Galel.com ~ Galel FajardoPersonal Development, Business, and Marketing

If the name Dr. Joseph Murphy sounds familiar, it’s because he is legendary for his book The Power of Your Subconscious Mind. This is a book purchase I made walking through Barnes and Noble’s “Personal Development” section next to all of the books by Napoleon Hill.

What intrigued me about this book was its focus on working on our subconscious mind – the fact that we are what we think. I also liked the fact that Dr. Murphy incorporated God into everything he taught, although I highlighted a few areas where I’d like to conduct more research. I think he took a few Bible verses out of context (that never happens, right?) to get his point across. Additionally, I think that Dr. Murphy overstates God’s desire for His children to prosper. Whether it’s my own limiting-beliefs or a lack of Biblical education on my part, I’m not sure. I’m going to do some more research before making a final judgement on what he says about God & prosperity.

I agreed with everything else that Dr. Murphy had to say about the subconscious mind, and really found several great pieces that I will refer back to often. Some notable passages:

• “Whatever we sow in our subconscious mind, we shall reap. If we sow thoughts of sickness, fear, resentment, and enmity, we shall reap these things.” (pg. 47)
• On uncertainty and doubt: “You must train your faculties of mind to look inwardly and to have faith in all things good, a joyous expectancy of the best, and to have a firm belief inscribed in your heart that Infinite Intelligence will lead you out of your difficulty and show you the way.” (pg. 57)
• On making sure that God is a part of every aspect of your life: “…stop once and for all separating the Spirit of God from the flesh and blood of the world.” (pg. 119)
• On allowing others’ negativity to affect your mind: “The average man does not own his own mind at all. It does not belong to him; it is oftentimes rules over by the rank superstitions of others.” (pg. 142)

Dr. Murphy gives powerful examples from his practice where people’s physical afflictions were being caused by deep-rooted psychological and emotional issues. While some of these examples seem “too good to be true” at times, I can definitely understand how emotional issues can manifest themselves physically.

This is a quick read, only 221 pages. It’s meant to be an “inspirational” book. There are chapter summaries in the event that you would like to go back at the end to recap, or for quick reference in the future. If you’re interested in the topic of personal development (as I am) you might find this an interesting read.