"A splendid history of mind-body medicine...a book that desperately needed to be written." —Jerome Groopman, New York Times
Is stress a deadly disease on the rise in modern society? Can mind-body practices from the East help us become well? When it comes to healing, we believe we must look beyond doctors and drugs; we must look within ourselves. Faith, relationships, and attitude matter.
But why do we believe such things? From psychoanalysis to the placebo effect to meditation, this vibrant cultural history describes mind-body healing as rooted in a patchwork of stories, allowing us to make new sense of our suffering and to rationalize new treatments and lifestyles.
Anne Harrington is the Franklin L. Ford Professor of the History of Science and faculty dean of Pforzheimer House at Harvard University. She is the author of four books, including Mind Fixers and The Cure Within. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments 9 Introduction: Stories, Science, and Culture Under the Skin 15 The Power of Suggestion 31 The Body That Speaks 67 The Power of Positive Thinking 103 Broken by Modern Life 139 Healing Ties 175 Eastward Journeys 205 Conclusion: Making Sense of Mind-Body Medicine 243 Notes 257 Select Bibliography 299 Index 323