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Krankheit Als Weg
Originally published in Germany in 1983, this pioneering book was the first to tie physical symptoms to their spiritual components. Now the revised paperback edition combines the skills of a trained psychologist and a medical practitioner to show how patients actually create illnesses; symptoms are real; healing is an expansion of consciousness.
381 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1983
About the author
Thorwald Dethlefsen
63 books15 followersDethlefsen lernte Astrologie bei Wolfgang Döbereiner und vertrat bald die Auffassung, man könne mit ihrer Hilfe psychologische Diagnosen durchführen.
In den frühen 1970er Jahren führte Dethlefsen als Psychologiestudent Hypnose-Experimente durch, u. a. um die These von der Reinkarnation zu beweisen. Nach seinem Psychologie-Diplom entwickelte er die Reinkarnationstherapie, die bis heute in verschiedenen Varianten von anderen Therapeuten angewandt wird, darunter von Rüdiger Dahlke, der sich jedoch 1989 von Dethlefsen löste.
1974 gründete Dethlefsen das Institut für außerordentliche Psychologie, das er 1993 in den Kawwana-Konvent umwandelte. 1996 ließ er beim Amtsgericht München Kawwana – Kirche des Neuen Aeon eintragen, die er unter der selbstgewählten Bezeichnung "Vicarius" leitete und die von 1999 bis Januar 2003 halböffentliche Veranstaltungen durchführte. Diese religiöse Gemeinschaft orientierte sich an Lehren des Zürcher Psychologen und Esoterikers Oskar Rudolf Schlag. 2003 erklärte Dethlefsen, die Kawwana-Kirche sei „in die Welt von Briah“ erhoben worden, legte seinen Titel ab und zog sich bis auf gelegentliche Vorträge weitgehend aus der Öffentlichkeit zurück. Der Tempel der Kirche wurde im Jahr 2009 abgerissen; zu diesem Zeitpunkt war die Webseite der Kirche schon seit geraumer Zeit permanent "under construction".[1].
Dethlefsen hat seine Position in seinem Buch Schicksal als Chance ausführlich erläutert. Dethlefsen war überzeugt davon, dass der Mensch den Gesetzen des Schicksals unterworfen ist, das ihm Themen zum Lernen, d.h. Möglichkeiten zur Erweiterung seines Bewusstseins aufzeigt. In der Weigerung des Menschen, diese neuen Themen in seine Persönlichkeit bzw. sein Bewusstsein zu integrieren, sah Dethlefsen die Missachtung der Gesetze des Schicksals bzw. der (kosmischen) Ordnung, die zur Krankheit des Menschen und damit zum Leid führt: „Bin ich in mir mit den verschiedenen Bereichen der Wirklichkeit in Harmonie, so können mich auch deren Repräsentanten in der Außenwelt nicht stören. Geschieht etwas für mich Unangenehmes, so ist dies lediglich eine Aufforderung, mich auch noch diesem Bereich in meinem Inneren zuzuwenden. - All die bösen Menschen und die unliebsamen Ereignisse sind in Wirklichkeit nur Boten, sind Medien, das Unsichtbare sichtbar zu machen. Wer dies begreift, und bereit ist, die Verantwortung für sein Schicksal selbst zu übernehmen, verliert alle Angst vor dem bedrohenden Zufall.“[2]
Dethlefsen war somit der Ansicht, dass Menschen ihre Krankheit in gewissem Sinne selbst „verursachen“ und „verschulden“. Außerdem, dass Krankheit häufig zur Machtausübung missbraucht werde: „Eine der häufigsten Formen in der heutigen Zeit, Macht auszuüben, ist die Krankheit. Krankheit garantiert in unserer Zeit dem einzelnen einen kritiklosen Freiraum für seine unbewußten Machtansprüche.“[3] Die Worte „Schuld“ und „Ursache“ treffen den Kern seiner Lehre jedoch nicht ganz (siehe voriger Absatz). Der Mensch hat sich vielmehr „zu bemühen, eine möglichst nützliche Zelle zu sein, so wie er es von seinen Körperzellen erwartet, damit er nicht zum Krebsgeschwür dieser Welt wird. Verlässt er dennoch die Ordnung mutwillig, um seine missverstandene Freiheit auszukosten, so sollte er sich nicht wundern, wenn er eliminiert wird“[4], wobei Dethlefsen unter der „Elimination“ (dem Tod) lediglich die äußerste Eskalationsstufe einer Krankheit versteht. Mit „Tod“ ist allerdings nur der der Person gemeint, nicht der des Bewusstseins, denn dieses wird Dethlefsens Ansicht nach wiedergeboren.
In dem Buch Krankheit als Weg vertrat er zusammen mit Rüdiger Dahlke nach wie vor die Überzeugung, dass Krankheit unmittelbar zum Schicksal des Menschen gehört - „Die Menschen haben Krebs, weil sie Krebs sind.“[5]. Lernt der Mensch jedoch, mit den Gesetzen des Schicksals in Einklang zu leben, sprich die an ihn gestellten Lernaufgaben zu akzeptieren und zu
In den frühen 1970er Jahren führte Dethlefsen als Psychologiestudent Hypnose-Experimente durch, u. a. um die These von der Reinkarnation zu beweisen. Nach seinem Psychologie-Diplom entwickelte er die Reinkarnationstherapie, die bis heute in verschiedenen Varianten von anderen Therapeuten angewandt wird, darunter von Rüdiger Dahlke, der sich jedoch 1989 von Dethlefsen löste.
1974 gründete Dethlefsen das Institut für außerordentliche Psychologie, das er 1993 in den Kawwana-Konvent umwandelte. 1996 ließ er beim Amtsgericht München Kawwana – Kirche des Neuen Aeon eintragen, die er unter der selbstgewählten Bezeichnung "Vicarius" leitete und die von 1999 bis Januar 2003 halböffentliche Veranstaltungen durchführte. Diese religiöse Gemeinschaft orientierte sich an Lehren des Zürcher Psychologen und Esoterikers Oskar Rudolf Schlag. 2003 erklärte Dethlefsen, die Kawwana-Kirche sei „in die Welt von Briah“ erhoben worden, legte seinen Titel ab und zog sich bis auf gelegentliche Vorträge weitgehend aus der Öffentlichkeit zurück. Der Tempel der Kirche wurde im Jahr 2009 abgerissen; zu diesem Zeitpunkt war die Webseite der Kirche schon seit geraumer Zeit permanent "under construction".[1].
Dethlefsen hat seine Position in seinem Buch Schicksal als Chance ausführlich erläutert. Dethlefsen war überzeugt davon, dass der Mensch den Gesetzen des Schicksals unterworfen ist, das ihm Themen zum Lernen, d.h. Möglichkeiten zur Erweiterung seines Bewusstseins aufzeigt. In der Weigerung des Menschen, diese neuen Themen in seine Persönlichkeit bzw. sein Bewusstsein zu integrieren, sah Dethlefsen die Missachtung der Gesetze des Schicksals bzw. der (kosmischen) Ordnung, die zur Krankheit des Menschen und damit zum Leid führt: „Bin ich in mir mit den verschiedenen Bereichen der Wirklichkeit in Harmonie, so können mich auch deren Repräsentanten in der Außenwelt nicht stören. Geschieht etwas für mich Unangenehmes, so ist dies lediglich eine Aufforderung, mich auch noch diesem Bereich in meinem Inneren zuzuwenden. - All die bösen Menschen und die unliebsamen Ereignisse sind in Wirklichkeit nur Boten, sind Medien, das Unsichtbare sichtbar zu machen. Wer dies begreift, und bereit ist, die Verantwortung für sein Schicksal selbst zu übernehmen, verliert alle Angst vor dem bedrohenden Zufall.“[2]
Dethlefsen war somit der Ansicht, dass Menschen ihre Krankheit in gewissem Sinne selbst „verursachen“ und „verschulden“. Außerdem, dass Krankheit häufig zur Machtausübung missbraucht werde: „Eine der häufigsten Formen in der heutigen Zeit, Macht auszuüben, ist die Krankheit. Krankheit garantiert in unserer Zeit dem einzelnen einen kritiklosen Freiraum für seine unbewußten Machtansprüche.“[3] Die Worte „Schuld“ und „Ursache“ treffen den Kern seiner Lehre jedoch nicht ganz (siehe voriger Absatz). Der Mensch hat sich vielmehr „zu bemühen, eine möglichst nützliche Zelle zu sein, so wie er es von seinen Körperzellen erwartet, damit er nicht zum Krebsgeschwür dieser Welt wird. Verlässt er dennoch die Ordnung mutwillig, um seine missverstandene Freiheit auszukosten, so sollte er sich nicht wundern, wenn er eliminiert wird“[4], wobei Dethlefsen unter der „Elimination“ (dem Tod) lediglich die äußerste Eskalationsstufe einer Krankheit versteht. Mit „Tod“ ist allerdings nur der der Person gemeint, nicht der des Bewusstseins, denn dieses wird Dethlefsens Ansicht nach wiedergeboren.
In dem Buch Krankheit als Weg vertrat er zusammen mit Rüdiger Dahlke nach wie vor die Überzeugung, dass Krankheit unmittelbar zum Schicksal des Menschen gehört - „Die Menschen haben Krebs, weil sie Krebs sind.“[5]. Lernt der Mensch jedoch, mit den Gesetzen des Schicksals in Einklang zu leben, sprich die an ihn gestellten Lernaufgaben zu akzeptieren und zu
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September 25, 2013
وأنا أقرأ هذا الكتاب..
كنت كل الوقت ما قول بقلبي إلا..
Shit..
هيدي كلمة جديدة تعبر عن التفاجؤ النفسي..
الكتاب غريب وثوري..
ما زلت حتى الآن لم أخرج من الصدمة بعد قراءته..
يجعلك تتحاور مع نفسك..
تتصالح مع مرضك..
تفهمه بأنك سببه..
تعرف حقيقته..
قد تبكي أو تضحك عندما تعرف الأسباب الحقيقية لمرضك وكم هي سخيفة..
وكم أنها بسببك..
الكتاب ليس عرضاً لأعراض جسدية وإيجاد الأسباب لها..
بل هو كتاب فلسفي عن الأمراض وربطها بالمشاكل التي نواجهها في وعينا..
والتي نلقي بها في لاوعينا لتعود وتطاردنا..
في فلسفة الكتاب يربط أيضاً مشاكل العالم..
وكيف أنها جميعاً انعكاسات لأمراضنا..
والشفاء هو قبول القطبية التي نعيشها بين الشر والخير..
أن نقبل الاثنين لنوحدهما ونصل للوحدة الحقيقية في الوعي..
وليس على صعيد الجسد..
أعتقد أن أي شخص عليه أن يقرأ هذا الكتاب..
ليكون لوعيه فهماً بلغة جسده وأمراضها..
ولكن لا يفعل ذلك إلا من يكون صادقاً مع نفسه..
صادقاً لدرجة يدمر فيها أناه ليفهم ذاته..
الكتاب ألمان..
استغربت عدد الكتب الفلسفية لدى الألمان التي نغفل عنها..
يجمعون بين علم الغرب وحكمة الشرق..
رهيبين..
كتاب رهيب..
أرهب من رهيب..
لدرجة أنو مش فهمان كيف بدي أستوعب الصدمة بعد قراءة هالكتاب ;)
كنت كل الوقت ما قول بقلبي إلا..
Shit..
هيدي كلمة جديدة تعبر عن التفاجؤ النفسي..
الكتاب غريب وثوري..
ما زلت حتى الآن لم أخرج من الصدمة بعد قراءته..
يجعلك تتحاور مع نفسك..
تتصالح مع مرضك..
تفهمه بأنك سببه..
تعرف حقيقته..
قد تبكي أو تضحك عندما تعرف الأسباب الحقيقية لمرضك وكم هي سخيفة..
وكم أنها بسببك..
الكتاب ليس عرضاً لأعراض جسدية وإيجاد الأسباب لها..
بل هو كتاب فلسفي عن الأمراض وربطها بالمشاكل التي نواجهها في وعينا..
والتي نلقي بها في لاوعينا لتعود وتطاردنا..
في فلسفة الكتاب يربط أيضاً مشاكل العالم..
وكيف أنها جميعاً انعكاسات لأمراضنا..
والشفاء هو قبول القطبية التي نعيشها بين الشر والخير..
أن نقبل الاثنين لنوحدهما ونصل للوحدة الحقيقية في الوعي..
وليس على صعيد الجسد..
أعتقد أن أي شخص عليه أن يقرأ هذا الكتاب..
ليكون لوعيه فهماً بلغة جسده وأمراضها..
ولكن لا يفعل ذلك إلا من يكون صادقاً مع نفسه..
صادقاً لدرجة يدمر فيها أناه ليفهم ذاته..
الكتاب ألمان..
استغربت عدد الكتب الفلسفية لدى الألمان التي نغفل عنها..
يجمعون بين علم الغرب وحكمة الشرق..
رهيبين..
كتاب رهيب..
أرهب من رهيب..
لدرجة أنو مش فهمان كيف بدي أستوعب الصدمة بعد قراءة هالكتاب ;)
June 17, 2009
Este libro es excelente! Definitivamente tienen que leerlo. En él se expone de manera muy clara cómo es que el ser humano es un ser enfermo debido a la dualidad, a que es un ser polar. La enfermedad viene de la polaridad que es lo contrario de la unidad, originalmente el universo es unidad, pero siempre vemos todo en polos, lo negro - lo blanco, lo malo - lo bueno; cuando el ser humano comprenda y asimile que todo es parte de lo mismo, que no existe bueno diferente de malo, que tanto es arriba como es abajo, entonces trascenderá la ilusión del mundo material dualizado y podrá sanar y volver a la unidad. Excelente libro para comprender a las enfermedades como la comunicación de nuestra conciencia que proyecta nuestra sombra, entender esto y amar nuestra sombra, nos ayuda a evolucionar.
September 8, 2016
I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads in exchange for a fair review.
Since it is given exercising, eating well, positive thinking, meditating, practicing compassion and loving kindness toward other living beings are important for staying healthy and this book is written by two psychotherapists, I was expecting a book about these in addition to chapters about the lessons chronic illnesses can teach us, just like anything else that happens in life, but was terribly disappointed by the content and the tone of this book. Here is how the book starts: “This book is not ‘scientific, in that it lacks the caution necessarily involved in any ‘scientific presentation’…. People whose goal is enlightenment have no time for rationalistic science: what they need is knowledge.” (“Take my word for it because I say so.”)
The book really has nothing to do with psychology, and it is more of a philosophy book than a book about healing since its content seems to be taken from all the books the authors read in their lifetimes. All this information is thrown together without any integration in a consistent manner, but it is being quoted to impress the reader and to gain some kind of legitimacy. (“…fourteenth card of the Tarot’s Major Arcana. He writes: ‘the name of the angel is Time, said the voice. Upon its forehead is the circle that is the sign of eternity and the sign of life.”) It also has a very rigid, self-righteous, and condescending tone, claiming every illness is a result of “consciousness” whatever that means. (“Every positive statement is a product of our divided world and is for that reason not applicable to the Oneness. From the viewpoint of our polar consciousness the Oneness therefore appears as No-thing.”…. “Asthmatics have a strong domineering….steak that reappears as the asthmatic’s typical ‘over-inflation’. This over-inflation reveals quite graphically the arrogance and the lust for power….”)
This is a very impressive book for a freshman or even for someone in graduate school before developing critical thinking as a result of life experiences and reading hundreds if not thousands of books in a lifetime. The language of the book is very wordy and syrupy, reminding me of some academic circles in the Old World, “harder to understand, the better the writing.” (“Nevertheless, today’s reigning view is that causality exists on its own account-indeed, is even demonstrable experientially-and it is this particular misconception that we are most anxious to combat….This dogged attachment to interpreting things causally has in fact restricted our whole view of the world and our capacity for understanding it to an extent that is truly staggering.”)
I personally don’t know anybody who has bipolar illness, schizophrenia, diabetes, or MS because of his own doing. It is given you may run into someone who has secondary gains from complaining of physical ailments as an attention getter, and also some of the illnesses may have to do with life style choices sometimes, but these are exceptions rather than the rule. Having said that, I want to add that I am grateful to the independent publishing companies like this one and I plan on reading some of the impressive books on their catalogs. Also my compliments to the translator who did an amazing job.
Since it is given exercising, eating well, positive thinking, meditating, practicing compassion and loving kindness toward other living beings are important for staying healthy and this book is written by two psychotherapists, I was expecting a book about these in addition to chapters about the lessons chronic illnesses can teach us, just like anything else that happens in life, but was terribly disappointed by the content and the tone of this book. Here is how the book starts: “This book is not ‘scientific, in that it lacks the caution necessarily involved in any ‘scientific presentation’…. People whose goal is enlightenment have no time for rationalistic science: what they need is knowledge.” (“Take my word for it because I say so.”)
The book really has nothing to do with psychology, and it is more of a philosophy book than a book about healing since its content seems to be taken from all the books the authors read in their lifetimes. All this information is thrown together without any integration in a consistent manner, but it is being quoted to impress the reader and to gain some kind of legitimacy. (“…fourteenth card of the Tarot’s Major Arcana. He writes: ‘the name of the angel is Time, said the voice. Upon its forehead is the circle that is the sign of eternity and the sign of life.”) It also has a very rigid, self-righteous, and condescending tone, claiming every illness is a result of “consciousness” whatever that means. (“Every positive statement is a product of our divided world and is for that reason not applicable to the Oneness. From the viewpoint of our polar consciousness the Oneness therefore appears as No-thing.”…. “Asthmatics have a strong domineering….steak that reappears as the asthmatic’s typical ‘over-inflation’. This over-inflation reveals quite graphically the arrogance and the lust for power….”)
This is a very impressive book for a freshman or even for someone in graduate school before developing critical thinking as a result of life experiences and reading hundreds if not thousands of books in a lifetime. The language of the book is very wordy and syrupy, reminding me of some academic circles in the Old World, “harder to understand, the better the writing.” (“Nevertheless, today’s reigning view is that causality exists on its own account-indeed, is even demonstrable experientially-and it is this particular misconception that we are most anxious to combat….This dogged attachment to interpreting things causally has in fact restricted our whole view of the world and our capacity for understanding it to an extent that is truly staggering.”)
I personally don’t know anybody who has bipolar illness, schizophrenia, diabetes, or MS because of his own doing. It is given you may run into someone who has secondary gains from complaining of physical ailments as an attention getter, and also some of the illnesses may have to do with life style choices sometimes, but these are exceptions rather than the rule. Having said that, I want to add that I am grateful to the independent publishing companies like this one and I plan on reading some of the impressive books on their catalogs. Also my compliments to the translator who did an amazing job.
February 17, 2015
This is one of the most extraordinary books You can find about the subjet of what the message is that your body sends you via an illness.
Unfortunately, this book is unavailable or very expensive to buy in english.
Unfortunately, the editor of his author refused the licence for this translated edition. Though, no other english edition is provided by this editor. We all regret it.
Unfortunately, this book is unavailable or very expensive to buy in english.
Unfortunately, the editor of his author refused the licence for this translated edition. Though, no other english edition is provided by this editor. We all regret it.
Read
October 8, 2022"Sayfa 65: Hastalık, insanın günahkâr, suçlu ya da sağlıksız olduğunun ifadesidir. Hastalık, ilk günahın küçük evrendeki, yani insandaki uygulamasıdır. Bu tanımlamaların, ceza düşüncesi ile hiçbir ilgisi yoktur. " Kitabın kendi ifadesiyle "Modern tıbbın yarattığı hayâl kırıklığının(?!)" nedeni bu cümleler olmasın.
Önsözden yalana davet eden saçmasapan bir kitap!
Önsözden yalana davet eden saçmasapan bir kitap!
June 1, 2007
That's a book I use almost every day.
All around us every person has some health issues...this book helps us understand why we are ill...what do our illnesses tell us.
Illnesses are our true friends telling the truth about ourselves, about what we do wrong...what we should do other way.
Help us understand about the force of our words and thoughts...they are creating...and in many cases they create illnesses...so we create illnesses for ourselves. What are the reasons...there are diffrent ones.
You can find out about this and many interesting theories reading this book.
All around us every person has some health issues...this book helps us understand why we are ill...what do our illnesses tell us.
Illnesses are our true friends telling the truth about ourselves, about what we do wrong...what we should do other way.
Help us understand about the force of our words and thoughts...they are creating...and in many cases they create illnesses...so we create illnesses for ourselves. What are the reasons...there are diffrent ones.
You can find out about this and many interesting theories reading this book.
April 14, 2011
I first read this book about 20 years ago and not a day goes by that Dethlefsen's words come to mind. But then I truly believe in the power of the brain/mind. This is not a cheesy self-help book, instead it is a discourse and a pointer in the right direction which makes perfect sense (well, to me); it is not any sort of mystical new age 'have faith' road, it is a road that requires thought and purpose.
May 20, 2017
Wahrscheinlich das dümmste Buch, das überhaupt existiert. Ich würde es niemandem empfehlen. Freud ist das Letzte, und dieses Büch ist noch letzter.
April 4, 2025
El libro es muy interesante, nos muestra las enfermedades desde la perspectiva psicológica asociándola a su vez con los síntomas físicos. Nos enseña de una forma directa cómo enfrentar ciertos patrones y entender el porqué se pueden dar en nuestra vida.
Mi evaluación principalmente se da ya que al comienzo es un libro bastante denso tendiendo un enfoque más técnico en el área de psicología, por lo que avanzar en él se hace complicado, pero una vez que comienza a describir cada enfermedad de forma individual se hace muy ameno y fácil de llevar.
Mi evaluación principalmente se da ya que al comienzo es un libro bastante denso tendiendo un enfoque más técnico en el área de psicología, por lo que avanzar en él se hace complicado, pero una vez que comienza a describir cada enfermedad de forma individual se hace muy ameno y fácil de llevar.
April 13, 2020
Ein Buch, dass über die verschiedenen Krankheitssymptone unserer Zeit erzählt und dass sie aus unserem unbewussten entstehen. Dabei wird ein sehr starker Fokus auf das spirituelle gelegt (Einheit, Polarität, Yin und Yang, Karma). Wenn man Interesse an den Themen "Medizin", "Gesundheit" und "Krankheit" hat und eine alternative zur herkömmlichen Schulmedizin sucht, kann ich das Buch sehr empfehlen, da die Autoren schon einige gute Argumente bringen. Für Leute die nichts mit Esoterik / Spirituellem anfangen können, vielleicht weniger.
September 2, 2024
Extraordinario libro que permite ver el lado oscuro no aceptado, el cual se transforma en una enfermedad.
Invita a escuchar los sintomas y con ellos descubrir las causas reales antes de recurrir a la medicación para tapar los problemas emocionales.
Invita a escuchar los sintomas y con ellos descubrir las causas reales antes de recurrir a la medicación para tapar los problemas emocionales.
December 3, 2025
Ne bih čitala ovu knjigu da nemam neko predznanje iz psihologije i psihosomatike. Nije mudro uzeti sve što piše kao zdravo za gotovo. Ali ako se bavite time, dobra je.
May 18, 2026
3.5 stars
This book alternated between being either really great, or really boring.
The first part - 'Theoretical preconditions for understanding sickness and healing' included Illness & Symptoms, Polarity & Unity, The Shadow, Good & Evil, Illness is in Our Nature, The Search for Causes, and the Technique of In-depth Enquiry. I found this whole first section (the first ~70 pages) very difficult to get through. I skimmed some of it. It was so dense and the ease/enjoyability of reading was low.
The second part - 'Symptoms and their meaning' included chapters on different ailments, including Infection, Resistance, Respiration, Digestion, Sense Organs, Headaches, Skin, Kidneys, Sexuality & Pregnancy, Heart / Circulation, Motor System / Nerves, Accidents, Cancer and AIDS. This was the most interesting part of the book, with unique perspectives on the meaning/symbolism behind these illnesses. The concepts from the first part were used in these chapters, but honestly, I think you could understand most of it without even having read Part 1 (if you have read other books on spirituality/philosophy).
The book ends with
There are random religious references, stories of Jesus, etc. which I found pretty irrelevant and boring. (e.g., pg 28).
This book is very abstract and theoretical/philosophical. I (personally) prefer books on this subject to be a mix or be more practical than abstract.
Overall, the book was very dense and academic, and during the first section, it was hard to read more than a few pages at once, so it took me longer to finish. I wasn't expecting such a university required reading style, but in the end there were interesting ideas, so I kept reading until the end.
There were some times I really disagreed with the authors:
Notes/Quotes
Shadow: "the sum of all those rejected aspects of reality which people either cannot or will not see within themselves and of which they are therefore unconscious." (37)
"It is the shadow that makes us ill - but the encounter with the shadow that makes us well! This is the key to understanding illness and healing. Every symptom is an aspect of the shadow that has precipitated itself into physicality. It is in the symptom that what we are lacking manifests itself. It is in the symptom that we live out what we are refusing to live out on the consciousness level." (41)
"Our bodies are mirrors of our souls" (41)
"Most people find it difficult to talk freely and openly about their deepest problems (even assuming they know what they are in the first place) - yet they recount their symptoms to all in grisly detail. But there is no clearer or more exact way of telling everybody else about ourselves. Illness makes us honest, mercilessly unmasking those deep aspects of the psyche that we have long kept hidden." (42)
"The temporal framework in which symptoms appear is every bit as interesting and revealing. The particular point in time at which a symptom appears can give us important information about the problem-area of which it is a manifestation. Everything that is happening at the time a symptom appears goes to make up the symptomatic context, and so needs to be taken into consideration too...
What thoughts, themes and fantasies were most exercising us at the time the symptom appeared? What kind of mood were we in? Was there some piece of news, some change in our life? ...
Because a symptom is itself a manifestation of something that is repressed, all the events connected with it are repressed too, and their significance is correspondingly played down." (76)
It's not always the big things in life that are important - small things in life often serve as release-valves for our repressed problem areas. Colds, nausea, diarrhea, headaches, injuries tend to crop up at certain, very precise times. Ask ourselves what were we doing, thinking or fantasizing about at that particular moment. Pay attention to the first idea that arises spontaneously. (76-77)
"Rule 2: Work out the exact point of time in which each symptom appeared. Enquire into the life-situation, thoughts, fantasies, dreams, events and items of news that went to make up the symptom's temporal framework." (77)
"The flu may oblige us to stay in bed; a broken leg may stop us taking part in sport and make us rest. If we were to attribute reason and intentionality to illness, the behaviour thus imposed or prevented could be seen as helping to fulfill what the symptom wants of us. An enforced change in behaviour is an enforced correction.
A symptom only ever corrects imbalances: the overactive are forced to rest, the restless prevented from moving, the sociable cut off from all contact. The symptom forces out into the open the pole that we have been failing to live out. Our reaction should be to pay more attention to it, voluntarily to do without what is denied us and willingly go along with what is imposed upon us." (82)
"Rule 4: 'What is the symptom stopping me from doing?' and 'What is the symptom making me do?' generally lead directly to the area of the illness's central theme." (82)
"Any principle that is not lived out for real insists on its right to life and existence via the medium of physical symptoms. In our symptoms we are constantly forced to live out and to real-ise precisely those things we least want to. This is how our symptoms make up for all our imbalances.
The aim of healing is wholeness and oneness. We are whole the moment we finally discover our true self and become one with all that is.
Illness prevents us from straying from the road that leads to oneness. For that reason
ILLNESS IS A PATH TO PERFECTION." (91)
PART 2
"It is only challenges that make us strong and fit...
We are living in an era and a culture which are opposed to conflict to an extreme degree. At all levels people are currently doing their utmost to avoid conflict - yet without realizing that this attitude actually works against the development of awareness." (103)
SPECIFIC ILLNESSES
Digestion
Grinding teeth = term for impotent aggression
"Those of us who are unable to fulfill our wish to snap at people during the day are forced to grind our teeth at night to the point of wearing down and blunting teeth that are so sharp and deadly...
Gums represent the necessary basis for vitality. Gums cannot provide the basis for the teeth if they are so sensitive/delicate that they bleed at the slightest provocation. Blood is the symbol of life itself; bleeding gums make it perfectly obvious that our innate confidence and self-assurance are liable to drain away as soon as the slightest demands are placed on our vitality." (129)
Nausea
"Nausea signals the rejection of something that we do not want.
Vomiting is an overwhelming expression of resistance and refusal. Vomiting is a refusal to accept." (130)
Stomach
132 - on stomach problems
"Stomach sufferers are people who are unwilling to enter into conflicts. They are unconsciously pining for the conflict-free world of childhood.
Directing our feelings inwards leads to the growth of gastric ulcers." (133)
DISORDERS & DIGESTIVE COMPLAINTS
"1. What is it that I'm unable or unwilling to swallow?
2. Is something 'eating me up inside'?
3. How good am I at handling my feelings?
5. How am I coping with my aggression?
6. To what extent am I deliberately avoiding conflicts?
7. Am I longing for the conflict-free paradise of childhood, in which I am given nothing but love and care?" (134)
Constipation = hanging on too tightly and unable to let go (136)
The large intestine reflects the unconscious, and fermentation can happen there. Fermentation is a process both of rotting and dying. A symbol of the 'night side', the feces correspond to the contents of the unconscious. Meaning of constipation = fear of letting unconscious contents see the light of day. It represents an attempt to keep unconscious, repressed contents locked up within ourselves." (136)
Diabetes - unsatisfied desire for love, inability to accept love & absorb it unreservedly. (137)
Liver functions - stores energy, generates energy and processes protein, detoxifies
Headaches
Skin
Variety of functions
1. Separation and protection
2. Touch and contact
3. Expression and representation
4. Sexuality
5. Respiration
6. Excretion
7. Temperature-regulation (162)
"Skin is our outermost physical boundary. It is via our skin that we present ourselves to the world. Every disturbance of our internal organs is projected onto the skin." (162)
"Rashes indicate something which has been held back (repressed) is trying to break through the confines imposed by the repression in order to come to light (to consciousness). A rash allows something previously invisible to show itself." (167)
Itching - "Linguistically, the general idea of itching/scratching has a psychological meaning - 'I'm itching to do it.'
A physical itch shows something is biting or bugging us on the psychological level, yet evidently we have ignored it or refused to notice it on that level, or else it would have had no need to somatise itself as an itch in the first place. Behind the itching stands some powerful emotion, some inner fire, some burning issue that wants to come out into the open and be discovered. That is why it itches and makes us want to scratch. Scratching is a mild form of scraping/digging, for the order of symbolically finding what is bugging them or exciting them. Itching always warns something is biting us. It informs us of something that is burning us up inside: a glowing passion, a fiery enthusiasm, a burning love or even a flaming anger." (169)
SKIN DISEASES
1. Am I delimiting myself too much?
2. How easy am I finding it to make contact with other people?
3. Is there a repressed desire for intimacy behind my tendency to reject others?
4. What is trying to burst through the barriers so as to come to light? (sexuality, instinctiveness, passion, aggression, enthusiasm?)
5. What is it that is really 'getting under my skin'?
6. Have I condemned myself to solitary confinement? (170)
Kidneys
Kidneys represent the realm of partnership. Kidney pains/diseases appear when we are engaged in conflicts with our partners. (171)
The kidneys correspond to partnership, to intimate human relationships.
The kidneys may have an issue filtering proteins and salts,
The psyche refuses to recognise its own substances in the matter of important problems and leaves it all to the other person. (176)
Heart/Circulation
"High blood pressure = predisposing factor for heart attacks, people have a good deal of aggression but keep it in & exercise self-restraint. It is this blockage of aggressive energy that is released in a heart attack: it literally tears the heart apart. The heart attack is the sum of all the 'attacks' and 'beatings' that the patient has failed to mete out in the past. Only a hard heart can break!" (201)
QUESTIONS
1. Are my head and heart, intellect and feelings in balance?
2. Am I trusting myself to express my feelings?
3. Am I living and loving heartily or only half-heartedly?
6. Am I listening to my heart? (202)
Other
"From our viewpoint, accumulated toxins symbolize untackled problems or undigested themes which the patient has bottled up in the unconscious rather than resolving them.
Fasting --> working on the psychological level on the subject areas which have been pushed under and repressed, bringing them into the full light of consciousness." (213)
Psychological Symptoms
Depression
"Aggression which finds no outlet transforms into bodily pain. Aggression suppressed at psychological level leads to depression. Depressives compulsively avoid anything that fails to meet with general approval, and live a life beyond reproach." (231).
Depressives forces patients to come to terms with life's mortal pole; they're deprived of all that is truly alive - movement, change companionship, communication; instead, the opposite manifests: apathy, rigidity, loneliness, thoughts of death. The depressed person is just as afraid of living as of dying. Active living inevitably brings guilt and responsibility - which the depressive wants to avoid." (232)
Cancer
"Parallel to society -- reckless expansion & promotion of our own interests. We do our ruthless utmost to push our own aims & interests to the limit; to establish bases for our interests here, there and everywhere (metastases). So rapid and successful is our expansion that we too can barely cope with our supply problems.
Parallel to the death of the host (our environment) means the death of humanity. The death of cancer's host means its death as well.
Cancer is mirroring our behaviour, our reasoning and even where it will all ultimately get us." (245)
What To Do?
"Merely accepting the symptom renders it superfluous. Resistance just results in counter-resistance. The symptom is only likely to disappear once it has become of no consequence to the patient." (261) The patient has accepted the validity of the principle manifested by the symptom, by looking within.
"Healing can only take place within our consciousness." (262)
(They recommended therapy).
"Becoming conscious is the sole detectable purpose of our incarnation. Yet it is astonishing how little most people worry about this single most important issue in their lives." (262)
"In psychotherapy we align ourselves with our clients' symptoms - The body is always right. Academic medicine does the opposite--it allies itself with patients against their symptoms. We always stand on the side of the shadow and help it emerge into the light. We wage no war against illness and its symptoms, but instead endeavour to use it as a point of leverage for healing. Illness is both humanity's great opportunity and its most previous commodity. Illness is our personal teacher and guide on the road to wholeness." (262)
--
Overall, I would recommend this book for Part 2 - symptoms and their meanings. I didn't find the other sections so useful, especially at the beginning of the book. The true essence of the book is in the authors' exploration of the meanings/symbolism of different illnesses.
This book alternated between being either really great, or really boring.
The first part - 'Theoretical preconditions for understanding sickness and healing' included Illness & Symptoms, Polarity & Unity, The Shadow, Good & Evil, Illness is in Our Nature, The Search for Causes, and the Technique of In-depth Enquiry. I found this whole first section (the first ~70 pages) very difficult to get through. I skimmed some of it. It was so dense and the ease/enjoyability of reading was low.
The second part - 'Symptoms and their meaning' included chapters on different ailments, including Infection, Resistance, Respiration, Digestion, Sense Organs, Headaches, Skin, Kidneys, Sexuality & Pregnancy, Heart / Circulation, Motor System / Nerves, Accidents, Cancer and AIDS. This was the most interesting part of the book, with unique perspectives on the meaning/symbolism behind these illnesses. The concepts from the first part were used in these chapters, but honestly, I think you could understand most of it without even having read Part 1 (if you have read other books on spirituality/philosophy).
The book ends with
There are random religious references, stories of Jesus, etc. which I found pretty irrelevant and boring. (e.g., pg 28).
This book is very abstract and theoretical/philosophical. I (personally) prefer books on this subject to be a mix or be more practical than abstract.
Overall, the book was very dense and academic, and during the first section, it was hard to read more than a few pages at once, so it took me longer to finish. I wasn't expecting such a university required reading style, but in the end there were interesting ideas, so I kept reading until the end.
There were some times I really disagreed with the authors:
Notes/Quotes
Shadow: "the sum of all those rejected aspects of reality which people either cannot or will not see within themselves and of which they are therefore unconscious." (37)
"It is the shadow that makes us ill - but the encounter with the shadow that makes us well! This is the key to understanding illness and healing. Every symptom is an aspect of the shadow that has precipitated itself into physicality. It is in the symptom that what we are lacking manifests itself. It is in the symptom that we live out what we are refusing to live out on the consciousness level." (41)
"Our bodies are mirrors of our souls" (41)
"Most people find it difficult to talk freely and openly about their deepest problems (even assuming they know what they are in the first place) - yet they recount their symptoms to all in grisly detail. But there is no clearer or more exact way of telling everybody else about ourselves. Illness makes us honest, mercilessly unmasking those deep aspects of the psyche that we have long kept hidden." (42)
"The temporal framework in which symptoms appear is every bit as interesting and revealing. The particular point in time at which a symptom appears can give us important information about the problem-area of which it is a manifestation. Everything that is happening at the time a symptom appears goes to make up the symptomatic context, and so needs to be taken into consideration too...
What thoughts, themes and fantasies were most exercising us at the time the symptom appeared? What kind of mood were we in? Was there some piece of news, some change in our life? ...
Because a symptom is itself a manifestation of something that is repressed, all the events connected with it are repressed too, and their significance is correspondingly played down." (76)
It's not always the big things in life that are important - small things in life often serve as release-valves for our repressed problem areas. Colds, nausea, diarrhea, headaches, injuries tend to crop up at certain, very precise times. Ask ourselves what were we doing, thinking or fantasizing about at that particular moment. Pay attention to the first idea that arises spontaneously. (76-77)
"Rule 2: Work out the exact point of time in which each symptom appeared. Enquire into the life-situation, thoughts, fantasies, dreams, events and items of news that went to make up the symptom's temporal framework." (77)
"The flu may oblige us to stay in bed; a broken leg may stop us taking part in sport and make us rest. If we were to attribute reason and intentionality to illness, the behaviour thus imposed or prevented could be seen as helping to fulfill what the symptom wants of us. An enforced change in behaviour is an enforced correction.
A symptom only ever corrects imbalances: the overactive are forced to rest, the restless prevented from moving, the sociable cut off from all contact. The symptom forces out into the open the pole that we have been failing to live out. Our reaction should be to pay more attention to it, voluntarily to do without what is denied us and willingly go along with what is imposed upon us." (82)
"Rule 4: 'What is the symptom stopping me from doing?' and 'What is the symptom making me do?' generally lead directly to the area of the illness's central theme." (82)
"Any principle that is not lived out for real insists on its right to life and existence via the medium of physical symptoms. In our symptoms we are constantly forced to live out and to real-ise precisely those things we least want to. This is how our symptoms make up for all our imbalances.
The aim of healing is wholeness and oneness. We are whole the moment we finally discover our true self and become one with all that is.
Illness prevents us from straying from the road that leads to oneness. For that reason
ILLNESS IS A PATH TO PERFECTION." (91)
PART 2
"It is only challenges that make us strong and fit...
We are living in an era and a culture which are opposed to conflict to an extreme degree. At all levels people are currently doing their utmost to avoid conflict - yet without realizing that this attitude actually works against the development of awareness." (103)
SPECIFIC ILLNESSES
Digestion
Grinding teeth = term for impotent aggression
"Those of us who are unable to fulfill our wish to snap at people during the day are forced to grind our teeth at night to the point of wearing down and blunting teeth that are so sharp and deadly...
Gums represent the necessary basis for vitality. Gums cannot provide the basis for the teeth if they are so sensitive/delicate that they bleed at the slightest provocation. Blood is the symbol of life itself; bleeding gums make it perfectly obvious that our innate confidence and self-assurance are liable to drain away as soon as the slightest demands are placed on our vitality." (129)
Nausea
"Nausea signals the rejection of something that we do not want.
Vomiting is an overwhelming expression of resistance and refusal. Vomiting is a refusal to accept." (130)
Stomach
132 - on stomach problems
"Stomach sufferers are people who are unwilling to enter into conflicts. They are unconsciously pining for the conflict-free world of childhood.
Directing our feelings inwards leads to the growth of gastric ulcers." (133)
DISORDERS & DIGESTIVE COMPLAINTS
"1. What is it that I'm unable or unwilling to swallow?
2. Is something 'eating me up inside'?
3. How good am I at handling my feelings?
5. How am I coping with my aggression?
6. To what extent am I deliberately avoiding conflicts?
7. Am I longing for the conflict-free paradise of childhood, in which I am given nothing but love and care?" (134)
Constipation = hanging on too tightly and unable to let go (136)
The large intestine reflects the unconscious, and fermentation can happen there. Fermentation is a process both of rotting and dying. A symbol of the 'night side', the feces correspond to the contents of the unconscious. Meaning of constipation = fear of letting unconscious contents see the light of day. It represents an attempt to keep unconscious, repressed contents locked up within ourselves." (136)
Diabetes - unsatisfied desire for love, inability to accept love & absorb it unreservedly. (137)
Liver functions - stores energy, generates energy and processes protein, detoxifies
Headaches
Skin
Variety of functions
1. Separation and protection
2. Touch and contact
3. Expression and representation
4. Sexuality
5. Respiration
6. Excretion
7. Temperature-regulation (162)
"Skin is our outermost physical boundary. It is via our skin that we present ourselves to the world. Every disturbance of our internal organs is projected onto the skin." (162)
"Rashes indicate something which has been held back (repressed) is trying to break through the confines imposed by the repression in order to come to light (to consciousness). A rash allows something previously invisible to show itself." (167)
Itching - "Linguistically, the general idea of itching/scratching has a psychological meaning - 'I'm itching to do it.'
A physical itch shows something is biting or bugging us on the psychological level, yet evidently we have ignored it or refused to notice it on that level, or else it would have had no need to somatise itself as an itch in the first place. Behind the itching stands some powerful emotion, some inner fire, some burning issue that wants to come out into the open and be discovered. That is why it itches and makes us want to scratch. Scratching is a mild form of scraping/digging, for the order of symbolically finding what is bugging them or exciting them. Itching always warns something is biting us. It informs us of something that is burning us up inside: a glowing passion, a fiery enthusiasm, a burning love or even a flaming anger." (169)
SKIN DISEASES
1. Am I delimiting myself too much?
2. How easy am I finding it to make contact with other people?
3. Is there a repressed desire for intimacy behind my tendency to reject others?
4. What is trying to burst through the barriers so as to come to light? (sexuality, instinctiveness, passion, aggression, enthusiasm?)
5. What is it that is really 'getting under my skin'?
6. Have I condemned myself to solitary confinement? (170)
Kidneys
Kidneys represent the realm of partnership. Kidney pains/diseases appear when we are engaged in conflicts with our partners. (171)
The kidneys correspond to partnership, to intimate human relationships.
The kidneys may have an issue filtering proteins and salts,
The psyche refuses to recognise its own substances in the matter of important problems and leaves it all to the other person. (176)
Heart/Circulation
"High blood pressure = predisposing factor for heart attacks, people have a good deal of aggression but keep it in & exercise self-restraint. It is this blockage of aggressive energy that is released in a heart attack: it literally tears the heart apart. The heart attack is the sum of all the 'attacks' and 'beatings' that the patient has failed to mete out in the past. Only a hard heart can break!" (201)
QUESTIONS
1. Are my head and heart, intellect and feelings in balance?
2. Am I trusting myself to express my feelings?
3. Am I living and loving heartily or only half-heartedly?
6. Am I listening to my heart? (202)
Other
"From our viewpoint, accumulated toxins symbolize untackled problems or undigested themes which the patient has bottled up in the unconscious rather than resolving them.
Fasting --> working on the psychological level on the subject areas which have been pushed under and repressed, bringing them into the full light of consciousness." (213)
Psychological Symptoms
Depression
"Aggression which finds no outlet transforms into bodily pain. Aggression suppressed at psychological level leads to depression. Depressives compulsively avoid anything that fails to meet with general approval, and live a life beyond reproach." (231).
Depressives forces patients to come to terms with life's mortal pole; they're deprived of all that is truly alive - movement, change companionship, communication; instead, the opposite manifests: apathy, rigidity, loneliness, thoughts of death. The depressed person is just as afraid of living as of dying. Active living inevitably brings guilt and responsibility - which the depressive wants to avoid." (232)
Cancer
"Parallel to society -- reckless expansion & promotion of our own interests. We do our ruthless utmost to push our own aims & interests to the limit; to establish bases for our interests here, there and everywhere (metastases). So rapid and successful is our expansion that we too can barely cope with our supply problems.
Parallel to the death of the host (our environment) means the death of humanity. The death of cancer's host means its death as well.
Cancer is mirroring our behaviour, our reasoning and even where it will all ultimately get us." (245)
What To Do?
"Merely accepting the symptom renders it superfluous. Resistance just results in counter-resistance. The symptom is only likely to disappear once it has become of no consequence to the patient." (261) The patient has accepted the validity of the principle manifested by the symptom, by looking within.
"Healing can only take place within our consciousness." (262)
(They recommended therapy).
"Becoming conscious is the sole detectable purpose of our incarnation. Yet it is astonishing how little most people worry about this single most important issue in their lives." (262)
"In psychotherapy we align ourselves with our clients' symptoms - The body is always right. Academic medicine does the opposite--it allies itself with patients against their symptoms. We always stand on the side of the shadow and help it emerge into the light. We wage no war against illness and its symptoms, but instead endeavour to use it as a point of leverage for healing. Illness is both humanity's great opportunity and its most previous commodity. Illness is our personal teacher and guide on the road to wholeness." (262)
--
Overall, I would recommend this book for Part 2 - symptoms and their meanings. I didn't find the other sections so useful, especially at the beginning of the book. The true essence of the book is in the authors' exploration of the meanings/symbolism of different illnesses.
March 24, 2024
If I had read this book a few years ago, I might have thought its content revolutionary. But as much as I appreciated Thorwald Dethlefsen's books on reincarnation 20 years ago as a door opener into the world of spirituality, as much as I am convinced that on our path through life we create the illnesses that are necessary for our inner growth, I simply cannot come to terms with the interpretation and the way the authors of this book deal with the subject of illness. I've tried to force myself through the book, but my aversion grew with every chapter. And I've learnt to trust my intuition whenever this occurs. Dethlefsen's and Dahlke's concepts are too narrow, in a way too "human-minded", deeply rooted in an ancient, very unspiritual and (I hate to put it this way, but it's the feeling I got from this read) very masculine way of looking at the human body and its manifold ailments.
I feel much more in tune with works like Metaphysical Anatomy: Your body is talking, are you listening? and Soul Speak ~ The Language of Your Body. The authors of these books are essentially on the same page (SIC!) and have a distinctly different, much more holistic approach.
I feel much more in tune with works like Metaphysical Anatomy: Your body is talking, are you listening? and Soul Speak ~ The Language of Your Body. The authors of these books are essentially on the same page (SIC!) and have a distinctly different, much more holistic approach.
June 2, 2017
An authoritative, thought-provoking guide to reading the dashboard of our bodies.
The authors' perspective on illness is an intriguing one: our symptoms are an inescapable part of life, and exist because of our mentally lopsided approach to it. According to the them, all symptoms are psychosomatic, although not in the sense in which we usually understand that term. It's not that our symptoms are trumped up by the mind or are in some way fictitious; rather, the issues in our life that we don't want to face, having no other route to consciousness, become somatized as a way of being expressed. The nature, time, and place of each symptom reveals exactly what it means and why it's there.
I found this idea very attractive and sensible, even as I had difficulty accepting some of their observations and conclusions. They note that despite the great advances in medical science, the net quantity of illness in the world has not decreased; it may even have increased. Symptoms that are suppressed in one place pop up elsewhere.
In many ways it's a tough-love approach, but this is a potentially very empowering book, and the more troubled you are with medical issues in your life, the important it is that you read it.
The authors' perspective on illness is an intriguing one: our symptoms are an inescapable part of life, and exist because of our mentally lopsided approach to it. According to the them, all symptoms are psychosomatic, although not in the sense in which we usually understand that term. It's not that our symptoms are trumped up by the mind or are in some way fictitious; rather, the issues in our life that we don't want to face, having no other route to consciousness, become somatized as a way of being expressed. The nature, time, and place of each symptom reveals exactly what it means and why it's there.
I found this idea very attractive and sensible, even as I had difficulty accepting some of their observations and conclusions. They note that despite the great advances in medical science, the net quantity of illness in the world has not decreased; it may even have increased. Symptoms that are suppressed in one place pop up elsewhere.
In many ways it's a tough-love approach, but this is a potentially very empowering book, and the more troubled you are with medical issues in your life, the important it is that you read it.
August 29, 2013
Книга ценна в первую очередь тем, что написали ее врач и психолог. Впервые издана книга в 1983 году, но не привязана ко времени. Мне книга интересна своим взглядом на медицину, врачей, болезни и здоровье. Признаюсь, всегда чувствовал нечто подобное и был приятно удивлен, что не я один такой!
Считаю первую часть (Теоретические предпосылки для осознания болезни и методов ее лечения) самой сильной. Вторая часть (Картины болезни и их значение), где делается попытка установления связи между болезнями и причинами их вызывающими, наиболее спорная и уязвимая для критики.
Книга будет полезна всем, кто думает о здоровье и борется со своими недугами. Книга позволяет понять, что здоровье человека находится только в его руках, что не стоит уповать на могущество медицины и магию врачей!
Считаю первую часть (Теоретические предпосылки для осознания болезни и методов ее лечения) самой сильной. Вторая часть (Картины болезни и их значение), где делается попытка установления связи между болезнями и причинами их вызывающими, наиболее спорная и уязвимая для критики.
Книга будет полезна всем, кто думает о здоровье и борется со своими недугами. Книга позволяет понять, что здоровье человека находится только в его руках, что не стоит уповать на могущество медицины и магию врачей!
May 6, 2015
This is the one book in my library that I would be devastated to lose so I don't lend it even to friends. I first read Dethlefsen's amazing book 20 years ago and was mindblown. Dethlefsen's insight into the mind-body connection is beyond intuitive; it's obvious he was years ahead of his time. You'll find out the subconscious reasons why, for instance, people have asthma, migraines, kidney disease, arthritis. And no, this is not a new-agey, self help book; it's far too intelligent for that. If you can find a copy online, I recommend purchasing it although it won't be cheap because unfortunately, the publication history was limited.
October 2, 2010
Dauerbrenner seit Jahren ... dieses Buch wird vorgeholt wenn es mir oder Freunden mal nicht so gut geht. Mitunter hilft es eine Krise zu überwinden wenn man den Blickwinkel ändert und dadurch in eine andere Richtung anfängt zu denken.
Dieses Buch änderte bei Freunden und mir die oft sehr eingefahrenden Sichtwaisen
Dieses Buch änderte bei Freunden und mir die oft sehr eingefahrenden Sichtwaisen
September 6, 2012
Krankheit als Weg. Deutung und Be- Deutung der Krankheitsbilder.
Болезнь как путь. Значение и предназначение болезней.
Болезнь как путь. Значение и предназначение болезней.
no
April 13, 2014LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
April 28, 2016
OUTSTANDING!
January 5, 2021
When faced with a difficult or scary diagnosis, some people will wonder “What have I DONE to deserve THIS?” That is probably the most likely time you will pick up this book.
The authors do not try to be scientific about what specific cause determines an effect. What they do is to lay down their philosophy, influenced by metaphysics and their own professional experience -one a psychotherapist and the other a medical doctor, about how what you think, how you behave, what you feel, what you do (and don’t do) while living your life, can have consequences in your body. What the body is doing is to manifest what the mind is already “broadcasting”: the body is a receiver of this information and manifests it in the physical plane. It is a message designed to make you stop and search deep inside for what you are doing inside your mind.
In other words: we get sick because we’ve lost the harmony in our minds, the body is only manifesting this dissonance.
It is doubtful that anyone consciously chooses to get sick, but the correlation between emotional states and health can’t be denied.
After introducing us to the metaphysics of sickness, the authors give their take on emotional/mind causes to different illnesses organized by body system in the largest section of the book. Their explanation of how each system works and why the cause is “x” when it doesn’t work correctly, has some solid logic behind, based on their own findings. The explanations given are a great self-discovery tool.
What happens after you figure out why you got sick? They argue you just need to “open your eyes” as in change the way you see things. There is nothing to change or improve other than your own vision.
Can you ever heal? Can you ever get the symptoms to disappear? In true law of attraction speech, they declare that accepting the symptom makes it superfluous. Resistance provokes more pressure. The symptom quickly disappears when it becomes indifferent to the patient.
The book was first published in 1983 in German. Some newer illnesses are covered such as A.I.D.s, yet many others are not found. The seeker will have to extrapolate their symptoms to the body system being affected and figure out if the explanations provided make sense or not. Same goes for people with multiple symptoms located in different body parts.
The book is mostly geared towards an individual looking for personal answers. A practitioner of holistic therapies might find it useful to uncover causes underneath the physiology of a client who has lost touch with their emotions.
I read The Healing Power of Illness in eBook format in Spanish.
The authors do not try to be scientific about what specific cause determines an effect. What they do is to lay down their philosophy, influenced by metaphysics and their own professional experience -one a psychotherapist and the other a medical doctor, about how what you think, how you behave, what you feel, what you do (and don’t do) while living your life, can have consequences in your body. What the body is doing is to manifest what the mind is already “broadcasting”: the body is a receiver of this information and manifests it in the physical plane. It is a message designed to make you stop and search deep inside for what you are doing inside your mind.
In other words: we get sick because we’ve lost the harmony in our minds, the body is only manifesting this dissonance.
It is doubtful that anyone consciously chooses to get sick, but the correlation between emotional states and health can’t be denied.
After introducing us to the metaphysics of sickness, the authors give their take on emotional/mind causes to different illnesses organized by body system in the largest section of the book. Their explanation of how each system works and why the cause is “x” when it doesn’t work correctly, has some solid logic behind, based on their own findings. The explanations given are a great self-discovery tool.
What happens after you figure out why you got sick? They argue you just need to “open your eyes” as in change the way you see things. There is nothing to change or improve other than your own vision.
Can you ever heal? Can you ever get the symptoms to disappear? In true law of attraction speech, they declare that accepting the symptom makes it superfluous. Resistance provokes more pressure. The symptom quickly disappears when it becomes indifferent to the patient.
The book was first published in 1983 in German. Some newer illnesses are covered such as A.I.D.s, yet many others are not found. The seeker will have to extrapolate their symptoms to the body system being affected and figure out if the explanations provided make sense or not. Same goes for people with multiple symptoms located in different body parts.
The book is mostly geared towards an individual looking for personal answers. A practitioner of holistic therapies might find it useful to uncover causes underneath the physiology of a client who has lost touch with their emotions.
I read The Healing Power of Illness in eBook format in Spanish.
May 4, 2025
Para mí esto es pseudociencia, cuando un libro empieza a decir que solo ciertas personas le entenderán ya empieza mal.
La frase "el que busca la luz no tiene tiempo para cientifismos, sino que aspira al conocimiento" y muchas otras del libro demeritan la ciencia y el método científico.
El cuento de la polaridad unidad y énfasis en interpretar las cosas, y muchas frases y expresiones deja la idea de que solo los escritores tienen la razón, cuando dicen "para nosotros cada síntoma tiene su significado y no admitimos excepciones" se muestra el radicalismo de los escritores donde la única razón la tienen ellos. Me preocupa que mucha gente lo lea y no haga un estudio claro científico de sus enfermedades
Considero cierto el punto de escuchar el cuerpo, pero de ahí a decir que con esto nos vamos a sanar, me parece falta de sensatez
La frase "el que busca la luz no tiene tiempo para cientifismos, sino que aspira al conocimiento" y muchas otras del libro demeritan la ciencia y el método científico.
El cuento de la polaridad unidad y énfasis en interpretar las cosas, y muchas frases y expresiones deja la idea de que solo los escritores tienen la razón, cuando dicen "para nosotros cada síntoma tiene su significado y no admitimos excepciones" se muestra el radicalismo de los escritores donde la única razón la tienen ellos. Me preocupa que mucha gente lo lea y no haga un estudio claro científico de sus enfermedades
Considero cierto el punto de escuchar el cuerpo, pero de ahí a decir que con esto nos vamos a sanar, me parece falta de sensatez
July 19, 2022
Hope this is allowed here if not I understand. My husband was diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) when he was 63 years old 4 years ago. The Rilutek (riluzole) did very little to help him. The medical team did even less. His decline was rapid and devastating. His arms weakened first, then his hands and legs. He resorted to a wheelchair (Perbombil C300). A year ago, I began to do a lot of research and came across www Health Herbs Clinic com, I decided to start him on the ALS herbal protocol as I had nothing else to turn to; 2 months into treatment he improved dramatically. At the end of the full treatment course, the disease is totally under control. No case of dementia, hallucination, weakness, muscle pain and he is even learning to Walk again. visit healthherbsclinic. com
November 30, 2024
🌟 Revisitando un clásico de los 80s 🌟
Este libro marcó un cambio en cómo entendemos las enfermedades: desde una perspectiva espiritual y de conciencia, más allá de lo material. 🌱
✨ Lo que me encantó:
Nos invita a ver la enfermedad como un síntoma que señala algo más profundo. En lugar de luchar contra los síntomas, propone aceptarlos y buscar la raíz del problema. Una lección que aún desafía la forma en que enfrentamos la salud hoy en día.
⚠️ Lo que menos me gustó:
Después de 40 años, se nota que está desactualizado. La ciencia médica ha avanzado mucho, y algunas ideas necesitan renovarse.
¿Has leído algo similar que combine ciencia y espiritualidad? 🧠🌍 ¡Cuéntamelo en los comentarios!
Este libro marcó un cambio en cómo entendemos las enfermedades: desde una perspectiva espiritual y de conciencia, más allá de lo material. 🌱
✨ Lo que me encantó:
Nos invita a ver la enfermedad como un síntoma que señala algo más profundo. En lugar de luchar contra los síntomas, propone aceptarlos y buscar la raíz del problema. Una lección que aún desafía la forma en que enfrentamos la salud hoy en día.
⚠️ Lo que menos me gustó:
Después de 40 años, se nota que está desactualizado. La ciencia médica ha avanzado mucho, y algunas ideas necesitan renovarse.
¿Has leído algo similar que combine ciencia y espiritualidad? 🧠🌍 ¡Cuéntamelo en los comentarios!
December 24, 2023
Me parece un libro fascinante porque desafía las concepciones convencionales de la enfermedad. Lo que se propone es que cada dolencia física tiene un significado simbólico y emocional subyacente. A través de una perspectiva holística; cómo nuestras emociones y experiencias pueden influir en nuestro estado de salud. Nos dan herramientas prácticas para explorar el significado de nuestras enfermedades. Personalmente considero que esa relación existe y conocer el por que de nuestros padecimientos puede ayudar a sanar a través de entender las emociones que lo causan.
October 28, 2023
„Болестта като път“-Торвалд Детлефсен и д-р Рюдигер Далке
Според авторите не съществува многообразие от болести, които могат да се лекуват, а една единствена болест „нездравето“, проявяваща се в различни болестни картини. Тази болест съпровожда човека през целия му земен път и се увенчава със смъртта. Тя е знак за това, че човекът живее в напрежение, чийто симптоми се отстраняват-ако изобщо е възможно-чрез медикаменти или операция само временно.
Според авторите не съществува многообразие от болести, които могат да се лекуват, а една единствена болест „нездравето“, проявяваща се в различни болестни картини. Тази болест съпровожда човека през целия му земен път и се увенчава със смъртта. Тя е знак за това, че човекът живее в напрежение, чийто симптоми се отстраняват-ако изобщо е възможно-чрез медикаменти или операция само временно.
May 22, 2024
Uno de esos libros que te cambian la manera en que comenzas a mirar a los otros y a uno mismo. Nuestro cuerpo habla de lo que nos está pasando en la mente en cuanto a nuestras emociones...si aprendemos a leer lo que el cuerpo no está avisando, podremos ser más felices...llevarnos mejor con la enfermedad.
September 14, 2024
"Todas as mentiras do mundo são insignificantes quando comparadas com aquela que o ser humano conta a si mesmo ao longo de toda a vida. A sinceridade consigo mesma é uma das exigências mais severas que uma pessoa pode ter. Por essa razão, desde sempre, a tarefa mais árdua e fundamental que aqueles que procuram a verdade alguma vez poderão empreender é a busca do conhecimento de si."
February 13, 2026
Entra para a lista de favoritos da vida.
Super bem escrito, com excelente introdução para ser mais fácil compreender o tema principal (a doença como caminho de desenvolvimento pessoal).
É difícil escrever sobre ele, há muita informação importante, interessante e que será necessário revisitar no futuro.
Super bem escrito, com excelente introdução para ser mais fácil compreender o tema principal (a doença como caminho de desenvolvimento pessoal).
É difícil escrever sobre ele, há muita informação importante, interessante e que será necessário revisitar no futuro.
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