One silver lining in the pandemic is the new awareness many people gained for working to maintain good mental health. This post is to tell you about what Interfaith Resources is thinking about and how we are trying to help. First let’s talk about a writer and then I’ll tell you about some products.
This post is featuring the writer Justice Saint Rain, who has written eight books offerings his own understanding how of a spiritual perspective can aid the process of emotional healing.
Justice started with a book for Baha’is called Falling Into Grace. (It was the best-selling Baha’i book the year it was published.) But he quickly realized he had perspectives to offer a wider audience.
Next came Why Me? A Spiritual Guide to Growing Through Tests. It helped people understand that tests were gifts to help them grow, not punishments for being bad people. He was recently invited to join an interfaith Zoom book club that was reading this book. They liked it so much that they decided to follow up with
The Secret of Happiness. This started out as a pamphlet, but the expanded gift edition added supporting quotations and beautiful borders. It explains how happiness is the result of developing our virtues.
From Happiness to ALL of our emotions, The Secret of Emotions explains that our emotions are the tools God gave us to help us identify the presence or absence of His virtues in our lives.
Four of the most important virtues for happiness and healing are Forgiveness, Honesty, Compassion and Faith. These are the subject of Four Tools of Emotional Healing.
The emotion and the virtue we long for the most is love. Longing for Love is about nurturing healthy relationships.
Justice compiled these last three books together into one volume, called Love, Lust and the Longing for God. Bad title, great book.
His most recent published title returns to a focus on the Baha’is. Twelve Steps & the Baha’ Faith explores the common principles between these two communities and the unique qualities they have to offer one another.
Justice is currently working on a new book called The Secret of Forgiveness. Here is a short excerpt:
To heal anger; to heal our wounded hearts so that we can let go of anger; we must first give ourselves permission to feel the anger. We need to hear that, yes, something bad did happen to us, and that we didn’t deserve it. Yes, there is a wound under that bandage. I believe you, so you don’t have to rip it back open. You can tell me about it and I will take your side and offer you solace.
So let me do just that:
I’m sorry that this bad thing happened to you. All of it. All 10 minutes of it. All 20 years of it.
You didn’t deserve it. You deserve to be treated with respect – as a noble human being with wonderful qualities. What happened to you was wrong and unfair and you have a right to be angry about it.
Take a moment to breathe that in.
You are innocent. You deserve good things. They were wrong.
Breathe it in again.
You are innocent. You deserve good things. They were wrong.
And again.
You are innocent. You deserve good things. They were wrong.
When we are hurt, we need to know that:
The pain is real.
Our feelings are valid.
And that our pain matters to someone.
Your pain matters to me.
Other Helpful Books
And of course, Justice Saint Rain is not the only writer using spiritual principles to help solve personal issues. Our book page contains many others, including many for children.
Sometimes it takes more than a book…
Sometimes we need to get out of our heads and into our hearts in order to heal. Here are some things that can help:
Cuddlebuddies to hug while rubbing a comfort coin and saying positive affirmations.
Virtue Reflection Cards to inspire you or to meditate on when facing a specific problem.
Character Coins to hold onto and rub throughout the day to keep you grounded.
Coloring Books to help you unwind.
Finally, I want to announce a new addition to our cuddlebuddy family.
If you work in a Children’s Hospital, or any organization that deals with children in crisis, you’ve just met your new best friend.
Our new Octopus CuddleBuddy will work miracles in helping children under stress feel more calm, brave, loved and confident.
OctoBuddy is a reversible happy/sad octopus that comes with a hidden pouch filled with calming affirmations printed on wooden comfort coins. Children are encouraged to rub the coins and say the affirmations while holding the super-soft octopus (also known as a “cuddlefish”) against their cheek. Though the concept seems simple, CuddleBuddies use three scientifically proven calming techniques to help children (and adults) regulate their emotions. These are: repetitive motion, positive affirmations and soft tactile comfort. And it does all of this, not as a “technique” but in the guise of playing with a loveable squishy plush toy.
Like many of our products, this is available with bulk pricing so you can give them to everyone you work with who needs it.
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If you feel a resource has really helped you use spiritual principles to help with mental health issues, please write and tell us about what you found. We are always looking for new products that make the world a better place.
Till next times, take care of yourself as well as others.
Karen