Find freedom from your inner critic and learn to let go of anxiety with practices and teachings from contemplative spirituality and various wisdom traditions.
I’m not good enough. I’m not in control. I don’t know who I am.
These constrictions are brutal. But who among us hasn’t felt one of these constrictions at some point in their life?
Rooted in the teachings of mystics, saints, poets, and prophets, Unmasking the Inner Critic offers guidance and support for how to move beyond some of our most challenging fears and negative inner narratives.
With an intuitive blend of reflection questions, contemplative practices, action prompts, and his own personal story, Andrew Lang shares the wisdom from secular poets and therapists—as well as from Christianity, Buddhism, and Sufism—that has grounded his workshops for almost a decade.
Discover how to:
do the work of inner excavation with spiritual practices that hold and embolden it,
dig deeper for a more authentic way of living and being who you truly are,
lay aside the masks that keep you from fully experiencing the world,
engage the inner life as the beginning of sustainable activism, and
live a healthier, more confident, and well-grounded life.
The perfect book for progressive Christians, secular seekers, and those who are deconstructing Christianity, Unmasking the Inner Critic helps us expand our spirituality beyond the institution of religion for our personal transformation and communal healing.
Move beyond the inner narratives that hold you back and rediscover the world as deeply interconnected, filled with inherent dignity, and inviting us to embody something new.
With your purchase, you also get access to a free chapter-by-chapter companion course including:
audio and video versions of activities and practices from the book,
a recorded conversation with the poet James A. Pearson, and
more teachings from the wisdom teachers the book is rooted in.
Want to read this book with a group?
Unmasking the Inner Critic is a great resource for book clubs and spiritual formation groups looking to have real, vulnerable, and embodied conversations about our inner lives and the ways we show up in the world.
With a purchase of 3+ copies, I’ll include a five-week small group engagement guide.
“In Unmasking the Inner Critic, Andrew Lang has created a beautiful and accessible guidebook to help you do the inner work central to the act of being human.”
—Brian D. McLaren, author, activist, and teacher with the Center for Action and Contemplation
“Unmasking the Inner Critic by Andrew Lang felt like equal parts conversation with a kindred spirit – with lots of “yeah, me too!!” moments – and a practical workbook full of introspective journal prompts, exercises, and resources for further exploration. I’ll be returning to it again and again.”
—Melissa Reed, spiritual director and yoga instructor
“Andrew compassionately reminds his readers we're all in possession of inherent creativity, significance, and sacredness beyond what we may currently recognize or believe. Through intentional questions, engaging storytelling, and the wisdom of wisdom teachers, we're invited to release binding footholds and begin believing in the goodness that exists behind the critical masks we've long worn.”
—Sarah Southern, writer on spirituality and religion
“Andrew reintroduces us to an ancient-mystic-remedy for the bodily aches of internalized messages such as lovelessness, earned worth, grasping for control, and the false choice of conquer or be conquered. His guidebook is gentle, widely sourced, transparent, and prescient for these times.”
—Troy Bronsink, founder of The Hive: A Center for Contemplation, Art, and Action
“A concise manual for the inner change that leads to outer change, this book offers wisdom, reflective exercises, and bodily practices to help you breathe again.”
—Frank Rogers Jr., author of Practicing Compassion
More Praise for Unmasking the Inner Critic
2023 Pacific Book Award (Best Spirituality)
2023 International Firebird Book Award (Best Mind/Body/Spirit)
“An excellent read for people of the Christian faith who seek effective strategies for self-love in order to heal from past emotional, mental, and physical trauma. It is, in equal measure, a spiritual guide, self-help book, and memoir that emphasizes the importance of reconciling our inner lives with intentions to create communities that advocate for and uphold justice.”
–Seattle Book Review
“Well-researched and coming from a place of personal experience, Andrew Lang seeks to guide readers out of reactive patterns of shame into a more contemplative tradition that builds peace through embodied practice.”
–Reedsy Discovery
“In this book, Andrew masterfully weaves the perennial wisdom of time-honored mystics, meaningful body practices, and balanced action steps.”
–Dr. Tom Eberle PhD., director of the Living School for Action and Contemplation
“Unmasking the Inner Critic is a beautifully written and deeply self-reflective work that challenges us to dig deeply into our own personal narratives and the stories that keep us from being our very best selves, to rise above them to affirm and create narratives that give us life and hope for the future.”
–Derek Nakano, district superintendent of the United Methodist Church
“Read this book for the interior work that will result in not only a better and more free you, but a better world and society. Unmasking the Inner Critic is a map to personal and collective transformation.”
–Keith Kristich, founder of Closer Than Breath
