Sacred Wounds: Succeeding Because of Life's Pain

by Jan Goldstein

In this immensely affecting and empowering guide, Jan Goldstein teaches readers how to take their most emotionally painful life events -- their spiritual wounds -- and transform them into a source of power and well-being. Goldstein's life-affirming program is inspired by his own the February morning when he was faced with the sudden news that his twelve-year marriage was ending, leaving Goldstein with primary custody of their three small children. Though paralyzed at first by feelings of loss and depression, Goldstein eventually discovered that the pain allowed him and his children a deeper appreciation for the simple moments of joy -- that his once "broken" family was succeeding not despite its wounds, but because of them. In Sacred Wounds, Goldstein reveals the secret to finding strength in challenging and often traumatic events, outlining a life-changing nine-step process to help readers move through heartache and toward healing. In clear, compassionate language, he refutes the notion of pain as a destroyer, drawing on the compelling stories of many of the people he has counseled along the Rick and Sara, who are plagued by infertility; Yvette, an aspiring man who battles her secular desires; Steve, for whom a frightening diagnosis portends the end...and then the beginning of hope. Remarkably affecting and inspiring, Goldstein's stories confirm that we are all well equipped to deal with the inevitable hurts and heartbreaks in life -- if only we release our preconceptions, acknowledge the strengthening power of our wounds, and follow the nine steps to a spiritual rebirth. Indispensable for anyone suffering through spiritual and emotional difficulties, Sacred Wounds is the key to shifting our perceptions and finding new strength and success in the painful experiences we all endure.

256 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2003

About the author

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Jan Goldstein is the author of two national fiction bestsellers, All That Matters and The Prince of Nantucket, recently optioned for film. His work has been translated into more than a dozen foreign languages and has been selected for the New York Times Hot List as well as by the Book of the Month Club, the Doubleday Book Club, and the Quality Paperback Club. He is the recipient of a Presidential Award for Volunteer work in fostering arts in the inner city and was recently chosen as an international artist-in-residence at Ireland's famed Tyrone Guthrie Centre. Jan is this year's closing keynote speaker at the National Conference on Family Literacy.

He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Bonnie, a noted clinical psychologist, and their eight year-old firecracker of a daughter, Shira.