Rating: 
Summary: A "Powerful" Map of Human Consciousness
Review: ---
David Hawkins uses applied kinesiology as a research tool for developping a scale that goes from 0 to 1000 for calibrating levels of consciousness. Such an expanded use of kinesiology will probably be the most controversial part of his claims. The few expert practioners of kinesiology I have interviewed suggested this is an overextended use of the tool. One suggested that it is easy to get any answer one is inclined towards. It is also not clear what one is precisely measuring. I have yet to see a discussion on a detailed scientific protocol.Having said this, I would still recommend the book for the following reasons. The book provides a framework for a comprehensive theory of consciousness, from the highest states to the lowest ones, and including everything in between. While it pulls in some contemporary ideas from chaos theory, such as the notion of attractors, and from physics, that of non-locality, it's real value lies in ratifying or informing one's intuition the placement and context of various religious and spiritual traditions on the evolution of consciousness. He states one purpose for writing the book is that most people cannot tell the difference between true and false. As a book on spiritual discrimination, this seems to be one of the finest and much in line with the highest traditions. Dr.Hawkins philosophical and experiential "home base" seems to be a kind "Advaitic Christianity" as evidenced by the Course In Miracles. (In fact, he mentions the Course on a number of occassions.) He is not an Advaitic who has disappeared into the
realm of the formless, disregarding the world as an illusion, and unable to relate to it. Neither do we see the fruitless mental debates involving the traditional dichotomies such as between "form" and "formless", "nirvana" vs. "samsara", or talk about "paradoxes" (which oftentimes just reveals one's ignorance). His model provides a map of a continuum of consciousness whereby a level of truth for each has its place. For the most part, even in dealing with difficult subject matters, he is a very clear writer. On the side of Christianity (in it's best sense), neither does he forget the teachings pertaining to one's neighbor. His scale for the levels of consciousness provides a framework for an interpretation for what has traditionally been called "good and evil", not so much in the moralistic sense, or black and white Manichaean sense, but in it's life enhancing or life destructive tendencies. His framework provides a unified model of which incorporates the strengths of both the teachings of Non-Duality and Christianity at their best. Overall, I would recommend Dr. Hawkin's books, "Power vs. Force", and the "Eye of the I", as a "consideration", as a "hypothesis" one evenutally needs to test out. I have had many an "aha" moments as I watched the pieces from disparate disciplines and traditions fall into place while reading the book. It has been a real pleasure to read for both it's clarity and comprehensiveness.
Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating research - try it yourself!
Review: For those who are not familiar with the basis of Kinesiology, the basic theory is that all living things have an energy field. This energy field is connected to all other energy fields in some way or another. In short, we are all connected to each other in some way. Nothing we say or do or that has been said, done or felt occurs in a vacuum and so has an effect on energy. Because of this, everything that is or was is written into an energy record of the collective unconscious. The problem is how to access this information. This is where David Hawkins and his research comes in. Through thousands of scientific experiments David Hawkins and others have found that muscle testing can be applied to determine when a field is positive or negative and things that change those fields. What makes Dr. Hawkins' research different is that while most kineseologists have worked with the individual and concerned themselves with how an individual's fields change based on their views, he has worked with determining the truth of information that is not known to the individual. How could this work? If everything is written into this collective unconscious then we all have access to it, we just don't know how we do or how to do it purposely. Enter Dr. Hawkins' methods for how to access information on anything that has happened or is happening even if you were not a party to the event yourself. Since you are accessing the record of the collective unconscious it only applies to things that have happened or are happening and not to any future event. Written in a style that makes a fairly complex topic easy to understand and follow, the book is an easy read, but demands close attention to the details. A recommended book for those interested in such things, I will have to admit that I tested out some of his comments and found that they were surprisingly accurate.
Rating:
Summary: concept of inner certitude:connections
Review: Dr. Hawkins' Book, POWER vs FORCE has major practical uses in evaluating current world crises, particularly in regard to the rhetoric involved. The technique described gives a reliable way of determining the experiential value of any belief. The stronger the experiential response, the greater a belief's value for human progress: "...dedicated to the proposition (belief) that all men are created equal..." My experiential response, that is true!, resonates with the terms of others such as the little inner voice of Socrates, the "inner vision" of Tom Brown Jr.'s mentor, Stalking Wolf, & perhaps, the Christian concept of conscience. I don't know that Dr. Hawkins has an eye for irony, but I believe he must be at least mildly amused at the current storm over the term "God" (an undefined and undefinable presence greater than ourselves) in the Pledge of Allegiance, considered to be the same as a religion (an organization structured to honor a deity in certain specific ways). Viz: "The makers of the Declaration of Independence were astute in drawing a very clear distinction between that which is spiritual and that which is religious
(p. 130)." And just for fun read the next paragraph. M. Ryan
Rating: 
Summary: A course in Self-Delusion
Review: I have seen a number of people who have fallen into believing in Applied Kinesiology. This book is a very good exposition of the basic beliefs of this 'cult'. I give it one star as it does honestly express those beliefs. I could go into the reasons why AK is so attractive to so many, but why bother? I am not interested in flame-wars with true-believers. Which is why I am posting anonymously. There are perfectly nice people out there that are deep into this. I would like to point out that there are resources on the Net that will counter the claims of this book. Before you buy this book, I suggest doing a search on the words: 'Applied Kinesiology skeptic'. This will cost you nothing and will reveal that there are in fact papers you can link to reporting scientific studies that show zero effect. This completely belies the book's unsupported statement that there are double-blind studies that show AK works. Basically, this method will allow the subconscious intervention of the two persons involved to determine outcomes that support what they believe about the method. It gives a foundation for building a shared delusional belief system fully as effective as those 'resistance meters' that the big 'Church Whose Name We Must Not Speak or We Get Sued' uses, or Ouija boards for that matter. So, if you are in the market for a book which will guide you into a group of people where you can have the comfort of sharing absolute beliefs that you do not have to examine, this book is for you. Otherwise, take a look at the information on the net using the search parameters I recommend, and get your education without buying the book. I rue the money I spent on it, that's for sure.
Rating:
Summary: Pivotal and Profound
Review: It is not often one reads a work with the power to permanently alter their worldview. Power vs Force is such a work and Dr. David Hawkins is such an author. The Introduction alone is enough to convince anyone that there is something truly profound about this man and his work. Although Behavioral Kinesiology came to be known to the general public through Dr. John Diamond's work in the '70's, Dr. Hawkins has taken this technology into realms not dreamed of until now. Using the reults of his extensive research, this book presents a comprehensive Map of Consciousness and then shows how this tool can be used to live a fuller, more conscious life. My advice is to be prepared - if you approach this work with an open heart and a clear mind, it can become a catalyst to higher consciousness in your personal life. This is a rare and beautiful book - may it find a wide audience.
Rating:
Summary: Magnificent
Review: Hawkins book is absolutely riviting. This is a book that has dramatically changed the way I approach life. The gist of the book is that all things carry a field of energy, and that using a basic kineseogical test, one can figure out whether something has a positive or a negative field. This is something you can try right now. My favorite example involves Orange Juice and Beer. Get a partner. Have your partner stand square with their arm outstreched directly forward, parrellel to the ground. Have them make a fist. Now place one hand on your partners shoulder (to stabilize them) and place your index and middle finger on their outstreched fist. Tell them to resist you with all thier might. After you've tested thier general strength in this regard, have them press a full glass or carton of 100% pure orange juice to their sternum with one hand and make the same fist directly in front of their body with the other. Tell them to resist, and when you press you will find that they are as strong or stronger than they were the first time. Now sibstitute a glass of diet soda (something with nutrasweet or aspertame is preferable), or perhaps a bottle of beer. When they hold this to their chest and try to resist, you will both see a remarkable difference. They will be significantly weakend by the Beer or the Soda. It's CRAZY. Do the same thing again, but instead of having them hold up the OJ say the words "abe lincoln." Then instead of Beer say the words "Adolf Hitler." Big or small, man or woman, adonis or couch potato, they all respond the same way. And that's really just the begining. What I've put here covers about the first 80 pages of that book. The more I read, the more I learned about how and why things worked that way, the more impressed I became. Read the book. It is absolutely, without question worth the money. :-)
Rating:
Summary: The Breakthrough Book for This Time
Review: This book is stunning in its revelations. It is the most cutting-edge book recently out in the arena of spirituality. It will provably increase your consciousness and change the way you look at life. Reading it, one can scarcely catch one's breath. If you are a serious spiritual seeker or interested in healing, I can't imagine your missing this book. It is a MUST READ.
Rating:
Summary: Answer to "Give me a Break"
Review: I am a Power vs. Force fan and saw your entry. I read the earlier version and loved it. I suspect the reason all the dates for the Hay House entry are clustered is that they (Hay House) sent out a bunch of review copies of their version and are just posting the comments they received. Fairly common practice with publishers. The book may not "speak" to everyone, but it did to me.
Rating:
Summary: Map of Consciousness
Review: One of the most incredible books I have ever read!! Reading this book could actually change who you are and how you approach life. Do not hesitate to buy it.
Rating:
Summary: Give me a break
Review: Look at the dates for all the 5-star reviews. Is someone trying to BS us or what?
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