The Transforming Power of Illness [Paperback]

William Michael Kaufman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2000 | ISBN-10: 1587213486 | ISBN-13: 978-1587213489

"A powerful journey ... incredible value for anyone who reads this marvelous piece of work!"-Michael Brickman, CEO, Alternative Health Partners Inc. "The reader's mind and heart will be engaged and moved by the life-affirming narratives unfolding in this book. Superbly written, it is grounded in scholarly research protocol and enlivened by deep understanding. This inspired account is of value to scholars, clergy, laity, and all who wrestle with the problem of meaning." -Dr. Frances Kostarelos, Professor,Anthropology and Political and Justice Studies Governors State University Can illness be a gift? It can be a part of life's great journey. Genuine healing transcends the elimination of illness. Viewed as an opportunity to grow, we learn how to bring our lives back into balance and realize our true potential. Illness can force us to explore the meaning and purpose of our lives, and our relationships. It can lead us to examine our own mortality, what we have become, and how we wish others to remember us. It can guide us to understand how the many other events of our lives can move us into healing, While cancer, AIDS, and other life-threatening diseases have facilitated many to transform their lives, for each of us, life itself-and all our illnesses-can be the great journey into healing; the greatest journey we'll ever take. The great transformation from an unexamined life bound by the pain of separation from others, into the awareness that one's essence connects with all others in the unity of spirit, is the gift of life. Illness can be a vehicle to get us there. All the people described in these pages took that journey. From their accounts we learn how they were transformed, and how they came to accept their illnesses as gifts.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

¿ William M. Kaufman has been an educator throughout his adult life. A student of spiritual philosophy and transpersonal psychology, Mr. Kaufman has also studied many of the world's major religious traditions, and has been a practitioner of Transcendental Meditation since 1977. He is a spiritual counselor, as well as a student and proponent of alternative forms of healing. William is a Reiki Master, and a practitioner of Mari-El and Reiki energy healing. ¿ He has traveled extensively throughout the world, and has lived, studied and worked in Sweden, Brazil and Japan. He is fluent in Portuguese, and formerly fluent in Swedish, having completed his junior college year in Sweden. These international experiences helped increase his awareness of the diversity of healing practices that abound. ¿ Mr. Kaufman has a BA from the University of California at Berkeley, a master's and doctorate in Comparative Education from The University of Chicago, and a master's in counseling from West Virginia University. He is a licensed psychotherapist and also does substance abuse counseling. Dr.¿Kaufman has published in the Journal of Research in Education and delivered papers at several professional conferences. He is the recipient of a grant from the Mellon Foundation to deliver a paper at a world education conference held in Rio de Janeiro. Dr. Kaufman additionally received two generous grants from The Lifebridge Foundation to support the writing and publishing of The Transforming Power Of Illness, which is available through AuthorHouse, and other book distributors. He is also the author of HIGH IN THE ANDES, A Spiritual Adventure Novel, currently out of print, but available from the author at his web site: www.AwakenedSpirit.com. He is currently seeking publishers for two additional recently completed manuscripts. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Authorhouse (July 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587213486
• ISBN-13: 978-1587213489
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,379,569 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)