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Emotional Clearing: An East / West Guide to Releasing Negative Feelings and Awakening Unconditional Happiness

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Turning Western psychology inside out, this groundbreaking book shows you how to release negative feelings once and for all.

After years of teaching his Integrative Processing Therapy technique, John Ruskan explains his revolutionary and highly successful self-therapy, designed to enable personal happiness and fulfillment, improved health and relationships, and growth on the path to enlightenment.

With an emphasis on feelings as they are happening right now, Emotional Clearing presents a guide to inner work for experiencing and accepting feelings, and finally releasing them. Contrary to the Western philosophy in which the expression of feelings is the route to their clearing, Ruskan shows how talking about and acting out negative feelings do not ultimately provide relief. In fact, these activities can reinforce the very feelings you wish to resolve.

Emotional Clearing teaches you how to get past incessant thinking and reframing of emotions, and get to the core feelings underneath. It presents an enlightened program for taking responsibility for feelings, opening to them, and experiencing them fully in order to have them cleared from the subconscious, where they have been building and causing havoc. Combining the Eastern spiritual healing principle of acceptance with the Western idea of the subconscious, Ruskan's theory is a radical departure from the Western paradigm that negative feelings must be disposed of actively.

Covering topics such as feeling through the body, the centers of consciousness and addiction, direct experience, transformation, practical inner work, and breath work, Emotional Clearing will help you integrate your emotions and achieve the functional and spiritual goals you've only wished you could attain.

329 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

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238 people want to read

About the author

John Ruskan

13 books8 followers
John's life-long personal experience on the spiritual - higher consciousness path began in 1968 at the age of 26 when he was initiated into a major yoga tradition. Almost 30 years later, in 1994, he self-published Emotional Clearing, a guide for releasing suppressed negative feelings by means of an inner meditative technique.

John has worked for the last 25 years as a holistic psychotherapist. He regards intellectual probing into psychological dysfunction to be limited at best. His work is completely focused on a right-brain, feeling-based, mystical approach to inner psychological healing. Accordingly, he is fundamentally at odds with mainstream left-brain cognitive therapies, and also tends to discount the current neuroscience craze as a mostly materialistic dead-end distraction from genuine inner soul healing, even though he is quite articulate about Western psychology and has incorporated key humanistic psychological principles into his work.

John began his career with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University (1964), but quickly abandoned that life-style for that of the artist. He was a working musician - singer-songwriter - recording artist - recording studio owner in NYC until reinventing himself as an Emotional Clearing Facilitator in 1994. He feels that his experience as an artist was instrumental in developing the right-brain intuitive skills that have enabled him to formulate his vision and to empathize deeply with others.

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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
108 reviews1 follower
July 11, 2018
A must read (frequently)

This is not one of those books you can read and never refer back to, at least I can’t. I got it originally because I want to learn how to handle emotions without trying to rush them away or give too much power to the positive ones.

I got a lot of good ideas from this book. When the author refers to higher power or higher self, I mentally substituted God as I know Him.

The eastern approach to handling emotions, accepting them, is very new to me, so some of the ideas and concepts were over my head. But for the most part, I learned a lot.
12 reviews1 follower
August 12, 2018
I wish everyone knew the concepts in this book! We must learn how to feel our emotions and allow them to move through the body. Hurt people are hurtful to others - the knowledge in this book holds the keys to preventing violence and creating a peaceful world. An absolute must read. I almost regret getting the kindle version because I definitely want a hard copy but it will be nice to have both.
Profile Image for Kellie.
133 reviews
June 27, 2013
Although I didn't agree with all the philosophies in this book, it has great principles to help facilitate personal journeys of healing. For me it was an answer to prayers in understanding the importance of emotional health and the whole ness it brings when balanced. I love that it encourages healing by yourself and not dependent on anyone. Highly recommend for anyone who has struggled with depression and traditional methods of healing were unsuccessful.
Profile Image for Erica d'Angelo.
65 reviews1 follower
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September 17, 2019
“If you accept that uncertainty is an inherent part of existence, you will not feel as if you must compulsively guard against lack. Placing your trust in the flow of life, you find yourself provided for. Acceptance of insecurity and uncertainty paradoxically brings about feelings of security and stability.” –John Ruskan, Emotional Clearing

This book is a light for the dark, difficult-to-deal-with parts of myself and my experience through life.
Profile Image for Simon Eeles.
4 reviews
February 12, 2009
This was a remarkable read for me.... I read it over about six months at a time I was processing a lot of emotional trauma. I learnt to experience painful emotions fully........ my life changed significantly for the better as I read it... I do not think any other book has helped me free myself so effectively (except Pema Chodron)
2 reviews
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November 21, 2021
John Ruskan is a phenomenally talented and amazing being who has graced this earth with his work on so many levels.
His books Emotional Clearing and Deep Clearing do not do themselves justice in the titles as they are so much more as the journey to self unfolds.
In his books, John lights the way through doing your inner work and learning true acceptance of the reality inside of us all on a deep level.
If you desire to have the questions so many of us ask ourselves to be answered, and wish to not only understand on a feeling level but to also transcend the mind and conditioning of how society has failed us of true knowledge and growth. Then his books will take you on that inner journey to awakening.
It's not a hold your hand and make you feel good kind of experience, but rather the truth and practical guide to truly seeing the path and walking it with open eyes internally. It has transformed my life to say the least. I no longer suffer, instead I consciously evolve and embrace life on a whole new level. Say goodbye to emotional roller coasters and be the navigator of your life when you do the work in the book that is a true gift to humanity
Thank you John for teaching me what society, school and family failed to as I know this information is something that should be taught at school as an essential to healthy individuals and therefore a healthy society
We can't complain about the world around us if we are not prepared to do the work within us.
I also purchased the CD series as it helps clear so much suppressed internal turmoil, making it easier to navigate and lessens the emotional volcanic release begins. The CD series takes you into deep meditation and the Alpha state it induces is like the anaesthetic in spiritual surgery do to speak, making the healing from trauma painless.
With much love and gratitude,
Amy
Profile Image for Sonee Singh.
Author 5 books19 followers
February 12, 2022
The book provides a four-step process to accept and clear emotions and thus bring personal transformation. The author provided definitions of concepts although I would have liked more examples from people/case studies who benefited through this process.
3 reviews2 followers
March 1, 2011
Used this book as a text in a class I taught on Inner Listening(TM). It's very in depth and may be more than many are ready for but Ruskan knows his subject and is one of the best in his field. It's a great reference book.
I highly recommend his emotional clearing audio practice sessions that can be downloaded into your iTunes/ipod for $99. They can be found on his website www.emclear.com. Try his free relaxation download to see how his voice and technique feel to you.
I've found his audio emotional clearing session very effective in doing my own clearing work and because of his style and the privacy of the experience, it is helpful for people who do not feel safe sharing their experiences with another in a person to person session.
If the world is going to be a better place, we will all need to do our inner work with compassion, dedication and grace. Ruskan offers us the opportunity to do just that.
Profile Image for Susan.
77 reviews5 followers
August 16, 2009
This is the best self help book I have ever read. The author clearly spells out how to use available tools such as breathing, yoga, meditation to work through disturbing or self defeating psychological states. This book, like it says, comprehensively explores and utilizes both eastern and western philosophy to help the reader grow and move through emotional problems and limitations.
Profile Image for Lisa.
384 reviews
December 24, 2015
I just read parts of this book to see what someone dear to me is interested in these days. He has some interesting ideas. Then it was due back at the library so I returned it.
Profile Image for Ruthann Wheeler.
501 reviews
July 25, 2018
Ug, very dry. The idea of this book was very good. I believe we often do need to process our emotions instead of stamping them down. I also believe that emotions can effect us spiritually and physically if we don't process them as needed. However I couldn't get through this book. It was very descriptive and not entertaining. It was written like a text book. I don't recommend this book to anyone unless maybe they are going into counseling.
Profile Image for Gimena Olmos.
3 reviews
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February 14, 2023
Mindblowing book, explains how to connect orient and occident views of yoga and meditation with psychology
Profile Image for Sarah Santoro.
8 reviews
April 16, 2017
Couldn't finish it. Made it 54% in. Author was redundant, and the spiritual assumptions were controversial.

Getting home late at night, my anxiety would take off and I would imagine getting killed or kidnapped walking into my house in the dark. (Yes, irrational, but anxiety can be quite dramatic).

According to this book, I found myself thinking "Well, I keep manifesting this in my mind and it will actually happen".

At first, I understood the spiritual relation to manifesting your thoughts. However, he took it to the point of blame. You create angry people, you chose your abusive parents, you got into that car accident because of your negative thoughts".

Too extreme. Would not advise reading this.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews

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