Every few months I do a review on a popular book. This one I read on a recommendation, but I can’t recommend it.
The Good:
Dr. Joe Dispenza has some great quotes, like: “A memory without the emotional charge is called wisdom.” And, “Change as a choice, instead of a reaction.” I’m sure these quotes, and his desire to help people become better people, has helped folks. But I still can’t recommend this book.
That’s because other quotes are closer to Buddhism than realism, and, for me as a Christian, sound like the serpent talking to Eve. For example, “To be empowered—to be free, to be unlimited, to be creative, to be genius, to be divine—that is who you are…. Once you feel this way, memorize this feeling; remember this feeling. This is who you really are….”
No, it’s not who I am. It’s not even close. I am not divine. If I were, we wouldn’t have cancer. Or cats. Or ear hair. Speaking of things I don’t like…
The Bad:
Others have taken the author to task for his “science.” Since I’m no scientist (nor is the author), I’d like to focus instead on the theology being taught, and contrast it with Christianity. Dr. Joe teaches a doctrine of looking within, of focusing on our inner selves to find divine happiness. This is just a short list to demonstrate the contrast of Dr. Joe’s New Age religion to Christianity.
- Joe teaches that success and joy is within you: P.300 “I fear that this so-called recipe for ultimate success in life has kept us looking outside of ourselves for answers and true happiness, when the real answers and true joy have always been within.”
- The Bible teaches success and joy come from God, that deceit is within you: Philippians 3:3, “We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in the flesh.” And Psalms 16:11 “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” And Jer 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things.”
- Joe teaches that we can create a new mind for ourselves: p.299 “You are a multidimensional being who creates your reality… you are going to have to lose your mind and create a new one.”
- The Bible teaches that our minds are transformed by God: Romans 12:2, “Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.”
- Joe wants you to pray to the Universal Consciousness within yourself for yourself: p.310 “It’s time to turn to the power within you, introduce yourself to it, and tell it what you want to change about yourself… it is real. It already knows you it doesn’t judge you. It only loves. Say to it ‘Universal consciousness within me and all around me, I have been _____ and I ….”
- The Bible teaches us to pray to the Father through the Son for His will: John 14:13 “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”
- Joe teaches that you are God: P. 303 “The greatest habit you will ever create is the habit of expressing the divine through you. That is when you inhabit your true nature and identity. It is to inhabit self.” p.312 “I want you to move into a state of being. It is time to change your energy and broadcast a whole new electromagnetic signature… become it… to be empowered—to be free, to be unlimited, to be creative, to be genius, to be divine—that is who you are.”
- The Bible teaches that God alone is God: Isaiah 43:10 “Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. 11 I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior.”
The Ugly:
Much of this book reminds me of Star Wars. George Lucas has been open about borrowing his “Force” ideas from Buddhism and Taoism, as a way of bringing spiritualism into his movies. Dr. Joe Dispenza has not been so open. However, an overview of the schools he has been connected with helps explain where he is coming from. I believe all the information below came from Dr. Joe’s site, Amazon’s book site, the school’s sites or Wikipedia, but there could be sites I don’t remember. I tried to go to original sources, not those upset with Dr. Joe or his teaching.
His bachelor’s degree (I never could find what it was in) is from Evergreen State College, his Dr. of Chiropractic is from Life University. But his other connections help to understand the New Age leanings in the book.
- He is a faculty member at Quantum University in Honolulu, Hawaii. This school’s accreditation is by an organization in India. I know nothing about it, but would guess they don’t serve hamburgers for lunch.
- The Omega Institute for Holistic Studies in Rhinebeck, New York. This is a non-accredited New Age retreat center. It started from the teachings Eastern meditation teacher, Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan.
- The Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. According to the interweb, Amrit Desai, who was a disciple of Indian yoga master Swami Kripalu, started the school. It focuses on Yoga and other eastern religious thought.
- Ramtha’s School of Enlightenment(RSE) is located in Washington state. This school is the most interesting. J. Z. Knight, who claims to channel a 35,000-year-old warrior named Ramtha the Enlightened One, established the school in 1988. I read that, “the school bases its teachings on these channeling sessions.” If so, it would be a helpful place to go if one needed schooling in the art of war in 33,000bc.
- Joe taught at Ramtha, but doesn’t often mention this school. On the back of this book he highlights the film he was in called “What the Bleep Do We Know!?” which was produced to promote Knight’s teaching. In googling the movie, I read that it got a Pigasus Award for “the media outlet that reported as factual the most outrageous supernatural, paranormal or occult claims.” I have not seen the movie.
- Their four cornerstones of this school are: 1) The Statement, “You are god.” (I wonder what the real God thinks about that) 2) The mandate to make known the unknown, 3) The concept that consciousness and energy creates the nature of reality, 4) The challenge to conquer yourself.
Is Dr. Joe a god? His book forward and website claim postgraduate training in neurology, neuroscience, brain function and chemistry, cellular biology, memory formation, brain imaging, neuroplasticity, epigenetics, psychoneuroimmunology, aging and longevity. I could find no school names or evidence of these claims, but if they are true, and he understands it all, maybe his is a god.
I read this book on a recommendation, but I can’t recommend it.
Dan
danielcooleyblog 
Thank you for writing this! It was refreshing to see a perspective like my own. In the online world of entrepreneurship, people are grasping for straws trying to become the next 7-figure earner. I love that you validate your thoughts with scripture. Robyn Graham
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I enjoyed your article about Dr. Joe, however I am a little confused as to your idea of how Dr. Joe thinks. Being a Christian, I believe that God is in me, with me, and all around me. That being said, why can’t I express God through me. If I want to change my mind, can’t I ask God to assist me in that to his glory? I am just a little confused as to your interpretation of his ideas.
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Hey Bob,
Great question, which is why I believe this book is so dangerous. It is a shadow of the Truth, a twisting of God’s word. Your question points out the problem. Who is God, is He transcendent and holy, totally and utterly and eternally existing on His own, as the great I AM, or is he subservient to me, a part of me that I can control? You ask, “why can’t I express God through me?” God in His grace can and does choose to express Himself through His creation, but I don’t get to demand that He express Himself through me. His statement, p.312 “I want you to move into a state of being. It is time to change your energy and broadcast a whole new electromagnetic signature… become it… to be empowered—to be free, to be unlimited, to be creative, to be genius, to be divine—that is who you are.” is a lie. You are not divine. There is only one divine God.
Your second question ‘If i want to change my mind, can’t I ask God to assist me in that to his glory?” Surely, we can and must be transformed in our minds to the Glory of the Father Romans 12:1-2. He has promised to assist that through the renewal of our minds through His Word, the Bible. But that is not what this book teaches. Again, quoting from the author an my review, he says, p.299 “You are a multidimensional being who creates your reality… you are going to have to lose your mind and create a new one.” Absolutely false teaching here. We must not create our own reality or lose our mind. We renew our minds through God’s word so that we see His reality, truth as God sees it. Christianity is about submission to God, trust in His work on the cross and following Him. it is never about trusting in some reality that we create. We are fallen.
It is a subtle twist of the facts of Scripture, a shadow of the Truth, but not the truth, and as such quite dangerous.
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Whew heavy
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Hey, I haven’t read or listened to as much of Dispenza’s work as others surely have, but in criticism of the repeated and false notion that we are divine and God – even if God can be in and with us – I still want to point out that I have heard parts from him that are in line with the the right perspective.
In one of his guided meditations (Blessing of the energy centers, which is one of his fundamental ones), after envisioning wholeness and health he tells the listener to finally surrender these thoughts and emotions (prayers?) to a greater mind for it to organize everything in a way that’s best for us – something that we’re not in a position to do – that it’s not our job. That sounds like an admission of God, without explicitly saying so. Necessary and better than nothing, even if not consistently or coherently presented.
Sometimes I think people (especially consciousness researchers) seem to know that God exists and that the individual self isn’t equal to God without actually understanding that they know. I hope his work continues to help people, and in doing so that they recognize that there’s something infinitely greater than themselves.
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I am late to the game here, but have been reading one of Dr Joe’s books on becoming Supernatural. I’ve also listened to about 10 testimonials from his conferences. People are being healed! And as a Christian, I find this confusing. Why are they being healed if not through Jesus? What is causing them to be healed? The book is mostly very scientific in nature, and fascinating. I do not think Joe is a believer, although I did hear him mention Jesus in one session he did. Something about “why would Jesus allow himself to be crucified?” I just want the truth, and I want to be healed and to be loved and to love others unconditionally like Jesus does. I don’t believe or trust everything Joe says but he does know a lot about the body and the mind and emotions and feelings etc. I think we can still learn from him while holding some of his teachings at arm’s length.
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Hey Alli,
Well, I have a couple of thoughts. First, I don’t believe the book is scientific in nature. I had a friend who has a degree in physics read the book and he said that this is absolutely not how physics works. So, it sounds scientific, which helps to make his claims believable, but it is fake science. As for some people being healed, those are great questions. It’s really an interesting subject. There are reported miracles or healings in many religions besides Christianity. Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam all claim to have documented miracles.
There are also demonic or satanic miracles recorded in the Bible. It happened when Moses and Aaron confronted Pharaoh in Exodus 7:8-10. WE are told that in the end times the Antichrist will preform “signs and wonders ” in 2 Thessalonians 2:9. Jesus warned us that fake prophets would “appear and preform great signs and wonders to deceive.” Matthew 24:24. This is probably why John told us in 1 John 4:1 (NIV2011) “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
How do we test a prophet like Dr. Joe? Compare his teachings with Gods Word the Bible. I don’t think his teachings add up.
One final encouragement. I love that you want the truth, and to be healed to be loved and to love unconditionally like Jesus does. God’s word is Truth, Jesus is love, His grace heals. God is called Jehovah Rapha, the God who Heals. Sometimes He heals here, sometimes He waits for eternity. Just lean into Him, and His word and His people. Jesus is enough. You don’t need Dr. Joe.
Thanks for writing,
Dan
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Thank you, Dan. I really appreciate your response and it’s helpful to be reminded of those who will do signs and wonders who are false prophets. It makes me feel bad for all these people blindly following this man and others like him, without knowing the real truth of Jesus. I will do my best to do away with this false teaching and move closer to Jesus and His Word.
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Awesome – you can’t go wrong with that attitude! God bless
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I was intrigued by Joe Dispenza books in the past, but I have to agree with you here. He also mixes so much pseudoscience and occult with simple therapies. I find that his method is sort of CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy), but with fake quantum physics that promises people everything from free Italian vacations to their cancer being cured (both examples taken from his books and videos).
CBT for me has been a down-to-earth, simple way to improve my moods and thinking, without faux science or eastern mysticism. Breathe. Examine your negative thoughts. Face your fears. It’s all very simple and doesn’t conflict with God’s Word.
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After reading he’s book. I have to say it all seems very convincing especially if you are not aligned with your bible or walk with Christ. It almost gives you the option to become this divinensss such as God like mode to which you can access all you desire if you move into that space of possibility. It’s a twisted way of giving you the access to create your own life through thoughts alone. But when you think about it we desire to be like Christ and should choice to become like him in all his ways. With this being said, some of the ideas he mentions to meditation and lose your old self is almost very similar to our bible when Jesus says, Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Luke 9:23 ESV.
I almost understand as I need to loss myself in terms of my self desires of thinking of me and how can I gain it all or better yet wanting to be all the best I can become for my own desire instead of God’s. Obviously God wants us to renewal of our mind within his word but with this being said the Holy Spirit aids us to become into Christ mode of characteristic by chasing Godly things and seeking him first. There’s is an element that if we put the time aside and truly seek God we can come to have an encounter to understand him more then not actually seeking him at all.
I hope this helps.
I think it’s important to understand where Joe’s coming from but also remind ourselves that we are God’s and he can heal us, or bring to us a new reality if we have faith in him to make it happen. I believe there’s some element of truth within his book if you know how to discern the difference between you being glorified and seeking him to bring you your hearts desire and trusting in him
to provide….
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