The Heart of Healing

Description

.com Review The Heart of Healing is a book of hope--hope backed up with real scientific research and actual case studies from history and modern times. Inexplicable healing, spontaneous remission, miracle cures--these things do happen to people diagnosed with debilitating or life-threatening illnesses. The premise of the book, and of the six-hour television series of the same name on which it is based, is that the mind can play at least as important a role in health and healing as standard Western medical treatments. Faith healing, placebos, prayer, meditation, personality types, herbs, massage, stress, psychology, hypnosis--all are examined in terms of how they may influence the body's physical condition for good and bad. Based as it is on a television script, the book is admittedly simplistic; it is not meant to be a college textbook. View it as an introduction to what is possible in light of true stories and anecdotal evidence. Numerous sidebars and graphics make it easy to open the book anywhere and read a few lines on the fly. Those who want to go deeper can use The Heart of Healing as a steppingstone. The work is heavily footnoted with many suggestions for further reading. It is also beautifully illustrated with vintage photography and illustration, contemporary photojournalism, and original art. --Brenda Pittsley Read more