Susan A. Smith of Bemidji, Minnesota, 1950-2003,
a good friend, an excellent counselor
who touched many lives,
and a beautiful, wonderful human being
whose own life realized even more beauty
through the understanding found in this book.
Contents
Author’s Note ~ Preface to the Third Edition
II: Wisdom Is Always Available to Guide Us If We Know How to Access It
III. If Someone’s Thinking Doesn’t Change, They Can’t Change
IV. When the Mind Clears, Wisdom Appears
V. We Don’t Have to Think Our Way Out of Our Problems
VI. The Feeling Is Everything, and It’s Foolproof
VII. What We See is What We Get
VIII. In Low Levels of Consciousness It Is Unwise to Believe, Trust or Follow Our Thinking
IX. To Deeply Listen to Others Instead of to Our Own Thinking Gives Us A Richer Experience
X. We’re only as stuck as we think we are
First, I thank every student, trainee, client and community member who has graced me with the honor of opening themselves to listen to this inside-out understanding of the human experience. I have learned so much from you.
Besides Sydney Banks, whom I acknowledged in the dedication, I also sincerely thank Dr. George Pransky (my second cousin) who initially guided me through this understanding.
Thank you to all other teachers of the three principles who are spreading this understanding throughout the world and helping so many lives change for the better. To those with whom I have had the pleasure to work alongside thus far—especially Gabriela Maldonado for also contributing wonderful stories to this book—I am grateful to you.
I thank Nancy Greystone who, while serving as my media consultant for my book, Parenting from the Heart, inadvertently inspired me to write this self-help book.
I thank Pam Parrish, my initial editor, for assisting me with my writing. And Judy Pransky, Alison Sharer, Kris Washington, Candy Mayer, Georgina Mavor, Diane McMillen, Stephanie Watson and Amy Dalsimer who provided important feedback. Extra special thanks to Dr. Todd Schaible and Paul Thomlinson for their invaluable assistance with initial publishing.
Certainly not least I thank the beautiful people who contributed writings from their own personal experience of what it was like for them to gain this new understanding and turn around their lives. They are living proof that this approach changes lives, and their contributions add much richness and depth that will inspire others.
…a Sioux friend told me:
The Creator gathered all of creation and said,
“I want to hide something from the humans until they are ready for it.
It is the realization that they create their own reality.”
The eagle said, “Give it to me, I will take it to the moon.”
The Creator said, “No. One day they will go there and find it.”
The salmon said, “I will hide it on the bottom of the ocean.”
“No. They will go there, too.”
The buffalo said, “I will bury it on the great plains.”
The Creator said, “They will cut the skin of the earth and
find it even there.”…
Then Grandmother Mole…who has no physical eyes but
sees with spiritual eyes,
said, “Put it inside them” [for that is the last place they will look.]
The Creator said, “It is done.”
-Gary Zukav*
* Thank you, Ed Lemon
Burrell Behavioral Health [the initial publisher of this book] has a long history with Dr. Jack Pransky. In 1991, Jack and Burrell Foundation collaborated to publish Prevention: The Critical Need, a book that has helped many individuals, organizations and communities in their efforts to prevent emotional, behavioral and social problems, and which has been used as a college text in many universities. So it was a natural for us to turn again to Jack as we attempted to expand our endeavors in the arena of producing and publishing resources for life and learning. We were pleased to present Somebody Should Have Told Us! as the inaugural publication of Burrell Resources for Learning (BRL)… This is a powerful book that further extends the notion that there is nothing wrong with you that can’t be fixed by what is right with you.
I spent a lot of time with Somebody Should Have Told Us! I mean, I spent many hours, days, and weeks with this book in the process of trying to be a good editor. I really wanted to give Jack some substantive input that he might use to make the book better…you know, cross-referencing the lessons of the book with ancient wisdom literature, current psychological theory and research, and perhaps an occasional pithy poem or song lyric. But, an interesting thing happened as I lived with the book: I began to realize that the wisdom of the book was infiltrating my thoughts, feelings and conversations... I still had my academic, editorial hat on, but found very often that my energy was being directed into applying the lessons of the book to my own heart and mind, both personally and professionally. It has a way of seeping into your life. It seems to me that this is a sure sign of a great self-help book!
You may find yourself (as I did) at first resisting some of the lessons of Somebody Should Have Told Us!, just because the path it lays out to health and contentment seems too easy, too simple. How