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A review by maiabgib
Care of the Soul: A Guide for Cultivating Depth and Sacredness in Everyday Life by Thomas Moore
3.0
I must've missed something or just really wanted this to be a different book because this was not what I was expecting. Still interesting...but I would hardly call it a guide.
Basically, it's 200 pages of Thomas Moore explaining that pretty much every psychological (and physical) issue from depression to bulimia is a symptom of the soul. His advice is to refrain from moralizing these issues, our thoughts and feelings, etc. and to explore them instead. Which...yeah. I do think we've made too many things black or white, good or bad, broken and whole, and by instantly placing a thought or experience or feeling at one end of a spectrum, we shut out the opportunity to explore, learn, or further experience whatever it is.
But...I didn't need to read 9 chapters with the same argument running through them. While I appreciated the specifics related to the topic of each of those chapters - depression, love, jealousy, etc. - I don't think they added enough to make that slog worth it.
I also do have some concerns with Moore's approach to psychotherapy. The patient he discussed who had bulimia...I guess I just believe that sometimes "symptoms of the soul" do need to be cured. I don't think he treated that issue with the concern it requires. There seemed to be a general sense of "explore your soul and your dreams and the things you struggle with will take care of themselves." Which maybe that's fair? I don't know. There was just something about this belief that didn't sit right with me.
The last 100 pages were focused more on the need for spirituality/religion and to see and honor the soul in the world around us. No complaints with those chapters. Anything that encourages us to care more deeply about others, nature, etc. and tend to the sensitive parts of ourselves gets two thumbs and ten toes up from me.
I also found his exploration of mythology fascinating. You can truly learn so much from fiction...I wish we probed it more in the same way that the religious probe their holy texts.
Overall, not a bad read. Do I know how to care for my soul? Uh. Not really. Did I learn some interesting things about the soul that I could find a way to apply? Probably. A bit repetitive. Lot of Jung. Very meandering in terms of writing style. Not sure that you'd necessarily need to read all of it, but worth reading parts of it at the very least!
Basically, it's 200 pages of Thomas Moore explaining that pretty much every psychological (and physical) issue from depression to bulimia is a symptom of the soul. His advice is to refrain from moralizing these issues, our thoughts and feelings, etc. and to explore them instead. Which...yeah. I do think we've made too many things black or white, good or bad, broken and whole, and by instantly placing a thought or experience or feeling at one end of a spectrum, we shut out the opportunity to explore, learn, or further experience whatever it is.
But...I didn't need to read 9 chapters with the same argument running through them. While I appreciated the specifics related to the topic of each of those chapters - depression, love, jealousy, etc. - I don't think they added enough to make that slog worth it.
I also do have some concerns with Moore's approach to psychotherapy. The patient he discussed who had bulimia...I guess I just believe that sometimes "symptoms of the soul" do need to be cured. I don't think he treated that issue with the concern it requires. There seemed to be a general sense of "explore your soul and your dreams and the things you struggle with will take care of themselves." Which maybe that's fair? I don't know. There was just something about this belief that didn't sit right with me.
The last 100 pages were focused more on the need for spirituality/religion and to see and honor the soul in the world around us. No complaints with those chapters. Anything that encourages us to care more deeply about others, nature, etc. and tend to the sensitive parts of ourselves gets two thumbs and ten toes up from me.
I also found his exploration of mythology fascinating. You can truly learn so much from fiction...I wish we probed it more in the same way that the religious probe their holy texts.
Overall, not a bad read. Do I know how to care for my soul? Uh. Not really. Did I learn some interesting things about the soul that I could find a way to apply? Probably. A bit repetitive. Lot of Jung. Very meandering in terms of writing style. Not sure that you'd necessarily need to read all of it, but worth reading parts of it at the very least!