Caroline Myss
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Caroline Myss (pronounced ''mace''; born December 2, 1952) is an American author of 10 books and many audio recordings about mysticism and wellness. She is most well known for publishing '' Anatomy of the Spirit'' (1996). She also co-published The Creation of Health with Dr C Norman Shealy, MD, former Harvard professor of neurology. Myss describes herself as a
medical intuitive A medical intuitive is an alternative medicine practitioner who claims to be able to use their intuitive abilities to find the cause of a physical or emotional condition through the use of insight rather than modern medicine. Other terms for such ...
and a mystic. She was on ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' several times including her 2002 appearance. In 2001 she hosted a TV series titled ''The Journey With Caroline Myss'' on the
Oxygen (TV network) Oxygen (branded on air as Oxygen True Crime) is an American cable and digital multicast television network owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group unit of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast. The network primarily airs true crime television serie ...
, co-owned by
Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954) is an American television presenter, talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show' ...
, exploring the spiritual and psychological roadblocks of life in an intimate workshop setting. Her work has been criticized by some as being unsubstantiated and pseudoscientific. However, other sources suggest that energy medicine can have a place in an integrative approach to health, and while some are skeptical that "our biography becomes our biology", the concept may have a scientific basis.


Biography

Caroline Myss was born on December 2, 1952, in Chicago and grew up with her parents and two brothers, one elder and one younger, in the
Melrose Park, Illinois Melrose Park is a village in Leyden Township, Cook County, Illinois, Leyden and Proviso Township, Cook County, Illinois, Proviso Townships, Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a suburb of Chicago. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...
neighborhood near Chicago. She was raised a Catholic in a large
Polish American Polish Americans () are Americans who either have total or partial Polish ancestry, or are citizens of the Republic of Poland. There are an estimated 8.81 million self-identified Polish Americans, representing about 2.67% of the U.S. population, ...
family, and attended the Mother Guerin High School,
River Grove, Illinois River Grove is a village in Leyden Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 10,612 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. History Just as nearby Elmwood Park and Oak Park are named after thei ...
, run by the
Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods The Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods are an Consecrated life (Catholic Church), apostolic congregation of Roman Catholic Church, Catholic women founded by Saint Theodore Guerin, Theodora Guerin (known colloquially as Saint Mo ...
. She completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from the
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) is a private Roman Catholic liberal arts college in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, US. Originally a college exclusively for women, it is now coeducational. It is the oldest Catholic college in Indiana ...
in
Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
in 1974, and started her career in journalism in Chicago. During the course of her career, she interviewed
Elisabeth Kübler-Ross Elisabeth Kübler-Ross (July 8, 1926 – August 24, 2004) was a Swiss-American psychiatrist, a pioneer in near-death studies, author, and developer of the five stages of grief, also known as the "Kübler-Ross model". In 1970, Kübler-Ross deli ...
, the author of the famous book ''
On Death and Dying According to the model of the five stages of grief, or the Kübler-Ross model, those experiencing sudden grief following an abrupt realization (shock) go through five emotions: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Critics of t ...
'', which inspired her to pursue a master's degree in theology from
Mundelein College Mundelein College was a private, independent, Roman Catholic Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois. Located on the edge of the Rogers Park, Chicago, Rogers Park and Edgewater, Chicago, Edgewater neig ...
, Chicago, which she completed in 1979. In 2008, she wrote the foreword to Kübler-Ross's revised version of "On Life After Death". She started giving
medical intuitive A medical intuitive is an alternative medicine practitioner who claims to be able to use their intuitive abilities to find the cause of a physical or emotional condition through the use of insight rather than modern medicine. Other terms for such ...
readings in 1982 and co-founded a small
New Age New Age is a range of Spirituality, spiritual or Religion, religious practices and beliefs that rapidly grew in Western world, Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclecticism, eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise d ...
publishing company Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...
, Stillpoint Publishing in
Walpole, New Hampshire Walpole is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,633 at the 2020 census. The town's central village, where 573 people resided at the 2020 census, is defined as the Walpole census-designated place (CDP) a ...
, where she also worked as an editor in 1983. Next she began consulting with holistic doctors, which in 1984, led to her extensive collaboration with C. Norman Shealy, physician and founder of the American Holistic Medical Association, with whom she later co-authored ''AIDS: Passageway to Transformation'', in 1987, followed by ''The Creation of Health: The Emotional, Psychological, and Spiritual Responses that Promote Health and Healing'', in 1988. Deriving from her practice as a
medical intuitive A medical intuitive is an alternative medicine practitioner who claims to be able to use their intuitive abilities to find the cause of a physical or emotional condition through the use of insight rather than modern medicine. Other terms for such ...
, she started writing books, in the field of
energy medicine Energy medicine is a branch of alternative medicine based on a pseudo-scientific belief that healers can channel "healing energy" into patients and effect positive results. The field is defined by shared beliefs and practices relating to m ...
, and
healing With physical trauma or disease suffered by an organism, healing involves the repairing of damaged tissue(s), organs and the biological system as a whole and resumption of (normal) functioning. Medicine includes the process by which the cells ...
, five of which became
New York Times Best Sellers ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. John Bear, ''The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times ...
. Myss wrote '' Anatomy of the Spirit: The Seven Stages of Power and Healing'' (1996), which was followed by ''Why People Don't Heal and How They Can'' (1998), which explored the reasons people do not heal through her concept of "woundology." Her next book, ''Sacred Contracts: Awakening Your Divine Potential'' (2002) dealt with the issue of finding one's life purpose, describing sacred contracts as a set of assignments to help one identify their particular spiritual
archetype The concept of an archetype ( ) appears in areas relating to behavior, historical psychology, philosophy and literary analysis. An archetype can be any of the following: # a statement, pattern of behavior, prototype, "first" form, or a main mo ...
s. She has since appeared on ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' numerous times. By 2000, she discontinued doing private
medical intuitive A medical intuitive is an alternative medicine practitioner who claims to be able to use their intuitive abilities to find the cause of a physical or emotional condition through the use of insight rather than modern medicine. Other terms for such ...
readings, and began teaching how to do them through her workshops, seminars, radio shows and guided tours. She tours internationally as a speaker on
spirituality The meaning of ''spirituality'' has developed and expanded over time, and various meanings can be found alongside each other. Traditionally, spirituality referred to a religious process of re-formation which "aims to recover the original shape o ...
and mysticism, and lives in
Oak Park, Illinois Oak Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, adjacent to Chicago. It is the List of municipalities in Illinois, 26th-most populous municipality in Illinois, with a population of 54,318 as of the 2020 census. Oak Park was first se ...
, near Chicago.Caroline Myss' Journey
''www.consciouschoice.com'', September 2003.
In 2003, she founded the Caroline Myss Educational Institute (CMED) in Chicago, Illinois, with business partner David Smith, offering weekend workshops on her books and teachings. Her 2007 book, "Entering the Castle" draws upon the writings of
Saint Teresa of Ávila In Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Anglican, Oriental Ortho ...
, a 16th-century
Carmelite The Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel (; abbreviated OCarm), known as the Carmelites or sometimes by synecdoche known simply as Carmel, is a mendicant order in the Catholic Church for both men and women. Histo ...
nun, who wrote her most important work, ''
The Interior Castle ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...
'' (1577), towards the end of her life. Her next book, ''Defy Gravity, Healing Beyond the Bounds of Reason'' (2009) took the ideas further with mystical laws, the seven shadows and also seven graces inherent in all of us. Myss started hosting a weekly
Call-in In broadcasting, a phone-in or call-in is a programme format in which viewers or listeners are invited to air their live comments by telephone, usually in respect of a specific topic selected for discussion on the day of the broadcast. On radio ( ...
Talk radio show Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. They may feature monologues, dialogues between the hosts, interviews wi ...
, "Sacred Contracts" around 2005, at
Hay House Radio Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticated ...
, an
Internet radio Internet radio, also known as online radio, web radio, net radio, streaming radio, e-radio and IP radio, is a digital audio service transmitted via the Internet. Broadcasting on the Internet is usually referred to as webcasting since it is not ...
site, run by
Hay House Hay House is a publisher founded in 1984 by author  Louise Hay, who is known for her books on New Thought. ''The New York Times'' dubbed Hay "The Queen of the New Age," noting that she became "one of the bestselling authors in ...
publishing, where she gave online intuitive readings to callers. Then in 2009, the show was renamed "Defy Gravity" after her book by the same name was released in October 2009. In June 2012, Myss appeared on a ''
Super Soul Sunday ''Super Soul Sunday'' is a self-help talk show hosted by Oprah Winfrey, which airs on the Oprah Winfrey Network. The series premiered on October 16, 2011, and ended on December 19, 2021. Format ''Super Soul Sunday'' is designed to help viewers a ...
'' episode with
Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954) is an American television presenter, talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show' ...
, on OWN Network.


Criticism

In
Michael Shermer Michael Brant Shermer (born September 8, 1954) is an American science writer, historian of science, executive director of The Skeptics Society, and founding publisher of '' Skeptic'' magazine, a publication focused on investigating pseudoscientif ...
's book ''The Skeptic: Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience'', Phil Molé says "Caroline Myss offers no tangible evidence to support any of her claims. Her hypothetical energy system cannot be detected, her intuitive diagnostic abilities are unproven, and her holistic philosophy is riddled with inconsistencies and unsubstantiated judgments."
Joe Nickell Joe Herman Nickell (December 1, 1944 – March 4, 2025) was an American skeptic and investigator of the paranormal. Nickell was a senior research fellow for the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and wrote regularly for their journal, '' Skeptic ...
, a skeptic and paranormal investigator, says, "Myss provides no proof of her alleged abilities. She intuits, of course, her intuitive power, offers only hearsay testimonials and anecdotal evidence as support." He has also described Myss as having "many of the traits associated with a fantasy prone personality."


Books and recordings

Her first three books have consecutively been on
The New York Times Best Seller list ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. John Bear, ''The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times ...
: Anatomy of the Spirit (1998), Why People Don't Heal and How They Can (1998), Sacred Contracts (2002) * ''AIDS: Passageway to Transformation'', with C. Norman Sheally, Stillpoint Publishing, Walpole, NH. 1987. . . * ''The Creation of Health: The Emotional, Psychological, and Spiritual Responses that Promote Health and Healing'', with C. Norman Sheally, Three Rivers Press, 1988. . * ''Anatomy of the Spirit: The Seven Stages of Power and Healing'' 1996; * ''Why People Don't Heal and How They Can'', Three Rivers Press, 1997 (paperback); * ''The Creation of Health: The Emotional, Psychological, and Spiritual Responses That Promote Health and Healing'', Three Rivers Press, 1998 (Audio CD); * ''Spiritual Power Spiritual Practice'', Three Rivers Press, 1998 (audio cassette); * ''Spiritual Madness'', Sounds True Audio, 2001 (audio CD); * ''Invisible Acts of Power: Personal Choices That Create Miracles'', Free Press, 2002. . * ''Sacred Contracts: Awakening Your Divine Potential'' (paperback); Three Rivers Press; 2003. * ''Archetype Cards'', an 80 Card Deck with Instruction Booklet; copyright 2003; * ''Three Levels of Power and How to Use Them'', Sounds True Inc., 2004 (audio CD); * ''Invisible Acts of Power: Personal Choices that Create Miracles'', Sounds True, 2004 (Audio CD); * ''Spiritual Power, Spiritual Practice'',
Sounds True Sounds True is an American multimedia publishing company founded in 1985 by Tami Simon. The company is based in Louisville, Colorado. The company has published over 800 spoken-word audio and music recordings, books, multimedia learning resources ...
, 2004. . * ''Entering the Castle: An Inner Path to God and your Soul'', 2007, (hard cover); * ''The Sacred Contract of America: Fulfilling the Vision of Our Mystic Founders'', 2007, Sounds True. (Audio CD), . * ''Defy Gravity: Healing Beyond The Bounds Of Reason'',
Hay House Hay House is a publisher founded in 1984 by author  Louise Hay, who is known for her books on New Thought. ''The New York Times'' dubbed Hay "The Queen of the New Age," noting that she became "one of the bestselling authors in ...
, 2009, . * ''Archetypes: Who Are You?'',
Hay House Hay House is a publisher founded in 1984 by author  Louise Hay, who is known for her books on New Thought. ''The New York Times'' dubbed Hay "The Queen of the New Age," noting that she became "one of the bestselling authors in ...
, 2013, .


Bibliography


Foreword
''True Coming of Age: A Dynamic Process That Leads to Emotional Well-Being, Spiritual Growth, and Meaningful Relationships'', by John T. Chirban. McGraw-Hill Professional, 2004. .
Made in Image of God – Caroline Myss
''The Fabric of the Future: Women Visionaries of Today Illuminate the Path to Tomorrow'', by Mary Jane Ryan, Patrice (INT) Wynne, Ken Wilber, Published by Conari, 2000. . ''Page 120-124''.
Online articles of Caroline Myss


at ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
''
Foreword to ''Entering the Castle''
by
Ken Wilber Kenneth Earl Wilber II (born January 31, 1949) is an American theorist and writer on transpersonal psychology and his own integral theory, a four-quadrant grid which purports to encompass all human knowledge and experience. Starting publishing ...

A Gift of Light, A Gift For The Soul... by Caroline Myss

Caroline Myss articles
at ''
The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Oprah Winfrey. The show ran for twenty-five seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in which it broadcast 4,561 episodes. The show was taped i ...
''
Caroline Myss articles
at ''
The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...
''


References


Sources


Myss.com – Biography of Myss


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Myss, Caroline 1952 births Living people Writers from Chicago Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College alumni American self-help writers American spiritual teachers American spiritual writers New Age writers New Thought writers American health and wellness writers American women non-fiction writers Women mystics People from Melrose Park, Illinois American talk radio hosts American women radio hosts Place of birth missing (living people) American people of Polish descent Nautilus Book Award winners 20th-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers