Grow a New Body

by Alberto Villoldo

This newly revised edition of the Wall Street Journal bestseller One Spirit Medicine offers an accessible guide to an ancient practice for healing and transformation--including new, cutting-edge science, recipes, and a 7-day Grow a New Body meal plan!Using the principles and practices in this book, you can feel better in a few days, begin to clear your mind and heal your brain in a week, and in six weeks be on your way to growing a new body--one that heals rapidly, retains its youthful vitality, and keeps you connected to Spirit, to the earth, and to a renewed sense of purpose in your life.Our minds, our emotions, our relationships, and our bodies are out of kilter. We know it, but we tend to ignore it until something brings us up short--a worrying diagnosis, a broken relationship, or simply an inability to function harmoniously in everyday life. When things are a little off, we read a self-help book. When they're really bad, we bring in oncologists to address cancer, neurologists to repair the brain, psychologists to help us understand our family of origin.This fragmented approach to health is merely a stopgap. To truly heal, we need to return to the original recipe for wellness discovered by shamans millennia ago.Drawing on more than 25 years of experience as a medical anthropologist--as well as his own journey back from the edge of death--acclaimed shamanic teacher Alberto Villoldo shows you how to detoxify the brain and gut with superfoods; use techniques for working with our luminous energy fields to heal your body; and follow the ancient path of the medicine wheel to shed disempowering stories from the past and pave the way for rebirth.

Genres: Health, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Self Help, Personal Development, Medicine, Food

297 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 5, 2015

About the author

By his mid-20s Alberto Villoldo was the youngest clinical professor at San Francisco State University. He was directing his own laboratory, the Biological Self-Regulation Lab, investigating how energy medicine and visualization could change the chemistry of the brain.

One day in his biology laboratory, Alberto realized that his investigation had to get bigger instead of smaller; Alberto needed to find a system larger than the neural networks of the brain. The microscope was the wrong instrument to answer the questions he was asking. Many others were already studying the hardware – Alberto Villoldo wanted to learn to re-program the SYSTEM. Anthropological stories hinted that there were people around the globe who claimed to know such things, including the Inka in Peru, the few remaining “shamans” in today’s modern civilization.

As he did initial research into the Inka, Alberto decided that he needed to personally investigate the roots of the Inka civilization itself to collect the vestiges of a 5,000-year-old energy medicine known for healing through Spirit and light.

A few weeks later, knowing this investigation was not going to be a “part time” pastime or a brief sabbatical for a few weeks’ time, Alberto Villoldo resigned his post at the university.

University colleagues thought Alberto Villoldo was absolutely mad.
Not to be dissuaded, Alberto Villoldo traded his laboratory for a pair of hiking boots and a ticket to the Amazon. He was determined to learn from researchers whose vision had not been confined to the lens of a microscope, from people whose body of knowledge encompassed more than the measurable, material world that Alberto had been taught was the ONLY reality. He wanted to meet the people who sensed the spaces between things and perceived the luminous strands that animate all life.

Scattered throughout the remnants of this ancient Amazonian empire were a number of sages or “Earth Keepers” who remembered the ancient ways. Alberto traveled through countless villages and hamlets and met with scores of medicine men and women. The lack of a written body of knowledge meant that every village had brought its own flavor and style to the healing practices that still survived.

For more than 10 years, Alberto Villoldo trained with the jungle medicine people. Along the way, he discovered that his journey into shamanism had actually been guided by his personal desire to become whole.

In healing his own soul wounds, Alberto Villoldo walked the path of the wounded healer and learned to transform old pain, grief, anger and shame to sources of strength and compassion.
From the Amazon, Alberto Villoldo trekked the coast of Peru, from Nazca, the site of gigantic markings on the desert floor that depict power animals and geometric figures, to the fabled Shimbe lagoons in the north, home to the country’s most renowned sorcerers. Then, in Lake Titicaca – the Sea on Top of the World – Alberto Villoldo collected the stories and healing practices of the people from which, the legends say, the Inka were born.

Through it all, Alberto Villoldo discovered a set of sacred technologies that transform the body, heal the soul, and can change the way we live and the way we die.
These ancient teachings and understandings explain that a Luminous Energy Field (LEF), whose source is located in infinity, surrounds us. The LEF acts as a matrix that maintains the health and vibrancy of the physical body.

Today, Alberto Villoldo is a best-selling author and founder in the world-renowned Institute of Energy Medicine, The Four Winds Society. In all of his teachings and writings, Alberto shares the experience of infinity’s easy ability to heal and transform us, to free us from the temporal chains that keep us fettered to illness, old age and disease.

Over the course of two decades with the shamans in the jungles and high mountains of the Andes, Alberto Villoldo would discover that we are more than flesh and bone, that we are a

Reviews

[Elyse Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

A STRONG 5 stars! This book is packed filled with information - yet to fully experience the benefits (wisdom),-- one must receive "One spirit Medicine" directly. (take the challenge).

Having followed David Permutter, M.D. and Mark Hyman M.D. for years myself, both two highly regarded Functional medicine doctors in western medicine -I was pleased to know Alberto had some connection with them.
As a Kinesiology major at Cal during the 70's -and a life long student of nutrition, my tendency,(bias), has fallen with the belief that science knows more about measuring optimum health - than the 'Divine Entities'. I've never gone to see a Shaman for a healing....and I've never had a fascination with fantasy and myth. I walked out of the first "Star Wars" movie ever made -in Oakland, Calif. years ago--even though my close friend did all the special effects.

When I came to the section in Alberto's book on "Why Mythology"... I went NUTS!!!! Up until this section --I was reading things I understood: diet, supplements, fasting, meditation, omitting gluten, wheat, barley, rice, dairy, and sugars. I understood what he called the Limbic brain (the pleasure seeking part of the brain where obsessions for food, sex, drugs come from, emotional withdrawal, and destructive behaviors).
I understand the importance to eliminate the poisons in the body and upgrade the brain with superfoods and neuro-nutrients. I've experienced feeling free of toxic negative emotions and limiting beliefs during times when my own diet is at its peak-of-clean eating...so 'all was well' with my relationship with "One Spirit Medicine". (I'm agreeing -feeling empowered -inspired),
UNTIL.... I came face to face with MY BEAST! ...
"I have a belief that fantasy and myth can't teach me anything". Its "FANTASY"!!! (GET REAL)!
So imagine how nuts I was when I read this:
"The right side of the neocortex (The HIGHER brain), operates on stories and myths, not FACTS. The success of the TV series like 'Game of Thrones' and films like "The Lord of the Rings", and "Star Wars", and the Harry Potter books attest to the fascination with fantasy and myth.
You can get to your Luminous Energy Brain (LEF), ---[the neo-cortex: or the NEW BRAIN --which allows us to learn -create, envision new futures, make new plans, and is programmed for beauty]...that surrounds the physical body when you let go of the familial and cultural stories and constricted experience of life. You can then adopt a new more encompassing mythology that supports your ability to dream a new body and a new world into being".

OMG, After I read the ABOVE...***18*** times --I ran outside to my husband who was feeding our worms and read it to him (while crying and upset). "I don't have a "HIGHER BRAIN".
"I don't even know how to get one, I don't dream".
I haven't watched ANY of those shows --I have never read a Harry Potter book...
It physically HURTS my brain just the thought of having to sit through a fantasy or science fiction film.
For the first time in my life --I saw that 'maybe' it was ME. I've had a lifetime belief that dreaming was for other people. As a small child in my family (Jewish with my dad having died when I was 4), my mother taught me 'not-to-dream'. I believed her. I made 'peace' with "we don't dream in our family", at a very young age.
By making 'peace' with "I don't dream", I also limited myself -BIG TIME. I see it!

I've no idea 'WHY NOW'....but I feel 'safe', (safer), opening myself up to the possibility of exploring more with mythology....and letting go of old stories and old beliefs. I'd even consider working with a Shaman --('big' change for me).... If I had the chance to go on a Vision Quest with Alberto Villoldo, I'd go!

Since my husbands accident last Nov. --I can't deny I've been sliding physically-mentally and emotionally. I'm not depressed --but I'm not living a life with outrageous vitality either.

However --in just three days of reading this book --(very engaged),
...I returned to juicing first thing in the morning. My green drink is back: (organic black kale, green kale, collard greens, green leafy lettuce, curly parsley, green chard, dandlelion greens, and an apple). Two or three hours later --I eat breakfast with protein.

Its my intention to follow an anti-inflammatory diet of organic foods with lots of cruciferous vegetables (most of the time), open to collaborate with others, and embrace a "new mythology"! And watch "Game of Thrones". (maybe it won't kill me)...lol

Also: At the end of this book, the author mentions a wonderful website (I've joined):

Louise Hay: www.HealYourLife.com

Thank you Hay House, NetGalley, and Alberto Villolodo! Thank you for the invaluable gift!

[Reading Cat · Rating 2 out of 5]

I eagerly anticipated this book...to my peril. Seems like Villoldo has decided to round up literally EVERY SINGLE ONE of the current nutrition trends and now try to tell us that this is how MesoAmerican shamans ate. It's literally all here. Keto? Yup. Intermittent fasting? Uh huh. Gluten free and dairy free? You bet. Plant based? YOU KNOW IT.

In fact, he argues that meat is basically bad for you. Uh, my Native American ancestors were hunters and fishers. I'm...not buying that they were less spiritual because they ate fish daily.

I'm not saying he's wrong. I'm just saying that he's sold out almost ALL his credibility with me by hopping on the latest trends. If he'd written this book 5 years ago, it would have been paleo. Ten years ago, NO CARB. You see?

The part that aggravated me the most is I've read almost all of his books, yet I never heard that particular anecdote he whips out at the beginning where he was literally at deaths' door for MONTHS until shamans came and changed his diet.

Others have rightly critiqued the book for also selling out in other ways. The supplements he promotes are rather pricey, and he doesn't issue any warnings! I'll be honest, I tried the vitamin regimen for two weeks, and then I just got sick of being nauseous all the time. Turns out, if you eat actual food, and then you take Zinc (a supplement he insists is essential), you can get zinc toxicity! It's quite common for people to take zinc and feel nauseous and hey, it ain't detox. It's an adverse reaction. Yet no warning in this book about it at all.

No thanks, I'll hang onto my Wahl's Protocol diet. And I'll think thrice before buying his next book. This was a sell out.

[Eerika · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very inspirational! I started already. For me it is the day 4 of preparing for the grow a new body program. It is great how this book combines physical, mental and spiritual aspects. The following text is about the diet because that's where I've started.

This book was a bit exhausting to read because of all the scientific proofing. Also the instructions are scattered in the different chapters. It could be a good idea to make notes while reading. I've been jumping between some of the chapters to make sure I understand what I should do. There is a great advice scattered in the chapters. After I succeed with the diet I'm going to study more closely the medicine wheel instructions. Some practices described in this book I already have in my daily routine.

The diet sections had couple of contradictions. The nightshade plants where instructed to avoid at least during the preparation period, but some of the recipes included tomatoes. It might be that I'm confusing the guidance for different phases of the diet. And there was instructions to make fermented rice, but also rice was instructed to be avoided.

I made conclusion that the preparation diet is a ketogenic vegetarian diet. The grow a new body phase is same including more super foods and super healing supplements for short period only. And after the program the diet is ketogenic with meat, fish and eggs if wanted.

There is the section "What to Except" of the grow a new body program. Based on my four days I already experience detox symptoms described in that chapter and I've only started the preparations. That probably depends on how big of a change the preparation diet is for you. A ketogenic vegan diet with intermittent fasting for 18 hours every day is a huge change for me. I've included for my personal plan also tips from other sources how to minimize the keto flu. I could have planned even better if looking for recipes first (e.g. what is seasonal now in Finland) and sorting how I have to change my schedule to be home early enough to cook and eat before 6 pm and preparing food advance to make it easier and save time.

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read on Melanie's recommendation in regards to specific discussion around autoimmunity. Overall it was a nice introduction to shamanism and discussion around eating for brain health/optimization. I already follow many of the dietary recommendations, but was interested to read about intermittent fasting. I am iffy here and there with Hay House authors and I wish the book would have dedicated more pages to discussion around the "Vision Quest," rather than the last few chapters. I enjoyed his specific patient examples. The book includes solid but basic information around epigenetics and neuroplasticity, as well as the value of enzymes, amino acids, and plant-based eating. There are a few Easter eggs about specific gene variations to watch out for (which was particularly interesting to me because I could dip into raw data of my genome and see what I had). Personally I am obsessed with learning about the vagus nerve, especially re: gastrointestinal disease patterns, so I enjoyed that aspect of the book. The author also discusses Judeo-Christian mythology, where this falls into the collective consciousness, and how that affects our limbic mindset and how we act/react. Not sure I will read this author again but I will keep the book for reference. I plan to test the waters with "no sugars 6pm to noon."

[Pretentia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is about what you might expect. A mixture of "what is wrong with you is what you are eating" and "what if you did mysticism about it". Some of this is sound - sugar is bad for you. Our society eats too much meat and simple carbs. We live in fear, we don't connect with others or ourselves enough. The ideas of being careful what we are doing with our bodies and resetting our minds are great. The author loses me at describing fasting, low carb diet and vision quests as curing mental illness, learning disabilities, cancers, and aging. Is coconut oil good for your brain? probably! Is it going to replace your ssris? probably not, and it feels dangerous to promise that. Especially paired with mysticism, where your results are tied to how well you are performing ideas.

[Sylvie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting perspective on why and how we can "clean" our bodies to heal and "grow" a new, better, healthier body. I'm going to go through the preparation, the 10 days de-detoxifying process and the 3 day fasting period to see how this improves the health of the body. Everything he is saying in the book makes sense and it could be an excellent program. But before I declare it is what he means, I need to try it for myself.

[Margot · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book annoyed me greatly… I’m giving it 3 stars, but still hesitating if it should be 2… (I’m not used to being very harsh in my reviews). 3 is because there’s some inspiration there & for the acknowledgment how spiritual practice if often integral to our physical healing.
Because of that I really wanted to like this book. & because of all the promises he makes. Alas, even though some advice may be helpful, it’s mixed up with a lot that I know already isn’t true, or at least not true for all people… which makes it harder to trust the rest.
There’s a lot of faulty logic there, especially using the evolutionary arguments for how we supposedly should eat. I’d much rather those claims were justified with more contemporary evidence from studies, rather than drawing conclusions & making sweeping statements without enough evidence. And some stuff he writes about bacteria seems purely contradictory (maybe it’s accurate, he just hasn’t explained it well - I don’t know, but again there are no studies mentioned in the book that could help prove or elaborate what he’s writing).

[Thelma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book to start a new body and life!! I really recommend this book for anyone who needs to reboot their health and is looking to go beyond the typical nutritional programs.. This book goes deeper to the causes that are bringing you down.
a new way to eat, great vitamin and supplements suggestions and many more.. love Alberto Villoldos work and Grow a new body was not the exception.. looking forward to continuing learning and reading more from Dr. Alberto.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

although I will not be doing the suggested "treatment", I think this book will make you think differently of how you eat. I have made beneficial changes in my own diet and will keep considering options moving forward.
I have not tried any on the supplements, but may one day. For now, the positive changes are were I will keep focus.

[Noah Letner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, I ususally can't finish one of his books. Good practical health information that I will try, followed by his typical shaman stuff, but been there done that, no thanks.

[Poppy Villavicencio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great program. Felt amazing when complete. Will definitely do it again. Hard. I planned a lot of time around doing it and it took a lot of effort to complete. Totally worth it.

[Liana Ajrapetova · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book I was so excited to read, and honestly it did change my life with the way I focus on my body and health. An inspiring story of the author’s personal experience and research behind it, it’s a book I love to pick up every now and then when I feel my body needs a reboot. Everything to know about what to consume , and how it effects us, is perfectly described in this book.

[Neo Polaris · Rating 1 out of 5]

GROW A NEW BODY THAT CREATES A DEMON


Like the wicked witch you created.

(respond, author person, and have a good conversation with me in my responses to the spam emails you gave me... "wisdom". a WISE person would respond)

[Baroness · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tickles, Sprinkles. This book has a lot of information. Some of it tickled me and like sprinkles I only apply what appeals to me.

[Yusuf Cem · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first truly holistic, post-postmodern take on health I’ve come across and I loved it.

[Cailin O'Connor]

Making a nutritional shift is fully laid out here with research and nutritional information that makes sense. List of supplements is magical - things that need to go together and things you never heard of that work wonders when combined all together.

Stopping sugar sweets, cake, cookies and candybars was most difficult and starchy foods impossible to overcome until I followed this program with the S. Boulardii. It changed my life for renewed energy and needing a lot less food. Sugar is toxic and there are zero cravings for it after this nutritional reprogramming.

Another benefit is high frequency results for accessing higher dimensions.

[Daniela · Rating 2 out of 5]

Helaas niet wat het boek beloofd: het verandert je leven niet. Hij is een voorstander van het ketose-dieet, waarbij je lichaam zich ontdoet van gifstoffen. Voor veel mensen is het al lastig om een zak chips te laten staan, maar als je dan ook nog in een gezond dieet volgens hem in principe alleen maar biologische groenten mag eten, is dit een best kansloze missie. Zelf een schimmel kweken, veel vetten en groente, geen eiwitten… er blijft weinig over. Weinig onderbouwd door studies of echte wetenschap, maar het belangrijkste is dat het niet vol te houden is in deze maatschappij. Erg storend dat hij zich constant zelf tegenspreekt: eet liever geen wortels, daarna geeft een smoothierecept dat je elke dag zou moeten nuttigen als ontbijt, met, je raad het al: wortels. Bovendien is de lijst achterin met eetbare groenten ook erg kort, misschien kennen ze in Amerika niet zoveel groentesoorten…
Tot slot praat hij erg langdradige over de spirituele kant van genezing, maar de handvatten zijn daarvoor niet voldoende.

[Gloria Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Already healing body & mind

I have not been healthy for 18 years -since coming to the US and adopting the Standard American Diet (SAD).
Diabetic & overweight with digestive issues, unable to heal with prescription drugs and self prescribed menagerie of supplements, I barely manage to function at work and have no energy left to live life.
Then about 4 weeks ago I found this book by Alberto Villoldo. I have read and love some of his books, but this one immediately filled me with hope for healing and literally growing a new body. I am in the process of changing my diet, doing intermittent fasting, restricting sugars, carbs, animal proteins and eating lots of leafy greens. It starts to work immediately. I feel empowered to heal myself, am sharing this vital info, encoraging everyone who would listen to get this book, and will share an update once I complete the Grow A New Body program!

[Amanda White · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a combination of healthy diet recommendations and spiritualism. I enjoyed the new (to me) information about reconnecting and healing through Shamanism techniques and ideas from other philosophies. The diet recommended is primarily a plant based one and is similar to my current diet, so I felt a bit ahead of the curve in that area. As the book goes on, however, I started feeling a bit overwhelmed. The list of supplements was expensive and the author left out potential interactions for common medications or other overdose prevention that was likely needed. I also don’t see myself ever venturing out in the wilderness for three days by myself while only drinking water. In the end, I think I will use some parts of this book that are most realistic for my life and needs.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really took my time reading this book. It's filled with so much wonderful information. I was doing my own research on some of the supplements while I read it. I do take most of the supplements now. I am almost through 3 weeks of eating more naturally whole foods and taking supplements. Everyone around saw a difference in my weight and the glow of my skin within the first week. What a difference! Our minds, bodies and souls definitely need equal attention. I'm so thankful for this book and for Dr. Villoldo's words of wisdom. You won't be disappointed!

[Rachel Mowat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book brought together so much information I've been trying to process in the past year. It was easy to read. I soaked it all up like a sponge. I can't wait to use some of the tools in the book in my own life. Maybe, even a vision quest may be part of my future?

[Evelyn Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Timely knowledge.

Mind opening information on re-wiring and re-programming the brain. Finally, there is a way out of "limbo life" and into conscious awakening through food, meditation and nature.

[Lenny A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a good read for the info about nutrition and brain health. The last chapters about ancient warriors and the Buddha are kind of meh... maybe just for me because I knew this info already. Overall good though.

[Neo Polaris · Rating 1 out of 5]

One Demon POISON: Un-Ancient Ways to Ultimate Sickness


A more honest book title 👍



(have an actual convo with me in my email, Alberto Villoldo)


You created a wicked witch, by a m̶a̶n̶ warlock. Respond and have a good (great?) convo with me.

"_ Alex" email.

[Elizabeth Drake]

Didn't get much out of it. It mostly felt like unsubstantiated fluff.

[Massera · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of those books I picked up on a whim because I liked the title. Reading Grow a New Body by Alberto Villoldo felt less like consuming a book and more like being invited into a long, quiet conversation with my own assumptions about healing, aging, and responsibility to self. I approached it with curiosity but also skepticism, having seen many wellness narratives promise transformation while quietly placing blame on the individual when change doesn’t come. What surprised me was how Villoldo’s work continually asked me to slow down rather than strive harder.

The central premise is that we are not condemned to biological decline and that regeneration is possible through shifts in consciousness, nutrition, and energetic alignment. This initially may feel ambitious, even bordering on fantastical in the eyes of others but it is possible.

Yet as I moved through the chapters, I noticed that Villoldo wasn’t pushing immortality or perfection (luckily! I mean who wants to live forever right?). Instead, he was reframing aging as an active, participatory process rather than a passive sentence, that distinction mattered to me as someone who actively strives for a healthy lifestyle.

What resonated most was the idea that the body is not merely a machine to be repaired, but a living field of information that responds to belief, environment, and intention. Villoldo’s integration of shamanic traditions with modern biology challenged the tendency to separate “scientific” from “spiritual.” I found myself reflecting on how often many of us privilege data over intuition, even when my own experience suggests they are inseparable. When I felt some of my hair strands falling, it was my intuition that prompted me to run a blood test (to find out that I was on the verge of a low iron!)

At the same time, the book forced me to confront my impatience. Villoldo emphasizes ritual, discipline, and listening. These are concepts that sound appealing but require a kind of devotion I don’t always practice. His morning practices, dietary resets, and visualization techniques exposed how frequently I look for shortcuts to well-being. The book didn’t shame that impulse, but it did hold up a mirror.

I was particularly pleased by the notion of “stories stored in the body.” This idea that trauma, belief, and identity lodge themselves in our cells, felt uncomfortably accurate. This was not a new knowledge to me but it was a reassurance of my own convictions. It made me reflect on how much of my physical tension may not be physical at all, but inherited narratives I’ve never questioned. In that sense, this book became more about understanding my personal archaeology.

That said, I didn’t accept everything uncritically. Some claims stretch beyond what I’m ready to fully endorse, and the blending of quantum language with biology occasionally felt more poetic than precise. Yet I realized that my discomfort often arose not from factual disagreement, but from the vulnerability the book demanded. To believe we can regenerate also means accepting responsibility for the ways we stagnate.

I finished the book less concerned with whether I could “grow a new body” and more interested in whether I could cultivate a new way of listening to the one I already have.

In that sense, the book succeeded. It didn’t promise certainty. It invited participation. And that invitation has lingered with me longer than any protocol ever could.

[Zane Eniņa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Samērā laba self-help grāmata. Neēst cukuru un kviešu produktus mūsdienu pasaulē, kur uzvaras gājienā soļo sirdsslimības un 2. tipa diabēts, ir vērtīgs ieteikums; protams, jājautā, cik daudzi to izlasa un cik patiešām seko šim ieteikumam. Interesanti šķita sengrieķu, kristiešu, austrumnieku un indiāņu tradīciju ievijumi, personības traumu veidošanās izskaidrojumi, bet mulsinošs – ieteikums lietot tik daudz dažādu uztura bagātinātāju.
Šo grāmatu izlasīju pēc Aināra Ērgļa visai iedvesmojošā ieraksta FB; ielieku fragmentu arī te:
"Pirms vairākiem gadiem no kāda nejauši satikta cilvēka pirmo reizi izdzirdot par Alberto Villoldo un viņa grāmatu "Grow a New Body", pierakstīju grāmatas nosaukumu, nopirku Kindle versiju un aizmirsu uz sešiem mēnešiem.
Tad pienāca diena, kad grāmata par sevi atgādināja. Sāku to lasīt. Vienreiz. Otreiz. No sākuma uz beigām. No beigām uz sākumu. No vidus uz abām pusēm. Piepirku klāt audioversiju un sāku klausīties, vienlaikus lasot.
Grāmata nav vienkārši "lasāmgrāmata", kārtējās diētas mācība vai īsa pamācība kā kļūt mūžīgi jaunam, skaistam un laimīgam. Grāmata ir izaicinājums, kas, ja to pieņem, aicina doties ceļojumā, pārbaudot visu, ko "cilvēks parastais" zina par savu ķermeni, apziņu un apkārtējo pasauli. Ceļojuma mērķis- ne vairāk, ne mazāk kā sasniegt stāvokli, ko angļu valodā dēvē par ONENESS.
Ceļojums sākas ar fiziskā ķermeņa izprašanu, mainot ēšanas paradumus un sākot lietot uztura bagātinātājus, kas iedarbina ķermeņa atjaunošanās spējas. Nemierīgā ķermenī nevar iemājot mierīgs prāts.
Sākot sajust pārmaiņas ķermenī (enerģijas pieplūdums, jā, arī ārēji viegli pamanāmas fiziskas pārmaiņas kā svara zaudēšana), tādas pašas pārmaiņas sāk sajust arī prāts - atmiņas uzlabošanās, spēja koncentrēties, viss, kas šķita zudis, nāk atpakaļ jaunā jaudā.
Nākamais posms pēc fiziskā ķermeņa ir mentālais ķermenis, jo ar skaidrāku prātu kļūst iespējams pašam sākt strādāt ar savām emocijām un psihi, izmantojot tūkstošiem gadu senas zināšanas, ko atstājušas Dienvidamerikas ciltis un senās Austrumu mācības.
Tālāk ceļojums ved uz to teritoriju, kur robežas izzūd, un kļūst skaidrs, ka no kvantu fizikas labi zināmais "viss ir enerģija", ir absolūti reāli sajūtams arī katram pašam, ja vien šis katrs pats to vēlas.
Par šo gan nav sevišķas jēgas neko verbalizēt, jo, kā skaisti pateicis Direct Path virziena viens no spilgtākajiem pārstāvjiem Rupert Spira - vienīgā Patiesība ir Klusums, jebkuri vārdi jau ir meli."

[Pamela Hanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found Alberto Villoldo’s perspective on how the body holds and responds to stress both intriguing and illuminating. What I appreciated most was that he didn’t stop at theory — he offered practical ways to begin releasing disease and imbalance from the body.

One story in particular stayed with me. While learning from the shamans, Villoldo was told that he was “accumulating slices of the wrong pie.” They explained that the Western world relentlessly pursues the pie that promises more money, while neglecting what they called the great pie — the pie of wisdom and generosity. And, they said, there are plenty of slices of that pie to go around.

That insight landed deeply for me. It brought me right back to the themes of scarcity and the love of money — and how often our culture chases the wrong rewards. What a loss, and what a shame, that this is the direction so much of the world seems to be moving toward.

This book is a powerful reminder that healing isn’t just physical. It’s deeply connected to what we value, what we pursue, and where we place our trust. This book met me where I was and offered words I didn’t yet have.

[Caroline Ruderman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a little outdated, even 5 years from publication. I only know this because I'm doing the detox from the book (which I love) and the supplement protocol is a little different from his online classes. Some of the recipes have also been updated.

This book also loses one star because it has one of the worst smoothie recipes I've ever had. Do not tell me to put celery into a smoothie, kind sir.

The other star is lost only because when detailing the food list of what's in, Villoldo only has a short chart on yes foods and no foods. A lot of the book details how the supplements help the gut and brain.

Very interesting overall. Lots of info on the mechanics of how the body works, with diet and nutrition. I'm 1.5 weeks into the detox and loving how I'm feeling. Lost 5 from cutting sugar and carbs.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! While I don't necessarily agree with or follow all of Dr. Villoldo's methods, I understand the mechanics behind his suggestions (for example, vegetarian for lowering mTOR.. though one can also achieve lower mTOR as a meat eater by simply consuming a better amino acid balance- just add glycine to your diet). There are always different theories and it is fascinating to read these as well.

I personally followed the ferment instructions for S. boulardii, and found wonderful relief from a gut imbalance likely caused by antibiotics. I had never had these imbalance issues so clearly before, and have shared the fermentation instructions with many others. I'll be referencing this book for years to come in combination with many others.