Zero Resistance Living Audiobook Review

The joy of creative living

I recently finished re-listening to the audiobook “Zero Resistance Living” by Dr. Maxwell Maltz and Matt Furey. It is an extension of the other famous book by Dr. Maltz, “Psycho-Cybernetics” and I enjoyed both books. 

What Is Psycho-Cybernetics?

The concept of Psycho-Cybernetics is simple enough. Each of us has an internal guidance mechanism that guides us toward what we want, and away from what we don’t. It’s largely an unconscious mechanism that is working on behalf of our self image all of the time.

That might sound hokey to you, but it’s a very practical idea. 

Say you decide to become a doctor. At some point you adopt the self image of being or becoming a doctor. Once that picture is fixed in your self, you naturally take the action required to be a doctor. You would go to school to be a doctor. You’d study anatomy and biology. You’d find yourself going to medical school and spending years conforming your life to what we call a doctor. There is a ton of effort required to become a doctor, yet it is all dictated by the internal guidance provided by the decision to become a doctor. 

That is how your internal guidance mechanism works. Once a picture is firmly planted, it guides you to it unconsciously. You just sort of figure it out along the way.

Zero Resistance Living = Creative Living

Where Psycho-Cybernetics (and Zero Resistance Living) comes in is taking control of the self image and internal guidance mechanism. What most people don’t realize is our internal guidance mechanism is being programmed constantly by the world around us. Parents, teachers, managers, leaders, and other authority figures often assign us goals without much regard to if they suit us at all. Psycho-Cybernetics makes use of visualization and relaxation to program in new goals of your own choosing. 

In short, it’s a form of self de-hypnosis. 

Zero Resistance Living takes the ideas laid out in the original Psycho-Cybernetics and makes them more useful and practical. One big theme in this book is “creative living”. When you practice creative living you are going in to the theater of your mind and creating new pictures and feelings for your internal guidance system to follow. 

Creative living is an idea that resonates with me. I’ve found this approach to be useful in my life. Taking the time to slow down and consider what I want and if it fits my self image keeps me from chasing goals and dreams other people assigned to me instead of my own. And then using the other Psycho-Cybernetics techniques to reinforce my own path keeps me heading in a good direction.

Help Yourself, Help Others

One valid critique of Zero Resistance Living and Psycho-Cybernetics is it can be interpreted to be narcissistic or self-obsessed. Most self-help type materials are a bit like that. It can be very “me focused”, which when taken to extremes is bad.

I consider who God made me to be as part of this process. Instead of using these tools to “play god” in my own life, I try to reconcile who God made me to be and where he is leading me at any given time. That is usually enough to keep my mind in a place of gratitude and service to others.

My hope is that making my life better makes the lives of the people around me better too. Or as Jesus said, “Love thy neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12:31) Used that way creative living is beneficial to the world at large, and not only to yourself.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I find Psycho-Cybernetics and Zero Resistance Living to be useful. Visualization in the theater of the mind and creative living are powerful ideas that are worth putting into practice. I think it’s a good idea to read or listen to Psycho-Cybernetics before Zero Resistance Living. Both are available on Audible and elsewhere.

Verdict: Creative and inspiring!

Thanks for reading and may God bless your life.

-Brian