Michael A. Jawer - Sensitive Soul: The Unseen Role of Emotion in Extraordinary States

This book is dedicated to four titans of subject matter so deserving of rigorous investigation and articulate exposition:

the late Ernest Hartmann;

the late William Roll;

and the very much alive and kicking

Stanley Krippner and Larry Dossey.

Each of these enterprising men allowed me full access to their outlooks and work products, and they encouraged me to develop and pursue my own. I would not have produced anything worthwhile in this field were it not for them. They have my gratitude, my esteem, and my fond affection.

Sensitive Soul

Cosmologists tell us the vast majority of the universe consists of dark matter and energydark because we cannot observe them, but they are vital to how the universe works. Jawer reminds us that the same is true of our personal universewe, too, are permeated with forces we cannot directly observe but are vital to how we work. Sensitive Soul is a fascinating tour of the hidden influences that make us who we are and that hold the clues to some truly extraordinary abilities.

DEAN RADIN, PH.D., CHIEF SCIENTIST AT THE INSTITUTE OF NOETIC SCIENCES

Jawers articulate writing, lucid descriptions, and remarkable case studies make this book not only a pleasure to read but a possible roadmap for people who always sensed that they lived in a different reality than their family and peers. Sensitive Souls compelling perspective will reassure emotionally sensitive people that they possess a gift, not a curse.

STANLEY KRIPPNER, PH.D.,COAUTHOR OF
PERSONAL MYTHOLOGY

Jawer is onto something vitally important: the astonishing individuality with which we think, feel, and process information. Backed by meticulous documentation and excellent science, Jawer weaves new threads in the tapestry of what it means to be human.

LARRY DOSSEY, M.D.,EXECUTIVE EDITOR OF
EXPLORE: THE JOURNAL OF SCIENCE AND HEALING

... invites us to put aside our preconceptions and approach the world of unanticipated influences with a sense of wonder. Jawer ties together research from seemingly disparate areas of studyfrom synesthesia to past-life memories to the feelings of petsto demonstrate how emotion can align with sensitivity to unseen aspects of reality. The result is an important work filled with fresh insights.

JIM B. TUCKER, M.D., BONNER-LOWRY PROFESSOR OF PSYCHIATRY AND NEUROBEHAVIORAL SCIENCES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

Jawer brings together many accounts of non-human animal sensitivities, suggesting that a connection with emotion may help explain some puzzling anomalies. His provocative ideas will no doubt spur readers to think more about these questions.

JEFFREY MOUSSAIEFF MASSON, PH.D., COAUTHOR OF WHEN ELEPHANTS WEEP

This book takes up everything from ecology and child prodigies like Greta Thunberg to children who manifest birthmarks indicative of a previous death to the emotional, spiritual, and telepathic lives of cats, dogs, elephants, dolphins, and whales. What Jawer shows with such clarity is that the secret trigger to this hyper-connected cosmos is danger, distress, trauma, and, above all, embodied empathy, a kind of sixth sense that feels across space and time. Consciousness, it turns out, is not just conscious. It is sentient. In human terms, it is sympathetic, it cares, it loves. My response to this book was perfectly resonant with its extraordinary content and spirit. I wept. You will too.

JEFFREY J. KRIPAL, PH.D.,ASSOCIATE DEAN OF FACULTY AND GRADUATE STUDIES AND J. NEWTON RAYZOR PROFESSOR OF PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGIOUS THOUGHT AT RICE UNIVERSITY

The insights of leading researchers and the accounts of highly sensitive individuals merge seamlessly, revealing human emotional biology as diverse, complex, and frequently uncanny. With his lively prose and intellectual curiosity, Michael Jawer has crafted a watershed volume on science, spirituality, and empathy.

C. C. HART, FOUNDING MEMBER AND SECRETARY OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SYNAESTHETES, ARTISTS,AND SCIENTISTS

Sensitive Soul brings to life the sense of wonder suggested by its opening sentence: Life is full of marvels. By exploring the theme of emotional sensitivity through multiple lenses, Jawer paints a fuller picture of what it means to be human. Hes not afraid to tackle such unusual phenomena as synesthesia (the blending of separate sensory modalities) or even reincarnation and relate them to such wide-ranging topics as autism and savantism. Sensitive Soul is an invaluable resource for explorers of these inner realms, and I recommend it highly.

ERIC LESKOWITZ, M.D., CODIRECTOR OF THE INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE TASK FORCE AT SPAULDING REHABILITATION HOSPITAL

In this insightful and thought-provoking volume, Jawer bridges the gap between clinical research on the human emotional landscape and the unquantifiable mysteries that lie beyond. He includes the reader in his exploration of acute sensitivities and their underpinnings and offers plausible explanations for experiences that verge on the paranormal. Fittingly, he asks more questions than can be answeredas one can only surmise at the depths and complexities of the human soul.

NICK JANS,AUTHOR OF A WOLF CALLED ROMEO

Jawer explores the relation between self, body, mind, and spirit, enunciating a view that they are not separate but are integrated. This book takes us to a deeper understanding of sentience in a nature and cosmos that evolved sentience.

MICHAEL FOX, BVETMED, PH.D., AUTHOR OF THE NATIONALLY SYNDICATED COLUMN THE ANIMAL DOCTOR AND
THE BOOK ANIMALS AND NATURE FIRST

Jawer has added a brilliant fresh layer and lens to sensory research. His work on thin boundaries should inform all researchers in the space, particularly those looking at synesthesia.

MAUREEN SEABERG,EXPERT ON THE SENSES FOR PSYCHOLOGY TODAY AND COAUTHOR OF STRUCK BY GENIUS

A wonder-filled exploration of the sensations that pulse within and compose our bodies, shaping our individual styles of empathy. Jawer induces a lucid attunement to the uncanny emotional makeup of our shared world.

DAVID ABRAM, PH.D.,AUTHOR OF THE SPELL OF THE SENSUOUS

Sensitive Soul makes a beautiful evidence-based case for living a life of wonder and curiosity. You will never see people and nature in the same way again.

SCOTT BARRY KAUFMAN, PH.D., HOST OF
THE PSYCHOLOGY PODCAST AND AUTHOR OF
TRANSCEND: THE NEW SCIENCE OF SELF-ACTUALIZATION

This is a remarkable, informative book. Jawer has assembled a wealth of wisdom from science, anecdote, and personal experience into a rich tapestry and presented it with an engaging, empathic voice. If you struggle with any number of psychological or physical ailments, or are just curious to learn how the body and mind work in concert, I urge you to travel with this sensitive soul as your guide.

JONATHAN BALCOMBE, PH.D.,AUTHOR OF WHAT A FISH KNOWS

Acknowledgments

Not a single idea or argument advanced in this book developed in a vacuum. I have many people to thank for offering a sounding board, constructive criticism, and, often enough, praise and encouragement that boosted my confidence. While not all of them agreed with my premises or my inferences from the evidence, collectively their reactions convinced me that the concepts had legs and were sufficiently supported rhetorically. In many cases they didnt know me from Adam when I first reached out, so I appreciate their graciousness all the more.