Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This paperback appears to contain exactly the same text as the hardbound version of the same book with a very different cover color scheme. (I thought the paperback version might be updated, but it appears not to be.)

The recommendations in this book really intrigued me, although some of them (e.g, EMDR) are likely to be controversial. I did some research on the author and he checks out. His credentials are real. I did some research also into his sources by checking with a physician who has a holistic bent. They check out too. He is drawing on known authorities in the areas of, for example, neurophysiology, and his research is drawn from peer-reviewed journals.

This book does not offer miracle cures but a series of remedies that seem likely to bring improvement in anyone's state of mind:

(1) "cardiac coherence," a sort of relaxation technique (oversimplified description)
(2) acupuncture
(3) EMDR
(4) exercise
(5) fish oil
(6) meditation and
(7) fostering social connections.

"Curing," however, used in the title, is a less skillful choice than the initial use of the word "heal." Anxiety, depression, and stress are chronic, or at least recurrent, states of the modern mind that are more to be acknowledged and managed than totally made to go away (not all stress, for example, is caused by bad things).

I was already using four of these remedies before I read the book. I learned cardiac coherence easily, I'm about to give acupuncture a try now, based on this book...but I'm still on the fence about EMDR.

Dr. Servan-Schreiber has broke new ground in summarizing practical therapeutics for the treatment of the emotional brain. As a health care provider who has had to heal my own brain after two significant head injuries and related traumas I can testify to several of the therapies he recommends, and am interested in trying some of the ones I had not heard as much about. As an acupuncturist the other thing I would add is that these protocols are not just for treating anxiety and depression, but they have relevance for every other chronic disease that is prominent today, the interplay between the emotional brain and all of the things we don't want to get is enormous.

Reading this book, reiterated a regimen I once used to follow. Taking fish oil, (as one of the procedures). Could not believe how effective it was. Here I am on one of the worst days of my menstrual cycle (usually) day 27, smiling, relaxed, and totally happy, without a care in the world. So unusual is that for me. This book has a few other solutions such as excercise and acupuncture, and one of them is bound to work for you as well. Thanks David Servan-Schreiber, for writing this book!

So gratifying to read that science backs up much of what some of us have been doing for many years. Easy read for a sometimes complex subject.

I had IBS and bad sleep for almost two years, and never figured out a way to deal with them, not even had a clue how to control them a bit. Until one day I figured that I might be a person with depression, anxiety (I never believe that I had them before) and stress (of course everyone got this), I bought this book and start to read it.
It's well written but it also sounds a fiction movie to me. But anyway I tried the breath method, the first method mentioned in the book. And it worked amazingly well and it simply cools me down and help me relax. I guess I am just kinda of person that get excited easily regardless of happy or bad things I am dealing with.
In a word, I guess this breathing is the instinct or natual way people should do couple of times everyday, but more and more people seems lost it somehow these days.

This book gives good information on several therapeutic methods that work. The author includes clear explanations as well as case examples. He begins with a good description of current brain science, so the methods he then describes in subsequent chapters relate to the science of the brain. He includes some very simple methods such as exercise, as well as current therapy methods such as EMDR. A very good resource.

Having been aware of a life threatening illness for more than 15 years, comlementary therapies have been healing and empowering. Aware that we find our own path, but that it is enhanced when we are open to hear others, I have been drawn to many teachers and books, taking what resonates with me. I normally don't initiate others; interests, but if they want to know more about me, I share that. In the case of "Instinct to Heal", it is a book I am directing and giving to others, as i do with "Love, Medicine & Miracles". It is not a bookd only for those confrtoning depression.

Mr. Servan-Schreiber provided information regarding alternative treatment for disorders that is not so easy to find out about especially since we are in the age of a "quick fix" with medication management. I would and have recommended this book to others. Cindy Jaime C.A.D.C.

I have been struggling with anxiety for a few years and just recently also started suffering from depression too. My family physician recommended that I read this book. I am always open to any alternatives to medicine, especially when it comes to anxiety. I wouldn't say this book changed my life, but I did walk away with a lot of good information. Some of the things I was already aware of from ready other books like this one, but I like how this author backs it up with scientific research. I thought it was easy to read, yet very informative. You may not agree with all of the methods used in this book, but I bet you will find at least one that will help you deal with depression/anxiety.

Those who have family members suffering from depression or are affected themselves will know that the first remedy the family doctor recommends is a prescription of anti-depressants, even before offering a psychiatrist assessment. The sad truth in Western societies is that a high percentage of our populations suffer from this illness. Depending on its causes and the forms the affliction assumes medication, ideally in combination with therapy can help or not. If the depression is in recurrent form, the sufferer is likely to swallow tablets for the rest of his or her life. David Servan-Schreiber offers scientifically-researched alternatives to this fate which may or may not (yet) have been accepted by mainstream Western medicine. Anybody who is quick to comment unfavourably on only one of the potential healing methods presented in this book (such as EMDR) should make sure he or she reads the whole thing from A to Z!