Freedom from Failure

Sussman's guide to the visualization techniques of""eidetic imaging"" is an intriguing addition to the surplus of you-can-heal-yourself manuals. Eidetic images--""the emotionally charged record of events that shaped us into the person we are today""--tell us who we are, help us cope with life's challenges and make possible the release of""a treasure trove of energy, abilities, and power,"" Sussman (Images of Desire) argues. Covering everything from a lousy love life and poor parenting to a blocked career and creative stagnation, the author--who for 20 years has been guiding clients to self-actualization using mythic and personal images--tells readers how they can cure it all, because""peace emanates from the inner person"" and""all the answers to the quest lie within us."" Although these nuggets are standard New Age fare, Sussman does have a unique angle, namely her dedicated focus on recalling""primary"" images:""pictures"" that are coded in our brains but subsequently hidden because of negative experiences. If readers can unblock these images, they're on their way to health and happiness, says Sussman. She shows readers how to access their inner powers with exercises that ask them, for example, to imagine the body heat of their parents, see themselves as a""running stream"" and focus on the power of""the messages of the future"" in their bodies. Sussman beefs up her advice with plenty of case studies, but to fully extract this book's lessons, readers will need dedication and fortitude to swim through the dense 35 chapters.