If you're interested in previous lives, then you'll probably want to pick this up. If you're new to the whole concept, then this might not be the best place to begin. Drake focuses on how our past lives are stored in our personal energy, and how to unlock that power/knowledge, as well as heal any negativity that has come along for the ride. It was written well and fairly accessible, expanding on ideas that I was already familiar with. Although I'm not sure how much of this I completely agree with (that illness is caused by negative energy), I found it to be an interesting and engaging read.

The Energetic Dimension by Ann M Drake, PsyD
Book Review by Dawn Thomas

208 Pages
Publisher: John Hunt Publishing / O-Books
Release Date: November 29, 2019

Religions & Spirituality, Shamanism, Karma, Healing, Energy work

I did not know what to expect with this book. I am always looking for books on energy work, so I chose to read this one. I got a lot more than I bargained for. I learned how we can carry energy from our parents and ancestors. There are energetic strings attached to others that can be leeching our energy. The author does an amazing job of explaining the topics listed below.

Part 1: A Path to Wholeness
Part II: Working with our Ancestral Imprints
Part III: Understanding Our Karmic Imprints
Part IV: Cultural Imprints: The Lens through Which We See

I would (and have) recommended this book to anyone interested in energy work, karma and healing.

This was a decent read, just not quite what I expected. It offers good insight into how we become the person we are and how we can change and let go of negative energies holding us back. The author did delve into some political/modern day current event matters into a little more detail than I wanted to see at times, which made me feel like I was getting negative energy reading the book. I try to stay away from those matters for the sole purpose of avoiding negative energy, so that was a little surprising to see considering what the book is about.

I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily giving my honest review.

Ann M, Drake once worked as a psychotherapist. This book is about modern Shamanism, a theory that every kind of trauma can take something of the soul of the individual. This book is quite informative. It's well written and extensively covers the subject matter. You need to read this book with an open mind to fully appreciate it. They say you learn something new every day, well I learned lots from this book.

I would like to thank NetGalley, John Hunt Publishing Ltd and the author Ann M. Drake for my ARC in exchange for an honest review

I loved this book! It was very engaging and informative. The author had a way of speaking as if she was talking directly to you. I also learned lots of new things and was able to put meaning to some other things when it comes to dealing with energy. I highly recommend this book!! I voluntarily read this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is interesting and full of info and explanations I hadn't heard before. A good thing. My problem is I was expecting actionable take-aways, which I didn't find. The author writes clearly and well, and provides very good examples. It just wasn't what I was seeking. Be warned that there is a lot that is "out there" if you're not opened minded.

I really appreciate the NetGalley advanced copy for review!!

This book is about modern Shamanism - actually a Shamanism informed by a hefty dose of new Ageism: the author refers a great deal to Williamson's A Course of Miracles, for example. Perhaps everyone has to start somewhere as far as finding a frame of reference that most readers can relate to.
Ann Drake purports to come from a venerable tradition, however: that of Unani tradition of shamanic healing by the Bomoh, said to be a wise and gifted healer, based in Borneo. Originally she worked as a psychotherapist, what being aware that talking cures, especially for abuse or trauma victims, provide insight but do not actually heal.
This is where Shamanism comes in. The basic Shamanic theory is that all kinds of trauma take something of the soul or essence of an individual, while so.etbing of that negative experience fills the void instead. A multiple personality disorder for example forms after something of each abusive episode takes the place of the soul.
Soul retrieval therefore involves restoring these list parts of the soul to the individual - through trance, guided meditation or journeys on the part of the Shaman.
Drake's Shamanism seems to come with elements of mediumship too. She details cases that involve not only ancestral karma (it is now acknowledged that trauma can be passed down genetically) but trauma from past lives too. An individual who was severely bullied or exploited in a last life may be burdened by remnants of such memories in the next one, for example.
This author has some interesting things to say about how collective sins influence the course of politics, and why sometimes things seem to regress. Her view is that the soul 'needs' to experience such as war and persecution at least once to be thoroughly rounded out over a few lifetimes, at which point many readers might hope they have already been there and done that!
It is emphasised that if called, Shamanic gifts and work in this area need to come from a place other than any kind of ego trip. Like a lot of New Age literature there is a lot of emphasis placed a distinction between essence and the sum of all earthly experience and incarnations and the question might well emerge, why then have genes, karma and memory go to so much trouble to amass all this memory of experiences in the first place?
Obviously, there is nothing 'good' about the long-term effects of trauma and abuse. Overall, the case studies described by the author here were fascinating - there is much wisdom to be found within these pages.