In the world of self-help books, there are few truly new ideas, but there is always room for sparkly new packaging of calmly stated common sense. And since most consumers of the genre are eager to come back for more gentle guidance on how to live with loved ones, co-workers and our own riotous emotional and physical bodies, it makes sense that there’s a freshly minted path to excellence every time you find yourself killing time in a big-box bookstore. Tucked within a mass of manipulative manifestos is some practical advice on how to decode messages from your unconscious, imagine yourself out of a self-imposed box and train yourself to stop grinding your teeth in your sleep. Here are three books that are back — Bigger! Better! Bolder! — in updated editions that blend the old with the new.

WHAT: The New Secret Language of Dreams by David Fontana (Chronicle Books, $21.95, 176 pages).

ORIGINAL VINTAGE: 1994.

WHY BOTHER? British psychologist Fontana outlines the basic tenets of Freudian and Jungian dream theory in bite-sized, lavishly illustrated chapters. The book includes tips on how to remember dreams as well as passages on archetypal symbols, the surrealist art movement and the potential of lucid dreaming. It includes 25 patient dreams with the author’s interpretations. An accessible and fun resource for the layperson who wants to study the secrets we reveal in our sleep.

WHAT’S NEW: Pretty much the whole damn thing. All-new text and illustrations.

WHAT: Breathe, You Are Alive!: Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing by Thich Nhat Hanh (Parallax Press, $17, 160 pages).

ORIGINAL VINTAGE: 1988.

WHY BOTHER? Author Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk whose peaceful anti-war efforts inspired Martin Luther King, Jr. to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967 and he has made it his life’s work to write about the path toward peace for a general Western audience. Hanh unpacks the core messages behind the Buddhist Anapanasati Sutra, highlighting the importance of conscious breathing as a means to focus that monkey mind.
WHAT’S NEW: Well, honestly the previous cover image — a black and white drawing of Buddhist monks meditating beside a river filled with lotus blossoms, set off by a snappy yellow background — was far groovier than the generic shot of grass bending in the wind and questionable font used on this 20th-anniversary edition. But appearances aside, there’s more material here and it’s reorganized to help develop a simple daily practice.

WHAT: Creative Visualization: Use the Power of Your Imagination to Create What You Want in Your Life by Shakti Gawain (New World Library, $28.95, 192 pages).

ORIGINAL VINTAGE: 1978.

WHY BOTHER? Granted, slobbering on about the power of attraction is grossly antisocial, but I’m all for positioning daydreaming as a performance enhancer and napping as a tool for transformation. (Even if nothing awesome unfolds, it seems creative visualization is an excellent cure for insomnia.)

Author Gawain originally published this after spending many years as an “active seeker,” hanging out in India and California. The language can be corny and cloying (“I am highly pleasing to myself in the presence of other people” reads one suggested affirmation for self-appreciation), but if you can get past the West Coastness, there are concrete exercises for how to use your imagination to let go of old baggage and picture yourself happy, healthy and not hating the person sitting next to you.

WHAT’S NEW: The hardcover 30th-anniversary edition comes in a slipcase and includes a CD of guided meditations along with an updated introduction and list of recommended resources (essentially a complete list of books and CDs by the author, as well as a selection of related books and CDs by others). Bonus points for relatively tasteful leaf motif and earth-tone design, plus a built-in ribbon bookmark.