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The Four Levels of Healing: A Guide to Balancing the Spiritual, Mental, Emotional, and Physical Aspects of Life
In this profoundly exciting and challenging time, individuals may find they are involved in a difficult yet fascinating learning process -- both their personal evolution and the evolution of human consciousness. In this book, best-selling author Shakti Gawain describes the four levels of human existence -- spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical -- and explains the importance of developing all four. She also provides the meditations and exercises readers need to begin their own healing journeys.
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
16 people are currently reading
399 people want to read
About the author
Shakti Gawain
116 books359 followersShakti Gawain is an author and proponent of what she calls "personal development". Her books have sold over 10 million copies, according to her website. Gawain's best known book is "Creative Visualization". She has also written "Living in the Light", "Awakening", "Meditations", "The Path of Transformation", "The Four Levels of Healing", "Creating True Prosperity" and "Developing Intuition". She is the co-founder, with Marc Allen, of New World Library Publishing Company and founder of Nataraj Publishing, a division of New World Library.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
April 17, 2018
Really good. Purchased it to keep. This was a borrowed copy.
Some really good meditation exercises.
I am finding some conflicting ideas - (a good thing) from what I have been studying.
Great food for thought.
Would definately recommend
May 16, 2008
When we think of health, or taking care of our health, most of us immediately think about diet and exercise. The physical: things that the doctor can test or measure and give us a prescription or give specific instructions to fix.
As human beings we are far more complex than just the physical. We are more than our bodies. We are our minds, our emotions, and our spirit. Therefore, in order to be truly healthy, we have to look at more than just one aspect. We have to look not only to the physical but also the mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of ourselves.
The Four Levels of Healing is a good place to begin. This book looks at each aspect and describes how it contributes to our overall health. The author also includes some exercises to get the reader started.
As human beings we are far more complex than just the physical. We are more than our bodies. We are our minds, our emotions, and our spirit. Therefore, in order to be truly healthy, we have to look at more than just one aspect. We have to look not only to the physical but also the mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of ourselves.
The Four Levels of Healing is a good place to begin. This book looks at each aspect and describes how it contributes to our overall health. The author also includes some exercises to get the reader started.
February 4, 2024
Another of Shakti Gawain's books that I enjoyed. I think this read would've hit more powerfully in the earlier stages of my healing journey back in 2015/2016, but I still gleaned some helpful reminders from it. And it's so short and easy to digest and read. One of the exercises was useful for our book club (Grow Within Book Club) discussion today, called "Becoming Aware of Your Inner Rules." Basically, looking at beliefs that serve or no longer serve you and how you want to redefine or let go of the ones that no longer serve you.
“Our western culture places great value on ‘doing.’ We are taught that we should be as active, focused, and productive as possible. Most of us feel guilty when we are not engaged in some type of productive activity either physically or mentally. We fear that we are wasting our precious time if we are not obviously accomplishing something tangible.” pg. 15
“Very little value is placed on the experience of simply ‘being.’ It is seen as a lack of something, rather than an important energy in itself. Yet ‘being’ is as important as ‘doing.’ Our lack of understanding of this is the root of many of our greatest problems.
‘Being’ time allows us to rest and recharge. It allows us to take our focus off the outside world and move inward where we can make contact with ourselves. The ability to simply be quiet for awhile is the doorway to our deeper dimensions. It is necessary to enter the realm of being in order to deeply connect with the spirit.” pg. 15
“The mental level of life encompasses our intellect, ideas, beliefs, and basic life philosophy. In order to clear and heal the mental level, we need to become conscious of our thought patterns and underlying belief systems. We need to educate ourselves about other ideas and eventually become able to consciously choose the beliefs, values, and philosophies that make most sense to us and support our conscious evolution.” pg. 27
“For example, if you believe your physical body is inferior to your spiritual self and that it is unworthy of your care or attention, you are holding onto a mental attitude that will cause conflict and lack of well-being in your system. But if you re-educate yourself to understand how important and worthy your physical body is, and you learn to take good care of it, your entire system will feel more balanced and harmonious.” pg. 29
“Remember that the first step in any healing process is always acknowledgment and acceptance of what is true right now. We don’t heal anything by trying to block it out, get rid of it, or pretend it doesn’t exist. We heal it by accepting that it’s there, then becoming aware that there are other possible choices. So, we need to acknowledge and accept our so-called negative thoughts as part of who we are, while at the same time recognizing and developing other perspectives and ideas that give us more expansive possibilities. Again, this takes practice and should be viewed as a long term commitment.” pg. 31-32
“We don’t realize that effective emotional healing will actually free us from dragging that pain around for the rest of our lives.
We live in a culture that has amazingly little understanding of emotion and doesn’t really value the realm of feeling. In fact, most of us are taught, subtly or overtly, to fear our emotions—that feelings are unpredictable, irrational, dangerous, and we should try to keep them firmly under control. We have learned, to one degree or another, to hide and deny our feelings—even from ourselves. We’ve learned to bury most of our feelings deep inside and show the world only what seems safe, which usually isn’t very much of our emotional nature.” pg. 47-48
“Repressing feelings = blocked energy = emotional and physical ailments
Experiencing feelings = free flowing energy = emotional and physical health and well-being” pg. 53
“One of the first steps in healing the emotional level is learning the difference between what we think and what we feel. Often when we are asked, ’How do you feel about this?’ we say something like, ’I think it’s a good idea.’
How you feel about something and what you think about it may be quite different. You might believe on a rational level that something makes sense, yet you may feel unhappy about it.” pg. 53
“No matter how hard parents try—and they all do the best that they can—children inevitably experience some degree of emotional hurt, neglect, and abandonment. Because we’re so vulnerable as children, we are deeply wounded by these experiences and carry them inside us for the rest of our lives, or until we do our conscious emotional healing work.” pg. 55
“Our cultural conditioning tells us that we should be self-sufficient and in control, that it’s shameful and embarrassing to need help. Some of us may feel that we are ‘smart enough to figure it out for ourselves.’ As I stressed before, you cannot think your way out of your emotional wounding. As human beings, we do need support at times. It’s a mark of strength and courage to know when you need assistance and to reach out to appropriate people.” pg. 58
“The truth is, we are born with a natural awareness of our bodies’ needs and feelings, but we’ve learned to tune the body out, either ignoring it or controlling it with our mental ideas about what’s good for it. We’ve lost touch with our sensitivity to what is going on inside us and around us. Many of us are scarcely aware of our bodies at all unless they are in extreme physical distress. The body has to get sick in order to get our attention.” pg. 67
“Some illnesses are here to help someone transition into another plane of existence. Again, we need to be careful about judging ourselves or others for having a serious illness or for any of the results that follow. We need to understand that death can be a legitimate and positive choice, not a failure to heal. Who are we to judge the journey of our own or another person’s soul?” pg. 75
“My personal experience in working with people on deep levels indicates that when someone has a life threatening illness, there is a part of that person that wants to die. Usually, they are completely or mostly unconscious of that part. Generally, they are only aware of the part of them that wants to live. If they can get in touch with the part that wants to die and bring it to conscious awareness, it’s often possible to find out why that choice is being made.
By getting in touch with the parts that want to die and the parts that don’t, it is possible to make the choice a more conscious one. Oftentimes, on a deep level, the person may be feeling that his or her emotional needs are not being met and has given up on life. By consciously discovering this, there is a possibility for a great deal of healing, which may result in an extended life or a more peaceful death. On a spiritual level, the person may feel that they have accomplished what they needed in this life or that they’ll be able to accomplish the next step more effectively on a different plane of existence, or in another physical lifetime.” pg. 76
Book: borrowed from SSF Main Library.
“Our western culture places great value on ‘doing.’ We are taught that we should be as active, focused, and productive as possible. Most of us feel guilty when we are not engaged in some type of productive activity either physically or mentally. We fear that we are wasting our precious time if we are not obviously accomplishing something tangible.” pg. 15
“Very little value is placed on the experience of simply ‘being.’ It is seen as a lack of something, rather than an important energy in itself. Yet ‘being’ is as important as ‘doing.’ Our lack of understanding of this is the root of many of our greatest problems.
‘Being’ time allows us to rest and recharge. It allows us to take our focus off the outside world and move inward where we can make contact with ourselves. The ability to simply be quiet for awhile is the doorway to our deeper dimensions. It is necessary to enter the realm of being in order to deeply connect with the spirit.” pg. 15
“The mental level of life encompasses our intellect, ideas, beliefs, and basic life philosophy. In order to clear and heal the mental level, we need to become conscious of our thought patterns and underlying belief systems. We need to educate ourselves about other ideas and eventually become able to consciously choose the beliefs, values, and philosophies that make most sense to us and support our conscious evolution.” pg. 27
“For example, if you believe your physical body is inferior to your spiritual self and that it is unworthy of your care or attention, you are holding onto a mental attitude that will cause conflict and lack of well-being in your system. But if you re-educate yourself to understand how important and worthy your physical body is, and you learn to take good care of it, your entire system will feel more balanced and harmonious.” pg. 29
“Remember that the first step in any healing process is always acknowledgment and acceptance of what is true right now. We don’t heal anything by trying to block it out, get rid of it, or pretend it doesn’t exist. We heal it by accepting that it’s there, then becoming aware that there are other possible choices. So, we need to acknowledge and accept our so-called negative thoughts as part of who we are, while at the same time recognizing and developing other perspectives and ideas that give us more expansive possibilities. Again, this takes practice and should be viewed as a long term commitment.” pg. 31-32
“We don’t realize that effective emotional healing will actually free us from dragging that pain around for the rest of our lives.
We live in a culture that has amazingly little understanding of emotion and doesn’t really value the realm of feeling. In fact, most of us are taught, subtly or overtly, to fear our emotions—that feelings are unpredictable, irrational, dangerous, and we should try to keep them firmly under control. We have learned, to one degree or another, to hide and deny our feelings—even from ourselves. We’ve learned to bury most of our feelings deep inside and show the world only what seems safe, which usually isn’t very much of our emotional nature.” pg. 47-48
“Repressing feelings = blocked energy = emotional and physical ailments
Experiencing feelings = free flowing energy = emotional and physical health and well-being” pg. 53
“One of the first steps in healing the emotional level is learning the difference between what we think and what we feel. Often when we are asked, ’How do you feel about this?’ we say something like, ’I think it’s a good idea.’
How you feel about something and what you think about it may be quite different. You might believe on a rational level that something makes sense, yet you may feel unhappy about it.” pg. 53
“No matter how hard parents try—and they all do the best that they can—children inevitably experience some degree of emotional hurt, neglect, and abandonment. Because we’re so vulnerable as children, we are deeply wounded by these experiences and carry them inside us for the rest of our lives, or until we do our conscious emotional healing work.” pg. 55
“Our cultural conditioning tells us that we should be self-sufficient and in control, that it’s shameful and embarrassing to need help. Some of us may feel that we are ‘smart enough to figure it out for ourselves.’ As I stressed before, you cannot think your way out of your emotional wounding. As human beings, we do need support at times. It’s a mark of strength and courage to know when you need assistance and to reach out to appropriate people.” pg. 58
“The truth is, we are born with a natural awareness of our bodies’ needs and feelings, but we’ve learned to tune the body out, either ignoring it or controlling it with our mental ideas about what’s good for it. We’ve lost touch with our sensitivity to what is going on inside us and around us. Many of us are scarcely aware of our bodies at all unless they are in extreme physical distress. The body has to get sick in order to get our attention.” pg. 67
“Some illnesses are here to help someone transition into another plane of existence. Again, we need to be careful about judging ourselves or others for having a serious illness or for any of the results that follow. We need to understand that death can be a legitimate and positive choice, not a failure to heal. Who are we to judge the journey of our own or another person’s soul?” pg. 75
“My personal experience in working with people on deep levels indicates that when someone has a life threatening illness, there is a part of that person that wants to die. Usually, they are completely or mostly unconscious of that part. Generally, they are only aware of the part of them that wants to live. If they can get in touch with the part that wants to die and bring it to conscious awareness, it’s often possible to find out why that choice is being made.
By getting in touch with the parts that want to die and the parts that don’t, it is possible to make the choice a more conscious one. Oftentimes, on a deep level, the person may be feeling that his or her emotional needs are not being met and has given up on life. By consciously discovering this, there is a possibility for a great deal of healing, which may result in an extended life or a more peaceful death. On a spiritual level, the person may feel that they have accomplished what they needed in this life or that they’ll be able to accomplish the next step more effectively on a different plane of existence, or in another physical lifetime.” pg. 76
Book: borrowed from SSF Main Library.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2015
This is the fourth of Shakti Gawain's books I've read and each one has etched deeper into my soul and psyche. This one either came to me at the exact moment it was intended or I get it much better than I ever had. It makes much sense that there are four levels of existence and therefore four levels of discovery and healing...the spiritual, the emotional, the intellectual and the physical. I have always had a solid intellectual base, but my development on the other levels has been slower. Gawain emphasized throughout the book a certain perfect level is not the goal - the process is to balance the four levels harmoniously.
October 16, 2015
An inspirational fast read is sometimes just the right message for the right time. Although I tend to combine the mind/emotional levels, but these categories can be understood just the way Gawain explains them. This book filled a need for me when I needed it most.
March 23, 2023
3.25
Sách phù hợp cho các bạn mới bắt đầu tìm hiểu về chữa lành.
4 cấp độ chữa lành được nhắc tới gồm cảm xúc, thể chất, tinh thần và tâm linh. Các chủ đề cũng có liên hệ với nhau, nội dung sách cũng ngắn gọn nên việc đọc cũng sẽ khá dễ dàng.
Sách có phần hướng dẫn chữa lành cho các cấp độ nhưng đa phần là các bài tập thiền, hơi khó để thực tập nếu chưa biết gì về thiền.
Sách phù hợp cho các bạn mới bắt đầu tìm hiểu về chữa lành.
4 cấp độ chữa lành được nhắc tới gồm cảm xúc, thể chất, tinh thần và tâm linh. Các chủ đề cũng có liên hệ với nhau, nội dung sách cũng ngắn gọn nên việc đọc cũng sẽ khá dễ dàng.
Sách có phần hướng dẫn chữa lành cho các cấp độ nhưng đa phần là các bài tập thiền, hơi khó để thực tập nếu chưa biết gì về thiền.
August 5, 2019
easy to read
July 31, 2021
All the Shakti Gawain’s books leave me feeling like I have been spiritually uplifted as well as filled with wisdom
January 7, 2023
Quite enjoyed it and overall liked the book. Quick read and encouraged introspection
October 30, 2023
Maybe not the most exciting thing I've ever read, but it helped give a picture of how to strive for balance in this life on the four different levels.
January 21, 2024
so good! it’s an easy read and beautifully written!
February 13, 2025
A number of helpful hints and tips
November 15, 2011
This is a great "HOW TO" book. A lot of positive thinking books tell you to think positively, but this book actually gives you some meditative exercises to help you get there. A good book for anyone who is trying to figure out what is going on in their own lives.
February 8, 2008
A good short read that really clarifies what it means to accept all aspects of who we are. It also helps correct some common errors in understanding that many of us have.
December 30, 2015
Very easy to follow and apply to real life situations.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews