly, read and expand your horizons.
Then, implement.

[Audrey Lynx · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full of great tips and practices. I didn't get as much out of it as I expected. It didn't have much in it I haven't read elsewhere and I couldn't connect with the techniques, but I would still recommend it to anyone who is new to mindfulness or is better at visualizations than I am.

[T Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

How can you go wrong with an award-winning author who speaks so eloquently to the reader? Donald Altman has gifted us yet again in Clearing Emotional Clutter. He writes simply, in a way that speaks to the reader easily and understandably. The book is broken down into short chapters with each including a lifestyle tool that the reader can apply immediately for their own situation. This is a perfect guide to learning how to BE in the moment without meditating for hours on end. Not that there’s anything wrong with meditating for lengthy periods of time but most do not take time to do so. The author is well aware of time constraints and therefore affords us the luxury of getting on track, releasing our baggage, becoming more aware and moving forward in fulfilling our lives positively, in a timely manner. These are not shortcuts. They are effective tools that when learned, and the learning curve is very short, will bring a fresh perspective to your life, release you from past sufferings, reduce stress and truly BE in the moments – after all, that really is all that matters. Enjoy this book - it will make you think, laugh and become that which you seek. Highly recommended.

[Um Mohamed · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books you have to read more than once. Not everything was for me but after each chapter he gave activities to do to help you clear any emotional clutter you may have. Next time I read this I will have to have a highlighter with me, and even then it's a book you would take out just to help you when your feeling stuck.

[GruelCarp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Altman almost lost me at the chapter "Inner Facebooking," because it took me far too long to understand this metaphor, and I read this chapter twice whilst I was overtired. However, I pressed through and was glad I did. Altman adds a lot of little stories along the way that make the path to clearing clutter in your life a beautiful one.

[Dawn Livingston · Rating 1 out of 5]

To be honest, it was kind of out there and it doesn't surprise me that the author is a former monk. I only grabbed it on a whim without really looking it over. Basic Mindfulness books have been more helpful. A quick search should help you find a few.

[Breonna Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would be good for someone starting their healing journey or would like a refresher on techniques used to help navigate your journey. Overall great book.

[Tristy at New World Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Endorsements:
Named one of the best spiritual books of 2016 by Spirituality & Practice

“Donald Altman’s de-cluttering lifestyle tools have the potential to rewire your brain so you can gain new levels of mental clarity, overcome limiting fears, enhance your relationships, and even untie knots of new emotional clutter in the moment.”
— Jeffrey M. Schwartz, MD, author of You Are Not Your Brain: The 4-Step Solution for Changing Bad Habits, Ending Unhealthy Thinking, and Taking Control of Your Life

“Just as physical belongings can accumulate and molder, so, too, can towering heaps of emotional baggage, and to our rescue rides Donald Altman, author of the new book Clearing Emotional Clutter. . . . Altman’s strength as an author is that he blends his mindfulness teachings with information culled from research conducted by psychologists, cognitive scientists, and neurologists. . . .The result is a useful guide to living our lives in a lighter, less burdened way, releasing ourselves and those around us from unnecessary ‘stuff.’ If that's not simplifying, what is?”
— Spirituality & Health

“Mindfulness expert Donald Altman shines a bright light on the relationship between mindfulness and emotional health in his excellent new book, Clearing Emotional Clutter, providing you with exactly the tools you need to make mindfulness a daily tool for emotional growth and healing.”
— Eric Maisel, author of Life Purpose Boot Camp: The 8-Week Breakthrough Plan for Creating a Meaningful Life

“Provides simple-to-follow but powerful-to-use techniques that will enable you to optimize your abilities and leave your emotional baggage behind.”
— John Baldoni, author of MOXIE: The Secret to Bold and Gutsy Leadership and Lead by Example: 50 Ways Great Leaders Inspire Results

“[Donald Altman] guides readers through six clutter-clearing mindfulness skills . . . [T]he advice will be most helpful for those impacted adversely by past events.”
— Library Journal

“More proof that Donald Altman is a master of mindfulness practices.”
— Spirituality & Practice

[Mallika Rathore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful and informative read. The author has a unique way of discussing the issues by giving some real-life examples and providing some efficient lifestyle tools after every chapter. This book has not only helped me realize my issues but has also given me a way to face them. I have a long way to go still but at least now I know what I am dealing with.

[KStar · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book, it made me think and i will be adopting many ideas from it.

[Jay Brara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Altman first helps you realize what your baggage consists of and how to transform or jettison it. He then shows how to avoid the daily danger of accumulating new emotional clutter. No matter how fraught your life or relationships may be, you can cleanse, heal, or accept the old wounds, mistakes, and disappointments. With Altman’s lifestyle tools, you’ll discover how to address your past, better deal with the present, and cultivate the best possible future.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
Some of the meditations / mindfulness practices in here were 5⭐️ gold and I’ll come back to those, but overall this book fell short of what I was hoping to get from it. I feel like a lot of the anecdotes took away from the focus for me? I think would be a pretty good primer for people who are just starting on a journey of mindfully reflecting and reframing in their life.

[Dominere Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing! I enjoyed every bit of it. Also, the way it was structured and the terminology used in the book.

One of the few books that made me feel relaxed as I read it. It was a recommended to me and I’d recommend it to others seeking peace, relaxation, and a sense of purpose in life.

[Crystal Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starts off slow but there are some great golden nuggets. I used the meditations shared in the book and recorded for myself. LOVED the idea of finding joy in the ordinary/everyday things and will start applying to my life.

[Nancy Chiok · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the few books I thoroughly enjoyed reading.
It taught me to breathe and rational to myself.
More importantly it shows and guides you how to declutter your mind by practicing mindfulness, and loosening the knots of emotions or baggage you carried with you in your life.

[Keri · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’d actually give it a 2.5 if I could , because there are a lot of helpful insights in this book, but it was so filled with distracting and dated pop culture references that it was hard to wade through. There are better books that deal with the same ideas and don’t dumb them down so much.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good book!

Could go a little more in depth in some topics,but a good springboard for the tools of letting go. Good read.

[Celeste Torres · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelente libro. Quien quiere estar bien y disfrutar de la vida luego de un evento dramático, este libro les puede hacer muy bien.

[Julia Southwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were ideas and chapters that didn’t really resonate with me, but then there were others that I loved. I definitely want to read it again someday.

[Ray]

Took my time with this one as I was trying to incorporate some of the tools into my personal life. I found quite a few of them to be useful. Highly recommend this book!

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is some good stuff here. I was a little confused by some of the organization and why certain exercises were attached to what felt like unrelated topics. However, it was still worth a read.

[Maria Gross · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the part about reminding yourself to breathe deeply throughout the day and to check in and do “inner Facebooking” or checking in with your feelings frequently.

[Bec · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

"Thoughts are not necessarily facts. Most of the time they aren't even close"

"It's all a blessing "

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yeah, this is definitely an I need to read again book! So much valuable information.

[Ash Vass · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read! Definitely highly recommend that everyone reads! Very insightful & pushes you to make change

[Sophia]

DNF chapter 4. Will come back to it another time.

[Jessica Leyba · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will have to try some of these practices again in life