On the Reading Table: "Instant Emotional Healing" and "The Body KeepsScore"

Peter Lambrou and George Pratt

Drawing on techniques ranging from focused thought to breathing and acupressure, Peter Lambrou and George Pratt guide readers through an Emotional Self-Management program, which they contend will dramatically accelerate the therapeutic process. 

Clinical psychologists who are experienced in hypnosis, Lambrou (co-author with Brian Alman of "Self-Hypnosis: The Complete Manual for Health and Self-Change") and Pratt ("A Clinical Hypnosis Primer") have found that the healing of anxiety, phobias, and other emotional traumas is often delayed because of "energy blockages" that can stem from "polarity reversals in a person’s electromagnetic field." 

According to the authors, relief from chronic symptoms, often instantaneous, can be achieved once these blockages are cleared. ESM includes identifying emotional states, breathing and tapping along pathways, or meridians (the same ones used in acupuncture), to release energy for healing. 

Stories of patients, including children and teenagers, who have found relief through ESM provide a glimpse into a variety of applications. Those familiar with traditional Chinese medicine, the chakra system or Carolyn Myss’ work will likely find much of this material oversimplified, but for those who are new to energy medicine, this is a good introduction to techniques that can be self-administered without risk of physical harm.

Bessel van der Kolk

Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma: A pioneering researcher and one of the world’s foremost experts on traumatic stress offers a bold new paradigm for healing

Trauma is a fact of life. Veterans and their families deal with the painful aftermath of combat; one in five Americans has been molested; one in four grew up with alcoholics; one in three couples have engaged in physical violence. Such experiences inevitably leave traces on minds, emotions, and even on biology. Sadly, trauma sufferers frequently pass on their stress to their partners and children.

Renowned trauma expert Bessel van der Kolk has spent over three decades working with survivors. In The Body Keeps the Score, he transforms our understanding of traumatic stress, revealing how it literally rearranges the brain’s wiring -- specifically areas dedicated to pleasure, engagement, control, and trust. He shows how these areas can be reactivated through innovative treatments including neurofeedback, mindfulness techniques, play, yoga, and other therapies. Based on Dr. van der Kolk’s own research and that of other leading specialists, The Body Keeps the Score offers proven alternatives to drugs and talk therapy -- and a way to reclaim lives.