A Healing Journey

From 9/11 Beyond the Pandemic

Non-Fiction - Memoir
256 Pages
Reviewed on 08/08/2024
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    Book Review

Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite

A Healing Journey is a memoir by Gilda Morina Syverson in which she details her spiritual exploration, beginning with a prophetic dream about burning skyscrapers and extending through various therapeutic practices. Guided by Spiritual Director Betty White, Syverson engaged in Healing Touch therapy, addressing personal and emotional issues. Stress from the Catholic Church scandal led her to enhance her Healing Touch focus on energy work. Reflections during a visit to Ground Zero and family dynamics influenced her spiritual growth. Syverson undertook organizational challenges, explored sacred contracts, and integrated Healing Touch into her life. She achieved a Certification in Healing Touch, adapting her practices to changing personal and social contexts. She also addressed health concerns and continued her spiritual and professional development through journaling and online classes.

Gilda Morina Syverson's writing employs rich, evocative imagery and symbolism that immerses the reader in the author’s experience in A Healing Journey. I smiled when she compared a school bus and the dust to the tornado tunnel in The Wizard of Oz, one of many sensory experiences Syverson incorporates with a recurring theme of time and healing symbolized by the "tunnel" imagery and references to her mother. The importance of this is that it shows Syverson isn't simply experiencing a sequence of unrelated events. Every moment of her life clicks together. I loved that Syverson allows herself to be raw and emotionally vulnerable, and writes in a way that reflects both the highs and lows. She is honest and comes across as wholly authentic, and it is easy to feel like we are getting to know who she truly is. Some of the topics are difficult to read but because they are sympathetically written, we understand why they must be included. Overall, this is an insightful, moving, and enlightening memoir, and I am grateful to have read it.