Customer Reviews

The Reconnection: Heal Others, Heal Yourself

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

For a long tiume, I have heard about Eric Pearl, and decided to give the book a try, to find out what the fuss was all about. After reading the book, I am a bit baffled: After having been active in the healing and energy field for 30 years, I expected to find something new, but found all the elements that characterize a run-of-the-mill new age healing book from California:
1) Claims that this is a new level, a new energy or a new level of light. This is the main mrketing plot in new age circles to this very day: "Teacher A. brings a new level of energy": "others may bring some light, but master B. brings the highest light, a level the world has not seen befor, but you can be among the chosen to take part in this light - if you pay for the seminar".
Pearl's basic tenets fall right into this bracket, and are no different than any of the other claims.
2) Mythologizing of life events. A natural life development is twisted into something extraordinary. Truth is, so many thousands have (like me) had life-changing experiences with energy or light or another level breaking through. Each story is fascinating and special, like each life is. But some people have the need to link into Savior archetypes and make it into something more. What are their motives? They will get a power to make others follow them - but what happens in the long run - freedom or bondage?
3) "My approach is special". Instead of seeing that the field of energy work is like the parable of the blind men and the elephant - each different individual working their own different ways into exploring the potential of healing energy/consciousness, Pearl goes to great pains to explain that his approach is different from the others, but nowhere showing in what way it is, ending in an "all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others"-stance. He has a special healing energy, it is not a technique, etc.; Matthew Manning and a thousand others are saying the same, and having their followers contorting on stage. The "miraculous healings" follow the same patterns as scores of such seances I have witnessed in fundamentalist religious meeting - in Norway we have a magazine reporting such ocurrences from a Christian viewpoint, healing of blindness, deafness, AIDS, contorted back pain, etc. - Pearl's tales would go straight into these pages. But there is a difference. The Christian healings are free of charge.
4) This is not a technique (but you can take level 2), it is unique and not teachable (but for an exorbitant price you can get it from me). Pearl debunks other healers' "technical" approach, but ends in the same basic stance.
5) And this is my basic problem with Pearl'sa approach. What are his motives for using so much time to ridicule the work of others in the field, who are doing their sincere work, presumably from the same motives as his (but not attaining the same level of fame and fortune. Others painstakingly try to translate the energy experience into writing - Pearl easily debunks it as "tango". He uses the "new age" label denigratingly on others an astounding number of times, ignoring that he himself falls right smack in the middle of this category.
6) With his generous claims of heling serious diseases, he has a huge responsibility. Why does he not, then, present serious research or stringent reports on his web site, but instead sticks to the snake oil marketing schemes?

Pearl has been a huge disappointment. But the good news: There is a lot of promising research in this field now coming up, much of it presented in James Oschman's excellent book "Energy medicine". And there is also a book that. maybe for the first time, satisfactorily translates the energy experience into writing: Donna Edens book, also titled "Energy medicine".
These two books actually present a new level in the field, without bragging about it, like Pearl does. My recommendation: Go for these two, and leave Pearl.

What if you were a chiropractor for many years and then one day your patients started insisting that they were: sure that there were other people in the room while you were working on them; able to feel energy from your hands before you touched them; seeing the exact same angels in the treatment rooms; recovering from afflictions not related to chiropractic care? What if you yourself discovered that you suddenly had the ability to facilitate miraculous healings?

In his book "The Reconnection", Dr. Pearl relates the story of how he became a "spiritual healer." He gives an account of the paranormal phenomenon that was happening in his office, and his quest for answers. As we read the details, we can imagine ourselves in Dr. Pearl's shoes. We can think to ourselves, "Who would I turn to for answers if I sounded more like a "crazy person" than a credible doctor?", and, "What would I do if my story was so far outside the realm of normal experience as to be believable?" Yet the miraculous healings themselves were believable and documented until Dr. Pearl became an internationally-recognized healer.

Dr. Pearl's book starts by providing us with insight into his early life. We learn about how his mother died giving him birth, and returned to life with new insights about life after death. Dr. Pearl also tells us about other paranormal phenomenon and amazing coincidences that colored his pre-adult years, incidences that seemed more meaningful in hindsight.

"The Reconnection" also reveals the bizarre details of what was happening in Dr. Pearl's office during the time of his initiation into healing. Dr. Pearl's story about the chanellings is especially revealing. He reports that about fifty of his patients, people who didn't know each other and never channeled before in their lives, channeled the exact same phrases right in front of him. Two of these phrases were: "What you are doing is reconnecting strands", and "What you are doing is reconnecting strings". It is Dr. Pearl's current understanding is that the phrase "reconnecting strands" refers to reconnecting strands of DNA, and that the phrase "reconnecting strings" refers to reconnecting parallel planes of existence as described by string theory in quantum physics. Reconnective Healing ®, which got it's name from the chanellings, purports to reconnect strands of DNA and strings to parallel planes of existence.

The later chapters of the book explain how to do Reconnective Healing ®. Many people report that Reconnective Healing ® frequencies become activated in them simply by reading this book. it isn't necessary to attend a Reconnective Healing ® seminar. Does this sound believable? Not at all, except that I have had similar experiences myself.

Who should read this book? Anyone who identifies themselves as a "healer" or anyone who wants to be healed.

Let me immediately state that I like this book. Dr. Eric Pearl has a rare combination of wit and wisdom that makes for easy reading. He has added significantly to the literature of healing. I like this book, so much in fact, that I have committed to a weekend workshop with Dr. Pearl. When used correctly this book can be invaluable. That said, I now want to share a few critical thoughts.

Despite Dr. Pearl's many statements to the contrary, The Reconnection is a technique, just like every other form of externally activated healing process. Only when the entire process comes from within the "dis-eased" individual, and only when performed without fore-thought, any form of focus, attention, or intention on the illness or healing it, would such a "method" be free of technique. Stated otherwise, healing would have to be fully spontaneous. I read a review in which the writer mentions studying Levels One and Two - that alone tells me there is a technique. If you progress through stages, if you hold your hands a certain way, if you hold a specific focus, be it love, openness, to be unfocused, or whatever, it is a technique. If you are playing with a slinky or pulling taffy, it is a technique (you'll relate to this when you read the book). In Elmer Green's "Copper Wall Project" the single common denominator was that the involved "sensitives" (healers) all used their hands. Again, this implies technique. As Pearl states, there are other ways of working with energies, but the hands are unique (they are also where energy is most unstable, changing polarity from yin to yang - and when something is unstable it is more easily affected).

I have now read this book twice and have referred to highlighted sections numerous times, and I have to say, it strongly resembles qigong. A serious, long-time student of qigong, I still manage to avoid holding it in such awe as to be closed to other possibilities, and that is why I was able to read and put to use Dr. Pearl's many insights. Just as he says that the word "energy" is insufficient, so do most qigong practitioners. Many qigong adepts have long said that the process is one of information. Like homeopathy and most other healing modalities, this information is exchanged on a vibrational entrainment level. This explains why, as another reviewer points out, simply holding the book will set off energetic frequencies in the hands of some readers. For more detail on this, I strongly recommend James Oschman's "Energy Medicine, The Scientific Basis." I won't go into all the other reasons Reconnective healing and qigong are kissing cousins, but know that they are.

Finally, over time I have come to realize there is nothing inherently wrong with "technique". Technique is simply a teaching protocol, a way of introducing the learner to a universe of possibilities. As with every teacher-student relationship, some instructors (especially "bow down and worship me, guru types") will abuse it, making learning more ridgid than it needs to be, a disservice to the student and future generations of learners. But once the foundation is properly in place, each individual will find their unique way of advancing. Then we can draw outside the lines. The strength of The Reconnection is in the introductory foundation it lays, but there are numerous other techniques just as effective. And this in no way takes away from what Pearl has brought to the table.

In my experience, (reading this book, and then choosing to try the "self-healing" session it suggested) this book did awaken a palpable energy connection with marked physical responses above and beyond those described in the text.

In my case, it was not a harmless connection and I felt intense harmful results which were later confirmed (and treated) by an expert healer I later consulted. Perhaps I did not open up to the "real" reconnection energy, but rather to something/someone else that was harmful.

Here is where a little "technique" could be helpful. I now know that basic protection rituals are useful and do not impede the flow of genuine healing energy. I would caution others that before opening yourself up to an energy flow to learn about how to protect yourself from harm.

I agree with other reviewers who are uncomfortable with Dr. Pearl's dismissal of protection methods. Yes, silly fears, amulets, and elaborate rituals can be excessive, superstitious nonsense that can generate even more fear and can complicate your life and your thinking. But on the other hand, we all know that not all people (and not all energies) are harmless.

A word of caution: Prior to inviting in a "healing" energy, learn techniques to protect yourself, and seek out a solid ethical relationship with a healer you are certain you can trust. If something goes wrong, you may need a little help and deprogramming. Sometimes things do go wrong. Sometimes you might not get what you thought you were looking for. Learn to choose carefully and with deep understanding what kind of energy you are consenting to, and understand how to select with clear intention what it is you just let into your beautiful open heart. Many may not have any troubles and that is wonderful. But please know that opening up to outside energies can be dangerous, and protection rituals can be helpful.

I am happy that this book has brought healing to many. Remember that no one person holds all the answers. Don't follow too blindly any one method or book, and research widely to find the help you need to generate strong wise boundaries so you understand how to let in the healing energy without letting in those energies that are harmful.

May you find the healing you seek.

Some of you out there who have read the book now claim to be healers! I'm skeptical. While this is a great book and I DO believe that Dr. Eric can and does aid and facilitate healing energies from beyond, I do not believe that anyone can do this merely by reading the book or by going to the seminars. I recently brought my sweetheart to a "certified" practitioner. Well it was March of 2001. Anyway, this healer was recommended by Dr. Eric's office. 3 sessions ensued in which the 1st was pleasant and positive, the 2nd felt negative and evil, and the 3rd was spectacular for the certified healer but was mediocre for the patient. In the 3rd and final sessions, she (the healer) told us that it was the most powerful and wonderful session that she had ever done and that angels or light beings had filled the room. The patient didn't notice anything. We were assured (a professional mistake--you should never promise anything) that SOMETHING good would happen in regards to her health in the next few months. It has been more than 7 months and nothing significant of any positive value has happened in the area of her health. In fact, some things have gotten worse for a time. While minor improvements have come and gone, ANYONE could experience minor ups as well as downs in the course of their life without the Reconnection. Am I to believe that these light beings appeared to the healer for her benefit only while ignoring a very chronically ill patient who really NEEDS the help??!! Did Jesus just walk by a suffering person without responding and helping?? Did the woman with the hemmorage that touched Jesus's robe have her warts healed or did she stop bleeding? (She stopped bleeding of course!) Not everyone who reads this book--and it is worth reading--will become an accomplished healer. Just getting rid of headaches, minor depression, and back pain does not sit in the same category as Dr. Eric's experience of facilitating the healing of cancer, aids, and chronic incurable viruses, immune problems, MS, and arthritic knees being miraculously rebuilt. These special gifts are still primarily for the few. I would like to see Dr. Eric and others who CAN really DO this to go back to individual healings and cut down on the group classes where few come away with the same level of ability as Dr. Eric, even if they are certified by his programs.

a friend of mine loved this book so much that she sent me a copy as a gift. i read it in one sitting as it is an entertaining and compelling read. eric pearl's charismatic personality definitely shines through his prose. based on the writing and the anecdotes in the first two thirds of the book, i'd give this a rating of five stars. however, the last third of the book left me feeling confused and frustrated. i am trying to figure out why....
i guess it's because the last third deals with pragmatic details relating to becoming a practitioner of "reconnective healing" and seems like more of a business manual of sorts. also, his dismissal of rituals which i as a pagan find to be truly effecive (such as purification and protection rituals and using crystals) strikes me as being rather dogmatic. i was left feeling alienated,like i was not part of this "reconnected" in-group, as nothing remarkable has happened to me "energetically" since i finished the book yesterday. the last third of the book essentially assumes that you have had a transformation and doesn't seem to address those who have not.
i really want something miraculous to happen to me as a result of reading this book. i am idealistic. but eric pearl's dismissal of other practices and dogmatic attitude about his method vs. others make me skeptical.
i was curious to learn more so i went to his website. honestly it only made me more skeptical. he charges a lot for his seminars and the only testimonials on the site are by the people he mentions in the book. the only reviews he offers up are by people who also have had books or tapes published by the same company that published his book or are friends of his.
i want to believe in eric pearl. i really do. but so far it seems like a lot of fascinating hot air. i recommend this book in the hopes that it will work a "reconnection" for you. at the very least i'm sure it will entertain you.

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Is this work scientific?

Any behavioral scientist knows that personal testimonials don't weigh much at all. Our minds can imagine almost anything, and imagination does not reality make.

Although Dr. Eric Pearl is down to earth, humorous, and intelligent, that does not make up for the obvious lack of verifiable scientific documentation. On his web site, I see no published peer group review, no published research papers (although he says his gift is under study at a medical center), and no results of double-blind control group studies.

Pearl tries to explain his experiences by calling the reconnection stuff "different frequencies" moving through "higher dimensional space". This is purely guesswork as there are no experiments of any kind to support that notion. I guess it's pretty safe to use cutting edge New Physics mumbo-jumbo. No one can prove you wrong.

[...]

Is this for real?

There may be something here that's real and tangible; then again, Reconnection may be nothing but clever marketing based on creative storytelling and our hope for a better life. All I can say is .... "Show me the research!"

After hearing Dr. Pearl on Coast to Coast Radio a month ago, I was thoroughly intrigued by this healing technique and his brief life history sounded interesting. I bought the book and it had the same effect on me in that once I started it, I couldn't put it down. There was just something about this healing method that rang true with me, and have since gone to his web site and would love to attend the weekend seminar one of these days when it's held in Canada and I can afford to go.

The book itself was a pleasant read. Dr. Pearl is very personable when speaking and in print; I appreciated his sense of humour and down-to-earth manner.

I highly recommend this one.

Most of the book (2/3 of it) explains Dr Perl's life experience with this phenomina as well as his experiences growing up as a kid (on through adulthood). The last 1/3 of the book is devoted to "tecniques" that can be used to aid the user in his/her ability to use the healing arts (although he saids, that you cannot teach it). I've read other books that deal with healing with hands techniques as well, and they offer similar insights to this book. After reading the book, I tried this on myself... So far nothing has happened (he explains that for some poeple it may take weeks for the reconnection to occur). One thing that cannot be verified in this process is whether or not there is a sort of placebo effect of the book (somebody says that it works, and for many people a placebo does have some results). Not saying that the book does or does not work, it's just that I wouldn't expect any sort of miracles to happen after you've read the book. He claims that by reading his book, that you will receive the specific type of energy necessary in order supposedly open up pathways that may facilitate a greater potential for healing in an individual. Spiritually, I can understand why this might happen (it's like chemistry, you are about 75% of your own environment, unless you are a young soul, with older souls or with karmicly ridden people the percentage is higher. Coming into contact with other people of different levels of awareness and energy patterns preclude that you react to the other person in a certain type of way. You can see some evidence of this in astrology and numerology.). This is not to say, however, that this is actually happening. Different people will have difference experiences and I suspect, like with medicine and foods, different people will be impacted differently depending upon their own personal circumanstances. It didn't do much for me, but apparently from the other reviews it seems to be doing something for other people. If you can get it from the library or get it used, then there is very little to lose from reading it (other than money). Although some poeple will feel that they are getting conned after reading this book (especially if they don't see any results).

I am a Reiki Master and have just been introducted to this new healing energy. Dr. Eric Pearl has written an easy to read account of how this new energy came to him. I really enjoyed it and couldn't put it down. For those of you who are interested in energy work this book is a must read.