Book Review - The Dragon Who Burned His Friends - Shelia Hatcher

Title:    The Dragon Who Burned His Friends:  Cooling Flames of Anger Through Self-Discovery

Author:  Sheila Hatcher

Review:  This is a quick, yet interesting tale of a dragon that cannot control his flame.  He flames up at stressful times and hurts those around him.  Those most affected are his family of course.  Friends and aquatints want nothing to do with him because of their fear of being hurt or scarred or both.

I think we all have stressful moments in our lives that make us want to flame up(yell, hit, scream) at others.  At times it is worse than at other times.  Stressful situations with family, work, school, or all of these at once can make acting appropriately difficult.  Add into that the way we were raised and the values we grew up with or without and you can add heat to the fire.  Anger is a tough subject, we all feel it and yet how we chose to deal with it is so different.

I liked the way the author allowed Ashton to develop coping skills over time.  Never did Frank expect Ashton to be perfect the first time out.  He allowed for mistakes and fall-backs to old patterns.  Learning something new takes time and mistakes are expected, it was nice to see that in the book and not just perfection expected.  Maybe I can even start using some of the strategies in this book to help improve my anger management skills at home.  Five kids, a husband, a poodle, a job and going back to school are all pulling at me and blowing-up is a quick stress reliever.  I need to put some of Frank’s lessons to work in my own life now that I really think about it.

Publisher:  LangMarc Publishing (February 28, 2012)

Copyright: 2012

Pages:  190

ISBN:    978-1880292440

Quick Review: 4 Stars out of 5. 

Where Did I Get the Book:  Sent by the publisher for review.

Synopsis:   This is an inspiring metaphor through which adult readers will identify anger issues and discover practical methods to energize enduring change. Anger management techniques and ways of self-reflection can lead to lasting change.

Author Biography: My goal is to help people connect with themselves and others in meaningful and satisfying ways. Connection with the self allows acceptance and enjoyment of life without fear, suspicion, self-judgment, etc., which can prevent us from living life to its fullest. Connection with others allows us to "double our joy and divide our grief." Addressing issues such as depression, self-esteem, or anger can enhance our abilities to know ourselves and be fully present with others. I use an eclectic therapeutic style so that the work can be tailored to fit each client in each session.

Anger Management/Conflict Resolution, Depression, Poor Self-Esteem, and Trauma can all be closely related. It is not unusual to enter therapy for help in one area, and find the work shifts to another. This movement from one issue to another creates a holistic process to facilitate emotional well-being.

I believe that much can be learned by listening to the metaphors and symbols that come to us in sleep, day-dreaming, and our speech patterns. I enjoy helping people get to know themselves by interpreting the information provided by these special messengers.

Other Reviews:  Amazon Review