Accessories

new research validates healing practices from long ago
This is a wonderful book for anyone- lay person or professional- who is interested in cutting edge research on the power of the mind and heart in healing. "Non-local" mind encompasses prayer, good wishes, healing practices like Therapeutic Touch, the laying on of hands, intuition, premonition,Love,and all benevolent practices used to facilitate the healing of others. Larry Dossey talks about how we communicate with one another over distance, like the Aboriginal and many other cultures, and how we can cultivate this human potential. It is a book that takes the 'woo-woo' out of near death experience, deja vu, telepathy, etc while not taking away from the extra-ordinariness of those experiences. READ IT!

NEW medicine
It is always difficult to accept change but I think the change written about in this book is already happening.

A Major Contribution to the Emerging World View
Having recently read and strongly recommended Larry Dossey's latest book, I have been re-reading some his earlier books. This one is similarly excellent.

Medical models are strongly determined by the way in which people see the world: traditional Chinese medicine is a fruit of a Taoist world view, and classical Greek and Roman medicine was informed by the philosophical models of the day. Beginning roughly in the middle of the 19th century, Western medicine began to adopt an approach based on concepts drawn from the classical, mechanical, Newtonian concept of the Universe. Therefore medicine developed a mechanical view that is still the predominant model today. Dossey calls this Era I or mechanical or physical medicine. In the middle of the 20th century, it began to be realized that thoughts, emotions, attitudes and beliefs can impact the body, which led to a radically new perspective: what we now refer to as mind-body medicine. Dossey calls this Era II. We are now living in an extraordinarily interesting and exciting time, when empirical evidence, like the research on distant healing that we just mentioned, is forcing us to recognize the emergence of Era III or nonlocal medicine. Unlike the first two Eras, the nonlocal perspective acknowledges that thoughts and intentions may affect the functioning of other individuals, at any distance, and with or without the awareness of the recipient.

The concept of non-locality is exceedingly important, and it is certainly true that it is not universally accepted. But with the passage of time, more and more evidence seems to be supporting its existence in the day-to-day physical world. If, as I suspect, it is accurate, the practical implications are stunning.

One of the reviewers raised some good points about the importance of evidence, and Dossey has always been very careful about the data that he cites. As an example, I do not think that he was one of the people taken in by the Hundredth Monkey Hoax. It is interesting that over the last five years, 75% of the studies published in peer-reviewed parapsychology journals have passed the most stringent design and analysis criteria for experimental studies, which is around twice as high as the figure in the top ten medical journals.

A highly recommended book by one of the most important authors in the field.

For the believer...
If you are a believer in prayer or any paranormal phenomena, or if you want to believe, then this book is for you. It represents a well written scholarly survey of the field of non-local consciousness citing many published research activities, all referenced through an impressive bibliography.

If, however, you are open minded on the subject, or bear a healthy skepticism, this work will leave you wanting more. So, take the books great set of references as fodder for the Google search engine, and for every assertion made in the book, you'll find an overwhelming amount of Internet readings supporting both pro and con positions. You could literally spend a lifetime attempting to make sense out of the questionable research that goes on in this field.

The premise of the book is that a non-local conciousness is based on credible scientific findings. But it is quite apparent that, for whatever reasons, this field of science lacks credible peer review systems typically found in other fields. In contrast, several years ago, the physics community reacted agressively to some who claimed they had demonstrated cold fusion in their laboratory and they forced a retraction in short order. No comparable scenerios seem to be occurring here.

For example, the book asserts that new-born baby chicks can dramatically influence the behavior of an otherwise random walk of a robot. This seemingly ridiculous claim is based on research started in France some 25 years ago. After diligent searches, I could find no independent confirmation of this experiment. I am sure that, over the years, numerous research groups have attempted to demonstrate the mental prowess of baby chicks. But, to their disappointment, the robots likely showed that they do just fine all by themselves, thank you very much -- hardly a publishable finding. And so, the phenomenon remains widely referenced in the field, and in this book.

What the author asserts to be true is at best merely possible with a vague hint at being probable -- the jury is still out on most of the science. Basing non-local consciousness on faith is a credible foundation that escapes scientific scrutiny. Basing it on science is premature and currently misleading. Nevertheless, the prospect of better understanding what so many believe to be true offers enormous possibilities.

Understanding the Relationship between the Mind and the Body
Larry Dossey's book presents its readers with a new and unique theory of how prayer will be able to influence the health of our body. He begins his book with a brief overview of the three different Eras of medicine. Era I deals with mechanical, material, or physical medicine and Era II deals with mind-body medicine, which may include any form of therapy where the body treats itself and only itself through psychosomatic methods. In this book, Dossey adds to this list by suggesting the possibility of an Era III, called eternity medicine. He suggests that individuals can affect patients from a distance, called "intercessory prayer." The mind, separate from the brain, has the ability to transverse space and time. He backs up his argument with ample evidence from Harvard, Duke, and other prestigious institutions. Each experiment builds upon the next, reinforcing the principles and theories of Dossey.

The case for the possibility of an Era III is further developed through other examples of individuals who have experienced "non locality" or phenomenon that they can't explain. For instance, we can often experience non locality through our dreams and déjà vu's. Dossey also presents his readers with a feel of futuristic medicine. He believes in traditional medicine that is supplemented by prayer and other acts of non local medicine.

For me, it has reshaped my thinking and has helped me to explain the world from a different perspective. It has also played a large part in my faith, strongly reinforcing the principles that I have learned through my religion. I would recommend this book very highly for the interested individual in mind-body relationships.