Your Way There

Concepts and Tools for Mindful Transformation

By: Gretta Keene

Narrated by: Gretta Keene

Between social distance and social media, meaningful connection in the 21st century is complicated—not just with others, but with ourselves too.

With decades of experience in psychotherapy, Gretta Keene warmly introduces positive psychology tools for elevating relationships, navigating challenges, and savoring the joy of being alive.

After all, like weather, life happens. You can’t change the weather—but you can learn how to change your response.

Paired with whimsical artwork by William Murray, the friendly language of Your Way There makes concepts like “reparenting” and “new neural pathways” feel not just approachable, but possible.

Inside this guide on how to live a meaningful life, discover how to:

• Transform your mind and change oh well to now what?
• Recognize your defensive “bodyguards” and relieve them of their duties.
• Stop having the same old fight and stay connected when things get bumpy.
• Use awareness-boosting tools to reclaim your agency so life doesn’t just “happen to you”.

Full of stories that speak to the heart, Your Way There equips listeners with the tools and know-how to manage life’s more complex situations with wisdom, compassionate mind training, and even vital play.

A warm addition to the world of happiness self-help, this audiobook pairs the uplifting encouragement of Matt Haig’s The Comfort Book with the science-based approach of titles like Unwinding Anxiety and Stop Overthinking.

Whether you’re already on your self-improvement journey or are “just looking” into therapy, life isn’t about arriving at a destination. It’s about Your Way There.

So may you find your way and learn to thrive,

Hopeful, awake, alive while you’re alive.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2022 Gretta Keene (P)2023 Gretta Keene

Critic reviews

“Reading this book is like spending a sunny afternoon on a porch with a patient friend...who also happens to know a lot about therapy.” (Peter Blauner, New York Times best-selling author)

“An owner’s manual for becoming a more connected and contented human being.” (Peg Tyre, Pulitzer-Prize-winning journalist and New York Times best-selling author)

A delightful, practical, and compassionate guide

Your Way There: To Being Fully Alive is a book that promises to provide “Concepts and Tools for Mindful Transformation.” The author, clinical social worker and psychoanalyst, Gretta Keene, delivers on that promise with specific, practical, and creative ideas for navigating life. The engaging anecdotes drawn from Gretta’s life and her psychotherapy practice make the book hard to put down. Whimsical illustrations by clinical psychologist, William Murray (Bill), Gretta’s partner in her therapy practice and in life, beautifully clarify the concepts presented.

The following quote captures my response to this book: “Buddhist ideas, like any ideas, are true or useful not because of who said them, or how ancient they are, or whether they reflect the intended meaning of a sacred text. They are true to the degree that they correspond to how things are.” Bhikkhu Santi, Getting the Ball Rolling.

Gretta has articulated concepts, such as “full spectrum of thoughts and feelings,” “activation,” “bodyguards,” and “sticky beliefs,” that are “true” - because “they correspond to how things are” in the human experience. The terminology is non-judgmental and is accessible to all readers, and is especially useful for people in the helping professions. The concept of a “full spectrum of thoughts and feelings” provides a useful way to hold the contradictions of our internal experience. Most humans don’t like to think of ourselves as overreacting, becoming defensive, or being stubborn. We are much more likely to acknowledge being “activated,” to identify our emotional “bodyguards,” and to recognize our “sticky beliefs.”

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Gretta, with the hardcover book in my lap. The warmth and enthusiasm in her voice, augmented by comforting musical interludes composed by Bill, created a nurturing environment for appreciating the stories and metaphors, absorbing the lessons, and applying them in my life and work. The Toolbox section will be a valuable tool for ongoing self-reflection.

Joan G. Sudmann, LICSW, LIMHP

Loved the real world examples

Sometimes it’s hard to understand a philosophy or practical change to mindset without an example. I definitely took a lot from this book because I have had similar experiences in my life where I could look back and learn from the examples and work on changing how I react and respond to future events.