The Mystery of Healing

Psychoanalyst Appelbaum (Out in Inner Space) visits healers as disparate as voodoo practitioners, psychics, kinesiologists, faith healers and LSD researchers in these largely anecdotal journeys through alternative medicine. Bringing both an open mind and a healthy dose of skepticism to the practices he witnesses, Appelbaum attempts to determine whether and why healing did or did not occur in specific cases. Though his descriptions of healing rituals boast concrete detail, his conclusions are often frustratingly overgeneralized, and he provides little supporting evidence (life expectancy, disease rates) for views that favor folk remedies. Few would argue with Appelbaum's assertion that ""we cannot afford to be close-minded about healing unorthodoxy when healing orthodoxy has failed us in many ways,"" but beyond the general (and commonsensical) point that mind influences body and that healing is a complex process involving both healer and patient, he offers little useful information. He is reluctant either to dismiss or to endorse any particular approach. In addition to describing encounters with healers, Appelbaum emphasizes the importance of love in the healing process, leading him to call for new methods of selecting those who enter the healing professions. These ideas are worthy of consideration, but this less than rigorous analysis isn't the best argument in their favor. (Dec.)