Meaning & Medicine: Learn from a Doctor's Tales of Breakthrough and Healing by Larry Dossey

From the Publisher

Here is a revolutionary new look at medicine and the mind-body connection to healing by a frank and unconventional physician-writer — a book that taps the power of hope and healing that lies within each of us.

Dr. Larry Dossey dared to break with traditional scientific, medical thought in his previous books, Space, Time & Medicine and Recovering The Soul. Now he continues his investigation into the connection between mind, meaning, and illness through fascinating clinical stories from his many years of practice, he shows in true, almost often dramatic accounts how though and emotion do influence the body — and can make the difference between life and death. Writing with wonderful clarity and weaving together the ideas of physicists, philosophers, physicians, and researchers, Dr. Dossey illustrates the extraordinary ability of the mind and the body to perform miracles.

Filled with case histories, clinical findings, and deeply inspiring personal stories, Meaning & Medicine is a thought-provoking and life-changing book. It gives us both hope and power in the quest toward understanding the impact of attitudes, thoughts, and emotions on our health — and our lives.

Publishers Weekly

While the past decade has brought a flood of self-help medical books to the market, this collection of healing stories offers specific and convincing examples that the mind-set of patients has great impact on their physical well-being. ``Meaning is being,'' Dossey ( Beyond Illness ) states in his introduction, arguing that the significance we give to events in our lives and to our existence itself affects our body's health. Pointing out that more heart attacks happen on Mondays at 9 a.m. than any other time of the week, he also supports his thesis with numerous case histories. Decrying the ``man as machine'' approach often promulgated in medical school, Dossey urges doctors and patients alike to recognize the spiritual component of healing, while pressing for such practical reforms as making hospital environments more pleasant. His study will prove valuable for professional and lay readers alike. (Nov.)

Library Journal

Dossey, an internist and noted author/lecturer on holistic medicine ( Space, Time and Medicine , LJ 5/15/82), writes that illness has meaning in itself and needs to be approached through understanding, not just intervention. Even the contemporary mind-body notion is outdated, he suggests, asserting that ``mind'' and consciousness exist beyond the bounds of the brain. Chronicling numerous incidents where beliefs, hopes, and miraculous events have brought about unexpected recoveries as well as inexplicable sickness and even death, Dossey sees medicine moving toward a less mechanical and more spiritual, psychic, or shamanic perspective on illness and its significance. His book is recommended for large public libraries and subject collections.-- Judith Eannarino, Washington, D.C.

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