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SIGNALS FROM THE SOUL

Name: SIGNALS FROM THE SOUL
Author: Ann Muller
ISBN: 978-0983653202

HOW OUR SOUL TELLS US WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW

by Ann Muller ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 3, 2011

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Muller’s personal text offers a firsthand glimpse into the alternative therapies of hypnosis, neuromuscular response therapy (NMR) and past-life regression.

After a lifelong journey through many different types of traditional therapies to ascertain why she always felt discontented, Muller discovered certified clinical hypnotist Pamela Chilton and began a course of alternative therapy that she says allowed her to understand the physical and mental challenges of her life and find happiness. A self-proclaimed neophyte in her book’s topics, with a background in theater and small-business start-ups, Muller states upfront that she’s no expert in the subject—she has simply printed the transcripts of 17 of her therapy sessions with Chilton in an effort to share her learning with others. In the types of therapy Muller describes through Chilton’s approach, the answer to the great unknowns of life is to regress to whatever experiences in this life or past lives generated the thought that caused the ongoing unhappiness or ailment and then literally erase it. The soul knows all, Muller posits, and we can consult our higher self for all the problems of life that plague us. The sessions she transcribes range from tracing problems with her eyesight to a past life as an Essene and a relative of Jesus in the time of the crucifixion, to learning about a birth defect in her heart, traced to a life as a greedy, dishonest 18th-century Boston merchant, to regressing to her younger selves to heal a painful legacy of sexual abuse. It’s a comforting idea that we can—and already do—know everything we need to know and can fix our problems as easily as erasing a chalkboard, but while Muller’s book presents plenty of personal detail, it lacks objective information and stops short of offering any way for readers to explore the ideas for themselves other than seeking out a hypnotherapist who specializes in these techniques. For readers already on board with alternative therapies, Muller is a fluid writer, and Chilton’s dialogue supplies an intriguing, if repetitive, narrative; but there’s little case made to convince the unconverted in what amounts to a documentary about Muller’s personal therapy sessions.

Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2011

ISBN: 978-0983653202

Page Count: 213

Publisher: Inner Self

Review Posted Online: Nov. 7, 2011

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.