I don't really know what to think of this book. The author is a cancer survivor and has some very interesting ideas about what contributed to his recovery. He uses numerous examples of organ donor recipients to make a case for his theory of cellular memory. Cellular memory is the idea that memory isn't just held in the brain, it is stored through the body in a way similar to a hologram. While I don't agree with all his conclusions, he has some very interesting ideas.
INTERESTING, BUT FALLS SHORT
This book covers much material that is not new, but which is interpreted in a new way. Other authors have written about forms of intelligence and learning that don't seem to depend on the brain or intellect. Larry Dossey's concept of non-local consciousness, and Rupert Sheldrake's "morphic fields" arise from the same anecdotal evidence that Pearsall presents in this book. The difference is that Pearsall attributes this unexplained knowledge source to the heart, the most powerful organ in our bodies. Pearsall believes he has found evidence that the heart (as well as other cells in our bodies) retains memories about us and possibly about other people with whom we are close (and maybe holds ancestral memories as well).Pearsall uses anecdotes from heart transplant patients, many of which seem to indicate that the recipient takes on some of the characteristics of the donor, and sometimes even knows things about the donor. These stories are compelling, but they do not add up to proof that the heart has memory. In my mind, they DO add up to evidence of the connectedness of life and the existence of psychic connections between people. What better way to create a connection than to transplant living tissue from one person into another? To anyone who believes there are forms of knowing that do not arise in the brain, Pearsall's stories are hardly unexpected. He cites many sources and quotes other authors in his quest to make his case, but other explanations make as much or more sense than Pearsall's.
Organ transplants themselves are controversial. I think it possible that organ transplants could impede the spirit of the donor from moving on to the next dimension, instead remaining earth-bound because part of his/her body still lives. Pearsall has raised the question of just what is transferred (besides the organ) from donor to recipient. The heart is obviously an important part of us and is a metaphor for love, so it stands to reason that whatever essence of the donor is in the heart would have some effect on the recipient, and the recipient may have some effect on the spirit of the donor.
The famous Dr. DeBakey says the heart is "just a pump" and perhaps he is mistaken. But does the heart possess "memory" or does its energy still contain part of the spirit of the donor, or does the donor reach out from "the other side" and communicate to the recipient? I have no answer, but I'm not inclined to accept Pearsall's arguments.
The book also becomes tedious with repetitious points. It seems like the major ideas could be stated in far fewer words. The author also uses his own experiences as a cancer patient in forming his theory. His own story is interesting in itself, but does not supply any evidence for a "heart's code." In the end, we have highly subjective ideas based on anecdotes that can be explained by a number of other theories (which the author is fair enough to summarize in this book).
Personally, I do not support organ transplants because of the grossly unfair so-called health care system in the US. Only people with a lot of money or fabulous health insurance go on lists to get a transplant. Once they get the new organ, they must take very expensive drugs every month for the rest of their lives. If they miss taking their drugs for even a month, their body will reject the transplant and they will die. I would not want to live with that pressure, knowing any month I was unable to come up with a large sum of money for drugs, I would die (and just try getting health insurance if you've had an organ transplant!!). People may see transplants as a life-saving technique, but they are also a big money-making industry driven by highly-paid specialists and unwarranted drug company profits. Only the rich and the lucky benefit, and there will never be enough donated hearts for all the potential recipients.
Getting your head together, with your heart
Dr. Pearsall has hit a home run in a ballpark unfamiliar to most ordinary people who still think that the brain in your head is the mastermind of thought and behavior. What Pearsall has contributed, especially in terms of learning, creativity and memory is to reshape our foundations of perception that "love, dignity, relationships and integrity" might, after all, be the driving forces of human progress. Even if one considers "The Heart's Code" as a mere metaphor for our consciousness, without the empirical evidence of the role of the heart in human thought, Dr. Pearsall moves us closer to an integration of body, mind and spirit in a pracitical way, empowered by the heart.
Good Concept - Boring Book
While I accept the theories presented in the book I think Pearsall worked so hard to appear completely scientific that the book became incrediblely boring. He repeated himself in an effort to appear seriously scientific and lost the humaness of his story.