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SKIN DEEP: A Mind/Body Program for Healthy Skin by

SKIN DEEP: A Mind/Body Program for Healthy Skin

By

Pub Date: Feb. 26th, 1986
Publisher: Morrow

It is hard to imagine readers of this book taking comfort from it. While the authors--one of whom is a clinical psychologist specializing in skin disorders--offer many examples of mind over acne, their basic premise is that anyone suffering an eruptive skin condition who does not achieve relief should look no further than the mirror for the culprit. In a variant of you are what you eat, the authors declare your skin to be the betrayer of all unresolved feelings, as enumerated in such subheadings as ""Your Skin Is Playing Sexual Policeman"" and ""Your Skin Is Telling Forbidden Truths,"" among others. In delineating the ways in which the skin tells all, Grossbart cites cases from his practice--some of them involving quite painful and traumatizing skin conditions, but all successfully resolved under his care--and he offers a variety of exercises meant to exorcise the underlying demon neuroses. As prescriptives for the inner peace we could all use more of, the pursuit of psychotherapy and such techniques as biofeedback, meditation and self-hypnosis are unsurprising recommendations. What seems rather misleading is the suggestion that relief is just a matter of applying oneself to the problem. In short, if you can't heal your own lupus, it's your fault. Perhaps, indeed, all diseases of the skin are psychosomatic. But what if one dutifully performs all the exercises prescribed here and still wakes up with a zit? Is there a money-back guarantee?