Being and Becoming is a wide-ranging analysis of the nature of being and selfhood. The book presents an original, integrated paradigm with the aim of creating a comprehensive overview of the human condition--and finding ways to alleviate suffering. In essence, the book explores the question, "What does it mean to be?"

Being and Becoming begins with fresh interpretations of the work of Martin Heidegger and Buddhist, Taoist, and Christian writings as they relate to this question. Most of Being and Becoming, however, is about the nature of self and selfhood as a process of "I-am-this," "my becoming" rather than "my being." Author Franklyn Sills interweaves concepts from object relations theories, psychodynamics, pre- and perinatal psychology, and Buddhist self-psychology, along with his own rich experience as a Buddhist monk, somatic therapist, and psychotherapist, into his inquiry. The works of Fairbairn and Winnicott are discussed in depth, as are Winnicott and Stern's insights into the nature of the early holding environment, the infant-mother relational field, and early perceptual dynamics. A thoughtful guide for psychologists, therapists, counselors, and other health professionals, the book is also ideal for Buddhists and anyone looking for alternative therapy models.

Being and Becoming: Psychodynamics, Buddhism, and the Origins of Selfhood, Franklyn Sills, North Atlantic Books, Paperback, 328 pages, $22.95

Franklyn Sills is an innovator in the field of Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy who has nurtured the development of the work by making its principles available to a large variety of teachers and practitioners. He has over 30 years experience in teaching on-going trainings. Franklyn is Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Karuna Institute in Devon, UK, where he teaches BCST Foundation courses and postgraduate workshops, as well as Core Process Psychotherapy, a Buddhist influenced therapy form. He is the author of the essential text Foundations in Craniosacral Biodynamics, Volumes One and Two, as well as other books, including Being and Becoming: the Origins and Shaping of Selfhood. Franklyn was a Buddhist monk, and considers that background as the foundation of his approach to being in the world.