[.ca] Molecules of Emotion: The Science Behind Mind-Body Medicine (ISBN 0684831872)

Thought provoking, but only up to a point:
"Molecules of Emotion" was certainly not what I expected from the jacket blurbs. Yes, there is some discussion of the scientific discoveries regarding emotion, but only in the first half of the book, and even there, it's a small minority of the content, couched in a personal narrative more centered on Candace Pert's viewpoint of her own career. Yes, the saddening politics of paper publication, awards selection and grant approval in the world of government- and industry-funded biological research is quite an interesting read for an outsider. It even got my blood boiling to think of the promising therapies that are possibly being ignored due to their lack of profit potential (though this wasn't a new idea to me). It's too bad this ends up being the high point of the book. From the very beginning, Pert's own ego comes to the fore in places in a way that detracts from the information that I (and presumably some others) bought the book for in the first place. There is something about the way she describes her personal experiences (more extensively and less modestly than might have seemed appropriate for a presentation of important scientific information) that made me wonder how much differently other people must perceive her than she perceives herself (even before she admits as much later on). Unfortunately, this is not the worst of it. The early content is clearly scientifically validated, and describes in some detail (just enough for plausibility) the experiments that were conducted and the meaning of the results. But by the second half of the book, she seems to have thrown scientific inquiry to the wind in favor of unfounded speculation, including extensive quotations of flighty lunchtime conversations she's had with psychics and others, with no foundation or evidence to back up any of the wild ideas that spring forth. It degenerates into such drivel that I stopped reading entirely 50 pages from the end (and I rarely fail to slog through the last pages of even the dreariest tome). Not that it isn't a bit fascinating what this woman believes (some of which is entirely plausible, insightful, and well founded, while some is just the opposite, with seemingly little discrimination between the two extremes), but I didn't have much interest in paying money and spending time on someone's not-very-interesting life story or wild speculations. In sum, the first half of the book is reasonably interesting, both in terms of the science and the politics of science. The second half is only interesting as a personality study of a scientest appearantly so frustrated with the politics of science that she to a large extent rejected science itself, no longer discriminating between theories backed by experiment or other evidence and those that are not. Fans of alternative healing, particularly those just savvy enough to be impressed by passing references to terms like "quantum mechanics" and "information theory" (in close association with "chakra" and "subtle energy", a supposed force beyond those of electicity, gravity, etc. invented to explain the power of love) but not sophisticated enough to actually understand what they really mean, will eat up the second half of this book, as will insecure psychologists threatened by successful drug treatmenets for depression. Don't get me wrong: I have nothing against self-help books, spiritual healing or holistic approaches to a healthy body and mind. (And some of Pert's later musings are perfectly valid wise words for how to live a good and happy life.) But this book ends up in a VERY different place from where the jacket summary and testimonials would suggest.

It is more an autobiography then anything else:
This book came highly recommended. I am a scientist but not a biologist. I found the first couple of chapters rather difficult to comprehend since I had absolutely no background in molecular-biology. Because I like a great challenge, I decided to stick with the book and see if I could learn the technical lingo; after several pages into the book, and additional anatomy textbooks, I was able to comprehend what was going on and started to make sense of all the detailed research Dr. Pert was talking about. The downside of this book is that after 160 pages Dr. Pert is still talking about herself, her-misfortune and the roughness of her life being a woman working in a male dominated environment. There is nothing concrete on how one should apply or work with emotions to prevent illnesses until the very end of the book. If one would like to skip the agony of learning a new science and would like to get the just of the book, I suggest reading the last chapter, chapter 13 "Truth" pg 279 and then go to Appendix A and B. Personally, I found this book to be more of an autobiography. If you like autobiographies then it is entertaining but a difficult read if you are looking to better your life by learning from this book I suggest you choose an other author.

A library worth having for every healer:
There are books which pretend to be a reference point, and there are those which not only are, but also exceed readers' expectations. These are some of those! Read them twice and heal the universe. A library worth having for every healer. (1). The Power of Divine: A Healer's Guide - Tapping into the Miracle by Tiffany Snow (2). Molecules Of Emotion: The Science Behind Mind-Body Medicine by Candace B. Pert (3). Energy Medicine by Donna Eden, David Feinstein, Brooks Garten, Caroline Myss (4). Reiki Energy Medicine: Bringing the Healing Touch into Home, Hospital and Hospice by Libby Barnett, Maggie Chambers, Susan Davidson (5). A Practical Guide to Vibrational Medicine : Energy Healing and Spiritual Transformation by Richard Gerber

Autobiography of a Scientist:
After reading about Candace Pert's discoveries in numerous magazine articles, I decided to read her book to learn more. What I learned about was Candace Pert. The book contains information about the biology of emotions, but it is embedded in a narrative of Dr. Pert's life as a scientist. Though the story is an interesting one, it was a disappointment for someone looking for a layperson's introduction to the molecules of emotions.

Pleasant reading experience:
I have always liked biology and I have always been a believer in a the mind/body theory, my psychology teacher recommended this book and I see why it gives you wit detail the explanation and even some one with some knowledge of terminology in biology can understand it, and her personal story was a delightful dessert for a fascinating well written scientific book, I have read several other books in this subject and this is one of my favorites.