Pni: The New Mind/Body Healing Program [Hardcover]

Elliott S. Dacher (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The interaction between mind and body has many important implications for good health, claim health care advocates. Dacher, a doctor in Reston, Va., is among them. Here he describes psychoneuriommunology (PNI), the marriage of ancient healing traditions with contemporary medical technology. The latter, he believes, should not be abandoned entirely, but used less frequently. He contrasts traditional medicine--the use of outside agents, medication, surgery, radiation or physical therapy, for example, to manipulate the physical body--with healing, or the use of inner resources of the mind and body to restore balance and harmony. Healing, he believes, results in full health and gives us the ability to "live lives of vitality and joy." The author's advice for better health: the employment of imagery, meditation and biofeedback techniques. To that end, he offers a series of 18 exercises to reduce the stressors often responsible for disease. Some readers may find Dacher's views arguable or extreme--e.g., that cancer develops in those who endure persistent depression. And more references would have been helpful, as well as additional resources for further information on the ins and outs of alternative care.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Dacher, a physician, examines the conventional practice of medicine. While he sees many worthwhile aspects, he perceives it as being limited by its focus on disease and treatment rather than wellness and true healing. He describes how he has integrated the innovative ideas of the new science of psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) into his medical practice. The key tenet of this emerging discipline is that the mind and body together must be seen as a single interactive unit, rather than as separate components of the individual. Healing modalities, therefore, need to focus on treating the whole person, rather than simply providing for physical symptom abatement. Dacher explains how healing can be facilitated through the use of techniques in mindfulness (observation of thoughts) and self-regulation, and provides 18 specific exercises that can be used. His book presents a clear and perceptive analysis and should be of great interest in public libraries.
- Elizabeth Salt, Otterbein Coll. Lib., Westerville, Ohio
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 236 pages
• Publisher: Marlowe & Co; 1st edition (February 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 155778468X
• ISBN-13: 978-1557784681
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,755,083 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Elliott S. Dacher, M.D.

Dr. Dacher attended medical school at S.U.N.Y., Buffalo, and completed his post-graduate training at the Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago and on the Harvard Medical Service at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston.

In 1975 Dacher moved to Washington, D.C. He served as a practicing internist, physician/administrator, and director of wellness and health promotion services for the Kaiser Permanente Health Care Program. Seeking to investigate and model an innovative approach to healing, in 1984 Dr. Dacher established a private medical practice in Virginia. He began exploring approaches such as meditation, imagery, yoga, biofeedback, alternative therapies and counseling to assist individuals in expanding consciousness, and developing self-regulation and self-healing capacities.

In 1995 Dr. Dacher left his medical practice to begin an in-depth study of the healing process. This work has taken him to the east where he has studied the theory and practices of eastern healing. This study and research has led to his most recent book, Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishing (Basic Health, 2006) where Dr. Dacher introduces us to the principles and practices of a far-reaching vision of health and healing that synthesizes the wisdom of the East and West.

Dr. Dacher is the author of Whole Healing published by Dutton in 1996, and Intentional Healing published by Marlowe in June 1996 and subsequently translated into two languages. His forth-coming book is titled Human Flourishing. It explores the full range of human potential for enduring happiness, profound serenity, and optimal well being. He has served on the editorial board of the Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, is a past fellow of the Institute of Noetic Sciences, and a former medical advisor to Healthy Living, a Hearst periodical. He has regularly contributed to books and periodicals, and is a frequent speaker and presenter at conferences and workshops.