Soul Recovery (BOOK REVIEW)
Soul Recovery
12 Keys to Healing Addiction
by Ester Nicholson
Foreword by Michael Bernard Beckwith
Paperback, $15.95
192 pages
ISBN: 978-1401943110
Book
Review by Kam Williams
“This
is a book about recovery—my recovery—from addiction to drugs, specifically
cocaine. But… my addictions didn’t stop there. I was addicted to... drugs,
love, men, food, you name it—if it gave me the temporary illusion of feeling
whole and complete… My wants knew no end. Those wants nearly destroyed me and
my child many, many times over…
The
fear, unworthiness and shame I felt were so much a part of my identity as if
they were in my very bone marrow… But I rose like a phoenix from those ashes.
I
have written this book to take you from powerlessness to a place of shining in
your full power… I am here to show you—with my story and my recovery—that
finding your power again is possible. It will depend on your own ability to be
humble in the face of the demons you are fighting right now.”
Excerpted from the Introduction
(pgs. xiii-xiv)
Ester
Nicholson is a gifted gospel, jazz and R&B artist who has toured the world singing
backup with everyone from Rod Stewart to Bette Midler. Perhaps more
importantly, she recently celebrated the quarter-century of sobriety she’s
enjoyed since resolving the host of childhood traumas that had led her down a
self-destructive path marked by drugs, unemployment, near homelessness, and the
loss of custody of the daughter she gave birth to in her mid-teens.
Today, she
remains “eternally grateful” to the 12-Step program which put her on the road
to recovery. Now, she plies her trade as a spiritual therapist and coach,
delivering inspirational speeches and leading transformational workshops all
across the country.
She has
something to offer beyond the traditional 12-Steps, which sees as limited in
terms of helping a person harness their power. And since she went from “being a
victim” to creating “a new life of balance, order and harmony,” Ester has
codified what she calls the “12 Keys” in order to help others overcome
addiction and recover their souls.
The dozen
tenets of the philosophy involve such New Age-sounding kernels of truth as “You
Are the Power,” “Never Give Up,” “Complete Surrender” and “Honoring the Inner
Child.” The earnest author’s conversational writing style is certainly very engaging,
being based on oodles of anecdotal evidence culled from personal experience.
Each Key
involves starting with an intention, focusing on finding a healthy direction,
keeping a journal throughout the process, verbalizing affirmations and taking
the steps necessary to reach your goal. Does the system work? I wouldn’t be
able to tell you, not being an addict in need of salvation.
Hard to say
whether starting a diary and chanting stuff like, “I am now ready to release
all thought patterns and behaviors unlike my true nature,” would be enough to
get a monkey off my back. Regardless, it did the trick for Ester, and the
sister is very able to argue persuasively on behalf of her proven method.
To put it
simply, what we have here is a practical handbook with a prescription of hope
for the hooked.
To order a copy of Soul Recovery, visit:
To see a video of Ester Nicholson singing, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYktiTSNEOY
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