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The Instinct to Heal: Curing Stress, Anxiety, and Depression Without Drugs and Without Talk Therapy
 
 
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The Instinct to Heal: Curing Stress, Anxiety, and Depression Without Drugs and Without Talk Therapy [Hardcover]

Dr. David Servan-Schreiber M.D. Ph.D. (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)


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Book Description

February 21, 2004
Americans seek therapy in record numbers and consume more medications than ever before, yet stress, anxiety, and depression continue to rise to epidemic proportions. People can spend years on the psychoanalytic couch without making any progress. And for many psychiatrists, the prescription-writing reflex has become almost automatic, despite the fact that benefits often disappear as soon as drug treatment stops. Standard treatments simply aren't long-term solutions.

But psychiatrist/neurologist David Servan-Schreiber, M.D., Ph.D., knows that we can cure our emotional pain. He's seen certain natural methods produce tremendous results in his clinical practice, in that of his peers, and even in war-torn regions where horrific memories can leave deep scars.

Numerous studies in prestigious scientific journals have documented the amazing benefits of these methods on anxiety and depression, but because the mechanisms through which they operate remain poorly understood, they've remained largely excluded from mainstream medicine and psychiatry. Dr. Servan-Schreiber explains how each of the natural methods in this ensemble treatment plan can help us escape the therapy/drug trap by working through the body to tap into the emotional brain's self-healing processes rather than relying on the cognitive process of language.

Weaving fascinating accounts of his firsthand experience and findings together with the research of hundreds of other esteemed scientists, Dr. Servan-Schreiber outlines a program that's becoming embraced throughout the world as a permanent cure for emotional pain. See how you, too, can tap into The Instinct to Heal.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Pointing to the stark statistic that more than 11 million Americans currently take antidepressants, Servan-Schreiber, psychiatrist and co-founder of the University of Pittsbugh's Center for Complementary Medicine, offers seven natural treatments for stress-related disorders. Honed by his travels as a Doctors Without Borders founder, Servan-Schreiber's holistic approach involves neither drugs nor traditional talk therapies (which he notes have never been proven effective), but relies on the brain's own healing mechanism. Combining solid scientific data, diagrams and anecdotal evidence in a highly accessible format, the author smoothly guides readers through alternative therapies, including acupuncture, dawn simulation, heart coherence and nutrition, "a field almost entirely abandoned" by today's mental health professionals, but of vital importance, he notes, to such conditions as postpartum depression and bipolar disorder. While admitting all treatments should ideally submit to a rigorous controlled study, the author laments the lack of economic interest on the part of pharmaceutical companies to study anything unpatentable. A final section, with tips and techniques on improving communication in personal relationships and integrating therapies into daily life nicely rounds out this valuable resource.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"David Servan-Schreiber has done a brilliant job of bringing together insights and information of vital importance for well-being. The Instinct to Heal is itself an instrument of healing."--Daniel Goleman, Ph.D., bestselling author of Emotional Intelligence

"Written with grace and elegance, this book might well become the most important mental health landmark of this generation."--Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Ph.D., bestselling author of Flow, Being Adolescent, The Evolving Self, and Creativity

"The Instinct to Heal is a fascinating account of unorthodox approaches to treating the emotional brain and mind. I learned a lot."--Joseph LeDoux, Ph.D., the Henry and Lucy Moses Professor of Science at New York University and author of The Emotional Brain and Synaptic Self

"The Instinct to Heal will help anyone expand their concept of health and health care to a more majestic level."--Larry Dossey, M.D., bestselling author of Healing Beyond the Body, Reinventing Medicine, and Healing Words

"A brilliant, absorbing synthesis of science, experience, and thought, by an internationally known neuroscientist and clinician ... essential reading for all those who want to understand the frontiers of mind-body health."--Michael Lerner, Ph.D., author of Choices in Healing


David Servan-Schreiber has done a brilliant job of bringing together insights and information of vital importance for well-being. The Instinct to Heal is itself an instrument of healing.
(Daniel Goleman, Ph.D., bestselling author of Emotional Intelligence )

Written with grace and elegance, this book might well become the most important mental health landmark of this generation.
(Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Ph.D., bestselling author of Flow, and Being Adolescent )

The Instinct to Heal is a fascinating account of unorthodox approaches to treating the emotional brain and mind. I learned a lot.
(Joseph LeDoux, Ph.D., the Henry and Lucy Moses Professor of Science at N.Y.U )

The Instinct to Heal will help anyone expand their concept of health and health care to a more majestic level."
(Larry Dossey, M.D., bestselling author of Healing Beyond the Body )

A brilliant, absorbing synthesis of science, experience, and thought, by an internationally known neuroscientist and clinician ... essential reading for all those who want to understand the frontiers of mind-body health.
(Michael Lerner, Ph.D., author of Choices in Healing )

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Rodale Books; First Edition edition (February 21, 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1579549020
  • ISBN-13: 978-1579549022
  • Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #129,819 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Servan-Schreiber, M.D., Ph.D., is a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and cofounder of the Center for Integrative Medicine.

 

Customer Reviews

14 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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55 of 59 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars And end to medical myopia?, February 29, 2004
This review is from: The Instinct to Heal: Curing Stress, Anxiety, and Depression Without Drugs and Without Talk Therapy (Hardcover)
Record numbers of people are on Ritalin and other behavioral drugs. Yet, they are not cured of what ails them. They simply get alleviation from the symptoms. Others have been in talk therapy for months, or even years, and yet still grapple with the problems that sent them there in the first place. Is there any hope for these people? After reading "The Instinct to Heal," one can only answer with a resounding "Yes."

Behavioral drugs treat only symptoms, and they carry undesirable side-effects. Talk therapy seeks to resolve the underlying problems, but it addresses our conscious thoughts to do so. And therein lies the problem.

The human brain is composed of two structures, one imposed over the other. These two structures are very different in construction. The logical brain--the one that contains our conscious thoughts--forms a sort of covering over the emotional brain. This emotional brain is composed of limbic structures--and these are the same in all mammals.

The key to effective healing is to "reprogram" the emotional brain. This may sound like an impossible job, but it's not. The emotional brain contains natural mechanisms for self-healing. Thus, Servan-Schreiber's "instinct to heal" concept.
Servan-Schreiber explains this concept in a logical, lucid manner. But, he does this in a way that allows us reach our own conclusions. Topics covered include brain structure, heart coherence, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, the energy of light, the power of Qi, the role of Omega 3 fatty acids (or lack thereof) in depression, the role of exercise, and emotional communication.

Throughout, Servan-Schreiber provides solid evidence, anecdotal accounts, research data, and even diagrams. You can't help but learn, and enjoy doing so, as you go through this book.
Servan-Schreiber ends the text of the book by providing practical guidance for the reader to begin his or her own healing process. He makes this part easy for the reader who, though knowledgeable at this point, might still be overwhelmed by trying to put all of this together. Servan-Schreiber provides a nine-step approach, which solves that problem.

Many books that hold out promise of a better life are often thick with paper and thin with intellect. That is not the case, here. Lest you have any doubts, Servan-Schreiber has provided an extensive appendix of resources, which anyone can use to explore this topic or related ones more thoroughly. He's also provided an extensive notes section.

If you really want to tap into your own inner resources, if you're tired of expensive "cures" and false hopes, if you want an end to medical myopia in your own life or that of someone you love, this book is for you.

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30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting look at alternatives for healing, March 5, 2004
This review is from: The Instinct to Heal: Curing Stress, Anxiety, and Depression Without Drugs and Without Talk Therapy (Hardcover)
"The Instinct to Heal" takes a combined look at healing through various non-traditional techniques and the most recent research in the interconnectedness of our various systems. Several relationships are examined in detail starting with neurobiology and the relationship between the emotional and logical brains. From there the author moves to the heart/brain relationship and how heart coherence affects so many parts of your emotional being. He also examines more surprising relationships like those involved in eye movement desensitization and reprocessing techniques. This particular technique uses rapid eye movement to quickly heal emotional problems. Other healing techniques examined include the energy of light, the power of Qi, Omega-3 Fatty Acids and the emotional brain, love, and emotional communication. This is a fascinating journey into the relationships between our various biological and emotional systems that shows how we have an instinctual ability to heal ourselves. This is a definitive work on new research in the relationship between the mind and body and a recommended read.
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Praise from a cynical customer, February 25, 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: The Instinct to Heal: Curing Stress, Anxiety, and Depression Without Drugs and Without Talk Therapy (Hardcover)
After suffering from anxiety and depression for years I felt a bit helpless. This book helped to open a hopeful horizon. By simply following the guidance from this book I have become an absolute advocate of Mr. Schreibner's advice. This is a compassionate and human approach towards a growing epidemic in our culture. If you or someone you love suffers from anxiety and / or depression you can only be helped by this book. A+!
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Every life is unique ... and every life is difficult. Read the first page
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United States, New York, Love Lab, Aunt Esther, Mary Anne, Archives of General Psychiatry, American Journal of Cardiology, Journal of the American Medical Association, National Institutes of Health, United Kingdom, World War, American Heart Association, American Journal of Psychiatry, Angela Talks, British Medical Journal, New England Journal of Medicine, Saying It All, University of California, Where Can You Find
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