Difficult People: A Gateway to Enlightenment

Difficult people (DPs)%E2%80%94those easily agitated, overreacting, chronic complainers%E2%80%94can test our patience. Larkins (Calling on Extraterrestrials), an authority on encounters with extraterrestrials, makes a radical life change and becomes a caregiver for a woman with Alzheimer's, who is a classic DP. A lifelong practitioner of stilling the noisy mind, Larkins realizes her aggravated reactions to the client's outbursts mirror the offending behavior. Renewing her commitment to achieve full awakening, and with her client as the perfect spiritual teacher, Larkins observes how the DP patterns and mechanics of mental chaos reflect a culturally normalized resistance to "what is," creating suffering and blocking spiritual growth. Larkin transforms her consciousness%E2%80%94and caregiving%E2%80%94to a nonreactive, "chronic state of well-being" by gradually becoming more aware of the peace and stillness already in the present moment. This evocative book guides serious spiritual seekers toward self-realization, providing context and a process for experiencing the natural state of "presence." (Aug.)