Customer Reviews

The Biology of Belief [With Headphones] (Playaway Adult Nonfiction)

5 star:		(248)
4 star:		(60)
3 star:		(25)
2 star:		(27)
1 star:		(38)

 

 

I am a physician who turns 65 this week. My career was and is punctuated by the harassment one receives when one is challenging medical dogma. When I began doing outpatient surgery, I was called before the Executive Committee of my hospital to explain the "circus" I was involving myself in. When I began to put intraocualar lenses in eyes after cataract surgery, I was fired from my position as Chief of Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery because "Anyone so stupid as to put lenses in eyes has no business teaching residents". When I did the research for the laser used in Lasik, I was told it was unbelievable that anyone could be so stupid as to make incisions across the visual axis of a good eye. Now it is almost malpractice not to do those things!!!!How time changes things.

There are those who are constantly willing to re-examine what they think they know. There are others who cannot deal with the idea that what they were taught might be wrong. One can clearly see that in the reviews above.

Dr. Lipton has clearly challenged what we thought we knew and opened Pandora's box. Scientists have long stated, "If you can't prove it, it doesn't exist." That means that we relegate our belief system to the quality of our measuring devices. Since we couldn't measure things at biological speeds until we got Pentium class computers, we haven't been able to measure biological electronic function for very many years. Lipton has helped refocus us away from the false belief that the body is Newtonian and reductionistic to the reality that the body works at the atomic level where Newton's laws fail and electromagnetic energy rules.

Buy this book---it will change your life if you will measure it against what is real instead of what you were taught.

This book will sit alongside my most valued resources in my collection. The reasoning is straightforward - conventional medicine is predicated on the Primacy of Matter - that molecules are the basic building blocks of life and the most important. But conventional health solutions are becoming less effective in the provision of long term health, and more expensive. Dr. Lipton's work is admirable by focusing on the wider interconnections between the energy of our beliefs, and the amazing behaviour of cells and now epigenetics.

From changing the central biological dogma of the Primacy of DNA, to outlining the quantum nature of information flows and the astounding benefits of conscious parenting, and the failure of the genome project to find enough proteins, this book is packed full of gems sure to benefit everybody. Lipton addresses energy as purportedly 100 times more powerful than molecules. It simply makes sense we invest our 'energy' in modelling a health system geared towards both chemical AND energy based solutions - vibrations meeting vibrations. Dr. Lipton's work asks us to consider the possibility our primary source of energy comes from our internal and external environments, and our unconscious perceptions have a major influence on the health of this exchange.

Obviously contentious, this book is worth 5 stars simply for the pioneering and unique message it brings.

With modern technology we can repeatedly 'perceive' energy in ways we couldn't before. Science is about improving our technology, and as we are now well and truly in the ascending Dwapara Yuga (Age of Energy) we are being asked to embrace the beginnings of the wisdom and knowledge technology wave.

I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in furthering their study and knowledge of biology beyond what is conventionally proselytised and thought energy or consciousness based healing practices such as energy medicine, homeopathy, reiki, energy psychology or huna had a "flaky" foundation. As an adult child of an alcoholic and abuse I know how ineffective drugs are to heal without treatment of beliefs and emotions. Perceptions very easily select actions from which we make assumptions about people and lifestyle decisions that block energy and create pathology.

In regards to the critical nature of some commentators - Perhaps there is truth to the saying, "A prophet is never known in their home town." I was fortunate to meet Dr Lipton at one of his seminars in Australia and I was blown away by his grasp of biology and the inspirational hope he brings to this knowledge. Thank you.

This work stands on its own, you don't have to know anything about Psych-K to get real value from it.

Regards,
Daniel John Hancock,
Centre for Wisdom & Knowledge Technology

In the shadow of so many rave reviews of "The Biology of Belief," I don't wish to be a "downer" on Bruce Lipton's book but believe each person to have their own opinion. Bruce Lipton has written a fascinating book about his observations of the smaller things in life (living and cloned cells) and the affect that thoughts as energy have on our general well being. I do not dispute Lipton's theories; I work earnestly to keep my own compass pointed in the right direction and have seen benefits that I would not otherwise be able to explain. Mr. Lipton seemed misleading with the choice of his full title "The Biology of Belief, Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter and Miracles." The biology was evident in every page, but the unleashing of the power of consciousness was not. Bruce Lipton mentions that he himself changed the outlook of his life by a matter of adjusting his attitude and would lead you to an explanation of how in later chapters. As I read from chapter to chapter I was disappointed that Lipton doesn't share his exercises for success, but promotes a companions system of PSYCH-K in the addendum. "The Biology of Belief" does illustrate how the world can work for those who believe and can inspire some to continue to look harder at the thoughts they keep. For those who are looking for a more "how to" text, you may want to return to "The Biology of Belief" later.

Firstly, this book is definately beneficial and worth reading whether you agree with all of Lipton's conclusions or not. Others have summarized and commented so well that I would only be redundant. Instead I'd like to respond to the understandable criticism I've read in a few of the reviews...

In response to the people who complained that the book lacked "tactics" and only pointed people in the direction of a partner's Psych-K seminar to sign up for, I totally understand this reaction. I had this reaction too at first and I do think Lipton could have done better here. There is nothing at all wrong with an author cross-marketing to a complementary product or service as long as the author provides significant real value in their own material. In this case I Lipton undoubtedly provided this value. Because Lipton should have handled this part much better, don't really like giving it all 5 stars, but the book really delivers the goods overall and it had such a positive effect on me, that it deserves more than 4 stars too. I would give 4 1/2 stars if I could.

Lipton could have improved it by being more clear about the other other ways there are to help people change their beliefs/unwanted patterns. Lipton did clearly state that there are a number of Psychology techiques for achieving this and that Psy-K is just one of them (the one he has personally experienced). Lipton could have been more helpful by pointing people to other general areas too. He could have done it in a way that didn't dilute his referal to the one example that he has an indirect business interest in (Psy-K) by listing some things apart from his Psy-K endorsment. Remember, theraputic/tactical end is not Lipton's expertise though (he's a cell biologist, not a hypnotist or other therapist) and nor does he claim or imply that he is. For this reason, I think it would have been irresponsible of him to write about that end of it unless quoting someone else. Seeing a very experienced hypnotist (in person) for example is the most effective way of doing this--the least time consuming and ultimately the least costly way of doing it as well. For deep-rooted beliefs it's more difficult to do it on your own. It's not impossible though...some good resources that I know personally have worked for people are a video set titled something like "Thought Crimes In Taos" by Mark Cunningham (www.trucor.com/thought_crimes.html), Anthony Robbins' "Personal Power II" or "Get The Edge" or "Mastering Influence" audio programs, Paul McKenna's "Change Your Life in Seven Days" cd/book (this is by far the least expensive of those I mentioned). A well trained experienced hypnotist or other professional with a track record of real results can be extremely effective though. From what I can tell from a brief demonstration on a video I saw, Psy-K includes a bit of muscle testing, NLP, and waking hypnosis. That was ultimately a teaser to sign of for the training seminar too though so I'm just speculating. Any of these routes (and never give up just because one wasn't right for you) have much greater chance of achieving real measurable results upon reading "The Biology of Belief"--I'll explain my reason for this opinion in the next paragraph.


In the subject line I mentioned "The Most Important Belief of All..." I say this because this book had a huge impact on my life because it changed one important belief in me that I was always a bit "wishy washy on": THE KNOWING THAT YOU TRULY DO HAVE CONTROL OVER YOUR BELIEFS! and also how much our thoughts really do affect us on a cellular level. The book really explains this in detail which I think is very important for people who had trouble fully believing it based more on "faith" like I did. That may seem simplistic but I don't think most people are *really* convinced of this on a deep unconscious level. This book really drove that home for me and it really left me no doubt about it at all. On an intellectual level, I knew this before but it wasn't internalized because my skepticism got in the way. I needed a convincing "show me" and this book did that for me. Previously, I kind of knew that intellectually but it wasn't internalized. A couple of my biology classes in college and grad school would have been *much* more educational if I was exposed to Lipton's way of explaining cell biology.

This book really inspired me and it helped me "grow up" in ways that I still needed to. As a result of this book, I've experienced significant *measurable* positive results in my life where I only had fears before. The method I previously learned years ago from a hypnotist to change my beliefs now works *much* more effectively.

This book has some very good information: educationally informative about the biology of our cells, understanding energy, and how mainstream science could benefit from adding this knowledge to pharmecuticals. I recommend it on those alone. The biology of cells is explained simply as Mr. Lipton seems to have the knack for.

Unfortunately, waiting to read how to Unleash the Power of Consciousness, never came. Well, I take that back, it did come, if I went to a Psych K seminar for a small fortune, which Bruce advertises, and appears to be a well-guarded secret. Googling this method didn't offer me any information about this method, only disappointment in knowing I'd have to spend $300 (for starters) to find out. It goes to $700 per seminar after that. Somehow, no one is putting out a summary of what this illusive method is, and I'm not about to fork over this kind of dough to find out.

Call this book a primer for further thought, not forgetting that there is some excellant information to be gleaned from it. I recommend watching "What the Bleep Do We Know?" And reading Candace Pert's "Molecule of Emotion" as well.

Bruce Lipton is an entertaining author and is not afraid to espouse his iconoclastic beliefs, so I awarded him an extra couple of stars for courage. However, often he just goes too far, and strays perilously outside of the boundaries of scientific evidence, tending to blur objective reality and fantasy. The biology of belief is essentially a lay-person's guide to a biology that is based on his systems theory and a thesis of holistic function. Dr Lipton's emphasis that DNA provides templates for reproduction of proteins but is not necessarily the "mind" behind the selection process is an interesting proposal, and his been posited by very credible scientists(e.g. The Music of Life: Biology beyond genes, by Denis Noble). His emphasis on membrane function, communication and cooperation between cells, and the potential "self-sabotage" by a maladapted subconscious nervous system, are all points well taken, but require much more scientific exploration to establish a clear model.

I was very disappointed by the limited scientific detail. I encourage him to develop an additional academic version. In addition, he was very quick in disparaging our so-called conventional system of medicine, but he did not clearly suggest any realistic improvement based on evidence. Biomedicine, with all of its deficiencies, is not only the best system that we have developed, but has an exciting future in that it is open to scientific exploration that will improve it even further. Having said that, I agree that in some situations, there is an over-emphasis on pharmaceutical intervention, and that biomedicine can be complemented by other systems, especially for prevention, symptom control, mind/body wellness, and rehabilitation.

I look forward to a more scholarly book.

Having had the pleasure of hearing Bruce Lipton speak about these topics, I knew pretty much what I was in for with the book. But having all of this information in book form is invalueable, as it will reach so much further. I loved being reintroduced to the idea that belief has much (if not all) to do with our wellbeing in this world. This is something I have believed for a long time and it is certainly nice to have some scientific proof to validate it. Anyone who is ready to consider stepping away from the medical/pharmaceutical model of healthcare should absolutely read this book.

I do however have one complaint. There was not enough covered on how to reprogram the subconscious, especially if most hinderances to change are entwined with subconscious beliefs not matching conscious beliefs. I did find a very brief reference at the very back of the book that mentioned Psych-K and suggested it as the way to achieve the lacking balance which would allow belief to shift. I must surmise that Psych-K is the only thing Bruce Lipton finds effective, because nothing else was offered. I happen to disagree and wish that Dr. Lipton had covered more extensively, other ways to affect change in the subconscious mind. I feel like this would have been a much better book if as much time had been given to offering solutions as was given presenting problems. I was left feeling like I had watched a movie that climaxed minutes before the movie ended, leaving little time for an appropriate resolution.

Although I have come to realize the power of our thoughts in creating the lives we lead, I had no idea that this concept could be "proven" through science. And yet, Bruce Lipton has provided the evidence of such "proof" through cellular biology - how our cells behave & what the results of those behaviors are.

It's said that we can learn a lot from nature - from seeing the interaction of various animals, insects, plants/tress & such - and, after reading "The Biology of Belief", I can see how we can also learn much through the study of cells - how they interact and create their environments.

Much of this book deals with providing a framework for understanding cellular biology, and I must say that the author does and excellent job of making this subject not only easy to understand, but also interesting at the same time. Then towards the end, Mr. Lipton uses the information gleaned from his experiments with cells to show the amazing impact our everyday thoughts have on the lives we lead, and our environment (Earth) as a whole. He then shares how his findings led him from being an agnostic, to one who believes fully that our spirits/souls continue to exist even after our bodies have died.

Overall, I found "The Biology of Belief" to be an interesting, thought-provoking book. As such, I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in the sciences, as well as those interested in spirituality - I think this book has much to offer. An open mind is a must.

I've started trying to learn all that I can on the subconscious mind in an attempt to live to my fullest potential. So far, I haven't found the "ah ha!" book that has done the trick for me. A few chapters into The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter, and Miracles, I really thought I had finally found "the" book!

The author has a very strong biology background and has made some interesting discoveries on how cells "think". He ties that in to how colonies of cells are more efficient than single cells and made good arguments in my opinion on how that resulted in the first multi-celled organisms many billions of years ago. I haven't dwelled on it TOO much, but I've always struggled mentally with how the shift from single celled organisms to a living breathing animal could have occurred... I mean what would have prompted a bunch of cells to band together and decide that they would be better off if some of them became a specialized tissue or an organ like a lung? :) This book lifted that fog for me, so I was really entrenched then.

I'm a "computer guy" by profession. In one section, the author started building up one of his eureka moments where he came up with a description of cellular structures that was identical to that of a microprocessor chip. I was very interested to see where this would lead.

Then he started throwing in the words "quantum physics". I love reading about quantum physics. I don't claim to understand much of it, but I am truly fascinated by it and I started setting myself up to hear the author's opinion on how cells might communicate with the subconscious via a quantum physics mechanism rather than being confined to those of classical Newtonian methods.

So at this point, I can't put the book down. I'm honestly not much of a reader (although I've been getting better about that lately), but I was going full speed on this book. I got to chapter 7, and I thought it was kind of a random tangent to the rest of the book. It was all about DNA selection/masking in the prenatal and early infant stages of life with an overtone of how to be a good parent during this time. It was interesting, but I'm not a parent so I was ready to get on to the parts that were relevant to me!

Chapter 7 was definitely a turning point in the book though, so I thought we were just starting to get into the "Unleashing" part that the subtitle promised. I purchased the Kindle version of this book for my iPhone, and if you're flipping through and focused on the book, you don't have any concept of how far along you are in the book as a whole. So I got to the end of chapter 7 and flipped to the next page, and....... That was the end of the book! @#%!@ I couldn't believe it!

There was no interesting connections made on his viewpoints of why a cell is like a microprocessor, the quantum physics never got any deeper than implying that biology and medicine today are still deeply entrenched in Newtonian physics, but most disappointing of all was that there was definitely no "Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter, and Miracles". For that matter, there really wasn't any "Biology of Belief". It was truly an interesting and well written book on biology and how cells communicate. There really was nothing regarding the subconscious mind. The author made a point several times to show how he wasn't exactly mainstream in his biology field, so I was let down by the fact that he stopped so abruptly and didn't tie all of this together (even if it was a wild opinion on his part).

I was even more let down that there was no section whatsoever on his thoughts on how we can use anything in his book to make changes in our lives. I finally flipped a little further past the epilog and found an addendum where he comes right out and says that when he does lectures on this topic, his audience is pretty much left with the same feeling of "Ok, that was interesting, but where's the good stuff?! How do we do something about it!?" His answer is directing them to his partner Robert Williams who does seminars on his "PSYCH-K" technique. If you look that up, you'll see that they cross-reference one another and push each other's products. The author even touts PSYCH-K as a cure-all because that is what motivated him to finish this book. To me, that's an argument against it because I felt very strongly that this book was not finished and he just got tired of doing it and slapped an ending on it.

If you're looking for an interesting read on cellular biology, I have absolutely no problem recommending this book. If you are like me and were drawn here by the title that implies that you will gain useful self-help knowledge, keep shopping. Biology books don't sell as good as self-help books I'm guessing. :)

If any of you have suggestions on books that you think would have been more in line with what I was looking for, please comment!

In The Biology of Belief, Bruce Lipton sets forth a lot of new ideas that are exciting and seems to back them up with sincere medical articles. While his ideas are interesting, read skeptically since, like most persuasive authors, he bends and manipulates a few articles to further his own point. For example, in the chapter on the placebo effect in which he takes a few pot shots at the pharmaceutical industry, Lipton cites an article in the New England Journal of Medicine in which J.B. Moseley performs a blind test for arthroscopic surgery for the osteoarthritic knee and a placebo surgery. Mosely finds that the placebo surgery patients recover as well as the patients who actually recieved the surgery. Lipton uses this as evidence that even procedures as large as surgeries are useless and that the same effects could be reached by his "positive belief" ideas. Well, upon further research, one would find that arthroscopic surgery for the osteoarthritic knee has long been one of the more controversial surgeries, with many surgeons believing that it does not actually do anything to fix the problem. The study proves what many surgeons had suspected for a while, that THAT particular surgery is unnecessary, not all surgery in general. Seeing a placebo heart surgery leave a patient as well off as a real heart surgery is something that the world of holistic medicine still waits to see. So while this book does lay out some interesting new concepts in the field of epigenetics, be weary of some of Lipton's ideas and examples and read with a discerning eye.