Why do these therapies work?
Servan-Schreiber is exploring techniques that we don't fully understand. The strength of this book is that he explains these divergent techniques in plain English, while still providing scholarly documentation. He goes even further by building an underlying theory that draws on sources as divergent as Freud and Buddha.The author starts by looking at the human brain in a very basic way, distinguishing the older "emotional" parts of the brain from the newer "intellectual" parts. He looks at the research on heart rate variability and "cardiac coherence" which link that brain and the heart in ways that have been only recently understood. He presents evidence that creating harmony between the head and the heart can result in improved mental and physical health.
Servan-Schreiber explores other new therapies, including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), dawn simulation alarm clocks, acupuncture, omega-3 fatty acids (such as those in fish oil), and pet therapy. Despite the differences inherent in these techniques, he manages to tie them together in a manner that will be helpful for both a lay and a professional audience. If any of these techniques are of interest to you, I recommend that you read this book.
