Patrick Obissier. Biogenealogy: Decoding the Psychic Roots of Illness. Rochester, Vt.: Healing Arts Press, 2006. Paperback, xii + 180 pp., US $14.95.
This
book proposes a number of revolutionary ideas. Written in a very
accessible way, it gives us a new perspective on illness and healing.
The author, who is a therapist, accepts that health and ill health are
closely linked to our mental state, specifically our emotions. In fact,
he regards emotional stress as the root cause of all illness. Many
holistic medical practitioners share this view.
But
Patrick Obissier goes much further. In fact, he argues that acute
emotional stress experienced by our ancestors can be transmitted
genetically. In recent years, I have become familiar with this notion
from high-potency homeopathy. This key idea gives a new practical
meaning to the Indic concept of karma, as the author acknowledges.
To
the idea of the genetic transmittability of emotional stress, the
author adds two further important notions. First, it is possible to
dissolve the emotional programming responsible for illness. Second,
illness is a form of protective behavior, which encapsules whatever
emotional trauma was its trigger. Among the many examples furnished by
Obissier is diabetes, which he traces back to the feeling of
powerlessness. Unless a person can resolve the psychological issue
underlying diabetes (or any type of illness), he or she will pass the
trauma and illness on to the next generation.
While
this model clearly needs extensive testing, it strikes one as in
principle sound. Certainly, the idea that illness is not necessarily a
curse but a challenge to change one’s life is implicitly wholesome.
Also sound and constructive is the associated thought that all healing
is essentially self-healing—the kind of wisdom that has been an
integral part of Yoga and other spiritual traditions for millennia. To
see this wisdom spelled out in scientific (neurolinguistic) terms is
very helpful, and Obissier’s approach and writing style are positively
encouraging. |
