IONS Library

Healing and Transformation Through Self Guided Imagery

by Leslie Davenport

• Reviewed by The Editors on March 1, 2009

  From the opening sentence in Davenport’s preface, “This book is a guide to listening to your own heart,” readers will know that they are in for something special. Unlike most technique-driven books that prioritize execution over context, this one flips the order, emphasizing the importance of one’s capacity for inner work and revelation to achieve the intended results. Davenport, a widely recognized authority on and practitioner of guided imagery in multiple settings, does address the history and evolution of this practice to present time. Of particular value, though, is a series of case studies shared through the book—eleven of them, addressing such issues as diabetes, heart attack, anger, cancer, and “spiritual heartache.” They provide the scaffolding for the variety of ways that self-guided imagery can work. Yes, it’s a versatile healing tool, but as Davenport makes clear, in prose both poetic and practical, its ultimate value may be in helping one unlock inner wisdom.

  Publisher:

  Review published in Shift magazine