The Healer

A client of an Australian healer shares insights from him as well as her own musings in this debut spirituality guide.

Single mother Sargent first went to Brisbane-based Telman, a self-described “psychic healer,” for life-planning sessions, and then asked him to meet with her for a series of conversations, from which she developed this book. Although the text covers some details about Telman’s childhood in Communist Poland as well as his subsequent world studies and travels, it’s largely concerned with his concepts regarding spirituality. According to Telman, the world is vibrating with the energy of souls created by an “organic spiritual machine” (“It’s alien, I think”), and all those souls have “an instinct to reincarnate” until they’re perfected. He says that he knew since childhood that he had psychic visions and healing gifts, and asserts that “after a healing session with me your energies are raised, and ipso facto so do your life experiences: at the higher level is a greater level of self-confidence and belief, personal productivity, success, happiness and so on.” He details some of the practices that he asks his clients to do, such as “Front Door Activity”—thinking positive thoughts every time they walk in and out of doors. Sargent also offers her own personal commentary on her relationship with her now-deceased father, her ambitions to be a writer, and even a banana bread recipe. She’s crafted a provocative spirituality tome, but it’s somewhat hard to navigate; for example, she offers paragraphs of dialogue without attribution, making it challenging to keep track of when she or Telman is speaking. Still, she touches down on many engaging topics, thankfully offering helpful organization by sectioning her text into chapters on “Karma,” “Free Will,” “Death,” and other concepts. Most significantly, Telman, while making some strange claims (such as that he’s gone on “night missions” in the spirit realm and that he’s “Australia’s most read poet”), ultimately offers bracing wisdom, underscoring the need for people to take ongoing action to be positive, loving, and successful in life.  

A rambling discussion, redeemed by its intriguing spiritual ideas and sprinklings of practical advice.