As anyone who knows me will tell you, I absolutely die for personality tests, any type of psychoanalysis, as well as not limited to psychic readings, angel readings, energy healings, chakra and aura readings, reiki sessions, etc. I am one of those insane people that feels like you can’t be too introspective and navel-grazy, but I’ve been told by many of those closest to me that I am a little bit too much of an overthinker about stuff like that, albeit fairly intuitive to others as a result.
I was recommended this book by someone who knows the author (of the foreword, I believe), a doctor in Manhattan with their own practice. It’s a fairly quick read, I did it within 4/5 hours on a Sunday. The doctor apparently believes in holistic health and helps his patients think about how to align their personality to their habits (these are philosophies steeped in Eastern/Ayurvedic medicine). It makes sense to me that this be true, and I know that there are certain Eastern medicine practices (read: acupuncture) that cannot be explained medically by Western doctors. I’ve also spent tons of time in China, so I would like to believe that there is some merit to their conceptions about medicine. This friend of mine explained that the doctor helps him adopt an Ayurvedic approach to diet, and that includes starting with more “alkaline” foods earlier in the day, like oatmeal, and moving onto more acidic foods as the time wears on.
This book, however, has nothing to do with health per se. It is almost entirely about doing introspection to identify your personality traits (the author divides people into five types: wood, water, earth, fire, metal) and work your life around them to be as low-stress as possible. And it’s genius.
The book starts with an assessment, then delineates each type into a Part of the book, then adds Method, how the type reacts in relationships and ayurvedic practices for that type. It really is helpful for people looking to understand themselves a bit more.
The personality tests aren’t like Myers Briggs, either. In some ways they felt more…precise but I can’t verbalize why. I’m a Water type for my primary. If you read the book, maybe you’ll learn why…
8/10
