I knew it wasn't going to be good when the prologue had me wincing.

"Illness arises from a weakened heart and mind."

What? No. It was not a weakened heart or mind that destroyed my health. It was a bacterial infection courtesy of Lyme disease. I also did not like the implication that "many" people are getting cancer from mental stress. The are MANY factors that can cause cancer (genetics, lifestyle choices, etc.). And is there really a sub section named "cancer can be cured through forgiveness?"

It also suggests that people have chosen to wear glasses and that we're capable of improving our own vision. If that's the case, I would definitely not be spending decent amount of money on contacts.

Rarely does reading something make me this irritated. Please don't read this. It's pretty much rooted in nonsense and completely unhelpful. I'd give it zero stars if I could.

The publisher provided me with the opportunity to read this in exchange for providing feedback. (via NetGalley)

I had high hopes for this book, but I found it contradictory, belittling and insulting. To say that if parents have a sick child it is because the parents have "bad spirits" and the child will not get well until the parents "right their minds" is plain insulting.

The author would frequently state one thing in a chapter and then in another say something totally contradictory. After saying "evil spirits" and a

"weak mind" are the cause of almost every ailment known to mankind, in one of the final chapters the author states that environmental toxins and poor diet cause most disease. I agreed with the author on his last assessment, but 99% of this book is just one person's warped belief, in my opinion.

Regarding Happy Science, the author's organization, Wikipedia says it "is a controversial new religious and spiritual movement, founded in Japan on 6 October 1986 by Ryuho Okawa, that is widely criticized as a cult."

I would not reccomend this book to anyone. The message it gives out is that if you are sick you have done it to yourself either in this life or in another. It's a dangerous message.

Form without substance characterizes this book unfortunately. It promises a lot but fails to deliver. It looks like a marketing tool.

Felt like all repeated information. Nothing new to an experienced reader. Good choice though for those just starting out.

Healing From Within is meant to be a book that connects a spiritual mindset with healing. It is based on this premise, that I read this book with an open mind, but it will also mean that my review is influenced by my own spiritual belief system.

As a Pagan, I am very open-minded about non-traditional beliefs, the potential of the power of our minds, and the potential and power of magick. So it is very rare, that I am completely stunned by a book because of its abandoning of any scientifically proven standards of how life works. Healing From Within made me shake my head in disbelief, and question the Author deeply, because of its potentially dangerous implications.

Simply put, Healing From Within is New Age thinking on steroids, while mentioning God, but not in a Christian or traditional way. It claims that everything that happens to you – health related – is based on the mind and body connection. No expectations.

In more than 90 percent of cases, those who fall ill have caused the illness themselves – Healing From Within

Again, I do believe that mind and body affect each other greatly, and in the power of the mind can heal – to an extent. However, the Author claims that cancer is caused by non-forgiveness, and then claims that forgiveness is its cure. What about genetics, environmental exposures, and viruses? These cause cancers too, but the difference is, that these facts don’t blame the victim of cancer like his opinion does.

And that is where the danger of this book lies in. It blatantly blames the patient for any health problems. It is based on the notion that – if you are sick you are doing something wrong in this life or your last one., or the one before that. There must be a reason or cause of your own making somewhere because if you were a spiritually sound person who invests in his/her health, illness would not be present.

Wrong.

Despite the fact, that I do believe – and I am not the only one – that our mind, via stress, and negative thinking – greatly affects our physical well-being, it does not allow us to forget that bacteria, viruses, genetics, and the environment can not be explained away and are a huge factor on our health. If we take out those factors and put all of the solutions on healthy eating and mindful living, then if there is illness, we are essentially blaming the person who is sick of being ill.


Yes, there are good points made in this book, but they are drowned out by that main message. The good points are, in my opinion, the following

Pointing out the emotional and physical toll that dieting has on a person.
That it is unwise to not invest in our health – before and above all else because our stinginess will eventually make us pay in the long run.

Where it gets even more dangerous, and where I started to disregard this book as having any merit, is the claim that organ transplants have produced many “cursing” unhappy spirits in this world. Seriously? I am a practicing Witch, and I find that absolutely crazy for the Author to even hint or suggest that. How dare him to disregard something that has saved the lives of so many people! We are, despite the acceptance of the need for organ donation, short on needed organs, and he dares to tell people that this is potentially bad?

I highly suggest that you should not read this book, and do not financially support this type of message, no matter what your background or faith, due to its dangerous messages.

This book review was posted on my book blog http://withinthepagesofabook.com/book-review-healing-from-within-by-ryuho-okawa-a-book-with-potentially-dangerous-implications/

Excellent reading and i now read everyday will be recommending to friends

I'm far more science-minded and not the right audience for this book. However, I believe there is some truth in what Okawa says. If you can find forgiveness not only for others who have wronged you but for yourself as well, you can heal in a sense. It might not cure cancer but healing the soul might be the one instance where it is more powerful than a cure.

I'm afraid this book wasn't for me. There were some eastern ways of cultural thinking that the author speaks about that just go against my western roots. There are bits of the book that are common sense advice but I didn't finish it as the way of thinking was just too different culturally for me.

Great inspiring book. I think this book will open a lot of peoples eyes.

Healing from Within was a bland attempt at explaining the mind body connection. It’s a difficult topic to tackle considering the forerunner of this topic is none other than Louise Hay whose underlying metaphysical causes of disease has captured the hearts and minds of many. My biggest contention with this book was the discussions of the mind body connection in general. Nothing new was introduced here, nothing that the readers of this book wouldn’t already know, for instance we all know stress causes disease. But Mr. Okawa’s advice of spending money to manage one’s health is contradictory to his other messages of not allowing work and our busy lives to consume us. How can one spend money on managing their health if that requires slaving away at work to earn that very money that is one answer to combating their stress? The book took a turn when evil spirits were introduced as a culprit to disease. I appreciate Mr. Okawa’s religious and cultural background, but to imply that evil spirits seek out those with eating disorders is a little ridiculous, even for those of us who are more metaphysically inclined. If an analogy was made between evil spirits and state of mind, then perhaps this book could have gone in a different direction, where a comparison of different socio-cultural viewpoints of disease could have been introduced. Unlike Louise Hay who looked to our actual state of minds and feelings as the harbingers of disease, I was disappointed that Mr. Okawa did not focus more on the mind itself. His explanation is that the when the mind is suffering from depression or other ailments, this draws negative spirits to the individual, inciting disease. There seems to be a disconnect with his thesis of the mind body connection and what his book actually discussed. I am sure many people will appreciate this perspective, but I just wish he took everything a little further. I enjoyed his brief sections on Death and the Disabled, but it did not go anywhere. Infusing this book with more focus on the mind and our emotions as opposed to demons would save this work from turning into a weak, boring, and at times ridiculous exploration of healing.