IJHC (The International Journal of Healing and Caring)

Paul Pearsall. The Heart's Code: Tapping the Wisdom and Power of Our Heart Energy: The New Findings About Cellular Memories and Their Role in the Mind/Body/Spirit Connection

Claire Sylvia, with William Novak, A Change of Heart, a Memoir, New York: Warner 1997.

Consciousness does not reside solely in the brain. Every cell in your body may participate in your consciousness. Cellular memory is being demonstrated in organ transplants, where the recipients are reporting memories of lifestyle preferences of the donors.

Pearsall documents many cases of transplant recipients who report new and unusual (for them) tastes in foods, entertainment, and other activities. In some instances it has been possible to verify that these preferences were prominent in the organ donors. He discusses a variety of research evidence suggesting ways in which we can understand this phenomenon.

He also suggests a spectrum of ways for getting in touch with your own heart awareness. Connecting with the world through your heart is very different from connecting through your head.

Paul Perasall's book is a rare combination of a scholarly work that is easy and fascinating reading. Highly recommended for advanced as well as novice explorers in bodymind awareness.

Claire Sylvia shares a heart-lung transplant recipient's experiences of cellular memories. For instance, she found herself craving Kentucky Fried Chicken, something she had never cared for prior to her surgery. These sorts of experiences nagged at her awareness to the point that she managed to identify and locate the relatives of the organ donor and verified that he had had these preferences that she was experiencing.

Marc Ian Barasch. Healing Dreams: Exploring the Dreams That Can Transform Your Life

Dreams are invitations from the deeper parts of your mind to explore your awareness and to develop wholistic healing. Richly supported with real-life dreams, this book is an outstanding doorway into inner realms of exploration.

There are dreams, and then there are dreams. There are those simple, straightforward, recycle-the-mental-clutter dreams; get-rid-of-the-boss dreams; and get-the-girl-of-your-dreams dreams. And then there are dreams that feel bigger, more compelling. These are dreams that stop us in our tracks, tell us that we’re not who we think we are, reveal dimensions of experience beyond the everyday. They can shock us, console us, arouse us, repulse us. And they can change our lives. These are Healing Dreams.

In his new hook Healing Dreams: Exploring the Dreams That Can Transform Your Life, Marc Ian Barasch, author of The Healing Path and co-author of Remarkable Recovery, offers us a new, multidimensional method of dreamwork that can help us achieve greater wholeness and authentic living through understanding and appreciating these "larger-than-life" dreams. Going beyond Freud and Jung, Barasch takes us through the new fundamentals of dream interpretation, helping us to both understand our dreams and embrace their essential mystery.

Based on hundreds of revealing, real-life dream examples and drawing upon fifteen years of research, Barasch explores the many facets of dreamlife and what it can tell us about ourselves:

This review is taken from the publisher's brochure, with which I wholeheartedly agree. Read more at www.healingdreams.com

Andrew Newberg, Eugene D'Aquili, and Vince Rause. Why God Won't go Away: Brain Science and the biology of Belief

Newberg and D'Aquili studied four Tibetan Buddhists and four Franciscan nuns during meditation, using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging. They found that the left orientation association area (OAA) of the brain is more quiet during meditation, relative to the right side. They interpret this to mean that incoming sensory information may be blocked, leaving the brain unable to identify its ordinary boundaries. The authors ask, "What would the brain make of that? Would the orientation area interpret its failure to find the bordeline between the self and the outside world to mean that such a distinction doesn't exist? In that case, the brain would have no choice but to perceive that the self is endless and intimately interwoven with everyone and everything the mind senses. And this perception would feel utterly and unquestionably real."

I have to admit that my initial response to these introductory words was to sigh and shake my head, interpreting the authors' views to be that mysticism is all in the brain. My worries were quickly dissipated, as they range into interesting discussions of brain, psychological processes, and spiritual awarenesses.

While this book is based on a limited series of observations, the discussion ranges across a broad spectrum of neurophysiological and neuropsychological observations, with fascinating discussions on neurospirituality.

Julie Ann Brock. A Model of Psychotherapy Based on the Soul and Spirituality: A Bridge Between Psychology and Religion

Spirituality is gaining acknowledgment as an important and legitimate aspect of psychotherapy. Here is a doctoral dissertation reviewing the relevant literature and developing "a model of psychotherapy with the soul and spirituality as central constructs."

. . . psychologists find spirituality to be a relevant topic in psychology and that spirituality is correlated with increased mental health.

Based on this literature a model of psychotherapy was constructed consisting of the following components: (a) philosophical underpinnings, (b) a theory of personality, c) a theory of pathology, (d) a theory of change and healing, and (e) treatment. Essentially, the model proposed that: (a) the soul and Spirit are partners in evolution; (b) the soul is seeking communion, which translates into seeking full self-expression, unconditional love, and final union with Spirit; (c) suffering is a result of the personality being unaligned with the soul, experiences of loss and isolation, injury from one another, and an unfulfilled spiritual longing; (d) healing is facilitated by the personality becoming aligned with the soul and connected to Spirit; and (e) treatment involves techniques designed to integrate the soul and spirituality into therapy, align the personality with the soul, and deepen the client's connection to their soul and spirit. Therapy is designed to be a process of inner awareness whereby clients become more self-expressive, loving, soul-connected, and Spirit-united.
(dissertation abstract)

P.M.H. Atwater, LhD. Children of the New Millenium: Children's Near-Death Experiences and the Evolution of Humankind

P.M.H. Atwater presents a very rich feast of materials on NDEs of children and how these transformed their lives.

She defines four types of experiences, finding that the distribution of each of these reported by children differs from the distribution reported by adults.:

1. An "initial" or "nonexperience," of "loving nothingness;"
2. Unpleasant or hell-like experience;
3. Pleasant, or heaven-like experience; and
4. Transcendent experience.

Significant numbers of Atwater's reporters had multiple NDEs, each adding its transformative influence to their lives.

This is a book that is worth a slow and thoughtful read, presenting a wealth of observations and thought-provoking explanations of the worlds beyond physical existence.

Roger J. Callahan, Ph.D. with Richard Trubo. Tapping the Healer Within: Using Thought Field Therapy to Instantly Conquer Your Fears, Anxieties, and Emotional Distress

Contemporary Books. 124 pages $22.95

At long last, something truly exciting is happening in the field of mental health. Therapists around the world are discovering that human beings are not only bio-chemical systems but are bio-energetic systems as well. The incorporation of this typically Eastern understanding of the mind-body relationship and meridian (acupuncture) therapy, along with insights from Western research in quantum physics, has opened the door to a whole new way to view emotional distress and treat specific disorders.

More than two decades ago, Dr. Roger Callahan intuited this East/West connection. He theorized that even thought is energy existing in a field. As such, emotional distress corresponds to a disturbance in that "thought field" and can be corrected by simply balancing the field’s energy. He called this discovery Thought Field Therapy (TFT). Now, after more than 20 years, Dr. Callahan presents his discoveries and clinical experiences in treating thousands of emotional problems in a well written, easy to understand book that should satisfy both the theorist and the clinician.

The first 65 pages explain what TFT is, how it works, and (especially important for the skeptical mind) the science behind TFT. While Dr. Callahan’s 27 pages devoted to scientific research may not exactly typify the scientific method favored by mainstream Western medical science, it is nevertheless impressive. For instance, it demonstrates a positive impact on Heart Rate Variability, reflecting the overall functioning of the autonomic nervous system. This can provide important information on a person’s health and well being

For those practitioners eager to go straight to the practical application of the technique, part two of the book begins with the ABC of algorithms (basic step-by-step treatment procedures) for identifying and correcting specific ailments, including phobias, emotional traumas, anxieties, obsessions, and physical pain. The four treatment chapters present easy to follow instructions. Clearly illustrated figures show the various tapping points that will enable the reader to immediately use this powerful tool for healing oneself or others. Dr. Callahan’s instructions make it virtually impossible to make a procedural mistake.

One criticism: Being familiar with TFT and derivative variations developed by students of Dr. Callahan, including Gary Craig's Emotional Freedom Technique and Larry Nims' Be Set Free Fast, I feel that the first time reader and practitioner may find the TFT technique over-sold. Without doubt, Dr. Calahan has discovered and developed a very powerful tool in alleviating emotional distress, as have others following in his footsteps. However, the successful application of this method is truly an art that requires practice, intuition and a pure intention. Self-promotion aside, however, Tapping The Healer Within offers what many therapies do not offer - a tool for self-empowerment.

I agree with Dr. Callahan that energy medicine is on the cutting edge of a new era in healing. For those who want to become part of this exciting therapeutic adventure, Tapping The Healer Within is a good place to get started.

Reviewed by Gary Boetger, MA
Chief of Clinical Operations
Stairways Behavioral Health
Stairways Behavioral Health is a community mental health center working with persons with serious mental illness. We have recently begun exploring the uses of energy medicine, and specifically, meridian therapies such as Emotional Freedom Technique for this population. We are encouraged by the initial results.

New York: HarperCollins 1981

Sometimes it's worth while reviewing a classic. This marvelous collection of poems and drawings by Shel Silverstein holds appeal for children of all ages.

My favorite:

Shadow Race
Every time I've raced my shadow
When the sun was at my back,
It always ran ahead of me,
Always go the best of me.
But every time I've raced my shadow
When my face was toward the sun,
I won.

Reviews are by the IJHC Editor unless otherwise indicated.

Book Reviews

by Daniel J. Benor, MD (unless otherwise noted)