In this positive self-talk book, discover how to change negative thinking and use radical self-compassion, the Enneagram, and other wisdom traditions to diffuse—and yes, befriend—your whole wacky cast of inner critics.

"This guide to taming and transforming your inner critic will not only prove invaluable, it will also make you laugh—and demons hate being laughed at!" —Sean W. Murphy, Hemingway Award-winning novelist and Zen meditation teacher

"You're not good enough. Why are you even trying? This isn't going to work out."

We all have an inner critic. Maybe you've tried to push it away, pretend it's not there, fight against it, numb yourself to it, or appease it with external validation.

What if instead of battling our demons, we tried befriending them? How would they transform if we thanked them for their concern, offered them a warm cup of tea and a kiss on the forehead, and affirmed: "I've got this"?

Chelsea Forbrook is a certified Enneagram teacher and spiritual director with almost a decade of experience coaching individuals and teams in inner work, healing, and self-awareness. Her personal experience with limiting negative thoughts (Enneagram One, anybody?) inspired her to explore the relationship between self-compassion and the subconscious mind.

Bringing together lessons from the Enneagram, Buddhism, Contemplative Christianity, and 12 Steps programs, this inner critic book shares powerful tips for how to name it, tame it—and ultimately, transform it.

With relatable humor, lighthearted illustrations, and action-based Inner Work exercises, discover how to:

• understand your inner critic's motivation through the lens of your unique personality,
• release gatekeeping habits of fear, shame, and unworthiness,
• create more fulfilling intimate relationships by identifying judgmental thoughts,
• see yourself clearly—shadowy parts and all—to let your true self shine forth and open a world of possibilities.

With the approachable humor of Burnout and the practical tools of Belonging: Overcome Your Inner Critic and Reclaim Your Joy, this surprisingly fun journey offers gentle and powerful advice for embracing your inner critic with curiosity, generosity, and patience.
Your inner critic can rest easy knowing that you are cared for and carried. It's time you take back the driver's seat.

"With breathtaking honesty, Chelsea Forbrook reveals her various inner critics in all their petty, outrageous, and often hilarious glory. Her sincerity, warmth, and compassion felt like a soul friend on the journey of facing and blessing my own demons." Jenny Campbell, Riso-Hudson certified Enneagram teacher

Chelsea Forbrook is a spiritual director and certified Enneagram educator who has guided healing and spiritual transformation for everyone from individuals to corporate teams. Using a unique multidimensional lens that includes the Enneagram, Twelve-Step programs, Buddhist teachings, and contemplative Christianity, she has introduced over a thousand people to the inner work and healing possible when we become better acquainted with who we are—and that includes our shadow self.

"If you've ever been besieged by your inner critic while striving to achieve your dreams, Chelsea Forbrook's guide to taming and transforming these demons will not only prove an invaluable guide in how to overcome them, it will also make you laugh—and demons hate being laughed at! Seriously, just about everybody trying to do anything new or good in the world has got this problem—so everyone needs to read this book!"  —Sean W. Murphy, NEA creative writing fellow, Hemingway Award-winning novelist, and Zen meditation teacher 

"With breathtaking honesty, Chelsea Forbrook not only reveals, but literally illustrates, her various inner critics in all their petty, outrageous, and often hilarious glory. In doing so, she invites readers to be just as honest about what is actually going on inside their own psyche. It can be challenging and even confronting to take an honest look at ourselves in this way, but Chelsea's sincerity, warmth, and compassion permeate every page and helped me keep going. Her engaging voice and compelling personal stories made me feel that I had a companion—a soul friend—on the journey of facing and blessing my demons."  —Jenny Campbell, Riso-Hudson certified Enneagram teacher 

"Blessing My Demons is at once poignant and powerful. For anyone who has ever battled with their inner critic (who hasn't?!), this is the book for you. Chelsea Forbrook tells the intimate story of her journey with humor, curiosity, and compassion. You will resonate with many of the demon characters, and you will laugh, cry, and lament alongside. That alone is the crucial first step towards taming and healing, understanding, and freedom."  —Yenkuei Chuang, Ph.D., writer, clinical psychologist, and mindfulness teacher 

"Blessing My Demons is engaging, insightful, and soul-baring. Chelsea Forbrook digs down to the essentials of what it means to be a human and comes out laughing and hopeful and inviting the rest of us to join the fun. The depth of vulnerability in this book is enough to make me shake in my boots, while inspiring me to open myself to the transformation of my own heart." -—Rev. Phil Gebben Green, Presbyterian pastor and Enneagram Prison Project faculty 

"In the Enneagram world, conversations about 'the inner critic' often get stuck in descriptions of Type 1s, as if they are the only people to struggle with those pesky lying voices. In this boldly vulnerable book, Chelsea Forbrook tenderly invites us all to notice the lies we tell ourselves. Then—with personal stories, light-hearted illustrations, and practical exercises—she helps readers compassionately whisper to our inner demons so they shut the f*** up. I am confident I will recommend this book to clients for years to come."  —Stephanie J. Spencer, Enneagram coach and author of Out of the Box & Into the Wild: An Enneagram Journey through the Triads of Nature 

"Taking a compassionate and clear-eyed look at our inner critic is a necessary exercise to heal and thrive—for ourselves, our relationships, our communities, and our world. Chelsea Forbrook vividly and viscerally brings fresh insight to how to work with the harsh, sneaky inner critic from a place of awareness and acceptance. Each chapter ends with spot-on inner work exercises, and I fell in love with the liberating love letters that bless and release the named and tamed demons. This is a sometimes irreverent, humorous, holy, and vital exploration on how to unlock our feelings, live more grounded in life as it is, and learn how to love the process of awakening. It will break you open and enrich your life today and all along the way."  —Kathy Jankowski, consultant and guide to conscious living and working, certified Robert Peng Qigong trainer, certified Level 3 breath coach, and Enneagram instructor 

"Blessing My Demons will motivate you to let go of your inner critics and open yourself to more self-love and freedom. This book contains transformational tools you will use again and again to let go of your inner critics. It is honest, grounding, transformative, fun, and motivational. Chelsea Forbook has infused this book with the sweet energy of self-love. You will feel it radiate into your heart from every page. Blessing My Demons inspired me to quiet my critical voices and listen to my heart's voice of self-love. If you wish to totally love yourself, this gem is a must-read!"  —Anne Mureé, Enneagram master coach and founder and president of Olive Branchways, a consulting firm which uses the Enneagram in transformational coaching and education