Job's Body: Ahandbook for body workshop

by Deane Juhan

Possibly the most famous and widely used resource in therapeutic bodywork, this beautifully written, detailed and reader-friendly picture of how and why the body responds to touch is both scientifically reliable and inspiring. Furthering the presentation of recent research in biochemistry, cell biology and energy medicine in the Second Edition, this new and greatly expanded edition includes advances in neurophysiology and physics, reconfiguring knowledge of mind and body, from microgenesis to quantum consciousness. A rare book, required reading for national massage therapy certification, that also serves the general reader.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Reference, Fitness, Nature, Science

484 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

Reviews

[Jen Marin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book just as inspiring this time as I did the first time I read it. His explorations of the connective tissue framework are especially intriguing. I also really appreciate the reminders of just how much of our nervous system is located outside of the cranium. I think this is a great book for any bodyworker that really wants to explore the deeper aspects of human physiology.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book on human physiology for bodyworkers. Some of the speculative flights of fancy in the final three chapters may not be true and I have some reservations about the prevalence of citations of old science, since science is generally obsolete in 10 years, but generally it is very useful for massage therapists.

[Asa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Juhan gives some amazing perspective on how the body works, especially in terms of the significance of bodywork. It's well researched and very well written, but he goes into detail, so it can get a little thick in places.

[david · Rating 5 out of 5]

anyone interested in the wonders of the human body would find this to be a fascinating read.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

a must for any bodyworker... beautifully, artfully written. it's a book to read over and over again.

[Liwana]

This is "homework" for an equine body working course I am taking in July.

[Mati · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wild and profound penetration of human anatomy and physiology written by a brillant writer and bodyworker. Deane Juhan explores the systems of the body most effected by bodywork.

[Pj · Rating 4 out of 5]

i like how he looks at the body and how he discusses the 'intuition' of the healer/bodyworker

[Maggie Lang · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read for ALL massage therapists and/or anyone who works with the human form.

[Steve Meier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent but tedious read with focus on somatic aspects of bodywork. Some of the information is a bit outdated but still has a lot of gems about mind and body.

[Laurie AH · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing. The author finds 10,000 ways to say that the body and mind are on continuous entity. He develops and explains the detailed science around how our bodyminds work, and he somehow infuses this specific science with spirit and wonder. I'm fascinated by how he so elegantly and clearly analyzes and describes such complicated and extensive science. This book does take a long time to read and really gets into the weeds of the human bodymind, but if you take it a few pages at a time, you won't miss any of the miracles described. I have so many dog-ears and highlights in this book that they are useless. The whole book is a wonder. And even in the places where it's outdated, he seemed to anticipate how it would be outdated (eg, the Human Genome Project, ongoing at the time of writing the updated part of the book, at the end).

[Celeste Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an author of self help books, registered nurse, and advocate for chronic pain issues, I am always looking for information to broaden my own knowledge base, but that’s not the only reason I read books like Job’s Body. I happen to be a chronic pain patient. The greatest pain generator for me is a condition we don’t hear much about, but we should, myofascial pain syndrome. I am reviewing from a professional and patient perspective.

Deane Juhan does a marvelous job explaining exactly what the skin, connective tissue, bone, muscles, nerve and myofascia are, and why we need them. He methodically and meticulously defines why it is important to know exactly what they do, how everything is connected and how neglect can lead to plasticity of the brain.

Many have written on this, but few explain how neglecting the body’s needs create plasticity affecting and rewiring the brains’ perception and response. Seldom, if ever, do physicians get training on connective tissue even though it has the greatest effect on chronic pain conditions.

Deane Juhan holds tight to same mantras I use in my own writing “self-awareness, self-control and active participation of the will to the process of growth and development are major themes to this education.” Keep the fluid moving, it is the oil for the body, and the dump truck for the toxins we accumulate when we live a stagnant life.

If you are a pain management professional, physical therapist, chiropractor, body worker, or a patient with chronic pain, you must read this book. You will have a better understanding of the myofascia, plasticity, and the feedback our brain receives from the body.

[kyle]

Despite its age (first written in the 80s and while updated, there have been many advances in understanding Juhan does not include), this book remains not just vital, but vibrant. Sure there are issues I had with it. For a book that purports to use science to understand the power of touch, there are far too many conclusions that are not backed up. It is often confusing where exactly Juhan derives his information. But as a catalyst, and a poetic one, Job's Body works beautifully in 2011. I've already used one of his description passages on muscles while teaching. And I haven't been able to stop thinking about many of his assertions regarding the power of skin, the way connective tissue transmits information, the only partially understood dance between nervous tissue and muscle tissue, etc. etc. etc. A book I know I will continually refer back to if not for science, then for inspiration.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Job's Body is a classic for a reason. Juhan's clear, yet imaginative prose helps to make sense of some of the most complex and minute chemical reactions of the body. Though pain science has evolved past some of the arguments he makes in this book, Juhan's systemic view of connective tissue's importance in the body was ahead of its time, and remains relevant now. A must for any bodyworker's bookshelf.

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good resource for everyone, expressly for masseuses on understanding how the body responds to touch from a scientific point of view.

I found this most illuminating when I looked up why did any massage technique not produce the expected results. Tons of other useful sensory information in this great book.

[TurtleMoon]

An Excellent book that I highly recommend to bodyworkers. I don't even know of any book that compares to this one in content and quality. Is there even another book on the same subject, really? there were a couple small sections that I just couldn't agree with.

[Michelle]

I don't know if I'll ever finish this; I read it sporadically depending on my current biology questions.

[Amy Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I admit to picking more current fiction over this. I will get back to it someday.

[Marya · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my all-time favorite books.