In the Lotus Effect, Pavel Somov teaches us to work our way through the complexities of pain, suffering and impermanence towards learning to let go, surrender and accept the teachings of our samsaras, the afflictions of body, mind and soul. With the Lotus effect we shift from pain and suffering towards growth, rebirth and transformation of the self, soul and essence. A wonderful read to dive into right now; great for clinicians as a guide and for all others, if you wish to grow a new lotus within yourself!

--Ronald A. Alexander, Ph.D., executive director of the Open Mind Training Institute and author of Wise Mind, Open Mind

The Lotus Effect is a remarkable book which guides readers on rich exploration of their relationship to their own identity. Somov's voice is lithe, often playful, but his intent is dead serious. The ideas and techniques in the book are designed to do nothing less than transform the way we think about our own identity. We begin with a process of "identity detox" - which is a wonderful way of describing the process of detaching from the information about ourselves which is not our true self. After working through a series of short exercises designed to help us enact the experience of dis-identifying from what we are not, we are then led on an exploration of what is left after we have discarded all of these unhelpful attachments. Somov has a gift for capturing issues of great complexity in simple concise metaphors and enactments, allowing us to find our way almost effortlessly into an experience of deep self-exploration.

--Andrew Peterson, Ed. D., author of The Next Ten Minutes: 51 Absurdly Simple Ways to Seize the Moment

I read (and write) self-help mindfulness books. This one by Pavel Somov hooked me in first pages with its compelling blend of fascinating history and a very down-to-earth, novel and inventive way of bringing to life and describing age-old Buddhist and Hindu concepts. It was clearly written and also provocative--in the sense that it challenges the reader in a positive way to practice and bring these concepts of detoxifying the mind and mental processes into everyday life. He also helps to explain teachings on emptiness with wonderful clarity and insight, and makes the paradoxes that exist in this area more understandable from an experiential level.

This is a highly beneficial book that can help overcome entrenched negative emotions and thought patterns--even addictive behavior. The writing, too, was seamless and highly engaging. I actually started reading this book at night when I was tired, and I have to say that I happily lost some sleep that night because I couldn't put it down. Thank you Pavel Somov for sharing with us such a unique and healing book.

- Donald Altman, M.A., LPC, author of The Mindfulness Code: Keys for Overcoming Stress, Anxiety, Fear, and Unhappiness