Book Reviews (Dec 2008)

 

Shakti Gawain.  Developing Intuition: Practical Guidance for Daily Life, Novato: New World Library, 2000.  160 pp.   $12.95.

Shakti Gawain, a best-selling author in the field of personal growth, offers this inspiring short guide on cultivating intuition amidst day-to-day living.  Gawain proposes that intuition brings spirituality directly into our lives, leading to greater clarity and success in all our endeavors.  Since we are heavily programmed by Western society to be externally oriented and to develop our rational capacity, we need to create balance through shifting the focus inward and fostering intuition.  The author organizes the twelve chapters around twelve key steps to living more intuitively, accompanied by easy to follow exercises and meditations.  The tools and examples are practical and useful in understanding how to effectively consult, interpret and integrate intuition in life.

Gawain affirms that “there is a universal, intelligent life force that exists within everyone and everything.” (p. 21)  She suggests that we can access this deep inner wisdom through intuition as we become more conscious of using it.  Intuition is our inborn faculty and even though we may have grown to doubt it, we can reclaim this gift through practice. 

The author distinguishes between the logical mind on which we are taught to rely on and intuition, or the “universal mind.” (p. 24)  Intuition links us to the realm beyond ordinary senses and helps calibrate our lives based on what we truly need.  According to the author, it differs from instinct because instinct is the survival and procreation response, common to all species, while intuition is particular to humans and contributes to our evolution in alignment with unique higher purpose. 

Gawain notes that socially, we are expected to behave in ways that lead us to “to repress and disown our instinctual energies, such as aggression and sexuality,” which can make us lose contact with intuition. (p. 26)  Therefore, we have to “develop a healthy balance of intellect, instinct, and intuition.” (p. 27)  Additionally, Gawain points out that while all people possess intuitive capacity, some are particularly sensitive and are considered to be "natural psychics." (p. 28)  However, even individuals with average intuitive abilities can intentionally opt to nurture and enhance intuition to the extent that they will reach a similar level of competence.     

Gawain observes that as we become more aware, we can better detect and incorporate inner cues in life.  From early on, we are trained to depend on outside authorities for directions on what proper living entails and cease to honor our innate knowledge.  To recover self-trust, Gawain suggests taking notice of the intuitive signals and learning to relax to be centered and receptive.  She offers meditation exercises to access intuition and instructs regularly tuning in and not dismissing any incoming signs.  The author asserts that no matter where we find ourselves, we can choose to pay more attention to the arising feelings and “check in” intuitively to gain helpful insights on resolving various life situations. (p. 65)  

As we become more experienced and comfortable with perceiving subtle signals, Gawain proposes taking incremental steps in acting on intuition.  Initially, she does not recommend risking making major decisions and suggests starting with minor choices, such as picking a movie to see.  In the instances when we follow our intuitive hunches but do not achieve the results we desire, Gawain notes that there may be several explanations for the outcome, such as misreading the incoming messages or confusing intuition with other feelings.  The author further observes that the process can be intricate in its unfoldment and encourages readers to be patient as we may be unaware of the whole significance of the experience and where it will bring us in the end.  Gawain provides two exercises for practice.  In the "Clearing Exercise," she instructs us to reflect and record every thought that makes us uncertain and critical about trusting intuition, which can help in releasing our fears. (p. 75)  Then, in "Trusting Yourself Exercise," we are invited to envision being absolutely correct about our intuitive hunches for a  defined time segment and actually act on them for that period. (p. 76)

Gawain concludes that when we do not follow intuition, we stop the life force from its organic propensity for self-expression. Subsequently, we are likely to experience depression and lack of energy.  Instead, surrendering to intuition usually leads to productive modifications in life’s circumstances. The author discusses the difference between being and doing, where instead of accepting the embedded dogma of the West “that we must always be doing something outwardly productive,” intuition can aid us in connecting with our innermost core, to be more fully present in the moment and regain the necessary energy before moving forward. (p. 87) 

In distinguishing intuition from other inner voices, Gawain introduces Hal and Sidra Stone’s theory that human personality consists of many distinct selves, with each having its own energy and voice, and intuition being one of the selves.  The selves we embrace are referred to as “primary selves,” while those we are not comfortable with and often inhibit are called “disowned selves.” (p. 93)  Accepting all these sub-identities can help in discerning intuition and feeling more whole.  The author offers guided meditations on listening to the messages from within and using pens with different colors of ink to differentiate between the existing selves.

Gawain emphasizes that intuition is a positive force which is not there to make us do anything potentially damaging – emotionally or physically.  On the contrary, it makes us feel more alive and peaceful, and there is a difference "between our false cravings or addictions and our true intuitive impulses." (p. 99)  A false craving misleads us into pursuing desires we do not really want or need, or do not know how to go about attaining them, leaving our true needs unfulfilled.  In extreme cases, when we become overly involved in chasing after a specific false craving, it turns into addiction. 

Gawain insists that to address addictions and maintain general well-being, it is imperative to deeply feel the unmet needs and be in touch with emotions without getting overtaken by them.  Otherwise, when emotions are denied, the energy flow in our body is blocked and can eventually manifest as sickness.  The author believes that “intuition lies underneath emotions.” (p. 110)  Acknowledging and expressing feelings in a healthy way can help in connecting with intuition.  To examine our feelings, Gawain recommends an exercise with focusing attention on the middle part of the body to take notice of any feelings.  In case something disturbing is detected, the individual is encouraged to explore the underlining issue with kindness and compassion.

Gawain accentuates the significance of the physical body in intuitive development and claims that “one of the ills of modern society is that we tend to be disconnected from our bodies.” (p. 115)  The body knows and communicates to us what we need to be aware of but unfortunately, our minds are trained to ignore this assistance.  Gawain advises us to frequently listen to the feedback from the body to improve our intuitive ability.  Utilizing the author’s “Body Talk Exercise,” we can learn to regularly dialogue with our bodies and evaluate the emerging images, thoughts or physical sensations.  (p. 124)

The author observes that sometimes "it can be challenging to maintain your integrity and stay true to yourself in a work environment." (p. 128)  However, she maintains that committing to intuitive honesty is essential and will eventually lead to a rewarding job experience.  She further remarks that intuition provides the necessary guidance to us only when we are ready and we cannot expect to achieve all of our goals right away because there are many lessons we have to learn as we progress through life.  With regards to financial security, Gawain considers that when we trust intuition and are being authentic, we tend to get the needed support to realize our individual mission.  To become more aligned with our souls, the author includes “Exercises for Discovering Your Passion,” a variety of creative activities, such as writing down our dreams about personal and professional aspirations and listing the steps for exploring these possibilities. (p. 138)      

Towards the end of the book, Gawain elaborates on intuition as a form of art and adds that opening to it in trust leads to both greater inner and outer harmony, presenting new and creative life opportunities.  Intuition can help us relinquish control and allow for suitable changes to happen, thus, enabling us to let go of fear and welcome transformation with confidence. 

I have read this book in one sitting and found its ideas and suggestions very handy in both my life and in interactions with others.  The exercises Gawain proposes are motivating and can be instantly put into practice.  This is a truly empowering resource.

Review by Veronica Shipilov
Doctoral Student
Holos University Graduate Seminary
www.HolosUniversity.org

 

Mitchell L Gaynor.  The Healing Power of Sound: Recovery from Life-Threatening Illness Using Sound, Voice, and Music.  Boston, MA: Shambhala 1999   232 pp   $18.95. 

Imagine that you have just put on a CD and are playing a beautiful song. You are settling down with a lovely cup of tea and stare out the window.  As you listen, you allow the music to carry you to another realm, another dimension, and perhaps even another place in time.  In those moments you are unaware of any pain or discomfort in your body. You feel uplifted and free.  In that brief time, you have unknowingly crafted a simple type of healing on your body through the use of rhythm and sound.  A growing collection of evidence shows that sound intervention in combination with meditation induces profound states of relaxation, with noticeable mental and physiologic dimensions.  (p.161)    

Mitchell L. Gaynor is a medical doctor, director of Oncology and Integrative Medicine at the renowned Strang Cancer Prevention Center in New York.  He attended the University of Texas-Southwestern Medical School and interned at a New York Hospital, affiliated with Cornell University Medical School.  He spent a year as a postdoctoral fellow in molecular biology at Rockefeller University and completed his training with an appointment at New York Hospital as the chief medical resident.  According to him, he had the best possible education available in Western medicine. However, he identified a missing link in his training: learning how to empathize with patients.  As a fledgling doctor he was taught to base his training on information and how many papers he could cite, quoting the latest statistics.  Feelings and emotions did not enter into the equation or the curriculum. (p 5)  Dr. Gaynor is now a medical doctor who has learned to listen to his intuition when working with a patient.  He suggests that what happens to a person on the emotional and spiritual level affects the person’s physiology, and that the use of sound is one of the most powerful healing modalities that could ever be embraced by current practitioners.  (p. 109)

The Healing Power of Sound is a remarkable book, delineating and clarifying how sound contributes to emotional wellness and relaxation.  There are three parts to this book: 1. how the essence of sound heals; 2. how to tune the mind, body and soul; and 3. how to create a new personal paradigm for healing. Twelve exercises explain  how to create pure vocal sounds to resolve tension and release emotions to begin the healing process. Gaynor explains that sound can change a person’s physiology by reducing anxiety, reducing cardiac complications, lowering blood pressure and boosting the body’s natural opiates, known as endorphins — the brain’s natural painkiller.  (p. 8) Dr. Gaynor’s personal work with clients is described, using various techniques of chanting, healing with the tones of crystal and Tibetan bowls, music, meditation and guided imagery. 

It is Gaynor's belief that all physical illness is a manifestation of a mind-body imbalance that wrecks havoc on the physiologic system and leads to health problems unless the patterns of negative emotions are changed.  These changes are achieved by the integration of music, vocalization, breathing and meditation that all individuals can use to improve their health and quality of life. 

This book might be a wonderful gift to friends interested in alternative healing modalities.  It is wonderfully written and a ‘must have’ book for every library.  

Reviewed by Monte Mohr
Doctoral Student
Holos University Graduate Seminary
http://www.HolosUniversity.org

 

Sheila Sidney Bender & Mary T. Sise, The Energy of Belief: Psychology's Power Tools to Focus Intention and Release Blocking Beliefs, Fulton, CA: Energy Psychology Press 2007.

This is an excellent book that delivers on the promise in its title, presenting clearly and convincingly the tools and methods that can identify and transform beliefs that block one’s progress and satisfaction in life. Sheila Bender and Mary Sise have a very readable style that engages the reader’s interest as it explains biological energy fields, blocking beliefs and how to deal with them.

Helpful nuggets that stand out include:

• Energy field perturbations (well known in the numerous therapy traditions as signs of problems), as well as elaters and harmonizers (positive aspects of energy fields);
  
• Energy field reversals (again, well known in the Energy Psychology) and energetic belief reversals that can block progress;
  
• Self-testing for energetic belief blocks.

The scripts and diagrams for using the Touch and Breathe method, supplemented with richly illustrated case examples provide a clear understanding of how to apply these methods. This book is warmly recommended to those who are seeking methods for self-healing.

Book review by Daniel J. Benor, MD
IJHC Editor

 

Penny Sartori. The Near-Death Experiences of Hospitalized Intensive Care Patients: A Five Year Clinical Study, Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen 2008.   564 pp  Refs 32 pp $139.95 HB

The Near-Death Experiences (NDE) is well known from various books over the past several decades. Those who have experienced an NDE are often deeply transformed. They no longer fear death; they feel a clearer sense of purpose in life; and they often open into spiritual awarenesses – even when this had been uncharacteristic for them prior to their NDE. Skeptics have proposed numerous reductionistic explanations for the NDE. They have suggested that this is a wishful fantasy to deny the finality of death; drug-induced delirium; the product of oxygen starvation in a brain that is in a body which came close to death; and so on.

Penny Sartori, a nurse in an ITU in Wales in the UK has written a wonderfully thorough summary of her prospective study of patients who reported an NDE. Standardized NDE scales, an in-depth questionnaire, and a semi-structured interview provided details for a meticulous analysis of the NDE phenomena. The study focused on details of: 1. everyone released alive from the ITU from January to November, 1998 (243 people) who reported an NDE (0.8 percent); 2. Survivors over a five year period who had cardiac arrests (because these people had NDE experiences far more frequently (17.9 percent); and 3. Total sample with NDEs during the five year study period.

The discussions of the findings of this careful study are most thorough. Here are a few of the interesting items reported in this study. Few of the people in the ITU would have mentioned their NDE if they had not been asked. The reductionistic explanations were not supported by the evidence. For instance, neither drugs nor anoxia were found to correlate with NDE reports. The core elements of the NDE were validated. Perhaps of most importance in our death-denying, death avoidant society are the following observations:

Death is currently considered by many to be their greatest enemy. However, as a result of their experience, the two NDErs who reported the deepest NDEs in this study were absolutely certain that death was nothing to fear. They only considered death to be the end of their physical existence. The concept of life after death, however, seems too simplistic a notion as it will transcend all previous bodily experiences. It is therefore essential that we consider what NDEs can teach us about life. It appears that only when one considers death, does one stop and really consider life. If there is one thing I have learned since conducting this research, it is that here and now is important and that NDErs’ spiritual insights have much to teach us all about life and how to live it.

Equally, the most important point to remember is that what occurs after the initial phases, as described by the NDEr, is beyond our comprehension and will remain a mystery until we all, one day, experience it in its entirety, at our own death. (p. 333)

For anyone interested in a thorough understanding of the NDE, this book is a must read.

This expensive book is available from library and university wholesalers. For private use, call Mellen Press sales office at 716-754-2788 and ask for the scholars’ price.