Close to the Bone: Life-Threatening Illness As a Soul Journey [Paperback]

Jean Shinoda Bolen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 28, 2007

This is a book for any person who is living with a life-threatening illness and for anyone who is caring for and/or loves a person who is ill. Bolen affirms that the price of going into the scary places, of feeling like a piece of green meat on a hook, is high, but worth it. We have no choice. We will all face health crises--our own and others. We can try to bury our heads in the sand. Or we can travel to the underworld. We can probe. We can listen. We can connect to what we know in our bones. In the ten years since the original publication of Close to the Bone, Jean Bolen has continued to explore the impact and the possibilities for finding purpose that confronting a serious illness and possible death present us. This expanded edition includes a new section about forming circles in the time of crises, plus more stories that support the process of hope and the desire to live and change as well as a very personal passage in which Dr. Bolen tells the story of the death of her son. This book is meant to help and heal, to make people less afraid, and to encourage them to trust the wisdom they have inside--what they know in their bones. * 10th Anniversary revised edition, with a guide for those who want to form support circles.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jean Shinoda Bolen, M.D. is a psychiatrist, a Jungian analyst, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California San Francisco, a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and the recipient of the Institute for Health and Healing's Pioneers in Art, Science, and the Soul of Healing award. She is an internationally known lecturer and a best-selling author of The Tao of Psychology, Goddesses in Everywoman, Crones Don't Whine and Urgent Message from Mother, and many more. She resides in Marin County, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Conari Press; 10th Anniversary Revised edition (March 28, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573243035
• ISBN-13: 978-1573243032
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #89,162 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jean Shinoda Bolen, M. D, is a psychiatrist, Jungian analyst, author and activist. an internationally known speaker who draws from spiritual, feminist, Jungian, medical and personal wellsprings of experience. She is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, UCSF clinical professor, and a former board member of the Ms. Foundation for Women.
Jean's website is www.jeanbolen.com. Lecture and workshops under "Current schedule."
She is the author of The Tao of Psychology, Goddesses in Everywoman, Gods in Everyman, Ring of Power, Crossing to Avalon, Close to the Bone, The Millionth Circle, Goddesses in Older Women, Crones Don't Whine and Urgent Message from Mother. Her books have been translated into over thiry foreign editions. All are in Spanish. She is a leading advocate for a UN 5th world conference on women (www.5wcw.org)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The "after" of life-threatening illness, April 12, 2007

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Close to the Bone: Life-Threatening Illness As a Soul Journey (Paperback)

"In noisy wards crowded waiting rooms of country hospitals and clinics, in quiet private rooms in medical center pavilions or in well-appointed waiting rooms, examining rooms, or offices, wherever there are patients, there are long moments of silence, pauses, sometimes preceded by a sigh, a transient stillness when the air feels heavier."

So starts this book--and if you have "been there" for yourself or with a loved one, you know about the silence pauses, the sighs, the anticipation.

Written 10 years ago, and just updated, most of the information will never go out of date because of the perspective we all have: the reality of hearing you have a major illness.

Most people don't give much thought to the meaning of life--how long will they live? This big question brings up the connection between what ails the body, and their soul's need for authenticity, love and purpose.

Most medical doctors work with statistics, based on what you have: "You have about X years/months to live," and usually are not interested in stories about recovery. At those times, WE must take charge of our life and our attitude.

The author says: Once we take the soul seriously--and this is one of the innate beliefs that human beings do have--then we are spiritual beings on a human path rather than human beings who may well be on a spiritual path.

The author is a psychiatrist who understands how one person's diagnosis affects many around them--a decent into another world. Here is where that line between health and wellness is crossed and we enter the realm of the soul.

Before "the discovery" that something is wrong, we live in innocence or denial--and then comes the change--the "after."

The author made so many thought-provoking points about being sick, being hospitalized. How we are supposed to act--for the medical professionals, for our family, for ourself.

She discusses the importance of keeping a journal if we have a life-threatening disease, noting both the small and big things of every-day life.

I had a friend who after a long and valiant struggle died of cancer. She called the cancer "a gift" because of an outpouring of love from her friends, family and supportive community that she had never felt before. Today I still think of her life/her attitude as a "gift" to me.

No one gets of life alive--we are all mortal. The author reminds us that the Chinese pictograph for "crisis" contains the ideograms for both "danger" and "opportunity."

Armchair Interviews says: If illness is threatening how you live, this book will give you strength.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Book, July 7, 2008

By 

D. Glassow "lana the wonderleg" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Close to the Bone: Life-Threatening Illness As a Soul Journey (Paperback)

This is, by far, the best book I've read ( reading) addressing the "whole" person & how illness can affect them..this is an equally great book for the caregivers who want to help, however often in a controlling way, thus not always seeming "to get it." One can open communication with others with this book versus hiding or lying about their feelings & concerns..When I startedto read this book I felt like I "came home" & someone finally understood the real stuff going on..I have gotten this book for others both who are ill & those caring about them ..I am still buying a few more..Excellent book for all

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Close to the Bone, March 13, 2008

By 

B. Gleason "Sauble" (Evergreen, CO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Close to the Bone: Life-Threatening Illness As a Soul Journey (Paperback)

This, unfortunately, would be a book that may only be purchased by a person who was knowledgeable about Jean Bolen or open-minded about life-threatening illnesses or crises. Care takers would benefit from this book as it would enable them to come out of themselves and understand the person with whom they are dealing. There is so much more to death and the leading up to it than people realize or are willing to acknowledge. It's not complicated. It's a beautiful journey that we all should understand better. Jean Bolen guides us there gently, but clearly.