199 of 205 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting, Useful, and Potentially Life Changing Ideas!, November 18, 2003
This review is from: Your Handwriting Can Change Your Life! (Paperback)
I have been a student of handwriting analyis for about a dozen-odd years. Handwriting analysis-- formally known as Graphology-- is known to many people, and is used worldwide as a psychoanalytical tool to give us insights into someone's personality. There is considerable scientific evidence to suggest that since our hand (and thus writing) moves as a result of electrical impulses from our brains, our handwriting is a very accurate representation of our state of mind, and the way we think and behave. Although still regarded as a "soft science," Graphology is now used extensively in courts, in the crimal justice system, by therapists and by employers.
Graphotherapy takes a "reverse" approach, suggesting that if a certain style of writing is representative of a certain personality trait or characteristic, then by changing our writing style, we must also be able to "reverse engineer" and change certain behavioral traits.
This book is NOT about handwriting analysis-- it is about about how modifying your handwriting can change the way we think, act and react.
The first half of the book provides readers with a general overview of various aspects of handwriting, and their meaning. In this section we are also introduced to the "Vimala Alphabet," which is the author's interpretation of "ideal" handwriting-- digitized into a computer font, but not difficult to reproduce with pen and ink.
The second half of the book walks us through the letters of the alphabet, one by one, explaining the corresponding personality traits, thoughts or habits associated with both the uppercase and lowercase version of each letter. Along with the recommendations on how to shape each letter, Rodgers also shows us a number of ways NOT to write certain letters, since they have negative connotations. At the end of the book, there is a brief chapter suggesting how to undertake daily exersises to help permanently change your handwriting over time.
The one (fairly minor) reservation I have with this otherwise noteworthy and useful book concerns the author's "Vimala Alphabet." I feel that it is based rather heavily on the assumption that everyone wants the SAME traits, and interpret the SAME traits as "what they should strive for" in life. Other works on graphotherapy put more effort into explaining the psychological implications of DIFFERENT ways of writing each letter, while Ms. Rodgers' book simply suggests that the Vimala Alphabet is "the answer"-- and the justifications for adopting it are a bit vague and not well explained. Whereas most recomendations are sound-- from a graphological standpoint-- there is a definite emphasis towards "extreme positive," rather than a more "balanced person" approach. This is the only reason the book doesn't quite merit a 5-star rating.
Final thoughts: Recommended (8.5 out of 10 possible bookmarks). As a therapeutic tool for self-improvement, graphotherapy provides an easy and inexpensive way to get a lot of value for your money, and Rodgers does a thorough and understandable job.
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46 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A gentle tool to remove barriers and discover your passion!, September 15, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: Your Handwriting Can Change Your Life! (Paperback)
Dr. Christiane Northrup, author of "Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom" highly recommended this book in her newsletter (visit Dr. N's website to read her recommendation). I bought "Your Handwriting Can Change Your Life" the very next day. I started out by only changing my "t"s. The book said the letter "t" represents what we do in the world, so I made tall stems and put the crossbars on top with a firm upward stroke each time I wrote them. Within 40 days of practicing this letter, I had a new and better-paying job. And as I immerse myself in the Vimala Alphabet it gets even better . If you're looking for a gentle tool to change your life in the most positive, powerful and electrifying way, this is it!
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Valuable guide on a little-known tool for personality assessment and change., October 16, 2006
This review is from: Your Handwriting Can Change Your Life! (Paperback)
There are dozens of books available on handwriting analysis. This one differs in its clear and concise description of the specific personality traits corresponding to specific letters and then, most importantly, showing how to optimize one's behavior through specific handwriting changes. In other words, "build it (the desired behavior), and it will come."
From my years of amateur handwriting analsyis, I can vouch for the fact that a change in a person always correlates with handwriting change and I have seen several cases where conscious handwriting change brings about personality change. At the same time, we must acknowledge the power of an individual's intention to change, as indicated in their willingness to recognize traits (and handwriting) that they want to modify.
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