Product Description

A cutting-edge examination of feelings, not thoughts, as the gateway to understanding consciousness

• Contends that emotion is the greatest influence on personality development

• Offers a new perspective on immunity, stress, and psychosomatic conditions

• Explains how emotion is key to understanding out-of-body experience, apparitions, and other anomalous perceptions

Contemporary science holds that the brain rules the body and generates all our feelings and perceptions. Michael Jawer and Dr. Marc Micozzi disagree. They contend that it is our feelings that underlie our conscious selves and determine what we think and how we conduct our lives.

The less consciousness we have of our emotional being, the more physical disturbances we are likely to have--from ailments such as migraines, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, and post-traumatic stress to anomalous perceptions such as apparitions and involuntary out-of-body experiences. Using the latest scientific research on immunity, sensation, stress, cognition, and emotional expression, the authors demonstrate that the way we process our feelings provides a key to who is most likely to experience these phenomena and why. They explain that emotion is a portal into the world of extraordinary perception, and they provide the studies that validate the science behind telepathic dreams, poltergeists, and ESP. The Spiritual Anatomy of Emotion challenges the prevailing belief that the brain must necessarily rule the body. Far from being by-products of neurochemistry, the authors show that emotions are the key vehicle by which we can understand ourselves and our interactions with the world around us as well as our most intriguing--and perennially baffling--experiences.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #236017 in Books
• Published on: 2009-05-21
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 576 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781594772887
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
"An insightful exploration of the powerful capacities of the mind-body connection, and its inherent link with perception."
(Andrew Weil, M.D., author of Spontaneous Healing and Natural Health, Natural Medicine )

“The Spiritual Anatomy of Emotion is truly connective, bridging the disciplines of biology, neurology, immunology, psychology, and spirituality. This is a book for the 21st century that will open and enlarge our minds, hearts, and spirits.”
(Miriam Greenspan, author of Healing Through the Dark Emotions )

“The Spiritual Anatomy of Emotion is brilliant . . . comprehensive . . . holistic.”
(Stanley Krippner, Ph.D., editor of Advances in Parapsychological Research and coeditor of The Varieties of Anomalous Experience )

“The Spiritual Anatomy of Emotion is a landmark book that presents a picture of consciousness that is far more majestic than anything conceived in conventional neuroscience. Based in solid science, this bold effort will challenge anyone who reads it with an open mind. Highly recommended.”
(Larry Dossey, M.D., author of Recovering the Soul and Reinventing Medicine )

“Jawer and Micozzi articulate one of the most profound understandings of consciousness since Descartes. The book brings Antonio Damasio’s ‘feeling brain’ into full embodiment. It is a monumental contribution to understanding ourselves as human beings.”
(Allan Combs, Ph.D., author of The Radiance of Being )

“The Spiritual Anatomy of Emotion presents a unique and arresting view of such topics as mind, body, memory, illness, perception, and emotion. The authors show us an altogether novel way of understanding who we are and what we’re about. There’s more to being human than we ever imagined, and this book is an excellent roadmap for anyone who wants to take that journey.”
(Eric Leskowitz, M.D., department of psychiatry, Harvard Medical School )

“I agree completely with the thesis in The Spiritual Anatomy of Emotion from what I have observed in the many case reports we receive from the general public; from a monthly paranormal experience group at our center; and from my experience as a clinical psychologist.”
(Sally Feather, Ph.D., director of research, Rhine Research Center )

“Jawer and Micozzi have come up with important findings that could open up a whole new field of research.”
(Carlos Alvarado, Ph.D., assistant professor of research in Psychiatric Medicine, University of Virginia )

“Jawer and Micozzi have collected a unique body of data on environmental sensitivity, which has great relevance to human health and psychology. They put together this data with original ideas on emotion very persuasively in The Spiritual Anatomy of Emotion. I highly recommend this well-written and accessible book.”
(Ernest Hartmann, M.D., author of Dreams and Nightmares and Boundaries in the Mind, professor of psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine, and past president of the Association for the Study of Dreams )

"This is another book that I found to be valuable in a variety of ways. Primarily, it opened my eyes to the wide variety of experiments that have been done with regard to emotions and their influences both within and without the individual. It also showed possible areas of exploration regarding poltergeists and some other phenomena. . . . well worth the time and effort to read."
(Michael Gleason, Witchgrove.com, July 2009 )

"Recommended by Dr. Andrew Weil, this book should be on every scholar's library shelf. If you're interested in holistic medicine and the mind-body connection, this is a book you simply must read, fascinating page to fascinating page, story to story, and cover to cover. Events and experiences you have heard about or experienced may actually begin to make sense."
(Lynette Fleming, BasilandSpice.com, Sept 2009 )

"Michael Jawer and Dr. Micozzi challenge readers and scientifically confirm what in our hearts we have always known...who we are and what we do is determined by much more than what lies in our brains."
(Robin S. Phillips, ForeWord Reviews, Sept/Oct 2009 )

"The authors have previously documented an apparent overlap between anomalous perceptions and various physical sensitivities. . .explains what the overlap might mean, i.e., how it sheds light on the development of the self and the foundational role of sentience in shaping our cognitions, memories, and dreams."
(ASD  International Association for the Study of Dreams, Sept 2009 )

"This book is particularly valuable for anyone who is especially sensitive to the environment (light, noise, smell, chemicals), since it puts those experiences in a new context and helps us understand the benefits and side effects of being unusually sensitive."
(Elaine Zablocki, Townsend Letter, The Examiner of Alternative Medicine, Oct 2009 )

"The paranormal is looked at in a completely fresh and new way, as a natural component to more creative, sensitive ways of relating. . . . This book is a must for any counselor, therapist, or medical professional. For the rest of us, well, there are many surprises here."
(P.M.H. Atwater, L.H.D, author of The Big Book of Near-Death Experiences and The New Children and Near Death Experiences )

Neurochemistry and new age thought blend in a fine research-based examination perfect for new age and science libraries alike."
(The Midwest Book Review, Oct 2009 )

"The Spiritual Anatomy of Emotion makes remarkably good sense. Both the scientist and the student will learn immensely from it. If you really want to know how highly I think of the book, I read it twice."
(The Amazing Kreskin, Dec 2009 )

From the Back Cover

 NEW SCIENCE / NEW AGE

“An insightful exploration of the powerful capacities of the mind-body connection and its inherent link with perception.”
--Andrew Weil, M.D., author of Spontaneous Healing and Natural Health, Natural Medicine

“The Spiritual Anatomy of Emotion is truly connective, bridging the disciplines of biology, neurology, immunology, psychology, and spirituality. This is a book for the 21st century that will open and enlarge our minds, hearts, and spirits.”
--Miriam Greenspan, author of Healing Through the Dark Emotions

Contemporary science holds that the brain rules the body and generates all our feelings and perceptions. Michael Jawer and Dr. Marc Micozzi disagree. They contend that it is our feelings that underlie our conscious selves and determine what we think and how we conduct our lives.

The less consciousness we have of our emotional being, the more physical disturbances we are likely to have--from ailments such as migraines, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, and post-traumatic stress to anomalous perceptions such as apparitions and involuntary out-of-body experiences. Using the latest scientific research on immunity, sensation, stress, cognition, and emotional expression, the authors demonstrate that the way we process our feelings provides a key to who is most likely to experience these phenomena and why. They explain that emotion is a portal into the world of extraordinary perception, and they provide the studies that validate the science behind telepathic dreams, poltergeists, and ESP. The Spiritual Anatomy of Emotion Challenges the prevailing belief that the brain must necessarily rule the body. Far from being by-products of neurochemistry, the authors show that emotions are the key vehicle by which we can understand ourselves and our interactions with the world around us as well as our most intriguing--and perennially baffling--experiences.

MICHAEL A. JAWER is an emotion researcher and expert on “sick building syndrome.” He lives in Vienna, Virginia. MARC S. MICOZZI, M.D., Ph.D., is adjunct professor of physiology and biophysics at Georgetown University School of Medicine. He edited the first U.S. alternative medicine textbook, Fundamentals of Complementary & Alternative Medicine. He lives in Bethesda, Maryland, and Rockport, Massachusetts.

About the Author
Michael A. Jawer is an emotion researcher and expert on “sick building syndrome.” He lives in Vienna, Virginia. Marc S. Micozzi, M.D., Ph.D., is adjunct professor of physiology and biophysics at Georgetown University School of Medicine. He edited the first U.S. alternative medicine textbook, Fundamentals of Complementary & Alternative Medicine. He lives in Bethesda, Maryland, and Rockport, Massachusetts.

Customer Reviews

Sensitivity, Emotions and Anomalous Phenomena
Anatomy reads like a scientific detective story, weaving clues and insights from neurology, biology, psychology and parapsychology, in an attempt to answer questions about some of the most puzzling aspects of human behavior. These include sensitivities, allergies, autism, dissociation, somatization and `anomalous phenomena.'

Michael Jawer began his journey as a consultant on `sick building syndrome' in Washington, D.C. While interviewing environmentally sick people, he wondered whether how much of their illnesses were due to their physical environment, and how much to their `felt environment'. He began to suspect that their issues were neither entirely `in their mind' nor entirely external. Many of these people were `sensitive', and could apparently see and feel (and react to) stimuli imperceptible to `normal' folks. Among the stimuli that these sensitives sometimes experienced were apparitions and `anomalous phenomena' (e.g. ghosts, poltergeists, `presences'). And so began his long investigation into the neurobiology of sensitivity.

Jawer theorizes that different forms of subjective experience share a common neurobiological basis. In a fascinating chapter titled "Sensitivity, Personality Traits and Anomalous Perception," he points out that anomalous talents may be associated with specific personality traits. In this regard he cites the pioneering work of such researchers as Jean Ayres with sensory defensiveness, Elaine Aron's concept of `highly sensitive people,' Michael Thalheim's concept of `transliminality,' and Ernest Hartmann's ideas re: `thick and thin boundaries.'

Jawer presents a long and impassioned argument for the central role of sentience, feeling and emotion in human experience. Building on the work of Damasio, J. Allan Hobson and Joseph LeDoux, he marshals evidence for the contention that feelings are intimately connected with the body --- and constitute the basis for cognitive thought processes. "From the physical, feeling foundation of the mind stems not only the core human experiences of laughing and crying, but all of our capacities on up to thought, insight, and advanced reasoning." He further argues that the ego itself (which he terms the `self') develops out of the sensory foundations of feeling. To paraphrase Descartes: "Sentio, ergo sum."

Extending this line of reasoning, he points to emotional arousal underlying many hitherto unexplained phenomena. Jawer suggests that the dissociation of repressed energies, combined with mental preoccupations, may set the stage for apparitions, ghosts, `presences', phantom limbs, etc. There follows a long discussion of the connections between anomalous experience and emotional energy, dissociation, sensitivity, electromagnetic phenomena, and atmospheric influences.

Anatomy is thoroughly researched, and meticulously documented and footnoted. My other concern is that the author dances fluidly from citing solid neurological research, to psychological case studies, to anecdotes, without distinguishing the relative validity of different kinds of evidence. While observations can be insightful, not all evidence is created equal.

Anomalous phenomena need to be acknowledged, and included in any truly comprehensive theory of both human behavior and consciousness. Jawer points to feelings, emotions and sentience as a Rosetta stone to understand various illnesses, psychological sensitivities and the paranormal. While I can not agree with all his conjectures and conclusions ---- much of the evidence is not in, yet ----- I admire his courage in broaching and exploring a very controversial subject.

Obviously, much more research, study, and discussion are needed. This powerful and provocative book opens the doors to that discussion.

Understanding Emotions and The Sixth Sense
Stomach -- the organ where food is digested. Heart -- the hollow, muscular organ that circulates the blood. Intestine -- the lower part of the alimentary canal. Brain - nervous tissue contained in the skull of vertebrates that controls the nervous system. We know a lot about the organs which make us digest food, breathe, and think. But what do we know about the origin and creation of our feelings and emotions? What do we know about the birth of emotional demons, like obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, and depression? If we understood what causes feelings and mental illness, we could probably ensure the happiness and mental stability of everyone. Perhaps there would be fewer suicides, addictions, and psychiatric institutions.

Modern scientists believe all our feelings and perceptions begin in the brain. In this book, the authors present a compelling case that it is the opposite ... that it is our feelings which determine what we think and how we live, and that they "are the product of interaction between raw sensation on the one hand and mental activity on the other."

Recently, prior to helping my company defend an unemployment claim, a business acquaintance shared her "crazy" morning with me. She was in the basement when suddenly all the buttons on her washer and dryer began turning on and off. Not knowing what to do, she yelled "Cut it out." Suddenly everything stopped. Then she smelled her recently deceased mother's perfume (which she didn't particularly like while her mother was living). Is this down-to-earth arbitrator crazy? Nope ... she is one of the "sensitive" people discussed at length in this book ... people who have perceptions and visions which cannot be explained.

Know anybody with fibromyalgia? Chronic fatigue? Migraines? Ever experience premonitions or see apparitions? Do you or one of your friends have chronic skin problems? Mr. Jawer and Dr. Micozzi share their theory of the connection between feelings, the brain, the body, and the sixth sense, a connection which can cause each of these afflictions and mysterious visions.

Beyond these topics, the book also discusses other unexplainable phenomena, such as the apparent past-life memories of gifted children, near-death experiences, out-of-body experiences, and even the extreme abilities of some animals. Take Oscar, the cat who lives in the advanced dementia unit of a nursing home in Rhode Island. Oscar, not a particularly cuddly cat, correctly curled up beside 25 people in their final hours, lying next to them for hours at a time before they finally died. Lest you think this is a fabricated story made up by some nut, his case has been written about in the prestigious "New England Journal of Medicine".

Recommended by Dr. Andrew Weil, this book should be on every scholar's library shelf. If you're interested in holistic medicine and the mind-body connection, this is a book you simply must read, fascinating page to fascinating page, story to story, and cover to cover. Events and experiences you have heard about or experienced may actually begin to make sense.

A fine research-based examination perfect for new age and science libraries alike
Modern science contends the brain rules the body and generates feelings and perceptions: these two authors argue that it is feeling that underlies consciousness and determines how life is lead. The Spiritual Anatomy of Emotion supports this theory using the latest scientific research on immunity, stress, cognition and emotions to show how emotion leads to extraordinary perception abilities. Neurochemistry and new age thought blend in a fine research-based examination perfect for new age and science libraries alike.