Infinite Grace: Where the Worlds of Science and Spiritual Healing Meet [Hardcover]

Diane Goldner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1999

This complete review of the field of spiritual healing, from its historical aspects to the modern integration of physics and energy medicine, presents numerous case histories and medical studies as well as tips for healing or choosing a healer.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

On assignment for a magazine, Goldner got to know four prominent subtle energy healersRosalyn Bruyere, Barbara Brennan, Jason Shulman and Amy Skezaswho have earned recognition in alternative health circles for their successful treatment of heart disease and cancer, and for their life-extending ministering to AIDS patients. She studied their methodology and techniques, reviewed the results andafter benefiting from successful treatments for her migraines and mental outlookconverted from a skeptical investigator to an unconditionally enthusiastic advocate of spiritual healing. Her reservations about the profit motivations of these healers cast a small shadow on her tribute, however. All of her subjects appear to be adept at business and operate lucrative four-year training programs that graduate hundreds of practitioners a yearone leader reputedly nets more than a million dollars annually. Although establishing the legitimacy of auric healing in the mainstream medical community is Goldners foremost concern, her logic is hard to follow. For example, when she intersperses excerpts from interviews with scientists and secondary sources to set up a comparison between electromagnetic frequencies and the love frequencies used for healing, the arguments are discontinuous. She is on the mark, however, when she quotes quantum physicist Max Planck, who wrote that science progresses funeral by funeral, and cites some of the great scientific discoveries that were first condemned and later accepted, long before they were ever proven. Statistical graphs not seen by PW.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Infinite Grace is absolutely wonderful. Reading it gave me the chills and filled me with hope, awe, and gratitude. It's a roadmap to the unknown and unrecognized power within us all." -- Christiane Northrup, M.D., Author of Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom

"This work is particularly inspired. Reading it I felt I was actually embraced with Grace. I have a feeling that Diane Goldner has really been sent to us as a messenger." -- Nicholas Cimorelli, Host of Health Action, WBAI-NY

I love Infinite Grace. . . .[Diane Goldner] has done society a good deed with this book. -- Mehmet C. Oz, M.D., author of Healing From the Heart

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Hampton Roads Publishing Company; 1 edition (January 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1571741259
• ISBN-13: 978-1571741257
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #399,985 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read on Energy Healing, January 29, 2000

By 

Linda Klevans Manning "Must Read" (Waltham, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Infinite Grace: Where the Worlds of Science and Spiritual Healing Meet (Hardcover)

I met Diane Goldner briefly when she was researching this book. We were both attending an Energy Healing workshop for the Jaffe School of Energy Mastery. So when I saw a friend carrying the book, I had to get it.

What I got was more than I expected. I am very impressed with Infinite Grace. I rarely read non-fiction books cover-to-cover but I have found this book fascinating. The combination of case studies, research, personal experiences and discussions with healers is completely engaging. I have met most of the healers she mentions and have had some similar impressions. Diane's writing style is very clear and easy to read.

I was disappointed that she didn't include several other energy schools in her book (like the Jaffe School which is twice the size of S.O.S) or include a discussion of Reiki (probably the most popular and widespread form of energy healing these days).

Still, this book serves an important role in leading the world towards a broader understanding of alternative healing. I highly recommend it.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A "MUST READ" FOR CONTEMPORARY HEALERS, January 22, 2001

By 

THOMAS C. AYERS, ED.D., (LARCHMONT, NEW YORK, USA, PLANET EARTH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Infinite Grace: Where the Worlds of Science and Spiritual Healing Meet (Hardcover)

Infinite Grace is just the most remarkable book! Diane Goldner not only investigates "where the worlds of science and spiritual healing meet," but also demonstrates convincingly that what unifies them is "intention, love, and consciousness" (page 280).

The book is divided into five numbered parts, each of which contains three chapters sharing a common theme. Two of these five parts deserve special mention.

"Part Three" consists of in-depth, not-uncritical discussions of the lives and works of three contemporary spiritual healers and the institutions that each founded: Rosalyn Bruyere and the Healing Light Center Church, Barbara Brennan and the Barbara Brennan School of Healing, as well as Jason Shulman and the Society of Souls. (Amy Skezas and the RoseLight work are appraised in a separate chapter in "Part Five.")

"Part Four" considers three of our most-pressing contemporary maladies: heart disease, cancer, and AIDS. Two things distinguish these three chapters from the usual discussions of same. First, they integrate empirical data with interview excerpts from both clinicians and clients. And second, they explore the spiritual, mental, and emotional antecedents of physical disease.

With regard to the latter point, the author writes that "Ultimately, healers find that the root causes of illness are not in a chakra or an organ, but in relationships that create loneliness, beliefs of unworthiness, and a lack of love for one's self or others. Narcissism, abandonment, rage, jealousy - these are the precipitating factors of disease. . . . Beyond all such human issues lies our deep sense of separation from God, Source, the 'All That Is'" (page 66).

In my view, these three chapters are the most practical and useful for the typical reader; so, too, they are the "proof of the pudding" vis-a-vis the efficacy of spiritual healing.

Ms. Goldner - a professional journalist and Barnard College graduate - spent over four years researching and composing this book. It was time well spent because the result is a landmark work that is thoroughly researched, reads easily, and deftly captures the evanescent essence of spiritual healing or energy work.

In accessible, almost lyrical prose - influenced, no doubt, by her own direct experiences with subtle energies - she writes that "Now I see how my thoughts, feelings, and intentions affect myself, other people, and my environment. Your thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and intentions also affect everything and everyone around you, including you and the cells of your body. We are helping to create the world in each moment. We have a choice: to be in fear, anger, or numbness. Or in love" (page 295).

Elsewhere, Ms. Goldner maintains that the key is "holding the intention for the highest good. This is the real lesson of spiritual healing" (page 306). "It is not the techniques per se. It is the healer and the clarity of intention" (page 179). "The highest healing comes from holding the highest and purest intention towards all being and all events at all times" (page 304).

The principal point - in both disease and healing - concerns our intentionality. Citing results generated at the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research Laboratory, Ms. Goldner demonstrates that our intentions transcend time and space - and that every intention counts. The bottom line is that all of us help to bring into being not only states of disease, but also states of healing, wellness, and communion with God. Unfortunately, most of our intentions - to include our beliefs and desires, wishes and willings - emerge almost unconsciously. The not-so-subtle message is to become more intentional about our intentions: just like in fairy tales, whatever you wish for will come true - sooner or later!

In a review about an unrelated book, Fran Shaw proposes that we can "distinguish between writing which informs us about spiritual matters and writing which affects the spirit" ("Parabola," Summer 1999, page 98). Infinite Grace integrates both of these genres: it informs us about and affects our spirits.

Very highly recommended; a "MUST READ" for contemporary healers!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A controversial subject in today's society., October 31, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Infinite Grace: Where the Worlds of Science and Spiritual Healing Meet (Hardcover)

Miss Goldner did a great service to humanity by addressing this subject of spiritual healing and linking it with the scientific studies of the various institutes and universities. Never before to my knowledge has a book been written which puts science and spiritual healing together. Bravo, it was long overdue. In the past scientific studies in this field have often been ignored. She also addressed the 4 most popular healing schools in an honest way leaving it up to the reader and possible future student to decide which is best for them. They all seem to have their strengths and weaknesses - all of which are normal human traits. Thank you Miss Goldner for a job well done. I highly recommend this book to all who want to know more about this subect and the scientific aspects of it.