A book review of The Power of Awe: Overcome Burnout & Anxiety, Ease Chronic Pain, Find Clarity & Purpose – in Less than 1 Minute Per Day by Jack Eagle, LPC and Michael Amster, MD
Stars: ****
Hachette (2023)
Self-Help
272 pages
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This post contains affiliate links.
Summary: Research has proven that mindfulness improves well-being and reduces stress, anxiety, and pain. But for some, the practice itself feels challenging and inaccessible. That’s where the A.W.E. Method comes in. In The Power of Awe, therapist Jake Eagle and chronic pain specialist Michael Amster, MD, share their extraordinary yet simple mindfulness practice that turns ordinary moments into awe-inducing experiences, helping you effortlessly achieve a heightened state of consciousness usually reserved for seasoned practitioners of mindfulness—all within a matter of seconds.
A.W.E. stands for Attention, Wait, Exhale and Expand, and the method is a five- to fifteen-second, three-step process—a type of “microdosing mindfulness,” or a brief, informal mindfulness practice supported by research conducted at UC Berkeley. The A.W.E. Method quickly transports us into awe, an incredibly powerful emotion that produces wonderment and a heightened state of consciousness along with some remarkable changes in the mind and body that can improve health and wellness.
Experiencing awe does not require any demanding discipline or skills or “awesome” settings. The A.W.E. Method ensures that awe and its many benefits are accessible to you at any time, in any place—sitting at a stoplight, cooking a meal, petting an animal, or listening to a loved one’s laugh.
The Power of Awe
This book is different from other self-help books related to health. It doesn’t recommend a diet or medication or just will power. It advocates the power of awe. The summary above explains that awe, or A.W.E. stands for Attention, Wait, Exhale and Expand.
One part of the book talks about the DMN (default mode network) which is basically all the random thoughts that go through your mind when you have some quiet time. If you have a lot of negative thoughts during this time, you are more likely to experience depression or anxiety. I can see this at work in my family. I can see the power of AWE at work in them too, without even purposely implementing the system.
How? One of my children is very positive and is often amazed and awed by everyday things like a spider, a flower or the cat. Even thought she has tons of health issues that bring her down, she always finds the awe in life. This probably helps her deal with her chronic pain and mental health issues. Two other children are very negative in their thoughts and dwell on the negative. As such, even though they have less pains, they have a harder time dealing with them. It all makes perfect sense.
I think it’s worth reading this book and of course attempting to put it into practice if you have chronic issues.
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