Space, Time & Medicine

Rating:
Summary: Good physics- but the medicine is questionable...
Review: Dr. Larry Dossey delivers far less than he promises in "Space, Time, and Medicine". Instead of a revolutionary "new paradigm", he presents us with many ideas that seem to have little to do with curing illness, and far more to do with Dr. Dossey's spiritual views. I seriously doubt that an individual suffering from heart disease or terminally ill with cancer would be comforted by being told that they are misperceiving time! Although the idea that modifications in consciousness can change the outcome of an illness does have scientific evidence backing it (as well as plenty of anecdotal evidence, and, in my case, second-hand experience), the book fails to cover how meditation and consciousness-altering practices can be effectively applied against disease- and, in the twenty years since this book was written, little progress has been made (other than a general acceptance of yoga and meditation as a supplement to orthodox treatments).

Despite this critique, however, Dossey does present several interesting arguments in favor of his approach, and some fascinating case studies, including one involving a psychic police officer suffering from stress-related illness, and some interesting observations involving the health of people with "type A" personalities and worldviews. Dossey demonstrates a mastery of physics uncommon among individuals outside the field, and does an excellent job of explaning the physical thought of Prigogine, Bohm, Heisenberg, Einstein, and Bohr, as well as the mathematical proofs of Kurt Godel.

"Space, Time, and Medicine" isn't beach reading, doesn't present any revolutionary new data, and won't shake the ground beneath your feet. But if you're a physician interested in following up on potentially effective "alternative" approaches, or a layman with an interest in how the "new physics" relate to your state of being- you can do far worse than read this book.

Rating:
Summary: Good physics- but the medicine is questionable...
Review: Dr. Larry Dossey delivers far less than he promises in "Space, Time, and Medicine". Instead of a revolutionary "new paradigm", he presents us with many ideas that seem to have little to do with curing illness, and far more to do with Dr. Dossey's spiritual views. I seriously doubt that an individual suffering from heart disease or terminally ill with cancer would be comforted by being told that they are misperceiving time! Although the idea that modifications in consciousness can change the outcome of an illness does have scientific evidence backing it (as well as plenty of anecdotal evidence, and, in my case, second-hand experience), the book fails to cover how meditation and consciousness-altering practices can be effectively applied against disease- and, in the twenty years since this book was written, little progress has been made (other than a general acceptance of yoga and meditation as a supplement to orthodox treatments).

Despite this critique, however, Dossey does present several interesting arguments in favor of his approach, and some fascinating case studies, including one involving a psychic police officer suffering from stress-related illness, and some interesting observations involving the health of people with "type A" personalities and worldviews. Dossey demonstrates a mastery of physics uncommon among individuals outside the field, and does an excellent job of explaning the physical thought of Prigogine, Bohm, Heisenberg, Einstein, and Bohr, as well as the mathematical proofs of Kurt Godel.

"Space, Time, and Medicine" isn't beach reading, doesn't present any revolutionary new data, and won't shake the ground beneath your feet. But if you're a physician interested in following up on potentially effective "alternative" approaches, or a layman with an interest in how the "new physics" relate to your state of being- you can do far worse than read this book.

Rating:
Summary: Quantum medicine
Review: Originally published in 1982. Dr. Dossey gives a pretty detailed account of some of the more interesting challenges that Quantum Physics makes on our traditional mechanistic worldview. Spends a good deal of time on Bell's Theorem, David Bohm's implicate order and Progogine's dissipative structures in very clear and easy to understand language (and no math). Concludes that not only are we wrong about spacetime and the nature of our existence, but these errors make us ill. Argues that medical science is based on a classical physical model, and needs to catch up with the implications of uncertainty, non-locality, and the "Biodance" (this metaphor alone is worth the price of the book!). Implies a lot of things that I imagine he covers in his later books - this is the first one I've read, but I'm hooked!

Rating:
Summary: Quantum medicine
Review: Originally published in 1982. Dr. Dossey gives a pretty detailed account of some of the more interesting challenges that Quantum Physics makes on our traditional mechanistic worldview. Spends a good deal of time on Bell's Theorem, David Bohm's implicate order and Progogine's dissipative structures in very clear and easy to understand language (and no math). Concludes that not only are we wrong about spacetime and the nature of our existence, but these errors make us ill. Argues that medical science is based on a classical physical model, and needs to catch up with the implications of uncertainty, non-locality, and the "Biodance" (this metaphor alone is worth the price of the book!). Implies a lot of things that I imagine he covers in his later books - this is the first one I've read, but I'm hooked!

Rating:
Summary: Change your peception of space & time for better health
Review: This book brilliantly describes the essence of how various illnesses may be brought on by our misperceptions of space and time, and what we can do to change our perecpeptions and heal ourselves. As Dr. Dossey reminds us, "It is not man who is at the mercy of an external `real' time -- it is time itself which is shaped by man." Since the effects of urgency can bring illness upon us, this book is a welcome guide to finding our way back to a healthier perception of space and time. Dossey explains how absorbing activities like fishing or needlepoint can help us kill the relentless push of time, and bring us to the healing perception of infinite space and time.

Rating:
Summary: Change your peception of space & time for better health
Review: This book brilliantly describes the essence of how various illnesses may be brought on by our misperceptions of space and time, and what we can do to change our perecpeptions and heal ourselves. As Dr. Dossey reminds us, "It is not man who is at the mercy of an external 'real' time -- it is time itself which is shaped by man." Since the effects of urgency can bring illness upon us, this book is a welcome guide to finding our way back to a healthier perception of space and time. Dossey explains how absorbing activities like fishing or needlepoint can help us kill the relentless push of time, and bring us to the healing perception of infinite space and time.