Designed to Heal has an intriguing concept - that how the body heals can teach us much about healing emotionally and spiritually. I loved the idea of this book. However, in reading it felt like much of this book gratuitously described medical procedures/processes. I could have done with fewer descriptions, or lighter descriptions of medical processes as analogies as to how to apply them to our lives. I also found the theology of this book to be all over the place, taking from many denominations and a few authors that boarder on heresy in much of their teaching. It was a great idea for a book, but the delivery was tough for me to enjoy.

Finding a more embodied way to live in the world in light of faith and within Christian communities is very important. McLaurin and Culiat provide a guide to help readers understand how their bodies work and how we can listen to our bodies so that we can experience healing. They make potentially academic, clinical, and biological language accessible to readers.

2 - 2.5 stars

Hmmm this one was interesting. I was unprepared for how religious and god focused this text was going to be, and as a nonreligious person it felt on the too much side. Typically I don’t mind reading about religion or spirituality but it felt like I was being hit over the head with all of the repetitiveness. I will say there was also a foundational focus that I really enjoyed, which was that our bodies resilient with its coordinated urgency in healing itself, that in the beginning and end we are designed to not only heal ourselves from physical wounds and ailments but also from social and emotional ones. I was really into that idea of resilience in the physical and spiritual sense and I feel like if there was more of a focus on that, in less in your face ways, I would have maybe enjoyed this more. The stories that were told were interesting but again I was left with a preachy feeling and less of me organically learning something and having spirituality weaved into the “lesson”.

ARC given by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Unique book and one I haven't seen the like in Christian non-fiction. It can be a bit gory, but not for fun--it all serves a point to illustrate the focus of healing, I promise. But that being said, don't read while eating!

So fascinating and SO IMPORTANT for anyone that loves God to learn and know and remember - that our bodies minds and souls are connected and each matter.

There is much we can learn from the workings of the human body. There is also much that we do not yet know. This does not mean we cannot benefit from the knowledge available to us, the interconnectedness of the body systems as well as how we can use this knowledge to apply to human relationships. Learning about how the body heals gives us profound insights into healing human relationships all around. At the same time, their shared Christian beliefs enable them to relate to healing far beyond the physical domain, especially pertaining to the repair of relationships in a community. McLaurin begins with a dramatic retelling of a serious that happened during a family ski trip. Her husband Andrew was badly wounded and had to be rushed to the hospital. It so happened that the physical wounds coincided with emotional hurts arising from Andrew's work situation. That was a significant moment that motivated McLaurin to apply what she knew about healing to a societal level. Co-author Bem also had her traumatic moments when her husband Julio developed polycythemia. In the midst of her family struggles, many friends and fellow believers flooded them with multiple acts of care and love, creating an environment that facilitates healing and recovery. Going through the four stages of physical healing, a physician and a geneticist share their expertise and knowledge about how the human body functions before and after a wound, and how it heals. The four stages (overlapping but distinct) of healing are:

1) Hemostasis (clotting)
2) Inflammation
3) New Tissue Formation
4) Remodeling

Calling these essential signposts for proper healing, if any of the steps are missed out or didn't follow the correct order, more serious complications may occur. With Bem's intricate knowledge of cells recovery in molecular genetics, we can learn to apply what we know about science into the larger world of people relationships. The authors also gave readers a powerful spiritual meditation practice for us to pray as we go. Called RAIN, this practice is about:

- Recognizing what is happening
- Allowing the experience to sink in
- Investigating it gently
- Nurturing the wound

Each chapter starts off with a Bible passage or spiritual insight to prepare the way for what is ahead. Closely following the four stages of healing, we read about several anecdotal experiences about wounds incurred during the course of normal living. There are instances of how Covid-19 harms the body and disrupts the body's natural immune and inflammatory systems, leading to hyperinflammatory responses. Stress too contributes to such disordered behavior. Recognizing the importance of managed inflammation, we learn of how controlling our emotions can lead to overall emotional health. More importantly, we learn of several spiritual practices that we can adopt toward holistic healing. St Ignatius of Loyola's Examen helps us address our inner being much better than some of the popular positivistic apps out there. The imaginary technique called "Table of Significant Others" (TOSO) creates "cultural humility" and openness. There are also instructions on overcoming racism that is beyond protests and pronouncements, something that requires new hearts rather than new movements. From ancient practices of the spiritual monastic fathers to modern practitioners like JP Moreland, we have a powerful resource to aid the healing and restoration of our souls and our relationships.

My Thoughts
There is so much good stuff in this book that I find it hard to decide which to highlight. There is basic medical knowledge on how the body functions and what the healing process looks like. Learning the four phases of healing in itself is worth the price of the book. Not only does it clarify the healing process, but it also enables us to marvel at the amazing design of the human body. The body in itself is an intelligent organism. Learning about how it works instructs us in many other ways. The authors use this basic standpoint to spring toward other areas of applications pertaining to healing in the mental, physical, emotional, social, relational, spiritual, and other domains.

Then there is the direct parallel to our relational healing, how we need time, focus, and intentionality to create an environment that promotes healing. Healthy responses are needed in the face of mounting challenges. Prompt actions will promote healthy recovery instead of simply brushing over deep wounds. Extending a hand of reconciliation is like fibrin strands that promptly form over a cut to enable healthy tissues to form. On top of these, we get some brief descriptions of basic spiritual practices that had been used through the centuries.

There are also lots of things that we have yet to learn about this fascinating physiology of the human being. This is a fantastic book filled with medical know-how and spiritual reflections about healing and restoration of the human body and spirit. As more people engage online via social media, the potential for even more wounds increases. This makes books like this even more crucial to keep in check the negative effects of the ills of society. The American author, Helen Keller once said: "Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it." This book aids us in the latter.

Thank you, Jennie and Bem!

Jennie Anderson McLaurin is a public health pediatrician with degrees in medicine, public health, and theology. She writes, speaks, and teaches on topics of public health, bioethics, health disparities, faithful medicine, intersections of science and faith, and issues of childhood.

Cymbeline (Bem) Tancongco Culiat is a scientist, entrepreneur, and educator. She is an expert in the genetic and molecular basis of mammalian development, diseases, and disorders.

Rating: 4.75 stars of 5.

conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of Tyndale House Publishers and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

Designed To Heal is definitely positioned on the better side of bad, and the bad side of amazing. Let me explain. I received much value from it. Jennie McLaurin and Cymbeline (Bem) Tancongco Culiat offer a tremendous amount of scientific insight. This, I think, is the book’s best attribute. There is no doubt that these remarkable women are experts in their field.

Understanding the miraculous four stages of wound restoration is simply awe-inspiring. McLaurin, as the narrator, then moves into a slightly metaphoric realm drawing parallels between the way our bodies heal and how communities recover from trauma. She calls these “our corporate bodies”.

I quite appreciated the analogue. This second shift from hard science to the softer psychological domain is also useful. At times, reaching for a connection seemed belaboured. Elsewhere, her bridging of the two worlds appeared to lift off the page with glistening clarity. As a reader, I felt I was still receiving a heap of value.

…Then came what I’m tempted to call the “Christy” bits. I mean to make no personal attack on the book’s authors. They demonstrated a great level of vulnerability and depth. My heart went out to them as they shared intimate accounts of personal tragedy and weakness. That takes character!

I did feel, however, that lurking behind this third movement from science and social psychology to church life redundant and driven by a proselytic agenda. I don’t mean to be harsh but that was my honest impression.

It might’ve been different if I was warned, so to speak, in the description. I still would’ve likely read it, only now, prepared for a strong Christian perspective. Despite being an Atheist, I can still recognize merit in that. Bill Haslam’s recent release, for instance, was entirely about personal faith; and I enjoyed it immensely. I realize that Designed To Heal has already gone out to publication, but for future projects, I’d strongly recommend bearing this in mind. At least make some indication in the description. The delivery landed somewhat ingratiating.

3 out of 5 stars. Many thanks for the advanced copy.

I remember some particularly gnarly cuts and scrapes from my youth. Playing hard at the driveway basketball hoop with my dad or sister, rollerblading up and down our hilly street, or the skinned sides and elbows from goalkeeper practice on hard astroturf. My body can tell stories of wounds, healing, and what physical echoes remain.

In Jennie McLaurin's insightful, generous, and story-filled "Designed to Heal" (with Cymbeline "Bem" Tancongco Culiat), we learn that our bodies are made to restore themselves. A deep cut or scrape is the beginning of a magnificent process set to work by the biological healing agents intricately knit into our bodies. The healing process is not always easy, often painful, and in many cases, leaves us marked with a scar that tells a story. So it is with our life together in community. We experience disruption, then a turning back to one another, and finally repair to deepen our connections and draw us closer together as God's beloved people.

Jennie employs a deep knowledge of the body and numerous stories of caring for children, migrant workers, and the marginalized worldwide. All of this to illuminate how God designs us to heal, not only from wounds but also from our communities' ruptures. Her stories put practical examples to the body's healing process that would otherwise be beyond a layperson like me. As I began reading this book, I was honestly concerned I might not know all I need to about medicine or anatomy to comprehend the theme of healing. Jennie does a fantastic job of making the nuances of medical care approachable and applicable to our daily lives and our shared life together.

As we work through the phases of wound healing, we begin to see that similar processes can occur in our communities. Specifically, there are many examples of how the church and organizations can heal and restore after the immense disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic. If there is ever a time that we collectively need to consider the work of healing, it is now. And while the COVID-19 pandemic has been so difficult for so many, it presents us with the beautiful reality that God has wired us for this kind of restoration. God is about the redemption and repair of all creation. We experience this day after day as we embrace God's love.

One of my favorite portions of these chapters is the connection between medical expertise and spiritual practices that can aid inter- and intrapersonal healing. From the Ignatian tradition of the Daily Examen to the acknowledgment of the power of indigenous healing rituals, we see that recovery involves more than a bandage and bed rest. Healing comes from integrating body, mind, and soul — the whole person, being made whole by their Creator's hand.

As a pastor, I am immensely grateful for Jennie and Bem's gift of refreshed language for healing and restoration. We need it. Having experts of this caliber connect their scientific background with their deep abiding faith helps us see that God uses our whole person to love our neighbors and enemies. May you find this resource as a healing balm for the wounded souls of our communities, stitched and restored back to wholeness by God's love.

"What if our corporate bodies were oriented to healing the way our physical bodies are?"

So many resources I've read about healing relationships and dealing with wounds within a community have come off as annoyingly over-simplified or unrealistic. I wondered if I could finish a book on this subject without becoming frustrated on those points. McLaurin and Culiat overcame these reservations by illustrating in great detail the human body's response to injury and disease. They struck an excellent balance of sharing the beautiful, intricate details of healing at the microcellular level and keeping the material accessible and enjoyable. The explanations and applications were clear and practical, with a nuanced approach.

Each chapter included an in-depth exploration of our bodies' healing systems from our time in the womb until old age. These provided excellent illustrations for learning about less visible social/relational ("corporate") wounds of varying magnitude. Though I lack an advanced scientific background, the descriptions of physical wounds and disease and their aftermath were easy to follow and helped me understand the implications for social wounds.

This book is a practical tool for maintaining or rebuilding healthy relationships in familial, business, faith-based, and community settings. It is certainly worth rereading. I highly recommend this book.

Using the healing process physical wounds as an analogy for how we heal relational wounds the author presents a beautiful picture of how we can continue in relationships when faced with hurts. I love analogies and thoroughly enjoyed reading the medical examples! Fell flat when it came to discussions of why people have breaks in relationships- overly simplistic, perhaps naive?

As a disability theologian, I was a bit conflicted with this book. It's overly scientific and simplistic at times. She does a good job at acknowledging the existence of chronic illnesses and ways to maintain them but doesn't talk much about the identity and community that are formed in those groups. For me, as a disabled clergy person, the community is extremely healing when properly done. And often medical providers look at us as things with broken parts instead of complex beings. I was appreciative of how she did a better job than most at intertwining all of these conversations, but I would say it fell a bit flat and would have done much better if she had engaged with more critical disability theology.

Designed to Heal is a noteworthy book first and foremost because of its unique premise. How does the body’s incredible network of healing mechanisms teach us about how we can heal within interpersonal, familial, and community relationships? The author(s) of this book set out to answer this question, and I think they have begun an important conversation. I think this will appeal largely to healthcare workers or those who find the intricate inner workings of the body fascinating. The authors did a good job teaching about the body’s processes, but I found the link between those and our relationship wounds to be weak in some places. Overall, this is an encouraging work that helps us focus on how we can heal rather than allowing wounds to fester or define us.

This book was written by a physician and a medical researcher, both of whom are Christians. Designed to Heal explains the various healing processes of the body in ways that are easy to understand for the average layperson. They then use these physical healing processed to explore how individuals and groups might heal emotional and psychological problems effectively using similar processes, The book also includes a discussion guide for small groups.
This book could be useful for church leaders or leaders in other Christian organizations as a discussion guide for change. It is not a "how to" guide, though and so may not be fully applicable to all conflict circumstances.
I received a complementary copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.