Jude Bijou - Attitude Reconstruction: A Blueprint for Building a Better Life

ATTITUDE

RECONSTRUCTION

A Blueprint for Building a Better Life

Jude Bijou, M.A.,M.F.T

Smashwords ebook edition publishedby Fideli Publishing Inc.

Copyright 2012, Jude Bijou, M.A., M.F.T.

No part of this eBook may be reproduced orshared by any electronic or mechanical means, including but notlimited to printing, file sharing, and email, without prior writtenpermission from Fideli Publishing.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personalenjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away toother people. If you would like to share this book with anotherperson, please purchase an additional copy for each person youshare it with. If youre reading this book and did not purchase it,or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should returnto Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you forrespecting the hard work of this author.

Library of Congress Control Number:2011906536

ISBN: 978-1-60414-558-8

REVISED EDITION: NOVEMBER 2011

Attitude Reconstruction and Hey, Jude! areregistered trademarks belonging to the author.

Cover design by the Book Designers

Author photo by Stephanie Baker

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR ATTITUDERECONSTRUCTION

Jude Bijou shows ushow we can transform feelings of sadness, anger, and fear into joy,love, and peace. Attitude Reconstruction really works. JohnGray, Ph.D., author of Men Are from Mars, Women Are fromVenus and many other bestselling books

Jude Bijou has giventhe most practical direction to deal with our emotions in herbook,Attitude Reconstruction. Her teachingbeautifully integrates eastern Vedic thoughts and the westernapproaches in order to heal the emotions in our daily life. JudeBijou gives direct, applied ways to transform emotions into rightunderstanding and love, in order to bring self-healing. Dr.Vasant Lad, B.A.M.S., M.A.Sc., Ayurvedic physician, scholar,founder and director of the Ayurvedic Institute, Albuquerque, NewMexico, and author of Ayurveda: The Science of Self-Healingand Textbook of Ayurveda

Jude Bijous wonderfulbook is a beautifully written guide to transforming your life fromthe inside out. Her playful spirit makes the journey exciting,thought provoking, and, most of all, highly useful andeffective. Robert Maurer, Ph.D., faculty, UCLA School ofMedicine, and author of One Small Step Can Change YourLife

Bijou has put togethera compendium of worksheets, practical tips, and examples fordealing with the world in a healthier, happier way. LibraryJournal, Sept. 15, 2010

To all parents whofind themselves repeating the same dysfunctional, emotional tiradesover and over again: read this book. Attitude Reconstructionis a guidebook to getting out of the swamp of toxic emotions.Jude Bijou offers readers a way to interact clearly andeffectively, and respond to daily challenges with a calm and happyheart. Dr. Sharon Maxwell, clinical psychologist, and authorof What Your Kids Need to Hear from You about Sex

Attitude Reconstructionis a practical book filled with powerful methods that can helpyou through any problem or emotional upset. Jude is a rarepsychotherapist who is both highly caring and clear in presentingwhat really works and why. I have found her guidance helpful in mytherapy practice as well as with handling issues in my ownlife. Jonathan Robinson, M.F.T., author of severalbestsellers, including Communication Miracles for Couplesand The Complete Idiots Guide to Awakening YourSpirituality

This work should berequired reading for everyone, whether professional or personal. Ifwe all knew how to manage ourselves usingAttitudeReconstruction, we would live in a peaceful world free fromjudgment.Both medicine and psychology would be greatlyenhanced by taking another look at what people really want, whichis not to be labeled, but guided toward self-help and insight,resulting in a life with more meaning and wholeness. Therein is thecontribution which Jude Bijou has made with the stroke of her penand twenty years of inquiry. Linda W. Peterson, Ph.D.,professor emerita, University of Nevada Medical School, marriageand family therapist, diplomat in forensic counseling

Applying Jude Bijousproven techniques, we can all reconstruct our attitudes so that weconsistently behave as the people we most desire to be joyful,peaceful, and full of love. This istheguidebook forensuring a happy life. Jan C. Hill, international leadershipand teamwork consultant to Fortune 500 companies, certified coach,and coauthor with Vanessa Weaver of Smart Women, SmartMoves

I gave it my best shot and now I offer thisbook to you with appreciation and admiration.

CONTENTS

Part II: YourToolkit

INTRODUCTION

Y ou picked this guide up for areason. Maybe youre tired of feeling empty and unhappy, or youreaddicted to screaming at the kids. Perhaps youre single and aloneagain or clueless what to do now that you just got laid off. Lifesaccelerator has hit the floor, and youre doing all you can just tokeep hold of the wheel and not veer out of control. Having a map tonavigate around the emotional roadblocks and avoid some of thedangerous potholes that keep puncturing your tires would be greatabout now.

Attitude Reconstruction is somewhatof a GPS for your internal navigational system, and will be aninside guide you can refer to the rest of your life. You could saythat my desire to write this may have been coded in my DNA,inherited from my father, pioneer child behavioral psychologist,Sidney W. Bijou. I had a strong foundation to cull from, butsomething was missing. An insatiable curiosity drew me east, to theexpansive silence of meditation, the contemplative studies ofancient texts, and ways of existence quite unfamiliar to my westernconditioning. My understanding took quantum leaps. Just as the soilneeds the honeybee to draw its flower into blossom, so the westneeds the east to find its fullness. I merged these two worlds inmy heart, in teaching communication, and in my practice for thelast three decades as a marriage and family counselor. And thefruits of my journey culminate on these pages.

If the title, Attitude Reconstructionsuggests youre going to have to shift your perspective, yourereading it correctly. Everything you need is within you. Theoriginal design of YOU is perfect. The margins just got a littleblurry along the way. Im offering whats been missing yourblueprint, the very foundation of your inner wiring, so that youcan remodel your life with joy, love and peace.

If that sounds a bit like pie-in-the-sky,new age hype, my clients and students would disagree. Using thesesame tools Im about to offer you, theyve created the emotionaldream lives they deserve, full of satisfying relationships,authentic expression, and inner serenity.

Moving from Sadness,Anger, and Fear to Joy, Love, and Peace

The technical way to look at AttitudeReconstruction is that it's a holistic theory of human behavior.Its an approach that suggests only one thing unlocks the door tohappiness our emotions. Our poor attitudes and rockyrelationships are caused by unexpressed anger and fear. Butthis is a lot more than just a theory. Ive put together anaccessible, step-by-step handbook to get you in touch with whatyoure really feeling so you can take appropriate action andget the results you want: more joy, love, and peace. Think of it asa map when youre about to take a detour you know ends up in anemotional ditch.