The Genie in Your Genes by Dawson Church, Ph.D.

About the Author:

Dawson Church has edited or authored many books in the fields of health, psychology, and spirituality. He has collaborated on articles with many of the leading voices of our time, including Larry Dossey, Bernie Siegel, Caroline Myss, Barry Sears, and John Gray. He earned his doctorate in Integrative Healthcare at Holos University under the mentorship of distinguished neurosurgeon Norman Shealy, M.D., Ph.D., founder of the American Holistic Medical Association. He went on to receive a postgraduate Ph.D. in Natural Medicine.

Church and Shealy coauthored a compendious survey of spiritual healing throughout history called Soul Medicine. Church founded Soul Medicine Institute (SMI), a nonprofit dedicated to education and research into science-based medical interventions which use consciousness and energy as primary modalities. He is the author of several studies published in peer-reviewed journals, and lectures at many medical and psychology conferences each year.

He presents workshops on peak performance for athletes and organizations through EFT Power Training. He performed the first randomized blind trial of EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) for athletes, the first study of EFTs effects on healthcare workers, and a large nationwide study of PTSD in war veterans as part of the Iraq Vets Stress Project.

His research summarizes the biomedical evidence for consciousness-based treatments. The Genie in Your Genes outlines the latest studies on the effects of psychospiritual experiences on gene expression, and predicts that consciousness will reach the front line of medicine in the coming decade. It has been hailed as a brilliant contribution to the literature by many reviewers.

You can visit his website at The Genie in Your Genes.

About the Book:

The Genie in Your Genes is a breakthrough book linking consciousness to genetic change. For the first time, a single book summarizes a chain of remarkable scientific discoveries that are revolutionizing the ways we think about health.Author Dawson Church applies the insights of the new field of Epigenetics (epi=above, i.e. control above the level of the gene) to healing. Citing hundreds of scientific studies, he shows how beliefs and emotions can trigger the expression of DNA strands.He focuses on a class of genes called Immediate Early Genes or IEGs. These genes turn on within a few seconds of a stimulus. They can be triggered by thoughts or emotions ("I loved that unexpected gift of roses Bill gave me" or "I'm so mad about what Uncle John said at the Christmas party"). Many IEGs are regulatory genes turn on other genes that affect specific aspects of our immune system, such as the production of white blood cells that destroy attacking bacteria and viruses. Epigenetics thus influences our health every day.

He coins the new term "Epigenetic Medicine" to describe healing techniques with epigenetic effects. He also summarizes the science behind the infant fields of Energy Psychology and Energy Medicine, both of which offer promising epigenetic medical therapies, and describes a few of the thousands of powerful personal breakthroughs that are being achieved by therapists, doctors and lay people practicing these techniques.

The Genie in Your Genes shows that there is a sound theoretical framework, based on credible experiments, for understanding these astonishing results, and predicts that the insights of Epigenetic Medicine will dramatically advance the fields of both medicine and psychology in the coming decade.Best of all, The Genie in Your Genes demonstrates that, by taking control of our consciousness and using it to influence our genetic expression, we can sometimes bypass years of therapy, as well as harmful drugs and invasive surgeries, to, in effect, do continuous genetic engineering on our own bodies. This can produce both immediate relief from long-standing anxieties and neuroses, as well as "miraculous" healing of persistent physical conditions, especially autoimmune diseases.Among a new crop of books that chart the way to a positive health future, The Genie in Your Genes stands out as a solidly grounded and exciting pointer to the future possibilities of a medicine that links soul to body and mind.

I was fortunate enough to be able to ask this author some questions pertaining to his life and work. Here is what he had to say:


Could you please tell us a little about your book?

It’s called The Genie in Your Genes: Epigenetic Medicine and the New Biology of Intention. It describes the new science of epigenetics, the control of DNA from outside the genes. The book’s web site is www.GenieBestSeller.com.

Did something specific happen to prompt you to write this book?

I coauthored an earlier book in electromagnetism in medicine, and I began to realize how pervasive these fields are in the development of life.

Who or what is the inspiration behind this book?

The realization that one of the biggest epigenetic influences on our body’s gene expression is our consciousness. These invisible influences like energy, awareness, meditation and attitude are producing epigenetic effects in our cells daily.

Who is your biggest supporter?

I am indebted to colleagues and friends like Christiane Northrup, MD, Larry Dossey, MD, Bruce Lipton, PhD, Jean Houston, PhD, Joan Borysenko, PhD, Norm Shealy, MD, PhD, and the many others who have encouraged me.

What cause are you most passionate about and why?

The role of consciousness in healing, particularly the health effects of releasing old emotional trauma. There are massive studies linking unhealed emotional trauma to cancer, heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, and heptatitis. If we can help people resolve old emotional wounds, they become healthier. I am committed to getting energy psychology, which reduces those traumas, into primary care. I present at many medical and psychology conferences each year in pursuit of this goal.

What are you currently working on?

I plan to draft two books in the coming year. One applies energy psychology to love relationships. I’m teaching a new class called The Energies of Love (schedule on www.DawsonChurch.com). I find that even though these methods were developed to heal emotional trauma, they can also be used to change the energy field of a marriage. The second is on the link between specific genes and happiness.

What are some of your long term goals?

I would like to see energy psychology used with war veterans. I have completed two studies of PTSD in veterans, showing huge healing effects. I want to see energy psychology in Veterans Administration hospitals, and I’ve helped organize a web site that connects veterans with about 70 therapists and coaches all over the world, www.StressProject.org.

Are you a different person now than you were 5 years ago?† In what way/s?

I have done a great deal of personal inner healing work, starting in my teenage years. But I discovered energy psychology five years ago, and the growth curve accelerated. Since cleaning up lifetimes of emotional trauma, I’ve found an exuberant creativity that exceeds my wildest dreams.