Timeless Healing: The Power and Biology of Belief » (Abridged)

TIMELESS HEALING THE POWERA life-changing work from the bestselling author of The Relaxation Response

Herbert Benson, M.D. explores the true intersection and connections between objective sciences and the mystifying power of the human spirit. He tells how affirming beliefs, particularly belief in a higher power, makes a critical contribution to our physical health. In essence, Dr. Benson's messages is that our bodies are wired for God.

A Harvard physician, Dr. Benson documents that when people call upon faith, they activate neurologic pathways for self-healing, and he shows how you, along with a caring physician or healer, can tap into your reservoir of "remembered wellness" to affect and cure 60 to 90 percent of medical complaints. Dr. Benson does not dismiss modern health care. Instead, he proposes practical ways in which patients and the medical community can make faith an integral part of it.

Along Timeless Healing's...

Library Journal

Apropos to the world of modern medicine, Shakespeare wrote, "Oft expectation fails, and most oft there, Where it promises most." To this arena of lofty expectation and technological wizardry, Benson (Harvard Medical Sch.) again explores the healing power of the human psyche. As in his The Wellness Book (LJ 3/1/92), Benson illustrates via exhaustive case studies and anonymous examples the power of what has been erroneously labeled the placebo effect. Further, he cites numerous instances where the intersection of prayer and meditation have stemmed the tide of pain or disability, illuminating for the uninitiated the raw potency of the human will. Benson's academic credentials lend credence to his authoritative voice as he "demythologizes meditation" (says one early reviewer) as well as the world of wholistic healing. Somewhat overblown at times, Benson's previous works go far to cover much of what is reiterated here. Purchase where interest in spirituality and wholistic medicine is high or as an initial foray into this area.-Sandra Collins, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary Lib.