Finding the Energy to Heal

A Book Review by Tim Brunson DCH

Recently in the bookstore of a major psychology conference I noticed a stack of books by Maggie Phillips, Ph.D., the California psychologist who is known as an authority on pain, trauma, and energy psychology. One book in particular interested me. This was Finding the Energy to Heal: How EMDR, Hypnosis, TFT, Imagery, and Body-Focused Therapy Can Help Restore Mindbody Health. Out of curiosity, throughout the weekend I often checked this stack of books. Well, either the retailer was constantly restocking because of high demand, the majority of the attendees already owned the book, or this book must be one of the best kept secrets in the world of healers. Regardless, as I had actually purchased her book at a previous conference and just read a large portion of it on my airplane flight, my mind was obsessed digesting and integrating this stew of energy-based healing ideas. After reading this book and studying it carefully over the past few months, I would highly advise clinicians who haven't already read this book to do so immediately.

Finding the Energy to Heal is Dr. Phillips' follow-up after her earlier book, Healing the Divided Self. Using her previously introduced SARI (Safety and Stability, Activate, Resolved, and Integrate) Model as a departure point, she artfully illustrates the value of the smorgasbord techniques included in her title. Even though this book is not an instruction manual for these topics, she does provide enough of the essential elements of each so the reader can understand and appreciate their relevance to her theory of healing. One thing that I particularly love about this work is how she then integrates these modalities in to a philosophy of integrative therapy.

The way she develops and presents her views of healing reminds me of the integrative style of the late Bruce Lee, the martial artist/actor who developed Jute Kune Do as a "style without a style". Like Lee, Phillips believes in being well-versed in the various techniques, while maintaining that there are certain core principles that must be respected and applied by the clinician. One of her guiding principles is the respect for her client/patients' healing ability and their energetic nature. The greatest value of this book is the reader's development of a level of wisdom that allows one to interweave various techniques to attain the healing desired.

It is important to note that despite Phillips standing as a clinical psychologist, this book is not just about the mind. It is about healing both the mind and the body. This was reflected in her choice to mention Hippolyte Bernheim, one of hypnosis historical greats. He contributed the idea of the relationship between ideas (or suggestions) and the dynamic processes of the body. It is clear that she sees the mind and body as one integrated whole that must be simultaneously addressed by any serious healer/clinician.

Regarding her writings about hypnosis and imagery, I must add that despite my reputation of criticizing the over-reliance on the works of the late Milton H. Erickson, MD, I must say that Maggie Phillips is an extremely capable practitioner who epitomizes all that is good and correct in the Ericksonian world. Her grasp of the concepts of dynamics and utilization and how it applies to therapy is the most effective that I have ever encountered.

Having met her on a couple of occasions, I can attest that the person that comes across in this book is the real thing. She is an epitome of compassion, competence, and intelligence. Although this book was published in 2000, it is still extremely relevant and a vital ingredient in anyone's training if they would even start to grasp an integrative model of healing. I believe that her next book is due to be published in a couple of months. I'm looking forward to seeing how her ideas continue to develop.