Change the Story of Your Health: Using Shamanic and Jungian Techniques for Healing - Softcover

Greer, Carl

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1844097161 ISBN 13: 9781844097166

Publisher: Findhorn Press, 2017

Synopsis

The story of our health is more in our control than we might think, according to clinical psychologist, Jungian analyst, and shamanic practitioner Carl Greer, PhD, PsyD. We can not only reframe our experiences but actually experience less stress, greater well-being, and even better physical health than it might appear if we are willing to identify our health story and begin rewriting it.

Through journaling exercises and expanded-awareness practices, many of which involve working with and in nature, and which are influenced by Jungian and shamanic traditions, anyone can tap into hidden resources for healing and work with them effectively. Whether gaining insights and balancing energies outdoors, dialoguing and interacting with the earth or a river or lake, or working with dreams, an inner healer, or a symbol encountered on a shamanic journey, readers will find they are able to learn why they have struggled to change their habits and will be empowered to experience greater wellness within a satisfying health story. "Change the Story of Your Health" focuses on four key chapters of a person's health story:

* Eating and drinking, and weight
* Movement/exercise, flexibility, balance, stamina, and strength
* Sexuality, body image and acceptance, and changes due to midlife hormonal shifts (commonly known as menopause and andropause)
* Management of an acute ailment or symptoms of a chronic condition

It also helps readers revise their health stories as their health changes as a result of aging or unexpected challenges. Gaining insights into their health, letting go of what is standing in the way of optimal health and well-being, and bringing in what is needed to make a preferred new health story a reality--all are possible when readers take on the challenge of "Change the Story of Your Health" and begin using the practices regularly.
Winner of an American Bookfest Best Book Awards best book in health: alternative medicine in 2017
Winner of a Nautilus Book Award for the Best of Small Press as well as a Nautilus Book Award Gold Award in 2017

About this title

About the Author

Carl Greer PhD, PsyD is a retired clinical psychologist, Jungian analyst, and shamanic practitioner. After focusing on business for many years, he earned a doctorate in clinical psychology, and then became a Jungian analyst. The shamanic work he does is drawn from a blend of North American and South American indigenous trainings and is influenced by Jungian analytic psychology. He has trained with Peruvian shamans and through Dr. Alberto Villoldo's Healing the Light Body School, where he has been on staff. He has worked with shamans in South America, the United States, Canada, Australia, Ethiopia, and Outer Mongolia. Carl Greer is involved in various businesses and philanthropies, taught at the Jung Institute in Chicago, was on the staff of the Replogle Center for Counseling and Well-Being, and held workshops on shamanic topics.

Learn more at CarlGreer.com

From the Back Cover

"As a physician I know all too well that many patients have health concerns due to inner factors that have not been addressed by conventional Western medicine. In Change the Story of Your Health, Dr. Greer presents insightful self-healing measures from alternative medical traditions that will truly transform your personal health and well-being."
―Susan F. Reynolds, MD, PhD, President and CEO, The Institute for Medical Leadership

"As an academic physician who has been on a journey of self-discovery for most of my life, I am delighted to find a work as clear and understandable as Carl Greer's Change the Story of Your Health. Dr. Greer has created a remarkably accessible work offering fresh tools for self-exploration. The writing is frank and clear, and it feels as if he is speaking directly to the reader. Carl's voice resonates in each sentence, conveying his deep integrity and desire to be of service to others. The book covers a wide range of topics from shamanic journeying to the chakra system to the concept of the Quiet, a place where all possibilities and knowledge that have not yet taken form can be accessed. The reader is offered approaches to self-discovery intended to provide insights into the profound life lessons offered to each of us through our health stories.
This book is written for seekers who are searching for a fresh approach to self-understanding and looking for new ways to connect with Source for the purpose of healing. While several of the exercises are drawn from age-old or traditional methods of communicating with one's inner teachers and guides, Dr. Greer has his own take on them, so they will feel new and personal to many. But, the reader must remember that the printed word is just the starting place―intentional application and some practice are needed to gain insights into the self and what lies behind one's personal health story. The exercises can become part of one's spiritual practices without extensive instruction, and can be wisely used to delve deeper into the hidden currents flowing behind the scenes in each of our lives, currents that can have a profound effect on our behaviors and health.
Change the Story of Your Health is suitable for novice and experienced seekers alike. Reading it and using its techniques can serve as a first step in changing our relationship to our lives and our health."
―David M. Steinhorn, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC, Medical Director, Pediatric Palliative Care and Attending Physician, Pediatric Intensive Care

"It is a singular pleasure to call attention to Carl Greer's remarkable melding of Jung's analytical psychology and the ancient, and global, traditions of shamanic healing. His commitment to bringing the resources of both these traditions to a larger audience is reflected in his accessible and compelling reflections on the ways in which the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves shape the lives we live. In today's world, Carl Greer's work provides much-needed guidance for a more fulfilling and healthy way of life."
―George Hogenson, PhD, Jungian analyst and author of Jung's Struggle with Freud

"Carl Greer, PhD, PsyD, brings us another brilliant book, helping us become aware of the story that impacts our health and rewrite it so that we achieve healing and well-being.
In Change the Story of Your Health, Carl Greer shares a wealth of tools that he has gathered in his years of being both a respected shamanic practitioner and a Jungian analyst. You will be inspired and feel motivated by the techniques he shares including journeying, dialoguing, chakra clearing, and engaging and partnering with earth, air, water, and fire to release old worn out stories.
This book will open myriad possibilities for you to discover and work with your inner healer. I highly recommend Change the Story of Your Health for anyone who seeks to regain health and balance in our changing world."
―Sandra Ingerman, MA, author of Soul Retrieval and Walking in Light

"Change the Story of Your Health is beautifully written and a gem for any reader who is looking to empower themselves, their health and their lives. We all have two general stories that we choose to live by: the story of our suffering and the story of our growth. You have the power to access your own story of growth and healing, should you choose. Dr. Carl Greer weaves for you the wisdom of the healing traditions to provide you with the tools to create a new story of health, one that is full of love, healing and insight. Read this book and change your story."
―Eva Selhub, MD, author of Your Health Destiny and Your Brain on Nature and Adjunct Scientist in the Neuroscience Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University (HNRCA)

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

“Change the Story of Your Health deals with the important topic of the stories we carry about our own health. We may develop these stories out of a sense that we are born with a genetic destiny and our health history is preordained. Other stories are written through experiences with our health that bring us face-to-face with our mortality at vulnerable times in our life. And other stories that we have held precious must change when we receive a new diagnosis and we are challenged to envision a future that is different than expected, yet still beautiful. Throughout this book, Carl Greer weaves in true stories from his patients, journal prompts, and instructions for shamanic journeys, providing a practical guide to understanding your relationship to your health story. Many people suffer when they define themselves by their illnesses and by traumatic experiences related to their concepts of health and mortality.
Healing isn’t just something that comes from medicine or surgeries; it comes from a shift in the way we perceive ourselves and our connection to our health and our bodies. The mind is powerful; our thoughts and beliefs make a difference in how we feel and how we respond to threats to our well-being. It is possible to create new stories or views of ourselves that not only change our emotional well-being but also our physical health. I am honored to be a small part of bringing Carl’s influence to others.
[An] enlightening book . . . ”
―Melinda Ring, MD, FACP, Executive Director, Northwestern Medicine Osher Center for Integrative Medicine Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine and Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Coauthor of The Natural Menopause Solution and Coeditor of Integrative Medicine, An Issue of Primary Care

Edition details

• Publisher: Findhorn Press
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1844097161
• ISBN 13: 9781844097166
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 224