Self Help - Spirituality
Title: The Grand Experiment, an Expedition of Self-Discovery
Author: Gayle Gregory, Madren Campbell, and Karen Johnson
Rating: Very Good!
Publisher: Pure Possibility
Web Page: www.pure-possibility.org
Reviewed by: Les Chappell for BookReview.com

As an aspiring professional writer, I tend to think that writing things down when you have a problem is the best way to deal with them – which is half the reason I enjoyed the process detailed in “The Grand Experiment.” The other half came from the fact that the book is just what it promises: not an immediate personal revolution but a gradual alteration of your life, testing your personal hypotheses and finding the right ideas in a process you are personally comfortable with.

Authors Madren Campbell, Gayle Gregory and Karen Johnson identify seven major myths that negatively impact our lives, ranging from the simple “there is not enough in the world” to the overarching “we are alone.” To combat these myths, the book has you write down the ways each of the myths challenges your self-worth. Once you have these conclusions, it offers a reality to counter your writings and meditative exercises to help you reach said reality.

I found this series of instructions easy to follow and adapt to my own needs. The exercises don’t require you to follow a set routine or timetable, but can be picked up when you feel you need the effect of the myths on you. I can write as much as I want to for each of the answers as though I was keeping a journal, meditate when I feel the need and make my own evaluation as to whether or not I still live by the myths.

The book does have a few style problems – it wears on you when at least half of the sentences of the book start with the words “we can,” and it loses itself at the end when it talks about “cosmic jokes” and “we behave as though we are Source.” Its messages, however – embracing the fear, the power is within, we have ultimate potential – still come across clearly, and create a gradual process of self-development that readers will find easy to accept. BookReview.com

Imagine a reality where there is someone…or even three someone's…who understand fear, energy, honesty and relationships and how those issues affect our lives for good or bad. Imagine a reality where there is a simple way to find answers to many of life's conundrums—or if not complete forever answers—at least a guide that can set one on the path to vitality, spontaneity and openness. That is what this book by Gayle, Madren and Karen does. Their personal experiences dotted throughout the book made it especially readable for me and helped me see that they have a deep understanding of what they are writing about…because they lived it. An ultimate book of self-discovery may not be possible, but this one has some great exercises that will help the reader come closer to that a-ha! moment that may be a turning point. Whether you read "The Grand Experiment" cover to cover or piece by piece, it really can help create your own experience and be more in touch with the consciousness of the world around you.
Michael Friend, Inei-Re

It takes courage to look at our fears and childhood patterns which unexamined painfully limit our experience of being. "The Grand Experiment" brings together the transformative tools of spiritual exploration with basic psychology. Through the candid sharing of their own inner exploration the authors of "The Grand Experiment" have given us true gift. Direct and honest, this clear blueprint lays out a rich path of self discovery and invites us to follow.
Christine Toscano