Find freedom from your inner critic and learn to let go of anxiety with practices and teachings from contemplative spirituality and various wisdom traditions.

"A beautiful and accessible guidebook to help you do the inner work central to the act of being human."

--Brian D. McLaren, author, activist, and teacher with the Center for Action and Contemplation

I'm not good enough. I'm not in control. I don't know who I am.

These constrictions are brutal. But who among us hasn't felt one of these constrictions at some point in our lives?

Rooted in the teachings of mystics, saints, poets, and prophets, Unmasking the Inner Critic offers guidance and support for how to move beyond some of our most challenging fears and negative inner narratives.

With an intuitive blend of reflection questions, contemplative practices, action prompts, and his own personal story, Andrew Lang shares the wisdom from secular poets and therapists—as well as from Christianity, Buddhism, and Sufism—that has grounded his workshops for almost a decade.

Discover how to:

• do the work of inner excavation with spiritual practices that hold and embolden it,
• dig deeper for a more authentic way of living and being who you truly are,
• lay aside the masks that keep you from fully experiencing the world,
• engage the inner life as the beginning of sustainable activism, and
• live a healthier, more confident, and well-grounded life.

The perfect book for progressive Christians, secular seekers, and those who are deconstructing Christianity, Unmasking the Inner Critic helps us expand our spirituality beyond the institution of religion for our personal transformation and communal healing.

Move beyond the inner narratives that hold you back and rediscover the world as deeply interconnected, filled with inherent dignity, and inviting us to embody something new.

"A concise manual for the inner change that leads to outer change, this book helps you breathe again."

—Frank Rogers Jr., author of Practicing Compassion

"An ancient-mystic-remedy for the bodily aches of internalized messages."

--Troy Bronsink, founder of The Hive: A Center for Contemplation, Art, and Action

Andrew Lang is an educator in the Pacific Northwest and an alumnus of the Living School for Action and Contemplation, led by Richard Rohr, Cynthia Bourgeault, James Finley, Barbara Holmes, and Brian McLaren. Along with blogging regularly, he facilitates workshops helping people to navigate their inner lives and explore their sense of identity and spirituality.

"All of us who are fortunate eventually reach a dead end, a point in our journey when we feel we have lost the plot and lost our way. At that moment, we face the necessity of doing some inner work, of facing our inner critic, of discovering who we want to be apart from the masks we wear and roles we play. In Unmasking the Inner Critic, Andrew Lang has created a beautiful and accessible guidebook to help you do the inner work central to the act of being human." - Brian D. McLaren, author, activist, and teacher with the Center for Action and Contemplation

"Unmasking the Inner Critic by Andrew Lang felt like equal parts conversation with a kindred spirit, with lots of yeah, me too! moments, and a practical workbook full of introspective journal prompts, exercises, and resources for further exploration. I'll be returning to it again and again. This book feels like a new friend that I am glad to have met!" - Melissa Reed, spiritual director and yoga instructor

"Andrew Lang offers wisdom—both received and his own—reflective exercises, and bodily practices that open the passageways of our spirit that become constricted. A concise manual for the inner change that leads to outer change, this book helps you breathe again." - Frank Rogers Jr., author of Practicing Compassion

"In this book, Andrew Lang masterfully weaves the perennial wisdom of time-honored mystics, meaningful body practices, and balanced action steps that have the potential to lead you on an inner journey to an unconstricted life." - Dr. Tom Eberle, PhD, director of the Living School for Action and Contemplation

"Andrew reintroduces us to an ancient-mystic-remedy for the bodily aches of internalized messages such as lovelessness, earned worth, grasping for control, and the false choice of conquer or be conquered. His guidebook is gentle, widely sourced, transparent, and prescient for these times." - Troy Bronsink, founder of The Hive: A Center for Contemplation, Art, and Action