"The major theme of this book by physician Dossey is that consciousness and spirituality, interwoven in the fabric of human thinking, feeling, and activity in the panorama of modern life, are important determinations of the health and healing of the physical body. The book contains 14 chapters with engaging titles, divided into three subdivisions. It is distinguished by its scope—which encompasses the range of human capacities as well as multiple societal influences; by its foci—ranging from elevation of the human spirit to a penetrating modernistic philosophical examination of the mind-body relationship; and by its tone—simultaneously joyous, amusing, insightful, profound, and challenging. Taken as a whole, it is serious and distinguished scholarship as well as pleasurable reading. It is unique, with its artful interweaving of the historical and cultural foundations of Western civilization with modern theoretical concepts and empirical knowledge related to consciousness, spirituality, and healing" –R.E. Darnell, Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries

Here is a new collection of writings on health and healing from a leader in the field of alternative medicine. Larry Dossey has transformed both the practice and teaching of modern medicine by demanding that they encompass two subjects that many in the scientific establishment would rather ignore. The first is meaning, a concept many scientists flatly declare to be beyond the realm of science. The second is nonlocality, a term indicating the infinite reach of human consciousness, or, more prosaically, the ability of one being to affect another—through prayer, for example—at a distance and through no known medium. A third concept connects and embodies both meaning and nonlocality: mind. It's a subject that Dossey quickly persuades us we know far too little about.

Dossey is one of the most influential spokespersons for the role of consciousness and spirituality in modern medicine, lecturing to hospitals, medical schools, and lay groups around the world. The wide-ranging essays gathered in Healing beyond the Body exemplify consciousness without boundaries. Time and again, Dossey explores research that demands that we expand our view of healing to include elements well outside the standard medical modalities. He examines alternatives such as prayer, love, laughter, creativity, dreams, hypnosis, and more. Some of the essays are lighthearted and whimsical, such as those dealing with the impact of humor or fishing on health. Others are more challenging—for example, the essay on the "evil eye" and his Maggie Award–winning "War: A Vietnam Memoir." Some are visionary, such as those dealing with the infinite reach of the mind, and some are genuinely inspirational, such as the concluding essay, "Immortality." Each essay in its own way will challenge and inspire readers to examine themselves and their health in new and different lights.