Book Review of: Inside-Out Healing

Transforming your life through the power of presence

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Reviewer: Mark Lamendola, author of over 6,000 articles.

I was a bit skeptical of this book at the beginning, because it seemed to share the word repurposing used by "new age" self-styled gurus who don't know what they are talking about. But really, there isn't a better way to express the principles and ideas than in using the words as Dr. Moss uses them.

As I continued to read, I found myself drawn ever deeper into an appreciation for Dr. Moss. What he's talking about in the book isn't some "new age" mumbo jumbo. Instead, it's about both the philosophy and a particular methodology of being fully present in what you are doing at the moment. This may sound elemental and seem like one of those "I already nailed that one" things, but it's not.

Being fully present is not something people tend to do. Our very culture works against it, as do the demands of life in general. We are easily pulled in multiple directions at once. Often, we try to live in the past, present, and future simultaneously.

For example, consider a fairly typical situation. A man is having a conversation with his wife. She's telling him about her day while comparing this or that event to something that happened a few months back. He's giving her advice while thinking about the ball game scheduled for later that evening. They are having a collective monologue.

Maybe that example doesn't fit you. But if you will review in your mind conversations you've had earlier in the day you will probably see a similar pattern. Instead of focusing on the now, each person is bringing something else to the table. They aren't truly engaging each other.

And that's just conversations. The same issue arises in other ways. For example, why do you experience stress if you are behind on a project? Because instead of being in the now and dealing with the project work, your mind is dealing with the future consequences of a late project. We also dredge up the past in ways that hamper our ability to deal with the present.

This book shows you a methodology for dealing with that issue. The context is that of healing, as the title suggests. So many of the examples are about dealing with sickness. But it is clear to me that the same methodology can be used for inside-out maintenance, inside-out growth, and inside-out whatever else you want. In fact, if you watch an elite athlete performing in his/her sport, you are very likely watching someone who is using these "in the now" principles.

I'll give you an example. Dr. Moss is a climber. That's something we have in common (I started climbing in the previous century). The ability to be in the moment is, I feel, a make or break for a climber. And the more of the now you occupy, the less you are limited as a climber.

Fear of heights? By focusing on the now, you aren't thinking about falling in the future. You just climb, with your attention on what you are doing now. And that's true of other challenges in climbing.

In fact, I was climbing the day before I finished reading this book. My climbing partner asked me about a bouldering route that he had been unable to solve, despite many tries. After watching him fail to ascend, I remarked that he needed to be fully in the now at each point. I then solved the route on my first ascent. The problem, I said, was he wasn't putting his center of gravity where it needed to be at the moment and this was pulling him off the face. Do not look ahead or behind, but be fully in the now. He then tried the route, and succeeded.

This kind of change in ability is one of the kinds of payoff brought about by being fully present. Think of the potential for your career, health, personal relationships, and other areas that are important to you.

This book consists of 13 chapters, an appendix, and endnotes in 252 pages.