Coming to Wholeness: How to Awaken and Live with Ease

by Connirae Andreas

If you want a way to have an easier and more satisfying life, this book may well be the elusive “how to” you’ve been searching for. A series of crises in the author’s life led her on an intensive search for solutions. The result is a new method of personal transformation that is simpler, gentler, more direct, and also appears to be more effective and dependable than previous approaches. What makes Wholeness Work unique is that it’s based on a spiritual teaching about awakening—but goes farther to offer a method that’s specific, precise and universally accessible. You don’t need to have spiritual interest or beliefs to benefit. In this book, you’ll find real-life stories from people who’ve done this work and • A natural melting away of issues that previously seemed unresolvable • An increased sense of wellbeing • A deep relaxation and resetting of the nervous system • Greater access to a natural wisdom, compassion, humor and creativity This method has helped people with relationship issues, insomnia, difficult emotions, pre-migraine auras and much more. Even some physical issues have shown improvement. People report “It feels gentle—but has a powerful impact.” Eastern Spirituality brings us concepts such as “enlightenment” and “loss of the ego.” But for many, the actual experience of these is mysterious and seems esoteric. Can a state of “enlightenment” actually be accessible to the ordinary person? In answering this question, Wholeness Work is a breakthrough in the fields of both spirituality and personal transformation. It isn’t a magic pill that you can try one time and then life is perfect. Instead, it’s a step-by-step approach that brings profound benefits to those seeking personal transformation and/or spiritual growth. Doing the Wholeness Work feels like a kindness to yourself as you’re doing it; the only side effect is that your life continues improving—gradually and dependably. If you want a simple, reliable, direct way to make life better, you’ve just found it. Praise for Coming to “This is a game changer. I was first introduced to the Wholeness Work by a coach who used the method with my wife and me to profound effect. It is the essential ingredient for all personal transformation— presented clearly in this gem of a book. I hope it opens worlds for you.” —Jack Canfield, Coauthor of the Chicken Soup for the Soul® “Well done! Connirae Andreas has ‘transformed’ several centuries and approaches to self-awareness and meditation into her Wholeness Work. Her approach is very gentle, easy, simple and fluid, respectful and inclusive. From my study of Milton Erickson, I believe she has added much to Erickson’s work and healing approach in Coming to Wholeness. She says it It means that everything that had been getting in our way actually supports the meditation process.” —Dr. Chris Gunn, Licensed Psychologist, Flagstaff, AZ “At last, a manual for getting over ourselves. Beyond the self lies a whole world of being fully, spontaneously alive. Thank you, Connirae. This work is brilliant.” —Stewart Emery, author, founding CEO of EST, creator of Actualizations, coffee maven “Connirae’s Coming to Wholeness suggests the elegant simplicity of a captivating melody— it takes hold of you and effortlessly carries you along.

Genres: Spirituality, Psychology, Nonfiction

266 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 19, 2018

About the author

Connirae Andreas, PhD is an international leader in the field of personal development of more than four decades. She is best known for her groundbreaking work developing Core Transformation, a method through which our limitations become the doorway to a felt experience many describe "love" "peace" "presence" or "oneness." Through the steps of the process, this felt experience offers a profound healing resolving many limiting emotions and behaviors. Connirae's new Wholeness Work offers a precise way to experience "dissolving the ego" in a way that resolves our life issues and goes even further in a gentle yet systematic process of evolving or awakening. Her work is strongly influenced by her personal experience with the late Dr. Milton H. Erickson, and has been translated into over 15 languages.
Connirae is the author or co-author of many books and Trainer manuals in personal development and transformation, including Heart of the Mind, Change Your Mind--and Keep the Change (co-authored with husband Steve Andreas), and Core Transformation: reaching the Wellspring Within (co-authored with Tamara Andreas), and Coming to Wholeness: how to Awaken and Live with Ease. To support quality trainings becoming more widely available, she has developed in-depth Trainer Materials for key trainings, including Core Transformation and the new Wholeness Work. Before her work developing Core Transformation and Wholeness Work, Connirae was a developer in the field of NLP, her work including innovations in language patterns and conversational change, contributions to positive parenting methods, to natural self-healing, and (with Steve Andreas) developing effective change protocols for resolving grief, for tapping into how we unconsciously code the experience of time, and more. The Andreases authored manuals for teaching in-depth Practitioner and Master Practitioner NLP programs oriented towards coaching and personal transformation.
Connirae lives in Boulder, Colorado, and enjoys visits with her grandchildren.

Reviews

[Dayna Townsend · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful spiritual process

I've been a fan of conniraes work since I came across her core transformation pattern in her husband's book elephants.
Beautiful.
This process is original and a powerful updating of ramana mahashis spirituality and the closest that BOP has come to enlightenment.
The cons
Connirae is a beautiful writer but she has dumped pages and pages of distracting and boring seminar transcripts of people doing the process.they don't help or add to the process.
I hate reading transcripts, they are jarring to read and frankly are lazy writing.
Lastly conniraes has called this volume one. NLP is full of vOlume books that do not have a volume two. It just looks stupid . I understand someone may have the intention of writing a series of books imagining the success.
But call it volume one when there's actually a volume two.

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible and Life Changing

This is an innovative, incredibly useful and practical way to transform the way you think, react and behave. I hope all who need and are seeking to improve or enhance relationships, and life in general reads this book. The information is user friendly and you can begin using the tools immediately! You’ll learn how to develop and implement a daily Wholeness practice that will absolutely change your life. I can not say enough about how positively the Wholeness work has changed and improved my life.

[Ayoto Ataraxia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Coming to Wholeness by Connirae Andreas offers an intriguing blend of personal development techniques rooted in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and Eastern spiritual practices. However, while the book may appeal to those seeking quick methods for self-improvement, it faces several significant critiques that deserve attention.

1. Methodological Concerns:
The techniques presented in the book are primarily grounded in NLP, a framework that has long been criticized for its lack of scientific rigor. The methods described rely heavily on anecdotal evidence and subjective experiences, which might not hold up under the scrutiny of empirical research. If one is seeking the NLP hype train, one will find more excitement with pyramid schemers like Anthony Robbins; at least, it's not hiding behind an orientalist facade.

2. Oversimplification of Complex Issues:
Andreas' approach tends to simplify complex psychological issues as if we have learned nothing from the fields of psychoanalysis or philosophy. While the promise of achieving "wholeness" through relatively straightforward techniques may be appealing, it risks trivializing psychological processes' deep, multifaceted nature. Issues such as trauma and deep-seated emotional conflicts often require more comprehensive therapeutic approaches, and the book's quick-fix mentality may not be sufficient for those grappling with profound psychological challenges. Furthermore, the notion of trauma and wholeness as an ideology is completely overlooked and participates in the racial capitalist ideology that is causing more suffering than the cures that it promises.

3. Psychoanalytic Ideological Critique:
From a psychoanalytic perspective, the book's focus on conscious techniques and positive reframing neglects the importance of unconscious processes and the depth of the human psyche. The emphasis on individual transformation and self-improvement aligns with a broader neoliberal ideology, which places the burden of psychological well-being squarely on the individual, potentially ignoring the socio-economic and cultural factors that contribute to mental health struggles.

4. Orientalism and Cultural Appropriation:
The book draws heavily on Eastern spiritual practices such as mindfulness and meditation, but it does so in a way that could be critiqued as cultural appropriation. By repackaging these practices for a Western audience, the book may strip them of their cultural and spiritual context, reducing them to tools for personal gain. This reflects a broader trend of Orientalism, where Western culture commodifies and reinterprets Eastern traditions, often in ways that serve Western interests more than they honor the original cultural meanings.

5. Individualism vs. Collective Healing:
Andreas' focus on personal wholeness is heavily individualistic, which might not resonate with those who see healing as a communal or relational process. This individualistic approach aligns with a self-help industry that often overlooks the importance of community and collective support in the healing process, which can be vital for many individuals.

6. Commercialization of Spirituality:
The book can also contribute to commercializing spirituality, where profound spiritual practices are marketed as self-help tools. This trend risks diluting the deeper existential and communal aspects of these practices, turning them into products for personal development rather than pathways for meaningful spiritual or collective transformation.

7. Where Are They Now?
A critical observation is the current status of Connirae Andreas and others associated with similar movements. Many early proponents of NLP and similar techniques have moved away from the spotlight or have had their work increasingly scrutinized. Issues surrounding the cult-like followings that sometimes develop around these figures and movements have raised concerns. The promise of "wholeness" and the allure of quick transformation can create environments where charismatic leaders gain undue influence, leading to situations that may resemble cult dynamics. But what do we expect from combining predatory pyramid systems with the wellness industry?

Final Thoughts:
Coming to Wholeness offers insights into personal growth, but it is essential to approach it with a critical eye. The book's oversimplifications, cultural insensitivities, and alignment with potentially problematic ideologies make it challenging for those who value depth, scientific rigor, and cultural respect. While it may work for some, others might find it lacking in the comprehensive understanding necessary for true psychological and spiritual healing. The question is, what are the larger ramifications of this system of thinking?

[Mikealbo · Rating 4 out of 5]

i found this hugely helpful. To imagine sensation and then who is thinking of the sensation, the "I" has opened a new way to explore myself inwardly. Connirae Andreas writes in a very plain, friendly style that is unpretentious. She keeps reminding you that this isnt hard -- its easy -- you just detect where in your body and in space you are imagining sensations, memories, and who is feeling these. That said, I am not transformed -- i am still having problems even staying on track with this agenda when i close my eyes. But Andreas -- if she were here -- woudl say "that's alright! There is no wrong way! what comes up is what you address!" Just, as usual, my brain either gets sleepy or catastrophizes. But thats just me!