Practitioners Books

I like this book, it was easy to understand and I think Jim Haskins did a good job with the formatting. I have to agree with the reviewer that says that it's a good book, but not very helpful (as concerning the 'recipes'). It seems that Mr. Haskins was trying to give a history of voodoo and also a bit of a 'modern' (late 70's) look at voodoo and how it has evolved over time. To me, I try to read all I can on Voodoo, and I have found some good, bad, and really bad books on it. So far I have to say all in all this is a good book, I found it informative on a historical level and also on a 'folk-lore-ish' level as well. Now the recipes are great to read about but don't go into detail. I would've liked for the recipes to have been explained in more detail, but like the reviewer before me said, this book wasn't meant to be a 'How-to guide'. I wish Mr. Haskins would write a book going into details about the recipes. Individual practioners would benefit from having a book like that. Unfortunately, even the author suspected that the folks he interviewed for the recipes weren't giving him all the information, and rightly so, this is how they made money, so why would they give away all their secrets, people wouldn't need their services anymore. So all in all it's a good book, I really enjoyed it and I learned a lot.

Here's some of the chapters:

The roots in Africa

Culture Clash and Accomdation in the New World

Voodoo and Hoodoo Today

To do ill

To do Good

In matters of Law

In matters of Love

Voodoo and Hoodoo in perspective.

Happy reading!

Jim Haskins' book is a great introduction to the study and potential practice of voodoo/hoodoo, which should be the essential building block of any library on the subject.

The book is divided into two parts: the first section deals with the original West African belief systems as practiced at the time of the slave trade (and more or less until today in some areas), the transition to the Americas, and how interaction with whites and other immigrant peoples affected these religions. The roles of the priests of the old religions, the magic workers/conjurers and herbalists are all examined. Haskins has a good grasp of the various contexts in which the white and black religions interacted, between Catholic and Protestant, French vs English or Portuguese, large vs small plantation environments, etc. This is the stronger of the two sections.

The second part is likely the reason most people buy this book, i.e. the actual spells with ingredients and instructions to follow to bring money, justice, luck, or love into (or out of) your life. A chapter each is devoted to bringing ill to others, good to yourself and others, the courts & law, and finally love. Some of these can be done by the reader/individual, others would require an intermediary to 'successfully' complete. Reading the spells, taking up over half the book, is interesting and amusing, and brought to mind nothing to much as Phil Hine's books on (Western and G.D.-based) Chaos Magic, the point being that if you believe it, put enough energy and intensity into it, ANYTHING can be a tool for magic and caused change. My guess is that if you need this kind of instruction manual in the first place, you have no business attempting this kind of work. But no doubt every reader will make up his/her own mind.

The book reads well, and is an excellent primer. Highly recommended to anyone with an interest in the origins and practice of voodoo.

This is a hands-on guide to spells and charms related to Voodoo (Voudou) with everything but the kitchen sink. While I raise an eyebrow at some of this, Haskins has included every spell and charm he's heard about, just in case you can use it. It also provides a good overview of the legends (some urban, some fact-based) connected with the practices of Voodoo. For me, it's a must-own book, and it appears as a footnote in Luisah Teish's book, Jambalaya, perhaps the most important modern book on the subject.

this book not only contains a history of voodoo but it also contains rituals you can perform yourself to work on friend or foe

This book is well written and surveys the religious practices of Hoodoo and Voodoo in the United States.

Haskins utilizes personal accounts and historical data to make this one of the few factual books on the topic.

This book is a staple for any ATR practicioner's library, especially those living in the south.

Recommended without reservation.

It's so rare to read a piece of nonfiction, particularly medical nonfiction, and be able to tell that the authors truly care. This is one of these books! Many thanks to the authors for putting it together so beautifully!

I found this book to be hugely informative and helpful. The authors give readers information from both the physicians' and patients' point of view. Definitely recommended for FM and CFS patients and the people who care about them.

I really enjoyed this book. It is easy to read and provides a wealth of information about various ways to treat and cope with fibromyalgia. It is particularly nice to hear the stories and experiences of others who have this illness. This book is unlike any other out there and I want to thank the authors for writing it.

This is the book that I've been trying to find for years! The authors have done a wonderful job of interweaving the stories of patients with the helpful advise from practitioners of all kinds. It is great to have the full range of treatments from both conventional medicine as well as alternative & complementary medicine. The stories from the patients are so validating to hear. It helps to know that I am not alone in my daily job of managing this illness. The resource guide and bibliography are invaluable. Thank you SO much for writing this book!

I found this book to be very disappointing. All this book basically is is interviews with doctors and patients in regards to different treatment alternatives. If you are trying to TREAT fibromyalgia, i definitely do not recommend this book. If you really want someones gripes and groans about fibromyalgia you can get that point of view FREE on line on Fibromyalgia web sites. If you want alternative treatments options- try The Fibromyalgia Nutrition Guide, although this book is all about nutrition, it is very easy to us and very helpful- All us fibromyalgics know about homeopathic stuff already such as massage and Alternative Treatments just reiterates that and has patients and doctor points of view on Massage, Chiropractic care, Etc....

This is a great book from a great man. If you manage projects you *have to* read this and keep it on your desk for frequent reference. It is a very enjoyable and thought provoking read.

Follow the principles outlined in this book and you won't go far wrong with your projects. It's a bit lacking in some places with theory butif it's practice you're after, it's great.

This book provides an excellent project management process that is simple and easy to put in place. I read the first edition several years ago and find the new one to be even better. The dry wit and anecdotes also make it a fun read.

The author provides a Ten Step process that certainly sounds workable. I have no doubt that it DOES work. It would have been nice to see more rationale and discussion of why this particular method is "necessary and sufficient" to run a project. He never really talks about why this method is sufficient. Proof by repeated claim doesn't count. It was still pretty good despite that flaw.

I am an ITIL V2 Service Manager and ITIL V3 Expert with multiple practitioner certifications. I am also an ITIL assessor for an ITIL examination institute. I know Randy Steinberg and teach ITIL for some of the same customers he does. To be perfectly honest, at first I was somewhat skeptical of his idea that all IT organizations deliver essentially the same services. Having read this book, though, I understand now exactly where he is coming from. This book is an excellent starting point and guide to a very, very difficult task for organizations implementing ITIL -- defining the Service Catalog in business language, rather than technical terms. If you consider that a good Service Catalog can lay the foundation for a correct Configuration Management Database, and that the CMDB is the key to good Service Management processes and functions, this book is an invaluable tool for anyone implementing ITIL.

Fantastic!!! This book is extremely well written and easy to enjoy - I read through 30 pages or so in no time. I shared the book with my team and my manager immediately turned around and ordered copies for my coworkers - nothing like buying a product that makes you look good to your boss. My team is implementing ITIL and we had some key questions about service definitions that we had been stuck on for months. This book answered all of those questions - better yet, it told us the process we should follow, not just a canned out-of-the-box answer. The Measuring ITIL book is also good (my boss ordered just a couple copies of that for the folks who are doing the metrics for our team). I went ahead and ordered the Implementing ITIL book. If the Implementing ITIL is as good as the other two books, I'm sure we'll find a use for it.

I'am certified IPSR and IPRC, and i have some knowledge about IT governance and ITIL. I bought this book, hoping that this material could give me a broder view of ITIl and practical examples of ITIL implementations and real-life challenges. However this books its only a service catalog, with a dozens of example services and its descriptions. And thats it! If you're looking for real-life examples or simply ITIL methodology or proccess descriptions forget about it. Take another book.

As an ITSM consultant, I often enter into engagements where the service provider client is unable to answer the question "What services do you provide?" or offers varying answers depending on the perspective of each individual. As a result, consulting staff must investigate, discover, codify, present and validate the IT services often consuming high end resources that are better allocated towards the difficult tasks of implementing ITSM improvements and organizational change surrounding those services. As best practices mature in detail and the ITSM lifecycle expands with perceived complexity, the demand for external expertise is increasing while organizations also seek avenues to increase their internal capabilities. This book can assist those teams tasked with developing common service lists, attributes, definitions, catalogs and portfolios while making more cost effective use of external assistance.
Staying true to form, Randy Steinberg expands his existing ITIL publications with yet another pragmatic guide available to assist Service Managers and IT personnel implement fundamental best practices of IT service management without focusing on the theoretical and academic discussions around processes and functions widely available elsewhere. As in previous books, Randy pulls from his experiences to provide templates, guidance, shortcuts and tips relevant to any ITSM implementations by concentrating on the common elements amongst most service provider environments. If you are already schooled in the fundamentals of ITSM and applicable frameworks such as ITIL and seeking to move from theory to practice - then I highly recommend this series of books as a great starting point and core reference within your professional library.
As an ITIL advocate and realist, I further appreciate Randy's presentation style which promotes the adaptation and consideration of best practices as guidelines not mandates while addressing framework and lifecycle specifics to satisfy ITIL purists including an entire chapter mapping his general service principles to the ITIL V3 lifecycle structure. Like Randy's previous texts, this handbook is written for the "doers" rather than just the "thinkers".

This is an outstanding book for those of us trying to create service catalogs. It give you everything you need to build a solid foundation. I've already recommended this to several colleagues.

I purchased this to study for the AANP exam and was very well prepared. The questions were very close to the exam ones. Definitely buy this book and you will be well prepared for your adult certification exam.

This is an excellent review and study guide for the ANCC family nurse practitioner examination. I recommend it to all new graduates and others that are preparing for the certification exam.

I bought this book and also attended a review course taught by Sally Miller. She focuses on what you really need to know to do well on the Adult NP exam. Many of the questions in this book were similar to those in the test. By purchasing this book and borrowing another prep book (FNP based) from a friend, I was well prepared for the exam and did quite well. Best of luck!

I just took (and passed!) the adult AANP computer based certification test...and I feel compelled to write a review of this study guide: the questions in this book did not reflect, in any way, questions on the exam. Even worse, the questions in the book were so esoteric and difficult, it almost lead me to believe I didn't at all prepare well enough...when in fact I had. I highly recommend the "ANP cert. review" book by Zerwekh, Claborn and Carter (Eds.)...it closely resembles the AANP adult exam, and was an excellent guide in terms of letting me know what areas I needed to study more, and which areas I was well versed in.

Buy this book. Read it now, especially if you want to start a business which is meaningful and valuable, whether if you are a Buddhist or not. I was among the members of the first class that Geri taught on this topic -- which forms the backbone of the book. It changed my life as an entrepreneur and has changed those of others. I can not recommend it more highly -- it is written in a frank and practical and funny style AND it tells you the real truth about creating your own business using Buddhist ideas. The Budhist component is not overwhelming: this is not a "Zen and the Art of Lucre". It is a truly useable and profound look at the way we can live our lives through our livelihood.

Don't let the title fool you. What may sound like a hippy-dippy, touchy-feely, new age book for the Birkenstock crowd is actually a serious, fact-filled planning tool.

If you believe that your business can be successful and still be built on principles then this book will not only reinforce that belief, but walk you through how to go about setting it up that way from the beginning. If you're already in business, you can still use this information to change your direction and refocus your goals.

Geri Larkin's book grew from her own business career, her experiences as a Buddhist seminarian, and as a trainer.

Basically, the idea here is that your values merge with your work. That you strike a balance between having a business and having a life. The steps are easy: 1) simplify your life; 2) make money honestly; and 3) work is one of the most powerful spiritual practices. If you run your business by your own principles, success will naturally follow.

Even if you are not a Buddhist, the planning tools alone are extremely useful. Yes, there are sections about setting your goals and discovering what you want out of your life and business. But it's much more. This is essentially a workbook. It's full of checklists, worksheets, charts, and formulas.

Beginners will find this book most useful, but don't dismiss it if you're already in business. There are entire chapters devoted to cash flow calculations, setting up a marketing plan, and writing a business plan. You know. A business plan. We ALL have one, don't we?

I did remember balance sheets and income statements, but I sure had forgotten how to do a cash flow analysis, how to figure mark-ups, and how useful a budget can be.

This is a book best read with a pencil in hand and a calculator close by.

The above title would be as good as calling it "the buddhist way". Contrary to most books that help you write a business plan, this book focusses on your future company's most important asset: YOU. As this book states, making sure your business is compatible with who you are (your values, your mission), are key elements to build a sustainable business, as are making sure you are ready to do what it takes (having the entrepreneurial attitude). Also, contrary of many dot-com era business books, it sees growing a business in a slow way (without requiring millions of Venture Capital) as a viable option.

So why it didn't I give 5 stars? I think that some of the techniques we teach in our book are better to think about one's mission and values (and to discover them). Also, the way certain topics are introduced as "Buddhist" may put of some readers, which is too bad, given the overall value of this book.

Recommended as compatible with my own writings! This book will guide you through the process to come up with a business plan. Comes complete with worksheets.

Patrick E.C. Merlevede, MSc. -- co-author of "7 Steps to Emotional Intelligence"

In the first few pages I knew that my desire to open a business I could feel really good about was not some fantasy. The more I read the more I realized that my dream is more feasible than I really thought. I read it through once (quick and easy read), loved it, now I will read it again and go through all the exercises. If it does not prove to be helpful I'll write another review but she gives many other sources for information and guidance that I can't imagine, with the right amount of passion, it can't be done!

My first comment is that I would urge readers to exercise discernment and caution with this subject matter in general. As a shamanic counselor who has worked with survivors of ritual abuse (and ritual sex abuse) the domain of the subject of this book is ripe for abuse and misinterpretation. While the author does offer some interesting information, does offer due diligence to things like health safety, and does seem to have a grasp of the advanced energy mechanics of tantric practices, etc., I think this work could have received much more care in its presentation and I also feel that more could have been written about the nature of responsibility and ethics in ritual work.

I have a number of books on sex magic but this is undoubtedly the best. I was not aware of the Celtic history of sex magic until I read this book. It contains easily understood information and instructions all of which are written in simple, easily-understood language. There are some amazing revelations in the book, some of which have changed my understanding of sex magic as a whole. I think that this is a really important book on this subject and should be read by everyone who wants to learn more about sex magic.

I purchased this book in anticipation of jon Hughes' forthcoming tour of the US in order to explore his ideas. I began reading it with some caution as it is a subject that could easily be exploited, made vulgar and commercialised. I was more than please to discover that Jon Hughes has handled the subject well, in a sensitive manner with easily understood language. I have learned a great deal from the book and would recommend it to anyone who wishes to explore Celtic magic and in particular sex magic. It is refreshing to see Jon explore areas other than the tantric-style sex magic which emphasises the development of sexual prowess and performance, In Hughes' book we can see how these energies may be directed outside the body for a wide variety of uses as opposed to using the energies to improve ones own sexual performance. A good book, well written

If magic exists and if human beings can use magic, then a book may not be the best way to learn about it. Hughes is attempting to put into book what it took him many years of apprecticeship to learn. While he does a good and thorough job of tackling almost anything I could think of, I still think the best way to learn is to learn from a practicing druid who uses sex magic in positive ways. On the other hand, Hughes has opened up some of the secret about magic and made them understandable to the layperson. Just because you think you understand however is not reason enough to just hop out and try it.

Author showed a lot of techniques of Myofascial release with detailed description of each. It is hard to get complete understanding when trying to position client with active participation from their side.
Book is very technical and not to easy to use.
Not recommended for beginners, this book would be helpful for LMT who had been practicing for a while.

The foreword suggested that this is 'not just another book' & and is one of the first to 'spill the beans' on Rolfing techniques. However much of the techniques are covered in Art Riggs' book & video, although Riggs acknowledge that his book is based on Stanborough's manual.
It is written in a philosophical way, and aim to only present the techniques without the details of anatomy. Comprises of 2 sections: The Basics, and Techniques. The basics describe the philosophy of muscle dysfunction & the effect of myofascial release. The techniques covered muscles of different parts of body, with an attempt to give a clear & detailed instructions.
Stanborough demonstrates his communication skill on how to ask the client to perform movement: 'Take your tailbone away towards the wall behind you'.
My wishlist: Videos will be superb to accompany this manual. My wish has come true, the author has released a set of DVD on the techniques. Great resource
Excellent resource to add to your deep tissue book & video collection.

This is a good book for anyone seeking to expand their understanding of fascia. By examining the relationship between the nervous system and the fascial network, it brings a new appreciation to just what happens under our hands when we touch someone. It's also rich with techniques, presented in a manner that makes them immediately repeatable in the practitioner's clinic. I'd recommend this book to the beginner as well as the experienced practitioner - it has material that will be of interest to massage and phsyiotherapists, OTs, osteopaths and chiropractors.

I have been a deep tissue massage therapist for over 20 years. This is by far the best manual on theory and practical technique that I have ever used. If you want results as well as understanding, this is the book to get. I've also bought the author's 8 DVD set, which is almost as good as a one-on-one hands-on course with him.

I LOVED THIS BOOK BECAUSE OF ITS PERCISE DETAIL AND INSTRUCTIONS. I NEEDED TO KNOW IMPORTANT IMFORMATION ABOUT WHAT TO GIVE TO MY RABBITS SMOKEY,LUCKY,AND JACK. WHEN THEY NEEDED THEIR NAILS CLIPPED OR THEY WERE ACTING WEIRD I USED TO GO RIGHT TO THE VETS. NOW I CAN DO ALL OF THAT ON MY OWN. THIS BOOK TAUGHGT ME ABOUT THE DIFFERENT MEDICINES AND THE BEST ONES TO USE FOR THE SICKNESS OF MY BUNNIES. IT ALSO TAUGHT ME THE SYMPTOMS OF CERTAIN DESEASES AND IT TOLD ME RATHER OR NOT I NEEDED TO GO TO THE VETS! IF YOU DO NOT ALL READY HAVE THIS TO DIE FOR BOOK I HIGHLY RECOMEND YOU BUY IT NOW WHILE SUPPLIES LASTS!!!!!!!!!!

I was trying to find a desk reference or "materia medica" of sorts for using homeopathy with animals. I have been brought up on homeopathic care for myself above going to doctors for colds, allergies and the like so now that I have a cat I am beginning to question typical veterinary practice, especially since my cat was prescribed amoxicillin for an upper respiratory cold and it was even flavored orange - you can imagine trying to give that to an animal that would prefer fish over citrus.

This book had some cute illustrations but was more of a story-book that I would have really had to read through all of than a quick, practical reference that I could turn to in recognising and treating symptoms.

My second favorite reference book when it comes to the homeopathic treatment of cats, and my number one choice when it comes to acute health situations. The conditions are in alphabetical order, so you can find the information you need in a hurry. This book is quite simple to use, especially if you have little or no background in homeopathy.

Homeopathic First Aid for Animals: Tales and Techniques from a Country Practitioner, by by Kaetheryn Walker is probably the first book I reach for when a medical crisis arises. While this is not the book one needs to search for consitutional remedies, it is a must for those sudden acute conditions that pop up unexpectedly. As the manager of a small feline sanctuary where I care for over 40 cats, I recommend this book highly.

This book is for folks who are serious about this subject. It is very academic and has comprehensive references. I agree with the editor that it's about time the psychological community acknowledged clients' spirituality and integrated it into treatment. This is tough to do without imposing one's own beliefs (or lack thereof) on the client, and I think this book goes a ways toward helping the practitioner understand what's out there and how to relate to it. The editor is a Christian, but eastern spirituality is included in the book, too, as is the 12-step program. The chapters are written by people with experience in the various facets of spirituality. One problem that I see is that the editing is sloppy. For instance the word "for" might appear when "or" is really what's meant. It's distracting and makes the read take longer as one has to keep going back over the text for clarification.

I have been using this book in the psychology 495 course (Spirituality and Mental Health) and have found this book invaluable. It shows how really necesary the spirituality of a person is to their mental health and should not be ignored as has been tried in the past. The whole person needs to be treated and part of that whole is the spiritual. Not religious or their religion but their spirituality.

Abstract
The following document will critically review the text Integrating Spirituality into
Treatment: Research for Practitioners, edited by William R. Miller. To provide a review with breadth-within the limited size of this critique-one article from each of the text's four sections is investigated. The articles were found to provide a comprehensive synthesis of current professional research, viable hypotheses, and recommendations for further study. Critical review and disagreement with some definitions and applications are noted in this document.

A Critical Review of the Text Integrating
Spirituality into Treatment: Research for Practitioners
Spirituality in psychotherapeutic treatment is a topic that has gained attention in professional research over the last 15 years. The text being critically reviewed covers many of the current issues of importance, synthesizing recent professional research, and providing hypotheses and recommendations for further study.
PART I: SPIRITUALITY AND TREATMENT
Spirituality and Health
The first chapter of the text discusses the topic of spirituality in health. Both terms-spirituality and health-are first defined and then the text addresses how one may affect the other in clinical practice.
Health
In approaching a definition of health, the author refers to the common greeting "how are you," and reflects on how the question could be interpreted as an opening to a complex dialog regarding one's holistic wellbeing. In sum, it is proposed that health can be conceptualized though three vantage points: suffering (or the absence of suffering), function (i.e. the adaptive cognitive function of an individual, and biological operation), and coherence (i.e. inner-peace, or optimism).
In an analysis of this conceptualization, it is possible that health is completely a constructivist phenomenon. With this, the first and the third criteria proposed-suffering and coherence-are equivalent and therefore redundant. Suffering, in its essence, is the antithesis of inner-peace. The idea of one suffering and being at peace at the same time is a logical impossibility unless one is compartmentalizing his/her suffering to one aspect of his/her experience and inner-peace to another. For example, one can be suffering from depression and have inner-peace in regards to their perceived spiritual salvation. It is impossible however, for one to be suffering over depression, and have inner-peace in that aspect of their health, for to do so would be to lack depressive mood.
In regards to the category of function, this criterion too seems problematic for it is odd to state that an individual paralyzed from the waist down is in poor health, though this lack of function is much more extreme than the influenza virus, a condition that often provokes the label of illness.
Spirituality
According to the text spirituality, like health, is multidimensional: even defined as the multidimensional space in which one can be located. It is said that spirituality is not religion, and is not religious practice or ceremony (though such acts can be spiritual experiences). It is also suggested that since spirituality may be an innate aspect of one's being, the concept of one individual as more (or less) spiritual than another person may be fallacious. Lastly, suggestions are made that true spirituality concerns one's subjective experiences. With these presumptions, a design is proposed that states spirituality concerns three domains: practice, belief, and experience.
The Accepted Discrepancy
Despite the author's concept of three domains, the author allows equal credence to other researchers who have qualified spirituality differently; one researcher stating that spirituality is comprised of four domains in the context of religion: the experiential, ritualistic, intellectual, and consequential. Other researchers have proposed a six dimensional model: the mythological, ritual, experiential, dispositional, social, and directional.
The simple fact that so many different qualifying systems for spirituality exist, and are accepted as equally relevant and correct, is suspicious. It seems there can be no wrong answer to the question: "what is the definition of spirituality?" This is problematic for without correct and incorrect designations spirituality has become an ambiguous term; a term with no meaning and therefore no significance. It is not helpful to have an acceptable answer to the question; "is spirituality religious/social/experiential/innate in one's being/solemn/exciting?"-to be "sometimes" or even "depends who you ask."
Spirituality and Clinical Practice
Though spiritual issues are no longer seen as psychosis, it is stated in text that when health problems involve spiritual issues-which often manifest as concerns of faith, guilt, forgiveness, grace, hope, and acceptance-it is often unclear how a prospective client should solicit help. One solution seems to be to educate clergy about psychology and counseling, while another would be to educate psychologists or counselors to be what the text refers to as "bilingual," understanding the terminology of both psychological and spiritual issues.
Accordingly, the call for helping professionals to be versed in multiple domains of human health is reinforced with numerous research studies declaring that "when spiritual and religious involvement has been measured (even poorly), it has with surprising consistency been found to be positively related to health and inversely related to disorders" (p. 11).
Integration Issues
In critical analysis of the text's call for clergy to learn psychology and psychologists to learn spirituality, though the recommendation does point to a necessary criteria for the treatment of clients, such may not be sufficient when taking into account that not only are these disciplines at times uneducated-or wrongly educated-concerning one another, even many properly educated clergy and psychologists are against the process of integrating spirituality and psychology, preferring to keep the disciplines separate in what is known at the "against" model. Clergy critique psychology for their objective and goal is often to reduce personal suffering at all costs, disregarding "unhelpful" religious morality, while psychologists view the clergy as simply "bad psychologists" and view religion as often inhibiting and superstitious. Even with education, it is suspected not all helping professionals are going to embrace the integration of these disciplines, despite the research.
Proposed Solutions
In lieu of this, the text offers several interesting solutions. One, that clergy or psychologists could be called in as a sort of "specialist" to work with a client in one aspect of his/her treatment. This suggestion is interesting for a client would benefit from the expertise of two helping professionals, but it is weak in the fact that individuals want to be understood as a whole person, not in parts.
Two, the author points out that a psychologist does not need to adhere to a person's spiritual or religious beliefs, or even condone them, to be able to help a client by understanding the religious issues. Likewise, clergy can be taught psychotherapy concepts that do not infringe on their religious beliefs-such as cognitive behavioral therapy's concepts of distorted thinking, or person centered therapy's empathetic response. These concepts, likely, the clergy have been applying in some form already though have not been able to perfect it, and have not identified it as "psychology."
Discussion
In sum, though both health and spirituality are multidimensional, and sometimes evasive when one tries to conceptualize a holistic definition, it is apparent the two areas are intertwined into human existence, effect one-another; and it is important people helpers be able to see a "whole person" to help one most effectively.
PART II: ADDRESSING SPIRITUALITY IN TREATMENT
Prayer
According to the text, 90% of Americans pray at least on occasion and 97% of those who pray believe their prayers are heard. Some research has been done to determine when persons pray and it was found that prayer is often more frequent when one is experiencing problems of severity, problems that are intractable, or those which are unresponsive to conventional resolutions. More perplexing perhaps is that research has found persons also pray more when one has a purpose in life, has consumed alcohol, has an adjusted marriage, perceived existential well-being, religious satisfaction, lower delinquency, and reduced fear of death. Frequency of prayer has been found to be unrelated to negative affect, happiness, loneliness, anxiety, or self-esteem.
Inconclusive Research
This research is convoluted, if not directly contradictory. On one hand persons are praying more when they are experiencing grave or irresolvable personal problems, on another hand prayer frequency is unaffected by affect, and increases with life-satisfaction. Though, with this, it is apparent research has not yet confirmed a theory on external determinants for increasing or decreasing prayer frequency, according to the text research has uncovered consistent data on the affects or prayer.
Affects of Prayer
Prayer has been found to be an affective coping device, appearing in some studies as a stress deterrent, and others as a stress buffer. Either way, research shows that persons "who pray frequently are less likely than people who pray infrequently to encounter psychological or physical illness and impairment in the aftermath of serious life stressors" (p. 91). This data feeds well into a point that is made later in the text: that prayer is useful for mental health practitioners. The text outlines five ways prayer can be used to effectively assist mental health treatment:
1. Professionals can identify one's praying style to assess one's religious coping style
2. Clients can be encouraged to pray outside of session, to reap its stress buffering benefits
3. Prayer can be used to promote cognitive changes with religious clients
4. Practitioners may find it beneficial to pray with clients during session
5. Practitioners can pray for their clients in private (p. 99).
Discussion
In analysis of these five options, the text does not serve to reinforce the benefits of
the last two with any type or professional research. Though it could be assumed that since a client's praying behaviors are effective tools outside of counseling they would remain effective in counseling, the text does not provide further support for this, nor does it address the dual relationships that can develop when professional and pastoral lines are blurred. In addition, the text does not address that a client may feel pressured into agreeing to pray with a counselor-a request some religious persons may be inclined to agree to even if they truly are uncomfortable with the request-a process that could leave a client feeling violated.
Regarding tenet five, it is interesting that it is suggested that the professional could pray for the client "in private" for the text does not provide any research evidence for the efficacy of prayer when it is directed toward another human without their knowledge! Just because research may exist that shows one's personal praying behaviors may buffer or dissuade that person's personal stress, this in no way provides evidence that praying for another person in private would be an effective endeavor toward that person.
PART III: SOME SPIRITUAL ISSUES IN TREATMENT
Acceptance and Forgiveness
Similar to the chapters before it, the section on acceptance and forgiveness first defines its terms, and then investigates the implication of the ideas in psychotherapeutic process.
Acceptance
Acceptance is said to be:
...the developed capacity to fully embrace whatever is in the present moment. It requires a spacious mind, and open heart, and strength to bear one's experience...although it might include the following, does not necessarily mean resignation, agreement, servitude, or passivity" (p. 200).
Further, it is stated that the process of acceptance is not for the "faint hearted" because acceptance deals with embracing reality at all costs. Examples in text are that of Jesus accepting his death on the cross (i.e. the will of God), Buddha accepting his old age and death, and Mohammad accepting the full judgment of Allah. Acceptance is said to be non-passive therefore, and instead of being synonymous with "receiving," a better understanding is to view acceptance as to catch or seize something.
Acceptance in Psychotherapy
Acceptance is something that has been rooted in psychotherapy: for existential psychotherapy, cognitive therapy, and humanistic theories all deal with perceiving reality. Further, the text points out that many psychological problems are rooted in one's disconnectedness from reality! These problems include the denial of pain and reality, dissociate identity issues, phobias, anxiety, and substance abuse issues-to mention a few.
Acceptance Discussion
However, the text makes it seem that accurate perception of reality-and its acceptance-is a cure-all for psychological problems. This may not be so. Though Buddha accepted his agedness and was well, Jesus, accepting his fate on the cross, suffered greatly! Therefore, it could be proposed that in order for acceptance to be therapeutic it must include a subject's "want for nothing," or synonymously, one's contentment with a current situation. In the quotation written at the beginning of this section, the author uses ambiguous metaphor in his definition of acceptance and states it to be a state that "requires a spacious mind, an open heart, and strength to bear one's experience." This is insufficient for use in a therapeutic process that will decrease suffering for-to present a cliché example-one in a concentration camp can "bear one's experience" in agony (as for "open heart" and "spacious mind" these defining characteristics need defining themselves!). However, if the definition includes a "want for nothing," a desire for nothing more or less than one's current situation, pain has no place left in a person's experience. This Buddha discovered.
Forgiveness
A word similar to acceptance, compassion, and tolerance; forgiveness involves a change in emotion and means to get rid of one's anger, and thoughts of retribution or revenge. Christ states that one should be able to forgive his brother in all situations (and in unlimited quantities), and in a recent survey of Christians and Buddhists, similar sentiments were stated. Lastly, it is stated in text how profoundly therapeutic forgiveness is for clients who can achieve it.
Forgiveness Discussion
The question that is not investigated in the text-one of more profundity-is "how does a psychotherapist empower a client to forgive?" There are likely many clients who understand that they are "told" to forgive by their religion's doctrine, are aware that if they "forgive" they will reap emotional or psychological benefits, though cannot do so because even though they may consciously choose to forgive, the anger they experience toward a situation or person does not allow them to consistently maintain a spirit of forgiveness. In sum, this chapter summarized some points that are commonsense to anyone with a basic knowledge of forgiveness in religion or forgiveness in psychotherapeutic practice. This chapter fails however to contribute what has been necessary for so long: an effective plan for instilling forgiveness in persons seeking help.
PART IV: SPIRITUALITY IN PROFESSIONAL TRAINING
Diversity Training in Spiritual and Religious Issues
The author quotes the American Medical Association as stating that psychiatrists should endure enough instruction about issues of religion and spirituality to facilitate the competent care of patients from different religious and spiritual backdrops. In agreement, Miller (2000) states with "the training or psychotherapists, spirituality deserves neither more nor less attention than other important aspects of human nature" (p. 261). The basic fact that the majority of the American population possesses explicit religious beliefs and practices, and that most claim that their spiritual faith is of central importance in their lives and that according to surveys of the American population 40%-50% have even had a spiritual or mystic experience serves to show that to ignore spirituality in treatment is to miss an astoundingly important aspect "of human motivation that influences personality, development, relationships, and mental health" (Miller, p. 261).
Lastly, the text states correctly that prejudice of religion may have wrongly become commonplace in counseling therapy: and may be in violation with the healer's ethical principal to "do no harm." In specific, it is stated that though it is professionally impermissible to ignore or attack ones ethnic race, cultural upbringing, or gender, it is common for a client to be berated about his/her religious or spiritual faith-which may even be viewed as pathology by a psychotherapist.
Psychotherapy Theory and Religious Acceptance
Reportedly, several psychotherapeutic theories embrace spirituality. For example, transpersonal psychology is deeply concerned with the spiritual and religious aspect of human nature, and existential therapy-like world religions-focuses on broad meanings or existence. However, in critique, the author fails to admit existential therapy is greatly opposed to any religion that instates a moral code, for such would eliminate a client's absolute "freedom." In likeness, religion contradicts the common existential claim that life is meaningless and an afterlife cannot exist.
The further repugnance of psychotherapy toward spirituality and religion involves Albert Ellis, the founder of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), who stated outright in one professional journal that the therapeutic solution to emotional problems is for one to become non-religious and without any dogmatic faith unfounded in fact. He continued on to propose the less religious an individual is, the more emotionally healthy that person will be (this opinion contradicts contemporary research, however). Lastly, persons with a basic background in the history of psychology know of Sigmund Freud's hatred of religious thought, considering it mass hysteria, developmental immaturity, and viewing God as a wish fulfillment.
Spirituality Training
Miller (2000) states that he is not proposing an additional course on world religions be added to psychology program curricula. Instead, he states spiritual and religious issues should be integrated into psychotherapy training as an involved component to existing educational topics including personality, assessment/interviewing, psychopathology, and supervision.
Regarding personality, it is stated that the search for the sacred has influenced in significant ways every culture throughout history, and the topic is wrongly ignored in personality studies. Miller (2000) also points out that spirituality and personality are by definition very similar, for both can be defined as a
...multidimensional latent construct of individual differences. [And that] There is a large scientific literature within the psychology of religion, seldom examined in clinical training, regarding definitional and measurement issues related to spirituality and religion (p 258).
Concerning Assessment/Interviewing, along with other areas where practitioners are trained to gather relevant information on a client, which include family history, sexual history, personality, cognitive functioning, and psychopathology, psychologists in training need to be instructed in understanding a client's religious history and be able to effectively assess current spirituality.
Psychopathology is important because in the past spiritual and religious beliefs have been wrongly anecdotally related to mental illness. Schools should instruct future practitioners that spiritual and religious issues are not precursors to psychopathology, but are often useful in preventing psychopathological disorders.
Lastly, supervision allows a seasoned psychologist to assist a new therapist to not overlook one's spiritual issues, but to effectively integrate them into treatment. In addition, a new therapist can be instructed when it is, and when it is not, appropriate to challenge a client's religious beliefs, or how a professional can tell if one's spiritual beliefs are genuinely destructive. In supervision, issues of proselytizing can be addressed in milieu of an ongoing counseling situation, as can the ethical issue of a therapist disclosing his/her religious beliefs to a client.
Discussion
The points mentioned in this chapter are good ones. They include the concern that spirituality and religion should not be challenged as psychopathology-as they have been throughout the history of psychology. Also, the notion that mental health practitioners should have a suitable understanding and active respect for a client's faith is an important observation that not even conservative religious clergy could disagree with. However, what has not been mentioned is a plan for improving a client's spiritual health. Culture, race, gender-these are generally static conditions.
Spirituality is different in the respect that it is not. It is more than a facet of an individual's being that needs to be considered when diagnosing and treating a mental health issue. Like mental health, spiritual issues may need educated guidance and therapy to first become devoid of illness (spiritual health) and later to promote spiritual growth within a client.

If you are seeking to integrate spirituality into patient care in a hospital, medical practice, or ambulatory surgery center -- you should seek other works.

Psychologists, psychotherapists, behavioral therapists and ministers or chaplains who have an ongoing relationship with patients (e.g. chronic illnesses) will find this book useful and important.

Chapters on: Spirituality and Health, Historical Context, Assessing Spirituality, Mindfulness and Meditation, Prayer, Spirituality and the 12-step Programs, Values Spirituality and Psychotherapy, Behavioral Approaches to Enhance Spirituality, Spiritual Surrender: A Paradoxical Path to Control, Acceptance and Forgiveness, Evoking Hope, Serenity and Diversity Training in Spiritual and Religious Issues.

The only critique is the absence of an instrument to assess spirituality (or even guidance for the reader on which existing assessments are the best in practice).