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A user's guide to the everyday challenges of living, which looks to philosophy to reframe the way we understand ourselves and our relationships

In this book, pioneering therapist, Emmy van Deurzen, harnesses over fifty years' experience to help us consider the world around and within us with fresh clarity, showing how we can take all that is good from the past, whilst being fully present in the moment and having a strong sense of direction for the future.

Beginning to Live is a practical invitation to step back, look at the big picture and discover what really matters: in relationships with peers, friends and family, in solitude and creativity, and when dealing with dilemmas and difficulties of every kind.

Whether you’re in therapy or prefer to find your own way through life’s struggles, van Deurzen offers a lifeline for rebuilding trust in the world, considering each of the four key aspects of our experience in turn: physical, social, personal and spiritual. This book is filled with wisdom and moving stories that show how, even when survival takes all you have, you can rekindle confidence in your own abilities and revitalize your capacity to relate to others, whilst finding a more engaged way of living that is purposeful, deliberate and buoyant.

© Emmy van Deurzen 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026