Love, Medicine & Miracles

A Guide for Living Life's Challenges

HarperCollins Interactive

Available in Mac or
Windows formats

Windows ISBN 0060195053
Hybrid ISBN 0060195053
Mac ISBN 0060195045

Review by John and Miriam Raabe

Have you used a CD-ROM yet for personal interactive learning--for working on your attitude and point of view?

That's what this important disc asks you to do. This program will change the way you think and interact with others if you are willing to spend the time with it. As a quicker "read" it will give you an experience of the extraordinary journey of a doctor frustrated by the limitations of his profession and how he found new meaning in the experiences of his patients. This is an excellent title for people wanting to work on a personal or family health problem. This disk would also be a valuable experience for someone ready to expand their definition of their own work or role in life.

For those who don't know, Bernie Siegel is a skilled surgeon who nearly 20 years ago started a personal transformation from an overworked "surgical mechanic" to that of a true healer--a healer of both himself and others. To do this he had to step beyond his training and find new ways to work with people.

Early on in this process he rejects the standard medical practice of protecting doctors behind professional barriers. He does two things to break down these barriers. He pushes his desk against a wall so he must face patients one on one, and he asks everyone to start calling him by his first name. These small changes are the start of his own transformation.

Containing 20 years of experience, there is an extraordinary amount of material on this disk. In addition to Siegel's three books, videos, and workshop exercises there are such things as:

Guided imagery meditation exercises, like the ones that helped Bernie and his patients. Two are on the CD-ROM and four more are on the audio tape included with this package.
Drawing analysis exercises where you do guided drawings then see interpretations of those of others in the workshops.
Exceptional People interviews. Individuals who have faced adversity and found new strength by living their lives to the fullest. Click on an image to hear their story.
Poems and stories. Writings by Bernie and others.
Bobbie Siegel's one-liners. These workshops are a family affair and Bernie's wife provides the humor and lightness. Click on her image for short video segments.

What you get out of this disc is the experience of being at a Bernie Siegel workshop. Now combine that with a reference library of all the text, audio and visual materials of the author and his workshop participants. Then add a personal workspace for interacting with the material yourself and tracking the process.

Could you ask for anything more? Well, the program does run slowly and demands all the resources of a minimum configuration machine. But everything you need is here, and the program jumps are worth the few seconds wait. In short, this is a noble publishing project that will touch the lives of many people in a meaningful way. New titles will no doubt follow Siegel's lead and further explore the personal development area of interactive media. This field has great potential.

John Raabe is a home designer and energy consultant currently developing a Design Kit for homeowners planning to build an earth-responsive new house. Information can be obtained by e-mail from jraabe@whidbey.com. Miriam Raabe is a school nurse with a doctorate in sociology. Both live and work in Langley, WA..

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