' And the time came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom' Anais Nin Elizabeth Lesser shows how it is possible to deal with fearful change or a painful loss & be reborn like the Phoenix to a more vibrant & enlightened self In Broken Open she shares penetrating tales from her own life the lives of those she has taught & counselled & the lives of friends & family tales that explore the big challenges of death illness & divorce as well as the daily roller coaster rides of relationships parenting & work Woven into these stories are"ations from great poets & philosophers & following them is a toolbox of valuable aids including meditation psychological enquiry & spiritual practice The result is a book that runs the gamut of the human experience & in a style that is genuine funny often heartbreaking but always inspiring she shows us how we too can allow the pain of adversity to break us open instead of breaking us down making us bitter or closing our hearts