Ronald Alexander believes that within all of us lies dormant the potential for tremendous transformation that can lead to great happiness. In his graduate work in counseling psychology and, over the years, in his private practice as a mind-body psychotherapist; educator; trainer; and consultant to the Cottonwood Recovery centers in London and to many hospitals, clinics, and educational and therapeutic centers throughout the United States, I’ve helped thousands of individuals and companies set off on their own artistic journeys and reinvent themselves. He has watched clients let go of their false beliefs about who they are and what roads are open to them, and observed them as they found new paths to fulfillment and happiness that were previously hidden by their fear of change. Cultivating mindfulness, they were able to begin seeing their lives as a canvas for self-expression that could, and should, reflect their personal passions and values. Even when their lives shifted abruptly and caused them great suffering, they were able to feel their pain and allow it to dissipate as they let go of the past and attained what the Buddhists call open-mind consciousness. This is the creative state artists immerse themselves in, an almost magical state of being in which you can tune in to the unconscious and even the collective unconscious, emerging with fresh and original ideas, passion, and inspiration.
Ronald Alexander’s goal when he wrote his book Wise Mind, Open Mind was to create a unique opportunity for you to learn methods and techniques drawn from the ancient schools of Buddhist mindfulness meditation and the current field of positive psychology so that you can foster your own transformation, become more at ease with the process of change, and view transition as positive and exciting. Just as a painter’s heart begins to beat faster as the paintbrush takes him to places he hadn’t imagined going, or a photographer discovers an extraordinary texture in an everyday object, when you attain the state of awareness known as open mind, you’ll discover myriad possibilities for your life.