THE ART OF LETTING GO
The breakup of an intimate relationship is certainly one of
the most difficult of life's experiences. For most people, the process of letting
go of a person with whom one has been in love is a period of extreme uncertainty
and confusion. The Art of Letting Go offers a unique approach to dealing with
the pain of separation.
To aid the reader's comprehension and confidence in this unique catharsis, the author
has now included an extensive self-awareness section and an engrossing meditation.
The result is a fully-integrated reading experience designed to enlighten and revitalize.
In the self-awareness exercises which accompany each chapter of the text, the reader
is offered a series of questions pertinent to the twenty-six themes of the book.
These questions enable the reader to probe the meaning of each theme at a very personal
level and thus provide the individual reader with a springboard for self-analysis
and self-determination.
The ñDynamic Meditationî which makes up the last section of The Art of Letting
Go is a remarkable guide to the process of meditation strengthened by visualization.
It leads the reader, in the form of a journey, through a peaceful encounter with
the blockages which might prevent true liberation. Step by step, the reader is enabled
to shed difficulties and to arrive at the harmonious point of self-awakening.
The Art of Letting Go grew out of the author's personal experiences. The book
covers twenty-six aspects of life that must be dealt with if one is to confront successfully
the difficulties presented by a separation in love. Those aspects vary from ñSelf-Imageî
and ñResponsibilityî to ñForgivenessî and ñThe Future.î
Each chapter of the book is introduced by an inspirational
saying, followed by the author's commentary and a self-awareness section designed to enable the reader to
act immediately upon each category of experience involved in meeting the challenge
of the journey to personal fulfillment.
The underlying philosophy of the book has to do with action as
the natural outcome of understanding. While the adage ñTime heals all woundsî may be of some comfort
for people in a distressing situation, it tends ultimately to condition them for
remaining in a passive position. In The Art of Letting Go the goal
is immediate action as a response to each difficulty presented by the reality
of separation. Thus,
the author does intend for his book to be a source of information;
but it is clearly designed to do more than that: it is meant to spur the
reader on to meaningful action.
In essence, what the author achieves in The Art of Letting Go is
a balance between the internal and external dimensions involved
in his approach to separation.
Chapters such as ñAutosuggestionî and ñChange of Sceneryî reflect on this
balance of internal and external change. And there is an interconnection
between all of the chapters. They support one another. When you
learn to face ñResponsibilityî (the
title of another chapter), you learn also to deal with “Acceptance”
and to develop the capacity for ñForgiveness.î
For many people, ñLoveî is the greatest obstacle to letting go. But Giampolo's book
demonstrates how it must be understood that once we let go, the love which we originally
felt is now of a different nature. Love is the primary force which leads us into
a relationship and it is also the primary force for leading us successfully out of
a relationship. It is learning how to change the form of love which offers the individual
the power to transcend suffering and to begin on the path to fulfillment in life.
Because the book is centered around such a universal perception
of the nature of love, it lends itself extremely well to a very wide spectrum
of readers. Its appeal
to experienced adults is of course obvious. For this group it makes
an excellent and inspiring gift, for friends and family members alike. But
the book is capable
of reaching and changing teenagers as well. Parents will find that The Art of
Letting Go can offer their children a kind of insight which is lacking
in their classroom education. And in the sensitive and experimental years
of young adulthood,
the message of a book such as this is of inestimable value.
Just as Giampolo has achieved in his book the balance between the
internal and external dimensions of getting through a breakup, he has also
created a text which functions
as a dual learning process. When you learn to let go, you are also
learning to be better prepared for the next relationship. This is because
the goals taught in this
process overlap with the developing of new relationships. This
is particularly evident in chapters such as ñCommunication,î ñFeelings,î ñTrust,î and ñFreedom.î
Normally, books of this nature are written by psychologists and
psychiatrists. Giampolo believes that the voice of an ordinary person is
just as important as the work of
professionals. And the result of this conviction is an outstanding
book which speaks with remarkable sincerity and clarity to an audience of
the most varied background
and ages. The Art of Letting Go, to put it simply, is a book to be
savored, used, and shared.
