Even more effective than Zen Buddhism.
It puts reality in front of you right now and you can deal with it immediately.
Life Transforming Habits' training is what we really need; we don’t need any new philosophies or theologies. We really need something like this that works and can help us become aware and actually LIVE our beliefs, our theologies and our philosophies. I have found this even more effective in some ways than Zen Buddhism. It puts reality in front of you right now and you can deal with it immediately. [Dr. Edward Hughes, PhD., Prof. of Religious Studies, Cal State Univ., Long Beach, CA, 2007]
The Genius of the Program:
It Teaches You How To Make “Anger” Your Friend
This LTH program makes you aware that anger is your friend and a powerful ally when it is regulated. The genius of the program is that it teaches you how to make “anger” your friend. It describes a path of release rather than a way of guilt or a road of denial. You learn to stay in touch with the energy of the mind so as to be able to build a present and not make a partial retreat into the past or a withdrawal into the imagination. No program equips you better to live the emotional processes than this one. [Dr. Edward Hughes, PhD., Prof. of Religious Studies, Cal State Univ., Long Beach, CA, 2008]
Understanding Anger Transformed Me as a Teacher
and through me is transforming my students
Training in Life Transforming Habits (LTH) transformed me as an educator. I learned that this passion and anger that I have in my heart for the underserved and marginalized come from my God-given values that shape me to be who I am and the reasons why I fight for what I do. My eyes opened to a world that didn’t exist before: All anger is value based and, if regulated, it is beautiful, powerful and life transforming. It’s beautiful because it is a window into my absolute worth, undeniable dignity and inner beauty and can open my eyes to my core values and it is powerful and life transforming because it can be regulated and its energy focused for good.
This revolutionary understanding changed me. I began to really know me. I was able to identify my values as an individual and a teacher. I shared with my students in whatever capacity I could as a math teacher. For example, when I extinguish heated arguments or fights amongst my students, I would take the opportunity to introduce to them the concept of values and how our anger is linked to our values. If I could snapshot the moment of realization of my students when they discover they possess something called values and how their anger and passion are linked to those values, it would be: "the epitome of eureka".
I can’t say enough about how LTH has transformed me in amazing ways. My heart’s desire one day is to train my students in LTH because they are the future leaders and movers of this country.
Background: I’ve taught middle school for the past twelve years in the public school system of Los Angeles. I’ve taught in Title 1 (more than 75% of student population is unable to afford school lunch at full price) urban poor communities of South Los Angeles and East Los Angeles because God placed a passion and tenderness in my heart to educate and fight on behalf of the underserved. I carry the label of a teacher by profession, but countless times, I am a mother, a counselor, a protector, an advocate, and a disciplinarian. Before LTH, I didn’t know if I was doing or saying the right things, but I know I did my best. That has changed with LTH. Esther Um – Middle School Math Teacher, Los Angeles & San Diego, CA, December, 2016
An eye-opening, paradigm-shifting, blow-your-mind insight
that completely changed the trajectory of my life.
"Steven, you're one angry ###." Yup, that's a common phrase people often used to describe me. Even my mom would say, "Where does all that rage come from?" That's a good question. And it's a question I didn't consider to ponder until the summer of 2011. This explosiveness got me suspended and kicked out of numerous schools. This destructiveness got me locked up. This unregulated anger nearly got me fired from a church I was pastoring.
Does this sound familiar? "Anger is wrong." "Anger is destructive." "Anger shows weakness." "Anger is a reflection of emotional infancy." "Anger is a big bad sin.” This is what I believed about anger. Why? Because this is what I heard growing up. So I suppressed my anger. But all that thinking about what anger is changed in 2011 when I was introduced to Dr. Edward Santana-Grace. He helped me to see anger in a new light: While anger is experienced as a serge of energy, internally, it is triggered when you perceive that one of your core values are violated.
That to me was one of those eye-opening, paradigm-shifting, blow-your-mind insights that completely changed the trajectory of my life. It was then that I learned that there was a common theme of what triggered my anger - injustice. It was then that I realized that one of my core values is equality for humanity across the board. It was then that I began reflecting on my anger, and rather than running away from it, seeking to understand the core values I had developed and that God had instilled in me. It was then that I became more self-aware and others-aware. It was then that I learned to harness my anger and develop constructive ways to express my anger in order to bring good to this world.
The danger of suppressing your anger is manifold. It can manifest in explosiveness that will hurt you and the people around you. It can manifest in unhealthy habits, i.e. addiction to porn or substance abuse, that will further isolate you in your anger bubble. It can manifest in passive aggressiveness like it's seen in so many Asians (befriend an Asian for a couple month and you'll catch my drift).
LTH taught me that it's ok to be angry, but more importantly, that it can be used for good if harnessed and processed. And the LTH program taught me how to do that and how to teach it to others. Rev. Steven Yu, Pastor for Community Development, Bridge Church, San Diego, CA, 2017; Founder of Lincoln Heights Community Center, Los Angeles 2010-2015]