Wishing Well: Making Your Every Wish Come True

The Hawaii-based psychologist known for his bestsellers The Pleasure Prescription and Superimmunity assembles a multitude of research findings and inspirational stories to make an affable, if not especially persuasive, case for the efficacy of ""wishing""--tapping into current interest in prayer, meditation, healing, psychic communication and the mind/body connection. Rooted in his own experience following a bone marrow transplant that he was not expected to survive, Pearsall's belief in the power of wishing is unquestioning and affecting. His recovery, which Pearsall regards as scientific proof of the positive effect of wishing, led him to study the role of wishing in the lives of more than 2,000 subjects for more than ten years. He devised a wish propensity test by which he determined that 85% of respondents were ""well wishers,"" with essentially optimistic personality traits. He fills the book with this and other self-assessment guides, such as a wish ""domain"" scale (aimed at classifying wishes) and a heart/head inventory that underscore his endorsement of optimism and kind behavior. This engaging effort, which rambles through 150 pages before reaching the ""how-to"" section, should do no harm but nor will it create any waves. Accompanied by a visualization on CD-ROM (not seen by PW). Agent, Jane Dystel. 12-city author tour. (May)