The Four Levels of Healing: A Guide to Balancing the Spiritual, Mental, Emotional, and Physical Aspects of Life (Gawain, Shakti) [Paperback]

Shakti Gawain (Author)

Book Description

Series: Gawain, Shakti | Publication Date: April 16, 1999

In this profoundly exciting and challenging time, individuals may find they are involved in a difficult yet fascinating learning process -- both their personal evolution and the evolution of human consciousness. In this book, best-selling author Shakti Gawain describes the four levels of human existence -- spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical -- and explains the importance of developing all four. She also provides the meditations and exercises readers need to begin their own healing journeys.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

A best-selling author, frequent talk-show guest, and renowned speaker and workshop leader, Gawain here offers a new workbook for healing. She claims that humans are living spiritually and emotionally empty lives that are dangerously unbalanced. Only by balancing the four aspects?spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical?can people be successful and fulfilled. Each chapter investigates one of these aspects and ends with appropriate spiritual exercises. A minister for over 30 years who has conducted seminars on spiritual healing, Grayson by contrast stresses 13 principles for self-healing. Emphasizing that everyone has the ability to lead a happy, fulfilled life, Grayson claims that most people's lives are instead run by lack, loss, and limitation as well as resistance, rejection, and rebellion. Likening it to training for a marathon, Grayson discusses the great effort required to release past negativity and to prepare the path for spiritual healing. The appendix is complete with positive affirmations for spiritual treatments and a glossary of terms. Gawain's work is essential for public library collections for general readers; Grayson's book may be more satisfying for academics and could be considered additional reading for public library patrons.?Lisa S. Wise, Broome Cty. P.L., Binghamton, N.Y.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: New World Library; First Trade Paper Edition edition (April 16, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1577310993
• ISBN-13: 978-1577310990
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #65,307 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "must" for all Shakti Gawain fans!, September 8, 2000

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Four Levels of Healing: A Guide to Balancing the Spiritual, Mental, Emotional, and Physical Aspects of Life (Gawain, Shakti) (Paperback)

Teacher and best-selling author Shakti Gawain says that "it has helped me greatly to understand that there are four very different aspects of life--the spiritual, mental, emotional and physical. Each of these areas needs to be healed and developed in specific, and sometimes very different, ways." In The Four Levels Of Healing, she describes the techniques needed to heal each of those aspects, or levels of life. She starts by defining each aspect and the rewards of developing it. For example, the spiritual aspect is the "inner essence, our soul, the part of us that exists beyond space and time." It's the foundation for the other levels. The mental aspect is the ability to think, the emotional aspect deals with feeling; and the physical aspect is the body. Gawain says that "all four of these levels are equally important. In the long run, we can't afford to neglect any of them." She finishes the general discussion with a simple exercise designed to help individuals determine which of their levels are the most developed and which need healing. Each level then has its own chapter, in which she fully explains what happens when that aspect of life isn't fully developed. For example, many people have learned to fear their emotions, and "have learned, to one degree or another, to hide and deny our feelings--even from ourselves." She says that denial never works. Each chapter includes a discussion of how healing is achieved, and exercises to help accomplish self- healing. Gawain has also written meditations designed specifically for spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical healing. She also provides suggestions for healing through journal writing and sample questions that individuals can ask themselves and answer in their journals. Gawain encourages people to "look at the areas of our lives in which we may be out of balance, and take steps to develop the aspects of ourselves we haven't yet explored or fully expressed." In The Four Levels Of Healing, she provides readers with all the tools they need to accomplish this.

Sandra I. Smith, Reviewer

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Mediocre, March 7, 2011

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Mount Up! "Equerry" (Eastern Washington) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Four Levels of Healing: A Guide to Balancing the Spiritual, Mental, Emotional, and Physical Aspects of Life (Gawain, Shakti) (Paperback)

The writing seems to be recycled Shakti rather than the innovative, creative, purposeful Shakti of the past. Would not recommend this book.

47 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars How many books must Gawain write to get her own message, June 29, 1999

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[e-mail] (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Four Levels of Healing: A Guide to Balancing the Spiritual, Mental, Emotional, and Physical Aspects of Life (Hardcover)

Ms. Gawain offers insightful information about the importance of balance in one's life, but how many books does it take to deliver that message. Her work is largely redundant. Her obvious arrogance, which she touched upon in a recently updated edition of an earlier book, also wears thin. Contradictions in her work run rampant. It seems, too, running as an undercurrent through this book and her other work, that Ms. Gawain may be trying to work out her own "issues" about having made so much money, and her own life choices. On the one hand, she tells her reader that not everyone is destined to make money in this lifetime. That appears to be fine, according to the author. On the other hand, Gawain states, "There are many people in this world who are highly developed . . . [but] they often have a difficult time developing a successful career, earning money, or handling their finances appropriately. Often, their surroundings are chaotic, or they are somewhat spaced out, having trouble keeping agreements or appointments." If this applies to the reader, Gawain suggests maybe they believe that life on earth is a painful place where needs cannot be met. Many people in the world are extremely "successful" but do not have money. Many artists (writers, painters, musicians, dancers)I know would neatly fit into that "mismanaged affairs" catagory but they are nonetheless productive, creative and isn't it just a bit judgemental to assume they are not successful. If they are following their passion and the reward is in the making of art or dance or poetry, who is she to suggest they might not have achieved success. Many of Gawain's references suggest that money is the measure of achievement. Doesn't that contradict much of her writing which says that money is not a measure of prosperity and certainly doesn't lead us to the inner calm and balance we so desire? I think this woman needs guidance as much, if not more than her reader. While aspects of her work are helpful, the reader must be careful to pick the few delicious pieces of ripe fruit from the bushel basket and leave the abundance of spoil behind.