Polarity Therapy: The Power that Heals by Alan Siegel, N.D. Prism Press (San Leandro, California), 1987, $12.95
Reviewed by Mitch Hall

This book is a refreshingly usable volume that fulfills the author's expressed intent to teach the reader, step-by-step, how to give an effective polarity session. He keeps the theoretical orientation to the minimum necessary, concisely addressing basic energy theory, the five elements and the law of polarity. The bulk of the book gives varied "life energy balancing techniques" that range from treatment of knee or back pain to chakra balance or etheric current release.

He outlines a general energy balancing session, giving a helpful framework to learn the art and to explore further; the ways of applying polarity therapy are virtually limitless. Since Pierre Pannetier, who developed the general session, did not write any books, including his general session is valuable. Pannetier was Siegel's teacher and the successor to Randoph Stone.

Polarity therapy was created by Randolph Stone, a gifted healer. He earned three doctorates-in chiropractic, osteopathy and naturopathy-and travel~ extensively to research traditional approaches to health. He founded this school of manipulative therapy, which is noted for its gentleness and its penetrating insight into subtle energy patterns whose free flow is healing.

The five elements of polarity therapy, derived from Ayurvedic tradition, are earth, water, fire, air and ether (rather than Chinese medicine's wood, fire, earth, metal and water). These elements of polarity therapy are correlated wi th specific chakras, astrological signs and parts and functions of the body; they organize the body energetically according to charged poles that are positive, negative and neuter. The therapist learns to use these differential charges in her or his own hands and in the client's body. Thus, Alan Siegel writes, "Polarity therapy does not treat illness or disease, it treats the life energy itself which flows through and energizes all the body's organs and tissues."

Polarity therapy is not only manipulative treatments. It also embraces exercise, diet and inner attitude as equally essential to health. His chapter on exercise describes gentle rhythmic movements in various directions to charge the body's energy as it "interacts with the earth's own energy fields." The diet classes foods according to the five elements.

Chapters on positive attitudes, love and spiritual healing offer advice and exercises for developing greater harmony within oneself and in one's relations. Siegel quotes Pannetier: "Love is the essence of life everywhere in the universe. To use this energy in health-building, we need to tune ourselves into it. It is the primary factor in polarity therapy." To Siegel's credit, he succeeds in bringing out that "primary factor" throughout the book.

Review originally published in AHP Perspective, March/April 1989. San Francisco: Association for Humanistic Psychology, p. 18.