Customer Reviews

Remarkable Recovery: What Extraordinary Healings Tell Us About Getting Well and Staying Well

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
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As a physician who saw many people succumb to cancer during my surgical residency, I read with interest the accounts of people with documented cancers who truly underwent spontaneous remission. The authors have done their homework in researching the background for these remarkable patients, trying to come up with clues about their reasons for survival. For their research, I think it was wise to include not only those who were cured of their disease, but those who lived far longer than medical science would have predicted. By doing so, they shed light on some interesting "survivor characteristics." This book is as objective as possible about the ineffable subject of spontaneous cancer regression (or more broadly, "remarkable recoveries") as the authors try to take in all points of view (without necessarily endorsing them). Their findings were strengthened by allowing the patients, their families and physicians to tell their stories. I give this book a high mark of 9 for thoroughness of research and stimulating enlightenment; it does not receive a 10 because it does lack balance, not telling the stories of the thousand upon thousands upon thousands of people who went on special diets, did meditation or prayer, emotionally fought for their lives, and all the other things Hirshberg and Barasch discuss, yet who DIED from their cancer. The mind may be able to cause the disappearance of warts, influence irritable bowel syndrome, and play a role in the extremely rare case of spontaneous cancer remission, but the vast majority of the time, it cannot halt the progress of cancer. The book omits discussion of this all too sobering fact. Otherwise, it is good for pondering a remarkable subject.

I read this book before ordering it for a friend who has cancer, because I wanted to make sure it was the kind of information she needed. I thought it was absolutely wonderful. I'm a hard-science kind of person, not skeptical at all about the mind-body connection but definitely needing proof, and I got it here. I can't imagine a person with cancer--especially one with a poor prognosis but who's determined to do her or his best to get well again--who wouldn't feel better after reading this book.

This is a terrific book: upbeat, entertaining, well-researched, and helpful beyond words. It is filled with documented stories about patients who either recovered from incurable diseases or greatly exceeded their life expectancies. Most of the stories are about people with cancer, but some are about those with AIDS and multiple sclerosis.


The authors start by telling how difficult it has been to study their subject. They cite an article from the 60's that says that "...many clinicians have shown an unwillingness to report their cases [of remarkable recoveries] in the medical literature ... because of fear of ridicule from their peers."

While that attitude is hopefully a little less prevalent today I suspect it is still very common.

The authors further explain the difficulty of researching remarkable recoveries by telling how in cases that were reported, the spontaneous disappearance of the tumor was duly noted but there was no inquiry or investigation into why that happened.

Hirshberg and Barasch then devote the rest of the book to exploring many different possible reasons for remarkable recoveries. Some of the explanations they consider and thoroughly explore are a mind-body mechanism, personality types, social connectivity,
biological explanations, survival traits, and miracles.

The authors acknowledge that most people with terminal cancers do not experience remarkable recoveries, but they add a lot of knowledge about the significant number that do, and in the process offer hope for many.

I highly recommend this book to everyone with a chronic illness and also to those who love and care for and about them.

Here is a book to come back to time and time again... as I have. In the midst of my own cancer journey, I have made it a point to read and re-read portions of this book. In the darkness and uncertainty that accompanies Cancer, this book gave me hope. A guiding light, on a sometimes starless night. My dog-eared copy of this book will forever maintain a cherished place on my bookshelf.

This book came highly recommended to me because my husband has Multiple Sclerosis. I was instantly captured by the title alone. As I dove deeper, I realized these "remarkable recovery" case studies could be my husband. I gained a great deal of insight about beliefs I already had, yet was struggling to fit them into our lives to help my husband heal, to help him get better, and hopefully some day, fully recover.

This book gave it all to me. It is well written and full of humor, which I found very enlightening when you are dealing with disease and death. I strongly & highly recommend this book to anyone who knows or cares about someone with any severe illness or life threatening disease.

I just finished this absolutely wonderful book & am buying 2 more copies for friends. I suggest you read it and do the same.

Marc Barasch and Caryle Hirshberg collected stories of "spontaneous remissions" -- miraculous cures and recoveries from all over the world. Mostly from cancer, but also from MS and other conditions. When possible, they interviewed the survivors, their families and their doctors.

These stories are fascinating and give hope to anyone facing life-challenging conditions. They can't give much practical advice, because each case is so different. The main thing is that the path to healing you choose has to be something you believe in and something that fits your values and your outlook on life. Non-Christians rarely recover at Lourdes, and witch doctors can't heal you if you don't believe. But given that, almost anything can work in individual cases.

This is important knowledge --- be true to yourself in your healing practices -- I have applied it in my life with multiple sclerosis and in my book The Art of Getting Well. Highly recommended.

David Spero RN www.DavidsperoRN.com

This book has been in print for several years. Well written and encouraging for those facing serious illness. Would be great if updated and re-printed.

The book ordered arrived promptly and in good order. I am very satisfied with the service. The book is filled with inspiring stories and is already out on loan to someone with a life-threatening condition.