C. Norman Shealy, M.D., Ph.D.

Daniel J. Benor, M.D.  How Can I Heal What Hurts: Wholistic Healing and Bioenergies.  Wholistic Healing Publications, P. O. Box 502, Medford, NJ 08055..

A true review of this book would take many pages.  This is unequivocally the encyclopedia of evidence for self-healing, a port for holistic, complementary, and alternative medicine approaches, and a look at an overview of subtle energy, especially looking at the human energy field and environmental electromagnetic energy, cosmos-biology and even astrology.  In his earlier book, Dr. Benor summarized almost as extensively as in the current book, an extensive body of research confirming claims by spiritual healers that they can “effect improvements in the health of the healees who flock to them, suffering from all the ailments known to human kind.”  This book in his Healing Research series continues to address the question, “How does healing work?”  I have never seen a more concise but adequate definition of personality disorders, neuroses, and psychoses.  The book is worthwhile just from that point of view alone.  There is an adequate discussion of physical symptoms addressed by psychotherapy, as well as by bodywork and by bioenergy therapy.  There is a good overview of psychological conditioning and behavioral therapy.  Body/mind therapy, spiritual healing, hypnosis, biofeedback, transpersonal psychology, and even spontaneous remissions are addressed.  The emphasis is very much on the fact that “—The world is not all in the mind.  It would be more accurate to suggest that the mind is all in the world.  That is part of the world, in fact, because we are intimately involved.”  Lyle Watson

C. Norman Shealy, M.D., Ph.D.
President, Holos Institutes of Health, Inc.
President, Holos University Graduate Seminary

Gunnel Minett, Review of How Can I Heal What Hurts?  Published in the Scientific & Medical Newsletter and in 'Breathe,' UK

This outstanding book will open your awareness to many aspects of self-healing.

Chapter one examines the mind-body connection in a very broad and deep survey of the many ways that we can create problems in our body through stress and tension on the one hand, and relieve them through varieties of self-healing methods on the other.
 
Chapter two looks at Wholistic Energy Medicine. It starts by examining allopathic medicine (or conventional medicine), its strength and weakness and moves on to addressing the issue of qualitative versus quantitative assessment and integrative medicine and whole person care and wholistic care. It also provides a thorough overview of a number of alternative therapies, including yoga, kinesiology, aromatherapy, biofeedback, ayurvedic medicine, breathwork and acupuncture etc.
 
Chapter three presents the Human Energy Field covering the aura, Kirlian photography, laboratory measurements of Biological Energy Fields etc. This area in particular is extremely exciting for all alternative therapies since modern technology can do a lot to confirm what healers and therapists of all kinds have known intuitively throughout history. Our increased understanding of the human energy fields may ultimately also provide us with answers to eternal questions of how the universe was created and what its driving force is.
 
Chapter four deals with Geobiological effects. Here we learn about the environment in which we live and how it effects us. We get a presentation of Cosmobiology and Astrology as well as the effects of ley lines.
 
To find such a comprehensive and well researched overview of alternative therapies and self-healing is a real gift. Apart from being a very interesting read, it is a book that will function as well as an encyclopaedia for all working therapists as well as their clients. 
The book is also available on CD-Rom.
 
Gunnel Minett
Psychologist, author of Breath & Spirit and Exhale  (www.florisbooks.co.uk)
Published also in the Scientific & Medical Newsletter, UK


Annie Hallett. Book reviews, Spirituality and Health International 6(4): 265-267 (2005), John Wiley & Sons,

How Can I Heal What Hurts? Wholistic Healing & Bio Energies Healing Research, Volume II (Popular Edition)
By Daniel J Benor, MD

This book represents what must have truly been a labour of love and dedication. The text leans more towards a discourse on its title – ‘Wholistic Healing and Bio-energies’ – rather than simply being a reference book, its subject matter being far wider than the title suggests. It includes, for example, references to psychiatry, psychology, physiology and astrology, in addition to many therapies and self-help approaches. It is clearly articulated and makes easy reading, although because of its size, over 600 pages, and its nature, I suspect it will be more of a book to dip in and out of. This, in fact, is how Dr Benor suggests it is to be used.
    The introduction sets the context and discusses the interplay between orthodox approaches to healthcare and the more wholistic view, which Dr Benor advocates. He clearly states the key areas he is addressing and how the chapter plan reflects this. This is particularly useful in view of the book’s dimensions, in both size and content. The introduction is followed by a short resume of the four volumes of Healing Research of which this book is the second volume. It is explained that this edition is the popular version of the earlier publication, which was entitled ‘Consciousness, Bioenergy and Healing’.  Whereas the professional edition discusses in detail the associated research, this popular version is very much written with the layperson in mind, although it does include some research. In order to make it more relevant to the lay reader, this popular version dedicates two chapters to self-healing, one of them focused on exercises and techniques for readers to utilize for themselves.
    The opening chapter takes a look at self-healing and explores this from numerous angles. Contemporary psychotherapeutic thinking is encompassed along with associated physiological function. Dr Benor then expands into the theoretical basis of transpersonal psychotherapy and the concept of collective consciousness.
    Dr Benor’s psychiatric background is clearly evident in this chapter and there is quite an emphasis on cognitive and psychodynamic approaches.
    In Chapter 2, Dr Benor begins to explore the nature of Wholistic Energy Medicine and describes numerous therapies associated with this concept. This makes for absorbing and informative reading and it concludes with a discussion around issues relating to the integration of complementary therapies into orthodox healthcare.
    Chapter 3 explores the nature of energy and energy fields in more detail. The section describing the nature of the aura particularly fascinated me. Much of the material in these chapters was substantiated by references to research and was not only stimulating and thought-provoking to read, but provided a good basis of understanding upon which to lay the therapies described.
    The comprehensive nature of this book is further verified by the fourth chapter, which transports us from the human energy fields to the effects of geo-biological energy on health and healing, extending to the influence of astrology and paying a brief visit to sacred geometry, by way of feng shui. Dr Benor uses research to substantiate many of his statements, and generally gives some indication as to the reliability of the research.
    Self-healing is revisited in the fifth and final chapter and again covers a wide range of approaches from cognitive behaviour therapy to ancient traditions including the reading of runes and tarot.
    To conclude, this is an extremely comprehensive book, which offers an articulate insight into the subject matter. It functions as a useful and informative reference book and should be valuable reading for those wanting to increase their understanding of Wholistic therapies. It brings together many of the ideas and themes prevalent in the Wholistic interpretation of health, albeit with a backdrop of psychiatric discourse.

Annie Hallett, RGN Msc
Counsellor and Complementary Therapies Coordinator
Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust
DOI: 10:1002/shi.31

Kirkus Book Review

An M.D. ’wholistic psychiatrist’ promotes Complementary/Alternative Medicine (CAM), a broad term encompassing a variety of self-healing approaches. Dr. Benor prescribes mixtures of relaxation, meditation, imagery, journaling, fitness and proper diet to conquer numerous disorders. He contends that CAM therapists can enhance those self-healing techniques through acupuncture, homeopathy, massage and other methods rejected by many conventional physicians’ methods that are often highly effective and free of side effects.

Dr. Benor avoids open criticism of conventional practitioners, and he concedes that he stuck with conventional medicine for nearly 20 years of psychiatric practice. The shift occurred in 1980, when, he says, “I observed a physical change under a healer’s hand which completely convinced me this is a potent and valuable therapy.”

Dr. Benor addresses the common argument leveled against CAM practitioners, the placebo effect: “The placebo effect is actually a manifestation of the enormous self-healing abilities you have to alter your own states of health and illness. Self-healing can be activated intentionally or unconsciously by caregivers or by people working to heal themselves.”

When he moves from the mind-over-matter prescription to bioenergies, the concepts may be unfamiliar for those new to alternative medicine, and grasping the root argument that “the body consists of energy as well as matter,” harmonizing biological energy patterns for healing purposes," could require cerebral readjustments. This particular volume is specifically termed the ‘popular edition’ of Benor’s oeuvre (Spiritual Healing: Scientific Validation of A Healing Revolution, 2001; Consciousness, Bioenergy and Healing: Self-Healing and Energy Medicine for the 21st Century, 2004), which lends a sense of accessibility to this weighty tome. After covering more than a dozen self-healing realms enhanced by CAM therapies, Benor turns to ‘the human energy field’ in Chapter 3 and ‘Geobiological Effects’ in Chapter 4, and the final chapter prescribes handy exercises for self-healing. Intriguing concepts of medical care requiring new vocabulary and offering fresh channels of deep thinking.

Kirkus Discoveries, VNU US Literary Group, New York

Review for Energy Therapy Network of the Mid-Atlantic States

Maurice Kouguell, PhD

HOW CAN I HEAL WHAT HURTS needs to be required reading not only for
medical doctors but for all patients afflicted by long term medical issues.

When I was diagnosed with cancer over four years ago, I was fortunate to
have been prepared by my own training in energy medicine, prayers and
many modalities which I discovered on my own and I am certain that all
those were instrumental in prolonging my health. None of those
modalities were discussed with me by my oncologist, an excellent
physician. It seems to me that there comes a time when the physician
must become a healer and make it known to the patient what else is
available for the well being of the patient. Alternative healing and
complimentary medicine are in my opinion still in their infancy although
we have made strides in incorporating those into the healing process. I
have met with staff members of the hospital where I am a patient and
discussed and proposed , from a cancer patient's view, what is needed,
from playing relaxing music in the waiting room to apprising the patient
of how he could be proactive in his own treatment.

Patient education and avenues to be taken for one's well being are so
well outlined and discussed in this wonderful book and I feel strongly
that it should find its way at least into the waiting room of
oncologists as well as other specialists deal with long term illnesses.