Customer Reviews

BioFeedback Without the Machines: A Strategy for Living

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The technique this book teaches can be summed up in two words: "just notice." That's it. So, if you are looking for technique, there it is. You don't need to buy the book.

Why read it at all, then? Because the meat of the book isn't in a description of the technique, but in a discussion of the nuances of noticing and the changes one can expect as a result of engaging in this activity on a daily basis. The author delves into subjects such as identity, habits (of thinking, feeling, and acting), and philosophy. A reviewer was right in saying that this book is about an author's philosophy of life, but so are many other worthwhile books.

The book is written in a no-nonsense, I'm-givin'-it-to-ya-straight style. It holds nothing back, and it offers hope. It is simple without being insulting. I enjoyed it during a vacation on the beach, and I have to say it made my vacation more worthwhile. An irony, considering the author talks about how vacations are sometimes escapist attempts that do not work because people's habits of living are often what plague them ... and they take that habit of living right along with them on vacation.

This book is a great disappointment. One would guess from the title that this book has something to do with biofeedback without machines. Wrong. This book mainly deals with the author's theories of life. I did not particularly care. He talks about the uses of biofeedback with machines, which was nice. But there really is no program simply stated for biofeedback without machines. If you are looking for a place to access brainwaves, this is not it. A better choice would be Anna Wise's The High Performance Mind.

I was very angry that I had been suckered into buying this book, and the reason I bought it was because, obviously, I was interested in biofeedback. But the book doesn't deal with biofeedback, per se, and in my opinion had no useful information to impart on manipulating brainwaves. As one other reviewer said, a very misleading title. Very, very disappointed in the book. Amateurish.

I had read some of Soroka's other wonderful work and I believe this is his first title. Because of my excellent experience reading his other works (most notably, "Focused or Dead"--wow, that one's a real humdinger!), I decided to read "Biofeedback Without Machines" despite the fact that a couple of the readers' reviews were not complimentary. I was agreeably surprised and I found it odd that those other readers did not understand that the book is NOT about biofeedback--its title is "Biofeedback WITHOUT Machines" because that's what it's about. And that concept is simply and beautifully expressed. This is a classic example of KISS (keep it simple, stupid!). This book is like Poe's "Purloined Letter"--in which the characters all go nuts looking for a letter they believe to have been "purloined" (stolen). It turns out that the letter is lying right on the table in front of them! That's what Soroka is talking about. We don't have to look elsewhere, outside of ourselves--to a biofeedback machine, for example--for the answer to what makes life work. We are the answer. I recommend this book highly to anyone who has the sensitivity to see that things--across the board--are NOT working.

This book is straight foward, intelligent, and easy to relate to and understand. It offers a different and superior approach to life and dealing with issues. Reading this book is an enlightening experience. It's about living life in a way that one wouldn't think of, but that makes perfect sense, and is suprisingly simple. This reading is highly recommended for everybody of every age. It's a guide for those who decide to chose happiness instead of stress.