Book Review
by Julie Register, Your Guide to
Spas
Transformative Getaways for Spiritual Growth,
Self- Discover, and Holistic Healing,
A Guide to Hundreds of
Destinations for Life-Enhancing Adventures, Vacations, and
Retreats
by John Benson
There are as many reasons to go to a health spa/fitness resort
as there are people who go to them. For myself and my husband,
time spent at these places is used to help center ourselves, to
attempt to reconnect and reenergize our bodies, minds and
spirits, and to get reacquainted with each other. I also go to
pay a little attention to myself and to be a little bit pampered.
But there are people who want to or are forced to make
significant changes to their lives. They want an experience to
help them on their new journey. The retreats found in
Transformative Getaways for Spiritual Growth, Self- Discover, and
Holistic Healing, A Guide to Hundreds of Destinations for
Life-Enhancing Adventures, Vacations, and Retreats by John
Benson (1996) address such needs. Of course, many of the
organizations offer the pampering, exercise, diet, etc. that I
have come to expect from health spas. But the main focus of most
of these getaways seems to be more spiritual.
According to the author, "Transformative Getaways is a guide to those places and journeys that are dedicated to offering experiences that nurture the soul, that provide healing for body and mind, that elevate our spirits." "These are gathering places for those of us who share the desire to leave behind the more superficial realm of daily existence in search of connection with who we really are on a deeper level."
The book begins with four rather confusing indexes:
The first is the Alphabetical Index which lists 260 organizations alphabetically followed by codes of numbers (program type), capital letters (special needs and interests), and lower case letters (spiritual/religious orientation) and a page number.
The second is the Program Type Index which includes 20 sections: body cleansing, bodywork, breathwork, ceremony, counseling, diet modification, group process work, Hatha yoga, inner process work, meditation/relaxation, movement, natural medicine, nature therapy, power places, prayer, psychic and energy healing, self-expression, selfless service, vision quest, and wisdom literature. These are followed by numbers to indicate the organizations that have the programs.
The third is the Special Needs and Interests Index which includes 15 sections: adults, community sojourns, couples, families, gays/lesbians, men only, personal retreats, recovery, regeneration/healing, rental facilities, senior citizens, spiritual/life transition, teacher/professional training, wheelchair accessibility, and women only. These are followed by numbers to indicate the organizations that have the programs.
The fourth is the Spiritual/Religious Orientation Index which includes 15 sections: Catholic, Christian Fundamentalist, Goddess/ecospirituality, Hindu/yogic, Judaic, Liberal Protestant, Metaphysical Christian, Multitraditional, Native American/shamanic, Sufi, Taoist, Theosophical/ascended masters, Theravada Buddhist, Tibetan Buddhist, and Zen Buddhist. These are followed by numbers to indicate the organizations that have the programs.
While the indexes provide very useful information, they are not easy to cross reference. For instance, if I wanted to find a getaway for couples that provided bodywork, meditation/relaxation, natural medicine, and nature therapy in the southwest, I would have to look up each item on the index, write down the numbers and see if any were common. However, this would not address the location. In my opinion, a much more useful tool would be a table listing the 260 retreats down the page and the 50 areas of specialization plus geographical areas across the top. Granted, that would not fit easily in a book this size, but I’ve seen it done. Even better would be a removable chart. It would be much more usable. Just highlight the columns of interest and look for the rows with the most matches.
After the indexes, the book is divided into four chapters: Single-Site Getaways, Multisite Getaways, Journeys to Distant Places, and Wilderness and Ocean Programs. In each chapter, the organizations are further divided into geographic location, then alphabetized. In each alphabetized listing, a description is given, the nature of the programs and services offered, facilities, activities, staff, season of operation, rates, address, phone and fax numbers, and lodging and meals (for single-site getaways). Roughly a page is devoted to each organization. In my opinion, it would be better to list Single-Site Getaways, Multisite Getaways, Journeys to Distant Places and Wilderness and Ocean Programs and geographical location as columns in the table/chart and just list the organizations alphabetically.
A few more pet peeves - there are no email address or web sites (URL’s) given for the organizations. There are no pictures.
In spite of my desire for Transformative Getaways to be reorganized, if you are looking for a place "to come together with people of like mind and spirit, to honor our bonds with nature, to allow time and space to rejuvenate and nurture our inner selves, and to expand our horizons through learning or adventure," then this book is for you. The information it provides will allow you find the perfect retreat. You’ll just have to work a little to find it.
This
book can be purchased directly from Barnes & Noble by following the links
above.
(Note: Barnes & Noble is solely responsible for fulfillment of orders
placed through these links.)
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