Count Your Blessings By Dr John F. Demartini (Book)

Count Your Blessings was my very first encounter with Dr Demartini and I nearly didn’t make it! A friend had recommended the seminar and I thought it would be good to read one of his books in preparation. As I looked at the local library, this was the only one available (probably not the best selection criteria!) so I went for it!

I had done a bit of research on Dr Demartini on the internet (including YouTube) and can’t say that I was entirely convinced. The book didn’t really help. The introduction and the first chapter were so cheesy I would have stopped reading if it wasn’t the personal recommendation. The cheesiness of the book seemed to tie in with the slick pictures of Dr Demartini I had seen on YouTube…. I didn’t really get him at all!

But as I kept reading Count Your Blessings, a few topics sparked my interest: mainly the health aspect and the experiences John draws on from when he ran a Chiropractic Practice. A basic theme of the book is that your psychology influences your state of health and your body. For instance, if you hold a grudge deep inside for years, or you are always bitter, you might develop cancer. So John’s theory is that if you dissolve your grudge (or any other emotional charge) you will heal again.

I am not sure it is that simple, but then again, many of us never know until we experience a serious health condition ourselves. Only recently I read an interesting article about a medical practitioner who is a pioneer in the area of evidence-based medicine. When she developed an aggressive, terminal cancer, she turned mainly to alternative medicines (including Yoga, meditation, certain nutritional concepts) and is still alive, a year after her initial diagnosis (she writes a blog for a medical journal). But I definitely believe that we can be healthier when we are grateful, don’t hold any grudges and see all facets of the situation we are in.

As in all of his books, at the end of every chapter, John includes Affirmations and certain exercises for the reader to complete. Most of these exercises focus on gratitude, and as the title suggests, counting our blessings. The underlying theme is, the more we are grateful for, the more we receive to be grateful for. The Attitude is Gratitude!

Of course I completed the exercises (more or less involved) and at the time I had pulled a muscle in my leg. I had been to the physiotherapist numerous times without any improvement. One of the exercises required the reader to focus on the positive aspects of their illness / problem.

If you have ever completed any of Demartini’s exercises (such as the Collapse Process), you know that it’s not as easy as it sounds. You are often asked to come up with reasons or justifications and that doesn’t mean just two or three. The minimum requirement is normally 20-50 reasons (if not more)! The reasoning behind this is so the reasons are not only logical, but become emotional as well. You feel gratitude, rather than think gratitude. And I am convinced that this method (feeling rather than thinking) makes a difference!

So I completed this exercise and afterwards I kind of forgot about it. But after a few days I noticed that the pain my leg was entirely gone! I couldn’t pinpoint when, where or how it happened, whether it had anything to do with Demartini’s exercise or the physio, all I knew was that it was gone! I know this is a measly example, especially compared to Demartini’s claims that he has cured cancer patients with this method.. But experiencing something first hand, not matter how small, makes a totally different impact! And it definitely led me to finishing the book.

You can check out Count Your Blessings at Amazon.