David R. Hamilton

Many years ago I was having lunch with a friend. I was talking about how we are connected by consciousness. I knew I had read some studies connected to quantum physics but I was doing a really bad job of explaining. At the end, he said to me, "I just want you to fall in love with the science."

That's why I got this book. There's 15 pages of references to studies at the back of the book. Each chapter looks at an area that has been dubbed "woo woo" and looks at the studies done by acknowledged show more research institutes which show how these things may be possible. The author has a PhD in organic chemistry and was working for a pharmaceutical company when he became interested in the placebo effect and that led him down this area of research. More recently, he went back to study mathematics and physics to be able to more broadly be able to talk about these topics. He also creates a "consciousness equation" which completely went over my head but extrapolates from what has been discovered so far by researchers.

After reading chapter 2, I felt vindicated as to why I believed I needed so few painkillers after my 2 recent surgeries. After chapter 5, I felt vindicated in my use of complementary medicine. After chapter 9, I had the studies I was unable to articulate to my friend. And after the conclusion, where the author pleads that we accept that these phenomena are real, albeit on a small scale, and focus research as to what are the factors that enhance/create these abilities, I cheered.

So my friend, I have the science. Now you need to read the book. show less

I was pleasantly surprised by this book, mostly because - aside from the use of the term "woo-woo" in the title, it avoids the trappings of flightiness. Instead, the author dives into some scientific findings that back up theories everything from meditation and nature to crystals and reiki.

Full disclosure: I'm a huge advocate for meditation and a true believer in the power of the natural world. However, I'm more skeptical of reiki and crystals. The author explains - in layperson and show more scientific terms - why each of these healing modalities might, in fact, be supported by science (at least in part). It's enough to keep my mind open and not be too dismissive of things i don't fully understand.

Most interesting were chapters on Consciousness and The Law of Attraction.
I was bummed that there wasn't mention of - or even a full chapter on - Earthing/Grounding. Maybe in the follow-up. show less

The big news is that I finally finished Why Woo Woo Works after several months. David R. Hamilton explores the science behind various practices such as meditation and reiki. It was interesting if not all that surprising to me as I have been poking around "pseudo-science" for awhile, especially meditation.

Hamilton makes two conclusions that stood out to me. The first is that any practice, whether modern medicine or ancient practice, works better when the person believes in its efficacy. He show more spent a fair amount of time on the placebo effect, where patients who weren't taking the actual drug got better anyway.

His second conclusion is more about the general practice of science and scientists attitudes towards parapsychology, in particular. I agree with Hamilton when he suggests that those exploring these kinds of areas should declare themselves sheeps or goats: in other words, whether they harbor a particular attitude that would impact the research. I was asked to do this as part of my doctoral dissertation so it only makes sense that others should do so, especially if they are examining something that is viewed with skepticism.

Hamilton ends with the recommendation that these complementary practices should be considered as part of conventional medicine. I concur, even if the most you can say is that meditation won't hurt. show less

Have I really become one of those desperate souls who listens to self-help books in the hope of finding an Answer? It seems that I am and I’m realizing they all say some variation of the same stupefyingly obvious yet tough to implement advice so maybe I’ll resist the temptation in the future. Acceptance is the first step on the long road to acceptance.