health mind and body

(some details corrected in book list, 12/ 23/'03)
Books like these should never be used as a substitute/replacement for formal medical care. Yet anyone who knows anything about health, knows of the power of mind to heal body. They also know that you keep all your options open, whilst never casting caution to the winds, surrendering obliviously to any sort of passing faddism.

Simonton's book is the best over-all guide to mind-body healing I have seen, and I am as contemptuous of unproven 'alternatives' and new-age drivel as anyone.

Yet, Simonton's isn't the only volume for your health bookshelf. His book recommends others for the average reader.

I might also suggest you add a few others:

- cancer-survivor Louise L. Hay, "Heal Your Body";
- Shakti Gawain's basic "Creative Visualization," useful if somewhat 'new-agey';
- Thomas Cleary's recent "Taoist Meditation"(not just for Taoists by a longshot);
- Joel Goldsmith's older "The Art of Spiritual Healing," now in trade paperback;
- Bernard Hollander MDs' classic, "Hypnosis and Self-Hypnosis";
- Yogi Ramacharaka's older "Science of Breath," not to be ignored becuase of the authors' name or because of the strange title;

Rama Prasad's "Nature's Finer Forces" if you're getting even more ambitious about breathing;
- Franz Alexander "Psychosomatic Medicine."
- Henry Bieler MD, "Food Is Your Best Medicine"
- everything you can get your hands on by Carlton Fredericks.
- Michael Saso, "The Gold Pavilion," the safest book I know of to begin working with oriental alchemy, relaxation, visualisation and breathing techniques useful for health and well-being, mental or physical;
-Israel Regardie, "The Art of True Healing," useful for health, relaxation, rhythmic breathing, and a score of other purposes, healing alot of areas of your life (see reviews;)
-everything by Karen Horney (yes, psychology has alot to do with physical health;)
-Carl Jung, "Two Essays on Analytical Psychology," alot more useful that it sounds, everyone should read it and have it around for re-reading;
- anything by Theodore Reik, paricularly "Listening With the Third Ear," and any other good psychology writers (Erik Erikson, Otto Fenichel) you may find, and that come highly recommended.

There are others. There are some volumes by Israel Regardie, now out of print, that speak quite excellently to the issues of relaxation, rhythmic breathing, etc., with regards to health. It would be nice to see these re-issued. In the meantime, Regardie's "Art of True Healing" may prove useful to many. There are also Regardie's useful discs/tapes that discuss body 'awareness,' relaxation, and rhythmic breathing - all of which may be much more useful than they intitially seem to the uninitiated or casual onlooker.

These books should sit on your shelf next to your more traditional health books, like Andrew Weil, Bernie Siegel, and any of the many standard health guides, usually bulky,
like those from Rodale Press /Prevention, and others (Harvard Medical School bulky general guides, etc.)

Remember, its a broad outlook on health, lifestyle and its influences, and psychological effect on health, that we seek. Simonton's book is useful for this. Yet trends, fashions, 'magic healers,' quacks, and high-falutin' theories need to be seen for what they are, when considering health issues. Since "Fanaticism is above all to be eschewed," says Regardie, one should also be in the care of a competent, reputable, and reliable physician.

It is usually foolish to do anything entirely on one's own hook. This is especially true in the area of health and medicine. This is so even for those who insist that 'if you want anything done right, do it yourself.' Individualism has its limits, like anything else.

One is best off with a balanced view. An overall health-orientated lifestyle is best. I would not forego the use of adaquate diet, vitamins, rest, moderate exercise, psychotherapeutic counseling, and a balanced lifestyle free of negative influences whether of person or place. Yet I wouldn't sacrifice my health on the altar of some frenzied, poorly considered 'alternatives' either. The overall dedication of oneself to a therapeutic lifestyle that anticipates future difficulty while dealing with the present, and considers the vast array of options, is the best approach. Believe me, there are worse ways to spend ones' time.

Simonton's book fills the bill and answers a need, if put in proper perspective. It should be read also by those who have no real health problems at the moment, to enrich a disease-preventative understanding. (Plan Ahead!)

I was recently diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and "Getting Well Again" was the first place I turned. When you get an unexpected and frightening piece of news such as I did, you need to marshal your resources and come to an understanding of what you face. Like most people, I never thought much about cancer, except that I regarded it as something dreadful and a likely death sentence. "Getting Well Again" takes you through all the questions, fears, and anxieties you have and provides constructive exercises to help you cope effectively. I cannot recommend it highly enough! By carefully reading each chapter and keeping a journal of my notes and observations, and by doing the visualizations and other exercises, I am infinitely better prepared for the challenges ahead.

The Amazon reviewer Simon Wilson, who gives the book one star, simply does not understand it. The authors never suggest that you can wish away cancer by doing simple visualizations. In fact, they are quite supportive of traditional treatments. But study after study shows that the authors, who were pioneers in the psychology of cancer, were right about the mind-body connection. Creating a loving, positive outlook toward yourself can indeed help you cure a disease or extend a remission. Those who have read Bernie Siegel's "Love, Medicine, and Miracles" know of endless accounts of such successes. It is interesting to note that Siegel's attendance at a Simonton seminar was the inspiration for his own journey into the mind-body connection in healing. I recommend his book be read in tandem with "Getting Well Again," which in turn can help you become what Siegel calls an "exceptional cancer patient" - the ones who do the best in overcoming the disease.

To sum up, I believe "Getting Well Again" is absolutely the first place to begin for anyone with a new cancer diagnosis. It is written in an intelligent, rational manner, and takes a positive approach as it encourages you to deal with some difficult issues. Be prepared to dig deep inside your soul. The reward is that you'll find plenty of hope here -- a cancer diagnosis is not a death sentence but rather a sure sign that it is time to get very serious about living. It puts everything on the table, and you have to be willing to change your habits and confront your buried emotions. This book is a journey toward self-love. The end result is a sense of empowerment as you face your disease, not to mention a happier life. Ironically, now that I have leukemia, I have never felt better. I'd give this book six stars, ten stars, even a hundred, if I could.

When I was diagnosed with cancer 3 years ago, I found this book on Amazon.com. It was an empowering and refreshing take on cancer management and treatment. When you have cancer you sometimes feel everything is out of your control. This book helped me to understand that there were many things I could still control about my disease and how I chose to cope with it. And yes, I meditated and used healing imagery!! I also ate healthy foods, exercised and kept working even though I felt like I had a hangover for 6 months. Like anything, you take the parts of this book's methodology that work for you and use them. It would be foolish to stop your treatment against your physician's advice just because you read a book. But it is also foolish to sit back and expect the doctors to cure you without participating and doing your part--including helping your body heal itself, whether physically or emotionally. In no way did this book make me feel like having cancer was my fault.

Now, I am cancer free and I am re-ordering the book for my cousin's husband who was just diagnosed with prostate cancer. I hope that he will enjoy it as much as I did. No, it doesn't replace traditional treatment, but at least the authors encourage you to take control of your destiny.

By the way, I ran a marathon exactly one year after the day of my last chemo treatment. Anyone who thinks positive thinking, healing imagery, meditation and "mind over matter" is a bunch of new-age hype, is welcome to join me on my next 26.2 mile run!!