Author:  Maxine Gaudio

ISBN:  978 - 0 - 97991 - 303 - 7 

The following quote is from page 154 of "Journey to the Center of Self" and expresses one of the main themes in Maxine Gaudio's book.

"I hope you can see why it is important to open yourself up to trying many things without too much judgment and allowing yourself to follow your inner voice.  Although it may look as if nothing is connected, in the end, when you stand back without judgment and emotion, you will see where you have come to and how that journey ensued."   

Maxine begins her story by sharing her family dynamics and educates the reader as to how our parental relationships affect the perception of our parents and the perception of ourselves.  The author feels that the letting go or the surrendering of these perceptions can dramatically change our lives for the better. She takes us along with her as she travels through her most memorable life experiences.  Maxine has had quite an adventurous journey and thoroughly enjoys sharing those experiences and how she has progressed by going through them.  Looking back over her life she can see that there are no mistakes and that all her experiences contributed to her life as a whole and led her to where she is today.

All of her life Maxine has been on a quest for Truth.  When our motives are sincere and our desire is strong, our search is rewarded...little by little.  We may never know the "whole" of Truth in this lifetime but we can certainly make great progress.  Maxine believes that all we need to progress....is an open mind and an open heart.  She invites us to drop all resentment and to not allow others to steal our joy.  Holding within us feelings of hatred, resentment or revenge, only serves to hurt the person harboring the negative thoughts and takes away from our purpose in life.

We know when we are progressing when we are less concerned about the glitzy material trappings of life and begin to acquire an unquenchable desire for Truth or the Divine.

When I asked to review Maxine's book, I expected it to be more of a self help or "how to" manual with lists of helpful exercises, journaling ideas, etc. I discovered something quite different.  Journey to the Center of the Self is more of a life adventure story with helpful thoughts sprinkled throughout. Maxine's writing style is very informal....it's as if the reader was engaged in a conversation with her.  I personally felt a greater connection with the author due to her unconventional style.  Her exuberance and love for life and people absolutely shines through.

Maxine's main focus in life is helping people to heal...physically and emotionally. She is a Reiki practitioner and is very knowledgeable about biofeedback. I think she explains her role better than I can......" Much of my work tends to be working on the mental and emotional issues people have after I have helped them to see the pattern of their life overall. After I have verbally or psychically gotten to the core of their life pattern, I am able, with the use of the energy, to help individuals have a much clearer and deeper insight into the particular questions, problems or situation that they might be facing."  She goes on to say how this process helps her clients to make effective changes in life and to make wiser decisions.

Journey to the Center of Self is an interesting mixture  of autobiography and words of wisdom. Maxine hopes that her experiences will serve to help the reader to change their lives for the better. So....if you are "stuck" and don't know where to go with your life....this book may be for you.

Click Here To Purchase Journey to the Center of the Self

The above review was contributed by:  Marjorie Tietjen: Marjorie is a freelance investigative journalist with a B.S. in nutrition. She writes on various topics but has a special interest in public health, education and awareness. Her writings can be found online and in several print publications. To read more of Marjorie's articles and reviews CLICK HERE