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Riding the Waves of the Soul

A STORY OF SELF-CONQUEST

From the outside, Benedikt has it all: youth, a keen intellect, the start of a brilliant career and a loving relationship… that is, if it weren’t for a set of increasingly disruptive physical symptoms – hypertension, chronic inflammations and a bone-deep exhaustion, to name a few! Doctors are unable to help, and Benedikt gradually understands that his physical ailments are the tip of a looming iceberg telling him in no uncertain terms that it’s time to confront the agonizing story of his earliest years. This insight takes Benedikt on a daunting hero’s journey back to his authentic self, and beyond.

Published in German by: opus magnum, 2018
14,99 €; 252 pages; ISBN: 978-3-95612-016-9
Also available as e-book (EPUB, Kindle).

Description of the Book Content

Riding the Waves of the Soul is a compelling story navigating the difficult terrain of early childhood trauma and the toll it takes on the psyche, and on the body. Benedikt movingly describes how he confronts his mental, emotional and physical blockages in the course of a ten-year ›maturation journey‹ with the help of two powerful paths: body-oriented psychotherapy and Vipassana meditation. As he immerses himself in the practice of meditation, Benedikt experiences strange visions that prove key to unlocking his unconscious. This is how he gets to know the charismatic dog Laika, a vivid phantasmatic figure from the depths of his psyche. During their common strolls around the vast space of Benedikt's mind, Laika cautiously and compassionately introduces Benedikt to the tragic origins of his own life, encouraging him to see the prodigious ocean of the unconscious as more than just a frightening unknown, as she teaches him the art of riding the primal, tumultuous waves of his soul.

Through Laika’s cheeky and tender narration, we watch Benedikt edge closer and closer to his authentic self. However, Benedikt's hero's journey takes him not only into his inner being, but also toward the Other, that is, to nourishing human relationships, first embodied by his therapist, Jens. With Jens, Benedikt experiences a landmark moment of establishing a deep connection with another person while drawing vital force from it. Within the safe framework of this therapeutic rela-tionship, Benedikt learns to accept his fate and to inhabit the terrain of being fully – beautifully – human.

Unique to this story is how Benedikt's personal experiences intersect with the perspectives of Jungian Psychology, contemplation practices, Attachment Theory and Bioenergetic Analysis. Deep insights are offered into the root causes of mental disorders, as well as treatment options, honoring the idea that no two healing journeys are alike – new, potentially groundbreaking pathways to mental growth live inside of each of us. In this way, affected people, interested laypeople and experts alike get a very lively impression of what psychological post-maturing processes may look like, through the lens of one very distinctive healing process.


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The protagonists introduce themselves

This is the narrator, Laika, who carefully guides and protects Benedikt on his journeys into the depths of the soul.
This is the old Monk without a Name, around whom the threads of Benedikt’s life converge and who kindly watches over Benedikt’s meditation practice.
The witch Pudra reluctantly sets aside her beloved magic tricks to instead play the role of a makeshift surrogate mother for the orphaned infant Benedikt.
This is Arkan the Warrior, who teaches Benedikt how to deal constructively with aggressive impulses.
The guard dog Nestor helps Benedikt putting his destructive impulses into a social context.
Throughout his life, Monika the Lion has stood by Benedikt's side, never complaining or asking for anything.
Benedikt has been working with body-psychotherapist Jens Tasche for many years. He is the role model for the introject J∃nS.
The portrait of Monika the Lion was created with admirable dedication by the Cologne-based photo artist Olivier Pol.
Website: www.moi-toi.de
Benedikt's archetypal inner inhabitants were painted by the Thai artist Win Pattanakoson.
Website: www.facebook.com/EmotionsFromNature

    Readers' Feedback

    »This book is an extremely unusual and highly readable document of a self-development. It shows very vividly how intricate and miraculous mental healing processes are. The juxtaposition of messages from Benedikt's unconscious and psychodynamic interpretations is exciting in content and at the same time exceedingly instructive. Benedikt Bech's thoughtfulness, his palpable honesty and his expertise in psychotherapeutic issues make the book enjoyable to read. Congratulations on the success of this challenging construction!« Dr. med. M.A. Martin Herberhold (Former Head Physician Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Helios Hanseklinikum Stralsund, Germany)

    »Rarely have I felt that I gained such deep insights into the soul of another person in such a short time as I did while reading this book. Benedikt’s courage to increasingly connect with his feelings and to approach his inner depths in a healing way can inspire others on their own journeys. At the same time, the book is simply a joy to read thanks to its lively narrative style.« Bianca Bosbach (Psychotherapist and Mindfulness Trainer, Bergisch-Gladbach, Germany)

    »It wasn't just the intellect at work here, but something much deeper and nameless that found expression through the archetypes. Vivid, human and very, very compelling.« Daniel Misteli (Psychiatrist, Fribourg, Switzerland)

    »Rarely has a book captivated me as much as this one. It offers, in a very sensitive way, insights into profound processes of self-healing and self-discovery that are of interest not only to professionals.« Dr. Dorothee Wienand-Kranz (Psychological Psychotherapist, Hamburg, Germany)

    »The author has achieved something truly remarkable: not only has he presented a transpersonal development process in such a way that, after a while, you won’t want to put the book down, but he has also given the numinous — as C.G. Jung called it, that which is ineffable and transcends personal understanding and ability — the space and compelling expression it deserves.« Rainer Pervöltz (Psychotherapist and Supervisor, Freiburg, Germany)

    »This book is not only a deeply intimate and honest glimpse into the mind of a person who, due to severe early childhood trauma, has been completely estranged from himself for most of his life. It is also a call to look beyond one’s own therapeutic techniques and concepts.« Steve Hofmann (Bioenergetic Analyst, Berlin, Germany)

    »Benedikt Bech’s book captivates with its crystal-clear and wonderfully detailed descriptions of human states: archetypal, physical, energetic and emotional-intellectual-spiritual. Within just a few pages of reading, it sparked an inner fireworks within me. That is precisely what makes the book so worth reading: a complete immersion in Benedikt’s process of movement under observation.« Stephan Maey (Yoga Teacher and Psychotherapist, Köln, Germany)

    »Laika’s narrative derives its merit from its authenticity and the direct insight it offers into the unconscious and its workings. On his journey inward, Benedikt encounters images, stories and characters that must be attributed to the collective unconscious and are only rarely experienced with such complexity. An interesting, entertaining and moving book.« Jens Tasche (Body-Psychotherapist, Berlin, Germany)

    An overview of all published German reviews is available here.

    For whom is this book interesting to read?

    • People interested in psychology
    • Psychotherapists
    • Meditators and meditation teachers
    • People with psychosomatic disorders
    • People on a journey of self-discovery
    • People navigating the intersection of Western psychotherapy and Far-Eastern contemplative practices

    About the Publishing House

    The Latin term opus magnum refers to the most significant work of an artist or scientist, in which the essence of their creative output is expressed. The opus magnum Publishing House aims to support its readers in viewing their own life journey as their ›opus magnum‹, through which they contribute, each in their own way, to the great work of evolution. The publications focus on the themes of self-realization, the development of consciousness, the search for meaning and a positive approach to life. In particular, they aim to encourage reflection on the shadow aspects of life and the search for appropriate forms to express them. In this way, the opus magnum publishing program can serve as a guide to meaning, particularly for people in the second half of their lives. More information can be found at www.opus-magnum.de (in German).

    Keywords (in alphabetical order)

    Analytical Psychology; archetype; Attachment Theory; Bioenergetics; Bioenergetic Analysis; psychlogical case report; false self; early childhood trauma; S.N. Goenka; hero's journey; Jungian psychology; collective unconscious; contemplation; body-psychotherapy; meditation; mother archetype; psychological maturation; psychosomatic disorders; psychosomatic symptoms of overload; psychotherapeutic interpretation; psychotherapeutic maturation process; psychotherapy; schizoid disorder; psychological maturation process; self-awareness; self-discovery; self-actualization; systemic theory; therapeutic process; depth psychology; subconscious; Vipassana meditation.