Sham: How the Gurus of the Self-Help Movement Make Us Helpless

SHAM - Self-Help and Actualisation Movement. To many it's a godsend, to others it's a joke. Journalist Steve Salerno, who has worked for over 24 years in lifestyle journalism knows from the inside the quirks and tricks of the self-help industry.....In SHAM he exposes the hucksters at the heart of the self-help industry. Even those suspicious or critical of the self-help industry tend to think it's relatively benign, Salerno argues that the idea of victimization peddled by the self-help gurus has blurred notions of personal responsibility, while the idea of empowerment teaches that simply believing we can do something is more important than developing the skills we need to succeed.....Going deep inside the self-help movement to expose the most famous gurus, from Anthony Robbins to John Gray, to Dr Phil and Oprah, Salerno reveals the costs the self-help phenomenon is exacting from the world and why we spend billions every year to get the latest book/video/seminar/diet program from SHAM artists, most of whom have only dubious qualifications and who provide little real help..... No other book has gone deep inside the self-help industry to expose what it is all about and how it works (or doesn't). While many may think self-help is harmless if ineffective, Salerno reveals for the first time that we all suffer because the self-help movement has taken such an all-persuasive hold of our hearts and minds.