As always Dr Phil creates a self help book with the individual in mind with a no none sense point of view. It can be offensive to some the tone and language he uses and there are points where it just doesn’t need to be used. The concepts he uses are not new, but the way he translates them can be of more help to the every day reader. It can leave the reader hoping to find their “authentic self” feeling like they have reached a great short coming, which is not good to someone to someone looking to really heal and change their lives around. This book does provide some good steps to reaching insight, but it won’t solve all of ones problems when looking at past experiences. It shouldn’t be read in hopes that it will answer all of ones questions or solve all of one’s problems. The exercises, like most of his books are time consuming and can leave you with the feeling of overwhelming. The detail, stories, and language keep the reader engaged in the book. I sm glsd I borrowed it from the library instead of buying the book.

Dr. Phill’s Self Matters, is one of those extremely uplifting books that make you rise with encouragement after every sentence. A lot of the tips and tricks he suggests in the book are very usable. I haven’t been able to apply enough of what I've read to my own life, I'm more of a sounds great I'll try it next week type of person, but I’ve noticed others using them and seen over a short period of time how it has positively affected if not changes certain aspects of their lives. The one thing I did find a little disappointing was his use of almost explosive topics that hit you somewhere inside and give you a "yea that's me, now how am I going to fix it?" feeling ad than It levels down to "okay, that's helpful". It is almost as if he hit on something, but could not get it down on paper before it fluttered away. Something things I wish I did was invite a friend to take this journey with me, an action type, who could cajole my physical efforts to match my mental efforts.

This is the first book I ever read by Dr. Phil. I read it after watching him on Oprah's show. The book was easy to read. He took some difficult concepts and put them into easy to understand terms. I think many of the concepts of this book were ones I'd read about in books by other authors. I did like the way Dr. Phil put them together into one book and added his personal stories and examples of people he helped.

Lots of past experiences that bothered me, still bother me after reading his book. It was not a cure all for personal problems, but it did offer some positive steps to getting on with life. The book helped me remember some difficult childhood issues I had forgotten about and helped me to put them in perspective.

I would recommend this book for the person who is just beginning to look into their own past experiences. I should be helpful to the reader who wants to make some changes in how they look at life and wants to react to others.

Reading this book was much like watching the Dr.Phil show. He captured his voice when writing this book. I could actually hear him telling me what to do while I was reading. He did provide some great pointers about overcoming the past to move on with the present. He used stories of "real" people to make points. He also involved stories of his life which made the book personal.

While his tips were helpful, I didn't leave this book with a grand "awakening". I did find some deeper insight to myself, but it didn't solve my past problems and I don't believe it made me my "authentic self". Maybe I am a bit more difficult or hard headed, but I don't think I grasped everything needed out of this book. I do recommend reading it, though, for some helpful insight. I just wouldn't advise that this is the only book you should read to achieve your "awakening".