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Summary: I urge everyone to read this amazing book.
Review: David R. Hawkins writes an amazing book that is the culmination of many years of research and tests. This book will more then likely teach you many things that you never knew before. Its amazing to learn for example that if you have an item that is weak in energy and place it in an envelope so that it cant even be seen it will still cause someone to react weakly to it in a test involving muscle responses.
simply amazing, a masterpiece and i hope that people are not discouraged by a few cynical reviews written by skeptics.
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Summary: Second review to clarify my thoughts on "Power vs Force"
Review: Dr Hawkins, is definitely enthusiastic about the amazing subject matter in this book, but he doesnt make any verbal acrobats that i can see. He is an intelligent man and a doctor who are normally biased when it comes to using medical terminology that are not well understood by non doctor people/laymen, he is considerate and uses very little of this.
His lifes work is easy to follow and shocking to read.
Power vs Force is eloquent and very clear. He uses prominent figures, well known books etc as subject matter for his testing of his theories which i think are brilliant (i.e Ghandi - excellent example of the use of power winning over force - british ), he puts forward theories that are well documented, supported and ultimately, extremely believable.
His theories resonate and support and add to those theories put forward by such conscious writers as Dr. Wayne Dyer, Dr Deepak Chopra etc. He uses scientific, kinesiological testing with patients, subjects and volunteers that puts forth the definite idea that we are all one and connected to a collective conciousness that permeates everything and everyone. Carl Jung understood this with his study of archetypes in dream analysis etc.
Whether we know something to be true or not our body, our cells, know the truth of whatever question is put to us by the tester.
You can do this test at home. Hold an organic banana close to your heart and have a friend try to press your arm down as you hold your arm straight out at a 90 degree angle from your body, are you able to resist with great strength? I can guarantee you will. Now hold pesticide treated fruit to your heart and try the same test, you will go weak. Packets of vitamin c and artificial sugar ( they look identical ) were handed out to an audience who were given the same test, all went weak with the artifical sugar. You can try the same test when posing the idea or thought of someone with a low resonating energy pattern, such as the wonderful Adolf Hitler, all will go weak. Try having your test subject think of Mother Theresa, all will go strong at the thought of this wonderful, compassionate human being. Getting excited, now you can understand Dr Hawkins excitement as well as those of his readers and colleagues. This form of testing should be used when treating patients with physical or mental illness. Even if your ego mind isnt aware of any illness or disease forming in your body, your body/mind/spirit is. You can use the same test in respects to music, art, color...the implications are endless. We are all made strong or weak by our thoughts and it is wise to avoid all thoughts that weaken you. YOu will easily see which thoughts weaken thought this test, if you werent already aware.
Helplessness, depression, grief, anger, bitterness, envy, resentment etc...feelings and thoughts create your life, your world, your health, your everything and Dr. Hawkins is just one of many individuals who are connecting to this powerful knowledge at this time in our evolution and bringing it forth for those receptive enough and intelligent enough to accept it and use it.
We are all blessed to have this book.
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Summary: Consciousness confirmed with muscle testing
Review: The discipline known as behavioral kinesiology/muscle testing deals with the theory that muscles react differently to positive and negative stimuli. Muscle testing is the bridge between two worlds- the physical one and the world of spirit, the part of all of us that is in touch with "the vast intelligence of the universe." The future is subject to change and under most circumstances cannot be tested. Everything else can be tested for truth.
Rating: 
Summary: Questionable Methodology, but Good Philosophy!
Review: The author uses theories of applied kinesiology to develop a philosophical framework which develops a heirarchy of emotional states that reflect varying degrees of truth or goodness based upon muscular responses to various substances or agents. The basic theory is that we are all attached to a universal consciousness which knows what is good for us and what isn't. As such, muscle response will be strong when the subject is exposed to classical music and weak when exposed to rap music. The book has interesting things to say about what emotions can do to build you up or pull you down. I have to take exception with some reviewers' fixation with this book's references to Wal-Mart as an example of a business that operates on a higher spiritual level. Yes, the book does talk about Wal-Mart for a couple of pages as an example of an enlightened business model. However, at the time the book was written, Wal-Mart was personally run by Sam Walton and was not the small-town crushing behemoth that it is today. Praise of Wal-Mart is NOT a major portion of this book. I haven't had the chance to personally verify the methodology myself, but the conclusions of the book are hard to dispute.
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Summary: Masterpiece messed up with unnecessary verbal acrobatics
Review: A truely fascinating book. It is very unfortunate that Dr Hawkins unnecessarily uses so many twisted words and jargons. Books of this kind must be written in a simple format with words serving only as a vehicle to get the message across. minus 1 star! The wisdom does deserve 5 stars though...
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Summary: Power vs Force is a work of human genius
Review: Dr Hawkins glows through this book with the light of a man who has experienced the TRUTH behind human behavior and its affects upon oneself and ones environment. This book should be standard text book reading for high school students, when it comes to human relations, science, health, philosophy, etc. The man has put his thumb upon the pulse of our creator, please read this book and pass it around in the spirit of giving and love that prevails throughout this entire masterpiece. I used it for research for my own writing and end up refering to it as a bible as i carry it with me during my quiet and reflective times, times of gap, which fortunately are becoming more prominent in my life.
I am so happy Dr. Wayne Dyer credits Dr Hawkins and this book in his workshops and in his latest book, "the power of intention" I plan on having my book right beside these two in the near future:) This will be one of the greatest honors of my life.
Blessings.
Paula Skye
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Summary: A step in the right direction
Review: Review of Power vs. Force by John Beasley Dr. Hawkins introduces a number of issues in his book, Power vs. Force. He deals with ascending levels of consciousness and then introduces Kinesiology as a means for testing the relative value or usefulness of products, activities, philosophies, opinions, and emotions.
The inherent problem with writing a book on ascending levels of consciousness is that language, the medium of books, is located within the left hemisphere of the brain. Ascending consciousness occurs specifically by transcending the language center, that is, learning to use divergent parts of the brain other than the language center or conceptual self located within the left hemisphere of the brain. That being said, Dr. Hawkins equates levels of conscious to us in story form i.e. how these levels of consciousness appear to manifest themselves in experiential reality, rather than how to manifest them. To learn to use the various centers of the brain is conceptually, rather simple. How to consciously use the frontal lobes, both hemispheres of the cerebral cortex, the cerebellum and the brain stem can be explained in 20 or 30 minutes, but actually learning to use these various parts of the brain and intentionally connecting the conscious and unconscious mind can constitute a life long pursuit. Dr. Hawkins appears to be combining Abraham Maslows hierarchy of needs theory with Social Darwinism and asserting that aspiring to higher levels of consciousness is a developmental process or evolutionary process. I would tend to disagree with that understanding. Having learned to use all my brain consciously, I would say it has nothing to do with social conditioning, and that in fact social conditioning tends to impede human development in the interest of conformity. In an effort to ascend to these higher levels of consciousness Dr. Hawkins advises readers to learn to rely upon kinesthetic testing to estimate the impact an idea, product, activity, philosophy, opinion, or emotion is likely to have upon their life. The only way to prove the value of kinesthetics is to try it for oneself. Even if conclusive clinical documentation existed that proved kinesthetics works such knowledge would be conceptual, i.e. linguistic and only recognized within the language center of the brain. The individual attempting to evolve to higher states of consciousness has to venture outside of the language center and learn to use other parts of their brain. For this reason, each person needs to do the fundamental research to validate kinesiology testing for him or herself. Dr. Hawkins book brings us one step closer to realizing Nietzsches prediction that the next significant step in social evolution would be one of increased consciousness in which humans would ascend to the level of Ubermench.
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Summary: A much needed book
Review: A great book, but, I suspect, not for everyone. Apparently this method does not work for a certain type of reader, particularly the type that "Believes Everything He/She Thinks!" If everyone could and would use these techniques the world would be a different place. The text is a bit obscure at first but becomes easier as you read on.
What impressed me the most was that, after reading just enough to get the idea, I tried many different questions on all manner of subjects and kept notes. Some questions got high ratings and some low. I thought. Much to my surprise the great majority echoed the text in the suceeding chapters. Anecdotal evidence? Sure, but IT WORKED for me. It is essential to frequently ask two calibration questions that always get a yes and a no answer. This will keep you on the right track. The book tells you what to do. The system works equally well for the lone questioner using the linked fingers "O-Ring" pull-apart test. If you have an open mind you will not be sorry you have read this book!
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Summary: No solid evidence
Review: This book would be a gem if its premise of kinesiological testing were sound, but it isn't. All double-blind experiments refute it. The only evidence that supports it is sloppy and anecdotal. Hawkins in some areas is an important contributor of scientific advancement as in the case with his collaboration with Linus Pauling. Yet like Pauling going overboard with vitamin C as a panacea for all that ails us, Hawkins gets snookered with this pseudoscientific claptrap. A pity.
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Summary: Thought-provoking, potentially consciousness-expanding
Review: Overall, the book presents a thorough, solid model of the levels of human consciousness. It helps one to put the actions and beliefs of people into a larger context. Though I've been reading various spiritual literature for several years, I still had a handful of "aha" moments while reading Power vs. Force. I have a handful of nitpicky problems with the book, however: - The underlying tone of the book is somewhat dry and serious - the information is great, but it didn't exactly inspire nor energize upon reading. I also found the writing to be quite uneven - some paragraphs are very clear and concise only to be followed by text that is unnecessarily obtuse or self-evident. And despite the author's focus on non-duality and compassion, there's a lingering sense of duality. (As one example, he states that anything which calibrates at under 200 on the consciousness scale is "bad" and anything above is "good.") Also, are these ratings meant to be fixed, or will a given item calibrate differently from individual to individual, and the overall ratings are averages? Hawkins doesn't clarify this point. - The author doesn't really give any concrete suggestions for advancing up the scale of consciousness; he implies, however, that muscle testing can be used to make better choices. But what if one is not capable of using it effectively? (For example, supposedly, it will not work for individuals who are under the 200 scale, or are sick, etc.) I wish there was more discussion of the application of these principles on an individual basis. I agree with other readers that one has to use muscle-testing carefully and be aware of caveats. Personally, I have used a solo version of muscle testing but have not always found it to be reliable. - Finally, like another reviewer wrote, I question that the author uses his methods to calibrate the validity of his methods - yes, it does seem circular... Despite these flaws, it is a very thought-provoking book and has the potential to profoundly enhance one's viewpoint on consciousness.
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