Undimmed - by Cecily Mak (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

When Cecily Mak decided to take a break from drinking, the most common response she got was "Oh, I didn't know you had a problem." A problem? She was not an addict, or even committing to sobriety. She had simply realized that alcohol helped her avoid difficult feelings--but that it dimmed the good parts of her life along with the bad. She wanted to live her life with clarity, not avoid it.

Many of us are taught to believe that escapist and addictive behaviors are fine as long as they are not "problems" or wholesale addictions. But this binary mindset robs us of a more present life and our ability to make changes before the behavior becomes an unshakeable habit. What you use to dim your life may not be a substance--it might even be something healthy, like exercise, food, or work. And every dimmer exists on a spectrum from use, to heavy use, to potential abuse or worse. It's not about what you do, but how and why you do it. While leaving her unwanted habits behind, Mak developed the Eight Awarenesses--a set of principles we can use for inspiration and guidance on the path to embodying a clear life. Each one serves as an invitation to explore a deeper understanding of ourselves and our choices, and the empowerment that comes with choosing to live a life undimmed.

Undimmed is an invitation to choose freedom from the habits that dim our lives and to embrace the full spectrum of experiences that life has to offer.

Review Quotes

"Undimmed offers us a path to confronting the insidious forces holding us back from living deeply fulfilling lives. With refreshing honesty and piercing insights, Cecily offers a timely message of hope with practical and empowering steps to help us let go of habits that no longer serve us. This book is for anyone seeking to live with more vitality, peace, and joy."
--Vivek Murthy, MD, MBA, 19th and 21st Surgeon General of the United States

"This book offers a promising pathway of self-liberation for many people trapped in the distressing and hazardous liminal space between occasional alcohol use and full-blown addiction, developed by one who has pioneered this road for herself."
--Gabor Maté M.D., New York Times bestselling author of The Myth of Normal

"A must-read for anyone ready to make big life changes. Cecily invites us to transform unhealthy patterns with clarity and compassionate self-discovery. Whether it's alcohol, drugs, or another escapist dimming habit, this book offers a practical guide for deepening self-awareness, agency, and freedom."
--Yung Pueblo, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Lighter

"With rare honesty and depth, Cecily Mak paves a path to reset habits that no longer serve us. Undimmed invites us to reconnect with the voice too many of us have long quieted--our own deep knowing--and let it guide us."
--Laura McKowen, bestselling author of We Are the Luckiest and Push Off From Here

"Cecily Mak guides us to consistently realign with our intrinsic wisdom. Her Eight Awarenesses have been a beacon on my desktop for months; Undimmed shows us the power in letting go of numbing habit energies, bringing us closer to the awe in our hearts and true freedom in our lives. This book is an essential read."
--Elena Brower, bestselling author of Practice You and Hold Nothing

"Undimmed is a beautiful and irresistible invitation to face your major dimmer, to turn to yourself for the deepest type of knowing and empowerment. Cecily Mak shares her remarkable path, with honesty, courage, and clarity, while illuminating principles that can save you from hitting rock bottom, that can transform and elevate your life. For anyone suffering from unwanted habits that mask difficult feelings, this book is a timely treasure, and a paradigm shift."
--Elissa Epel, PhD, New York Times bestselling author The Telomere Effect and The Stress Prescription

"In Undimmed, Cecily Mak offers a profoundly compassionate invitation: Can we meet even our most entrenched habits with curiosity and care, rather than judgment? She reminds us that freedom doesn't come from battling against the parts of ourselves that compel us to dim our light, but from learning to listen to them as guides toward wholeness."
--Richard C. Schwartz, Ph.D., author of No Bad Parts and founder of Internal Family Systems

About the Author