The Healer’s Way: Bringing Hands-on Compassion to a Love-Starved World
by Earnie Larsen
Published by Conari Press
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Reviewed by Connie Anderson
Earnie Larsen has authored more than 60 books and 40 motivational self-help tapes. He is a pioneer in the field of recovery from addictive and unwanted behaviors—and originator of the process known as Stage II recovery.
Minnesotan Larsen has the ability to give a strong message and do it in a straightforward manner. His significant braided hoop illustration contains these 7 levels: Core needs, get lost, get hurt, get stuck, get called, get up, and get going—working the program. Many stories tie in the hoop so you can see where the wounded person is on the hoop’s continuium.
The Healer’s Way is powerful. I made notes of those lines that made an impact on me, paraphrasing them below to show you why this book is so meaningful.
• Healing is about knowing where the wound is, because to know where the wound is, is to know much of the secret.
• There is your plan—and then there is The PLAN. (Here is where Larsen brings in the concept of God’s involvement in our life—who he called “The Schemer.” We think we made something happen, but it was God’s “scheming.”)
• The “bent tree”—when was a child’s “tree bent,” the wound made? When children don’t get what was needed, the tree is bent. Worry, fear, guilt, hate, inadequacy and shame are the poisoned fruit of that tree
• Belief is easy–it’s the truth, the deed, the act, that’s hard. Belief costs nothing, truth costs everything.
• A process of personal redemption is not easy or quick. You don’t get out what you don’t in.
• Everything that comes from the heart has an element of magic in it.
Larsen, with writing assistance of his sister, Carol Larsen Hegarty, uses personal stories to make points—and these people are or have been addicted—but Larsen seems to learn as much from them as they from his expertise.
The bottom line of Larsen’s message is: The good and bad of life—boils down to love given, love received…and love withheld.
It is essential that we all have compassion and caring, and listen to others in need of different levels of healing, in this love-starved world.
Armchair Interviews says: Larsen puts life into simple terms that will touch everyone’s heart and soul, and show us how we can be part of someone’s healing.
Author’s Web site: http://www.Earnie.com