Energy Psychology

3 reviews for Energy Psychology

1. Dawson Church –

   Click here to read Review of Energy Psychology book in PsycCritiques (2010). (PDF)

2. March 22, 2010, By T. Rogers “President, Qigong Institiute” (Los Altos, CA USA) –

   “Energy Psychology is a must read for anyone interested in a career in psychology, psychotherapy, cognitive science, or in a health-care related field. Although it’s like taking a graduate level course in energy medicine and energy psychology in terms of the depth and breadth of the information presented, it’s still approachable even if you are not familiar with the field.

   In a society whose medical paradigm is disease oriented and whose medical system gets involved once disease happens and then only treats symptoms, Mayer’s book presents a timely alternative. He has been a pioneer in promoting the incorporation of energy medicine into psychology and psychotherapy. Mayer is bringing the body and the healing power of the energy of life that has been a fundamental part of virtually every indigenous culture back into a field that has over-emphasized the mind. Mainstream western medical practitioners are just now beginning to catch up. He describes sacred wisdom traditions and profound ancient healing and wellness techniques; discusses what is so effective about them; and describes how he has successfully integrated them into his psychotherapeutic practice. One major byproduct of this integration is that he’s figured out a natural way to heal psychological conditions with fewer drugs, or no drugs. This fact alone should make the western medical community take notice.

   Mayer convincingly challenges the accepted modern origins of psychology. He relates energy metaphors to physiology. These are not new-Age ideas. They are medical fact. The bio-physiology behind energy medicine is well known and documented. He connects psychology to ancient sacred wisdom traditions that were based upon energy healing where the emphasis is restoring equilibrium to the entire system instead of curing disease. Jung provided the basis for this by defining an energy-oriented approach to symbols (he defined archetypes as “energy potential” where symbols can initiate healing energy). Mayer explains how energy psychotherapy works for common physical and mental health conditions including insomnia, addictions, anxiety disorders, through case studies. He also cautions that ‘quick fixes’ of relaxation modalities may not get to the deeper underlying psychodynamic issues that need to be addressed.

   The human body is not a thing or mechanism. It is overlapping fields of energy that constitute our substance and consciousness. Our interaction with that information field is what Mayer is able to tap into and affect through ancient practices married with modern healthcare and Qigong. This is called Integrative Medicine. If the 20th Century was the era of intervention medicine, then the 21st Century is the time of integrative medicine. The western medical profession has not been receptive to holistic healing methods, but that attitude is changing due to the realization that psycho pharmaceuticals are often not effective over time, pharmaceuticals dis-empower people regarding their own self-healing
   capabilities, and medication may relieve systems but not address deeper underlying issues. Integrative medicine takes a new look at how to heal. As Mayer explains, it treats the cause of disease and not the symptoms. It looks at the problem energetically, not bio-chemically.

   In addition to psychotherapy, Mayer provides a wonderful introduction to a number of topics: Qigong, Tai Chi, Energy Medicine, Integrative Medicine, and ancient healing and wellness traditions. You can read the book to get a fundamental understanding of Qigong and self-healing practices and then you can learn the 20-minute session to actually experience it for yourself. The book can be, Mayer says, “an essential tool to activate [your] inner process of change”. This process of change has been referred to as spiritual awareness.

   Ultimately, the book’s main message is simple: Self-healing methods from a combination of Qigong, Western psychology, and ancient wisdom traditions can treat common ailments, chronic conditions, and transmute long-standing psychological patterns in order to not just live longer, but to live a more vital life. Energy Psychology is a wonderfully detailed book filled with insights borne of decades of working with energy in clinical and teaching settings. It takes some time to digest. I can’t say enough good things about it and thoroughly enjoyed it. I use it as a reference guide and highly recommend it.”

3. David Z. Weinstein, MA, counseling psychology – co-author of the film, “Big Trouble in Little China.” –

   A book like this only appears once in a generation. Energy psychology is a self-help book in the highest sense of the term. If you are interested in fundamental healing from a range of physical ailments, perhaps even ‘chronic,’ or how to approach psychological issues in an effective and lasting manner, Dr. Mayer gives you the keys in this accessible, well-written book based on the most up-to-date research as well as several decades as a practitioner of psychology and the ancient art of qigong. Energy Psychology is a treasure trove for those seeking to understand the nature of health and healing as the author clearly explains how the new paradigm of energy medicine, the medicine of the 21st century in the West, meets, like two rivers becoming one, the perennial healing traditions of the East, most notably Taoist Qigong. From this confluence of ancient wisdom traditions and cutting-edge science, a wide range of traditional psychology, energy psychology, Gendlin’s focusing, Dr. Mayer has fashioned Bodymind Healing Psychotherapy and Qigong that addresses the healing and transformation of the body, mind, psyche and spirit in a way I believe is unique in its depth and comprehensiveness in all the current literature available on the market today.

   If you are a healthcare practitioner, a psychotherapist or simply looking to find a path to health and healing, I believe this book is not only indispensable, it will be a pleasure to read and dip into for as long it is on your bookshelf. If you are simply looking for a twenty-minute Qigong daily routine for balance and vitality or looking to find and anchor your life stance and to activate your primordial self to deal with and transform core life issues, this book it for you. If you are looking for non-invasive, natural healing from issues such as joint problems, fibromyalgia, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome or psychological issues such as depression, poor self esteem, anxiety or panic disorder by activating your own inner healing energy and potential, this book is for you. If you are looking for a holistic, integrative healing method that not only is a rich tool-kit for self care but is simultaneously a path to greater awareness, growth and transformation as a human being, this book is for you.