When author Betty L. Smith's husband returned from military service in the early 50s, they started a family. Unaware that cultural conditioning was misguiding their lives, they recreated their dysfunctional family origins. Unbearably unhappy, Betty stood at a dinette window and cried out to God. She wanted things to change regardless of the cost. The spirit of all life answered her prayer. "If you want change in your life then feel your feelings, write, and speak from the truth of your own experience." With this book of essays, reflections, and poems, Betty shares her personal journey through relationships, healing, and understanding. Her passage from "good girl" to "genuine self" was a powerful transformation. Now, she feels her true emotions and experiences life at a higher level of consciousness. Filled with unabashed emotion, The Power to Change confronts the negative cultural attitudes we experience as children. This conditioning often becomes a psychological straightjacket. By combining her experiences with the tenets of belief systems such as Shamanism, Sufism and Christianity, Betty explains how to listen to your heart-brain energy. By doing so, you'll become centered in your own authority. If you have ever felt poorly about yourself, this book is a must-read.