Timeless Healing: The Power and Biology of Belief [Paperback]

Herbert Benson (Author), Marg Stark (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 5, 1996

A Harvard physician demonstrates how he became convinced--through a combination of scientific evidence and life and professional experiences--that belief in a higher power is a positive health benefit. Timeless Healing shows readers how to achieve optimal health by triggering what Benson dubs "remembered wellness" in their own bodies. Illustrations & tables.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This carefully researched and accessible study by Benson (The Relaxation Response), a professor at Harvard Medical School, focuses on the power of the mind in curing illness. Benson cites a wealth of scientific data, as well as anecdotes from patients, to establish evidence that "remembered wellness"?his term for the placebo effect?is a major factor in relieving serious medical conditions. Remembered wellness can occur when a sick person calls the doctor for an appointment then feels much better, if not recovered, by the date of the appointment. The majority of research presented here deals with the strong negative or positive power of belief systems on the body. Benson argues that humans are genetically prone to attach meaning to life and then translate this predisposition into belief in a higher power. Faith in God, according to Benson and documented by recent studies on the positive effects of prayer, is as important to healing as are medical procedures. This is a thought-provoking inquiry into the mind/body connection.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Apropos to the world of modern medicine, Shakespeare wrote, "Oft expectation fails, and most oft there, Where it promises most." To this arena of lofty expectation and technological wizardry, Benson (Harvard Medical Sch.) again explores the healing power of the human psyche. As in his The Wellness Book (LJ 3/1/92), Benson illustrates via exhaustive case studies and anonymous examples the power of what has been erroneously labeled the placebo effect. Further, he cites numerous instances where the intersection of prayer and meditation have stemmed the tide of pain or disability, illuminating for the uninitiated the raw potency of the human will. Benson's academic credentials lend credence to his authoritative voice as he "demythologizes meditation" (says one early reviewer) as well as the world of wholistic healing. Somewhat overblown at times, Benson's previous works go far to cover much of what is reiterated here. Purchase where interest in spirituality and wholistic medicine is high or as an initial foray into this area.?Sandra Collins, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary Lib.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Scribner; First edition (April 5, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684814412
• ISBN-13: 978-0684814414
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,057,453 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Herbert Benson, MD, is the Mind Body Medical Institute Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School. He is the author of the mega-bestselling book, The Relaxation Response, as well as ten other trade books. His groundbreaking work established the modern field of mind body medicine. Dr. Benson is the Director Emeritus of the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Mind/body connection, January 29, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Timeless Healing (Paperback)

Dr Benson presents strong evidence for what others have called the "mind / body connection." Mainstream medical science has not yet recognized the importance belief plays in health but, Dr. Benson presents numerous studies that validate the major role belief plays in the healing process and wellness. Practitioners of complimentary therapies will find this book especially helpful in understanding how many non-drug based therapies can work. Well written and thought provoking!

42 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Faith in God turbo-charges our indwelling healing nature, November 20, 2000

By 

World Traveler (New York Metro Area, United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Timeless Healing (Paperback)

I think what is amazing about this book is that Herbert Benson states without a doubt that faith in God is healthy for us. While our ancestors took it for granted that God healed them, as Dr. Benson explains, we have been taught to see healing purely in technical scientific terms. Dr. Benson explains that when we repudiated the importance of belief in healing we deprived ourselves of a powerful healing force.

Dr. Benson knows that his rational-scientific audience will be skeptical of his arguements. So, he provides us with well-reasoned arguements supported by ample evidence. He explains that we need to relax our over-stressed minds on a regular basis. We need this as an antedote to our hurried lives that stress us out and make us sick. He cites many studies (much from his own research) that daily meditation stimulates the bodies natural healing mechanisms.

Now, the radical finding of Dr. Benson's research is that belief in God makes a difference in healing. If a person meditates regularly using a spiritual phrase they are more likely to heal than those who use a secular word such as "peace". The person's religion doesn't matter. It seems that God is an equal opportunity healer.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy to read, Understand and Put into Practice, March 19, 2007

By 

Scott H. Strickland (New Jersey USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Timeless Healing (Paperback)

This is a well-written book that clearly describes the links between our thoughts and our physical health. It is written in an accessible personal style, without the "guru" overtones of works by Deepak Chopra or Wayne Dyer (good writers, just with a different style). Everyone, regardless of their view of God, can benfit from the concepts of Remembered Wellness and the Relaxation Response described in this book. A personal recomendation - couple this book, with its "unproven healing energy", with Greg Bradden's "The Divine Matrix", which describes this energy, and you will be good to go.