Thank you New Harbinger and NetGalley for this ARC.
This book is filled with exercises to help the reader explore their version of happiness and how to achieve a better quality life.
I have referred back to this book numerous times and enjoy doing the exercises provided.

A spiritual look at happiness and how to achieve it. Lots of great ways to interact and exercise for your own happiness. Best with an open mind.

The New Happiness: Practices for Spiritual Growth and Living with Intention
by Matthew McKay, Jeffrey C. Wood, Steven C. Hayes 
Paperback, 200 pages
Published March 1st 2019 by Reveal Press


We all want to be happy, but how do we achieve it? This unique workbook blends spiritual wisdom with evidence-based psychological practices to help you achieve lasting fulfillment. 

Most of us are searching for happiness in one form or another, but the “happiness” we’ve been conditioned to pursue is often elusive and fleeting. When we base our happiness on what we have—such as material possessions or status recognition from others—our happiness is no longer in our control. This workbook will show you that happiness is not about accumulating and consuming, or even achieving some deep state of spiritual bliss. Instead, you’ll find a fresh perspective on how to achieve authentic happiness rooted in spiritual values and actions.

Written by two best-selling authors in the field of psychology (The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook), this guide blends mindfulness-based spiritual practices with evidence-based acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to help you develop your own spiritual action plan. Using the practical guidance and exercises in this guide, you’ll create a set of principles and behaviors aligned with your deepest values and sense of purpose, and learn to make decisions with a wise mind.

Every moment of your life is an opportunity to make choices based on your own personal, deeply held spiritual values—why not start now? This workbook will give you the hands-on tools you need to get started. 

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4 Stars

Unlike some other reviewers, I did read the entire book. I thought this would make a great reference book to keep referring back to time and time again. You are not always going to want to do every exercise held within this book but all the exercises are timeless. I particularly enjoyed the Deep Knowledge Meditation. and the exercise where you are cutting the energetic cords you have attached between you and others.

This wasn’t exactly a book on how to be happy but instead how to learn to be the most authentic you that is possible by knowing your purpose, putting that purpose into effect and living your life with gratitude and joy. When you gain all this knowledge, in the end, you find you are happy.

I truly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others who were on the spiritual path to finding their best life.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.
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Matthew McKay, PhD, is a professor of psychology at the Wright Institute in Berkeley, and author of more than 30 professional psychology and self-help books which have sold a combined total of more than 3 million copies. He is co-founder of independent self-help publisher, New Harbinger Publications. He was the clinical director of Haight Ashbury Psychological Services in San Francisco for twenty five years. He is current director of the Berkeley CBT Clinic. An accomplished novelist and poet, his poetry has appeared in two volumes from Plum Branch Press and in more than sixty literary magazines. His most recent novel, Wawona Hotel,

The New Happiness is a very informative book with several exercises. It is good to have a open spiritual mind when reading the book. Written well and easy to read.

The New Happiness is a captivating and well-researched nonfiction read. Although this book touches on many religions, it focuses on a psychological approach to spirituality. I agreed with most of what the authors presented in this book, except for when it came to their definition of grace. As a Christian, I had a difficult time getting past their thoughts on the subject.

The book begins with an exercise, to discover your core values, and life purpose. This I found to be advantageous, since those points, are major players in becoming and staying happy. I thoroughly enjoyed learning new meditations, intentions, and exercises. My favorites from this book were, Still Mind meditation, the two Compassion meditations, and the healing Soften-Soothe-Allow- technique.

Everyone is on their own spiritual path, and this book assists the reader in deepening their spiritual walk, especially through meditation. This is not a book to read through just once, but one to ponder, experience, and then read through again.

Thank you, New Harbinger Publications and NetGalley, for my advanced review copy.

I had a very mixed reaction to this book. The book helps you as you discern important decisions and puts emphasis on keeping focused on your life mission and values. This is done through deep meditation, paying attention to images, words, or emotions you receive during a state of meditation. Some of these pointers on meditation were helpful, and I've begun using them in my own practice.

The book is basically a book on prayer for people of all faiths or no faith at all. I appreciated the authors' efforts to reach out to all people where they are. The basic content is sound and inclusive. However, I would not recommend this to Christian groups. There were too many references to Wiccan and pagan practices for me to use this with adults in Christian settings. Also, a few statements were at odds with Christian beliefs (e.g. the authors' statement that "grace is not a gift from God") and would not be appropriate for use with adult formation groups in Christian settings.

For individuals who are not people of faith, however, this book might be just the ticket for learning to pray and meditate. I think the authors would have been wise to have deleted the references to pagan and atheistic practices, as I think these references will turn off many readers.