If you wrestle with confused feelings, negative thoughts, and issues in your relationships, or notice that the same problems recur, then free yourself from what psychotherapist Dr. Nicola Bird calls “The Boomerang Effect”.
It is possible to gain control and change unhealthy patterns to generate harmony in your life. By using a five-minute formula, you will empower yourself and revolutionize your life in positive ways. You can avoid stress and problems by using Dr. Bird’s transformational method that has already liberated many people from persona struggles. Her proven self- empowerment formula can help you take charge of your life and create positive changes.
In this book, you’ll find:
Strategies to deal with the unavoidable and unpredictable obstacles;
Ways to battle insecurities that impede personal growth;
How managing perception can help you change your life.
This self-empowerment guide will allow you to begin a journey that opens up possibilities in life. Equip yourself with the tools you need to take charge of your life and avoid “The Boomerang Effect”.
I was introduced to Dr. Nicola Bird's work through a podcast on Emotional Eating at [...]. After listening to the podcast several times, I reluctantly bought her book. I say 'reluctantly' because I have bought so many 'self-help' type books through the years that I have become a bit jaded.
When I bought the book, I set it aside for about a month. After all, what could Dr. Bird 'tell me' that I had not already heard.
The problem was: I was still binge eating. Binge eating being the problem that got me into therapy years ago, and buying all those other 'self-help' books.
I finally opened Dr. Bird's book when I realized I was boomeranging from a low calorie diet.
Dr. Bird's style is simple, clear, and effective. When she gets to her solutions--and this is important--they are also simple, clear, and effective. In March 2012, I chose to work with 2 of the exercises she presents in her book. Although I wasn't thrilled to be be trying 'another thing,' I think Dr. Bird's comforting, supportive, and engaging writing style helped me through my resistance. From the first day I committed to experimenting with Dr. Bird's exercises, per her suggestions, I began achieving positive results. I did not stop binge eating overnight, but I slowed down significantly. This was without any other intervention.
Three months later, I am no longer binge eating. And not because I am on some rigid food plan and/or because I have eliminated sugar and/or white flour/things from my diet. I am not binge eating because:
1. When I feel stressed out, I use one of Dr.Bird's exercises.They are more effective and comforting than binging.
2. The exercises do not leave the negative effects and baggage of eating too much food.
3. They don't cost anything to do them.
The most wonderful thing about all this is the positive effects on the rest of my life: work and relationships.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It has changed my life. I intend to continue using these simple, but powerful exercises everyday for the rest of my life. They feel and work much better than binge eating.
Heather B., Spokane, WA
Clarion Review
SELF-HELP
The Boomerang Effect: How You Can Take Charge of Your Life
Nicola Bird
Four Stars (out of Five)
Five-minute exercises, no equipment or gym memberships to purchase, no therapy or coaching
sessions, just relief from the stress and anxiety trap that many people experience—that’s the
promise (and premise) of Nicola Bird’s self-help guide, The Boomerang Effect: How You Can
Take Charge of Your Life. Bird writes clearly and efficiently about her proprietary Self-Imaging
Therapy (SIT).
According to Bird, many people live in a “circle of problems,” a situation which she has
dubbed The Boomerang Effect. In her book, Bird writes of three archetypes: the Fighter, the
Hider, and the Runner. Each descriptor is prefixed by “Mi-mi,” an apt reference to oneself. The
“antagonist” in the guide is named Mucky. But a character the author calls Glade vacillates
between being a Mr./Ms. Wonderful and a Mucky in disguise.
This book is a result of Bird’s twenty-plus years as a psychotherapist, during which time
she developed SIT, which she describes in an accessible manner: “A transformative inner
process—very much like an active, therapeutic meditation, SIT achieves maximum results
quickly and deeply, because it changes people from the inside out and gives them the tools to
heal.”
Clarion
In defining the Fighter, the Hider, and the Runner, Bird enumerates their characteristics,
informs the reader of the results of each behavior, and offers potential “antidotes.” Two unique
elements will resonate with readers as they try on the different hats of each role: The Reasoning
and the Mantra are very specific attributes. For example, Mi-mi the Hider’s Reasoning is: “What
if …?”; and the Hider’s Mantra is: “It is what it is.” These are just two examples of how the
author presents definitive, rather than generalized, information.
The programmed responses that the author details are based on the fight-or-flight
response. Bird takes it one step farther and adds “freeze” as the third typical response in this
series. She explains that people don’t always run or hide; stopping dead in their tracks is a
typical alternate response to anxiety, fear, depression, and other emotional issues.
The chapters end with a practical “Recap of Key Concepts” that highlight the definitions
provided within the chapter and the characteristics of each archetype. The exercises include
instructions and, when the reader is asked to provide descriptions of challenges and emotions,
Bird offers a list of possible responses to jog the reader’s mind.
Bird cuts to the chase—people have pain and want results—but she cautions that there
are no permanent fixes. Problems will rear their ugly heads, but she gives readers tools that are
easy and quick to use and provide relief. Gentle and direct reminders pepper each chapter: love
yourself, take care of and be good to yourself, and practice the four exercises. Bird delivers her
point of view clearly, succinctly, and lovingly.
The book appears to target women and has men in the “Mucky” roles until page 29,
when Mark makes an appearance as the author’s patient in a “Mi-mi” role. The author employs
feminine pronouns throughout the text, and there’s not much advice for men, other than in
Mark’s brief segment.
Nicola Bird received her doctorate from the University of Toronto, and she lives in
Toronto today. In addition to maintaining her private psychotherapy practice and writing, she
conducts seminars based on SIT.
Dindy
“A very powerful little book. Dr. Bird has clearly and concisely outlined the basic challenges we all face in dealing with ourselves and life. She offers effective ways to change the habitual way we deal with the problems we face, whether they are mental, emotional or situational. Dr. Bird explains how the ways we deal with things may be familiar and comfortable but actually keep us stuck and unable to shift our perspective and behaviour so the same issues keep coming up in our lives. Her techniques for changing our habitual responses are clearly articulated so I could easily and effectively put them into practice. It’s a great tool for cultivating more self-awareness and has helped me change things in my own life that were keeping me “stuck in the muck!” very powerful little book. Dr. Bird has clearly and concisely outlined the basic challenges we all face in dealing with ourselves and life. She offers effective ways to change the habitual way we deal with the problems we face, whether they are mental, emotional or situational. Dr. Bird explains how the ways we deal with things may be familiar and comfortable but actually keep us stuck and unable to shift our perspective and behaviour so the same issues keep coming up in our lives. Her techniques for changing our habitual responses are clearly articulated so I could easily and effectively put them into practice. It’s a great tool for cultivating more self-awareness and has helped me change things in my own life that were keeping me “stuck in the muck!”– Lizbeth, Toronto, CA
“I think this should be required reading for all kids and adults alike. We take for granted how much traumatic events happen in our lives even when we are very young, and without proper support for ourselves we learn all the wrong ways to deal with these seemingly minor events. Nicola’s book lays it all out in a simple, easy to read way. Without being overly technical, she explains why we fall back on certain behaviors and how we can become more mindful of our reactions and take charge of our lives. If you have been struggling with feelings of being lost, stuck this is a great book to start your journey back to embrace your self, gradually learn how to identify and deal with your emotions and behaviors that hold you back”
