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48th out of 101 books
—
3 voters
Radical Honesty: How to Transform Your Life by Telling the Truth
by
Brad Blanton
The first edition of Radical Honesty became a nationwide best seller in 1995 because it was not a kinder, gentler self-help book. It was a shocker! In it, Dr. Brad Blanton, a psychotherapist and expert on stress management, explored the myths, superstitions and lies by which we all live. And this newly revised edition is even worse! Blanton shows us how stress comes not fr...more
Paperback, 277 pages
Published
March 29th 2005
by Sparrowhawk Publishing
(first published 1994)
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Hmmm....I think it has a good premise. Telling the truth will set you free after all but the tactics seem a bit harsh. Spending 10 straight days telling your loved ones all the things you resent about them seems like it could cause some pretty intense resentment. But, maybe I'm just not "there" yet. It does, however, have some similarities to A New Earth in that it asks you to be completely aware, especially of how certain emotions make you feel physically which has been very powerful for me. I...more
I was blown away by the ideas presented in this book. The author discusses how a lot of our problems come from us not being truly honest with ourselves and others. And much of this dishonesty isn't even conscious. Life conditions us to hide away our feelings about things to a point where we hide them from ourselves.
I have experienced many of the situations the author describes- like how when we deny our feelings we eventually become lifeless shells of ourselves. There is also an excellent sectio...more
I have experienced many of the situations the author describes- like how when we deny our feelings we eventually become lifeless shells of ourselves. There is also an excellent sectio...more
Great read, which actually presents the premises of Eastern thought in down to earth terms most people can understand, to wit:
Most thought is a form of disease.
For those who read into this a license to go around insulting people for fun, I think they've missed an important part of the point.
By stating the truth (about your mostly childish feelings and demands on the world) you get to hear yourself being putrid and you will come off your high horse. If you just say the mean things yet keep secret...more
Most thought is a form of disease.
For those who read into this a license to go around insulting people for fun, I think they've missed an important part of the point.
By stating the truth (about your mostly childish feelings and demands on the world) you get to hear yourself being putrid and you will come off your high horse. If you just say the mean things yet keep secret...more
Very American concept, I think, this notion that it makes sense to say everything you're thinking, basically. Not sure I go along with that. But I definitely appreciate the revelations in this book about the deep value of straight dealing, even when it's uncomfortable or ugly or seemingly unkind. It's an often neglected piece of the integrity puzzle, and I agree with the author that the truth is ultimately the kindest thing you can tell someone. I think the author also does a good job pointing o...more
I hate this guy, his writing and his shitty ideas about how to relate to others. Yeah it's personal. The "truth" according to this dumb ass is that in order to strengthen your relationship with friends and family you need to share in detail every negative, judgemental, dick head thought you ever had about them as well as detailed descriptions about any thing you have done or thought which would disturb them. Married couples should go in to detail about other people they have fantasized about or...more
Blanton argues convincingly that telling the truth is imperative to living a genuine and creative life. Suppressing angry feelings is bad for us, and it could be dangerous (i.e. school shootings). According to Blanton, we cannot be our true selves if we are not honest. We constrict our true potential and our creative spirit by lying. In order to come to your senses, you have to lose your mind. That is, we spend too much time thinking about what is in the past or fantasizing about the future inst...more
Mar 31, 2012
Deepak Chaudhary
added it
What do I say about this book "I don't know" that's all I can say. It asks you to be honest Radically honest as the title suggests, if you have sexual fantasies just say what you are thinking, if you are angry just let it rip with all the cussing and being loud that wants to come from you with no thought of tact or restriction, it asks you to not worry about what other people think and that you can never know what is the right thing to do so its best to just be honest at-least this way your mind...more
Well, what can I say. Whilst the author is trying to make an attempt to argue how honesty sets you free, it is set in the context of what the author calls "Futilism"(a new religion according to Brad. Basically you can't cnage anythign so just be brutally honest. I just felt like the book was a strong attack against certain morals. Whislt I agree that traditional "Pharisaism"has produced a culture of lying to maintain appearances, it is not helpful to abandon the reality of moral absolutes as rev...more
I was disappointed that he didn't say when NOT to tell the whole truth. It so often gets me in trouble.
His premise is very scary: tell the truth as you experience it, no matter how it reflects on your identity. Use language to its natural limits to describe what you feel as you feel it, even if you fear it is childish or illogical. I like this. I like the idea that our feelings often don't make any sense at all. We might feel them to be ugly, selfish, wicked.
There's a part where he outlines all the secrets he is ashamed of. It was one of my favourite parts, and I started laughing because of how f...more
There's a part where he outlines all the secrets he is ashamed of. It was one of my favourite parts, and I started laughing because of how f...more
Brad Blanton seems like a bit of a weirdo to me - and I like it. This book is at times too wordy and his literary examples were boring in my opinion so I skipped around a lot. But I really, really enjoyed the messages Blanton is trying to get across in this book. Do I think his views are at times a bit extreme? Yes, I do. But as a general concept, learning to be honest with one's self about who one is at any given time and then learning to convey that same honesty to others, this book can be lif...more
I personally was attracted to a radical honesty lifestyle through my own personal epiphanies and realizations and seeked this title out to help me successfully such radically alternative lifestyle, especially the most difficult "hurting other people with my truth" aspect of it. To this end the book hasn't helped ease my dilemmas, it has concentrated more on encouraging the reader to adopt such a lifestyle. I got through 2/3 of it and haven't been drawn to finish it yet, stumbled at a section of...more
This book is brash, confident, strong, results-oriented, opinionated, simple, and straightforward to the point of over-simplifying. It also has New Age-y sub-themes that will put off some, but that's another matter.
The book's basic point is sound -- honesty is the best policy. However, the implementation of that policy, as described in "Radical Honesty", is not very nuanced. It is a shock program most properly applied to people who are consciously or unconsciously living out self-destructive sc...more
The book's basic point is sound -- honesty is the best policy. However, the implementation of that policy, as described in "Radical Honesty", is not very nuanced. It is a shock program most properly applied to people who are consciously or unconsciously living out self-destructive sc...more
Feb 18, 2010
Ricardo Mendonca
added it
Honestly "Radical Honesty" is a book for the individual who desires to grow as a individual. Radical Honesty gives you insight in detecting deception amongst other people. Teaches you to express feelings, and thoughts. I can tell that I was a person who withhold a lot of information from people but I practice in telling the truth daily. I actually feel more alert to my surroundings. Since I have read the book I don't seek approval from individuals. Now I am humble for whom I am!
Este es un libro de autoayuda y psicología que empieza a tope y descarrila terriblemente al final. El mensaje es lo bastante poderoso como para que merezca la pena.
Blanton es un terapeuta que postula que todos los problemas de la vida y la mayoría de problemas mentales vienen de que mentimos todo el rato. Así que propone una honestidad radical. No sólo decir la verdad, sino aclarar todas las mentiras que hemos contado alguna vez, y eliminar completamente los filtros entre nuestro cerebro y la bo...more
Blanton es un terapeuta que postula que todos los problemas de la vida y la mayoría de problemas mentales vienen de que mentimos todo el rato. Así que propone una honestidad radical. No sólo decir la verdad, sino aclarar todas las mentiras que hemos contado alguna vez, y eliminar completamente los filtros entre nuestro cerebro y la bo...more
Certainly radical, this book recommends complete honesty about all situations and feelings in order to become more in touch with being instead of thinking. It's offered as a cure for neurosis and as a lifestyle for friends and partnerships, but I found it unclear just where complete honesty breaks down according to this book. As always, there are a few great ideas involved, and while we all don't have to be 100% honest all the time, a little push in that direction never hurts.
Outstanding! He advocates for being honest in your dealings with all people as a way to keep yourself "sane" and to have true intimacy with others, instead of having fake relationships based on how we are "supposed" to act. Feel your feelings and be open with people. Very logical to me.
This book is not about being honest, it is about being as selfish as you possibly can. Horrible, egotistical advice. Follow it if you want to burn every relationship you have to the ground because you are obsessed with only yourself.
Nice to see this book written and I like his attitude. But I don't advise trying it, at least not to this degree; people generally are pretty suspicious of honesty, which could be another entire book, I suppose.
Interesting book but a bit long winded since it's basic premise can be summed up in a few sentences. I read through it and decided that a summary gave me everything I needed to know about this book.
Aug 02, 2011
Annukka
marked it as to-read
Tuija puhui tasta liikkeesta mulle joskus luettuaan lehtiartikkelin. Ihan mahdoton juttu ja siksi kierolla tavalla kiinnostava.
Is it fair to review a book that I didn't finish? I don't know but why would I bother finishing a book that I was disgusted with? I get his basic premise that telling the truth will be better for your mental health however it seems that the best case scenario is that you'll have improved mental health and no one will want to have you as their spouse, friend or family member. Sounds like a lonely life. The case study he gives as an example involves a man commiting suicide because he didn't proper...more
There is nothing compared to the truth. Speak your truth courageously and never fail yourself again.
Jan 01, 2011
Kevin Armstead
added it
Loved this book. Gives an insight to why sometimes the best answer is never the sugar coated one.
This is the most important book I've ever read
This is a powerful book.
Apr 27, 2012
Natasha (Diarist) Holme
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Very daring people with nothing to lose
Shelves:
advice,
inspirational
Brutal? Kind? Argh! ...
I read this book in the summer of 2007 in a time of upheaval in my life, and it was unlike anything else I had ever read. Imagine someone cutting right through all of the walls/curtains/veils we all put up when we deal with people ("being polite" and "social graces" and "white lies") and inviting you to walk through all of that and try to live your life in a more honest way, and that's this book. To read about it is one thing, but to live it is another. Give it a read, and see how you come out o...more
it makes sense.
Blanton had a few chapters that had me thinking outside the box, but the lack of rationale in others, particularly the conclusion that came 10 years later, made me think he's on the edge of losing his mind. He seems to be proud of the fact. If that's his mission, good for him.
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May 05, 2008 05:18pm
updated Nov 11, 2008 09:47pm
Aug 12, 2012 11:10am