This is a very interesting book, looking at the laws of attraction from a scientific perspective. Has simple and practical exercises for the reader to practice cultivating the practice at home - some clever but others basic common sense. This is the laws of attraction for sceptics.

I am so glad I’ve discovered this book. It’s already changed the way I look at my life and how I think. I feel as if I’ve been given a new start and am definitely going to follow the advice of this amazing little book and start seeing some positive changes.

I just wish I’d been able to read it years ago! If you want to change your outlook and have a positive focus on your life then do yourself a favour and read this book.

Tedious and verbose. I managed to get 35% of the way through this book and it was still in its introductory 'read on and more will be revealed later in the book' phase. Much like the junk mail that fills several pages with sensational promises to improve your life and ends with the 'sign up now and in exchange for an eye-watering amount of money we will send you regular tips on how to achieve the promised sensational life'. I couldn't face any more of the book; life is too short.

There are many self-help books on the market offering concrete, evidence-based insights and sound advice. This is not one of them.

I adored this book. As someone who's always been into the idea of 'The Law of Attraction', but who also struggles to see past the 'logical blocks' that stop me from embracing it wholly, this book is a perfect fit for me, as it combines both the whimsical ideas put forward by the law, but also backs it up with more solid, neuroscientific explanations. After I had finished reading it, I was left feeling more optimistic, knowledgeable, and in control of my decisions and my future. Definitely one to read if you really want to believe in The Secret, but need a bit more of a push in the right direction!

This book is unusual in that it is written by a neuroscientist and medical doctor, when many self-help books of its kind come from less scientifically reputable sources. Swart’s explanation of the brain and neuroplasticity are interesting, but for me there was something of a disconnect between the scientific aspect of the book and the self-help angle, with a huge amount of discussion about the way the brain works before a much smaller section about vision boards and visualisations. The use of the phrase ‘The Source’ was a bit jarring, although I understand why it was used in this way. There were some great ideas in there but it took a while to get to them and overall the approach didn’t really work for me.

Loved this! I learnt a lot more than I thought I would. Dr Tara Swart comes to it from a neuroscience background and some of her beliefs are fascinating. The book begins with the author discussing her youth and her upbringing and her career - it was good to get an insight into her early life. This is basically a book with advice on how to live a better more positive life with general advice and guidelines on how to go about it including exercises and things like creating vision boards etc. Really enjoyed this read. Thank you!

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest, independent review.

I loved the fact this self-help book was backed up with scientific facts and studies throughout, showing that if you do follow the exercises and do what the author says, you can change the way you think.

However, I did think I would get to the exercises sooner. I was over 65% of the way through the book before the first exercise (Step One) started, and by that time the scientific explanations (long in places) meant I had started to lose pace and interest.

The exercises were also ones that have been done many times before and nothing really new - vision board, visualisation. It was nice to learn how the brain works when your visualising your dream life etc in order to receive it, but it would have been nice to have the exercises scattered throughout the book to break up the rest of the text a bit.

This book tells me I am the maker of my destiny. I can decide and train my mind to determine this destiny by reshaping my mind, my ability to think, feel and act.

Dr Tara Swart who is described as one of the most prominent voices in neuroscience, take the time to read this book.

I did find this book difficult to get into as it's not fiction, nor it is a traditional self help book. However, I persevered, and found this to be a very interesting and well executed book regarding the neuroscience evidence on how to replace negative or harmful behaviour and habits with more positive ones by the avenues of neuroplasticity (the ability for the brain to change, even in adulthood).

Dr Tara Swart writes in such a way that you can easily understand the concepts and biology of what our brains are capable of. She then provides easy to follow step-by-step instructions on how to not only identify what changes we need to make but how to achieve these goals.

This would be a great book for anyone that feels stuck, anxious or a great other variety of negative life situations at work, home etc. I’ve taken a lot of notes and have started on the steps to achieving my own goals. I really recommend this to give you an understanding of behaviour patterns and advancing self understanding, and self care.

This book was a real struggle and I'm not sure that I agree with the author. Yes, you can control your own path but only up to a point. There are many, many more factors out of our control.

The author drums in to you over a four point plan that if you fail in life, it is your fault. No no no! This is dangerous talk for vulnerable people.

The book is well written, with lots of information about how to see and handle things differently, but only if you are in the right head space to take the punches.

An interesting, thought-provoking book on the power of the mind. The idea behind it is that we can reshape our minds to control our own destiny. There is an in-depth analysis of how our brains work. Exercises help to guide you through the process of understanding ourselves and then developing a strategy of growth. I found the book interesting but much of the advice was common sense and could be picked up elsewhere. At times the book was overly technical but I'm sure others might find this instructive.

I like self-help books and the idea that you can alter/shape your thinking by understanding how your brain works.
This book was a disappointing read. Much of the information is available from other sources. But it is a good introduction to the whole science of opening your mind.

I love a good book that can empower me and change my perception on how I view the world and myself. This book fulfils this and more. I really liked the scientific back up to the claims and the book was easy to read through with examples of exercises but without asking you to do them now. You can do them at the end of the book where it guides you through them all. Very insightful and I have started the exercises and already changed my perception on a few things. One to keep dipping into for future reference.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the copy in exchange for a honest review.

An I interesting, informative read perfect for fans of The Secret. I requested this as I'm a big fan of the secret and enjoyed reading this book too.
I found it to be both uplifting, and inspiring.
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for allowing me to read in return for a review.

An excellent resource for understanding how our mind and brains work. The book itself is extremely well written by a respected doctor, and all the advice is well thought out and practical. I probably didn't learn anything new but for many people it will help explain the science behind other self help books such as 'The Secret'. This information will help people put more thought into their lives and how they run them.

Let me start by saying i do not do self help books, i have never picked one up before. But what drew me to this book is the blurb,it had me intrigued to what the book could do and explain about our ways. The book was at times a bit preachy but overall i found it very informative and interesting to read about the human brain and how it can be used. I am not sure i can change my ways of thinking and who i am as a person to get the results the book 'advertises' you can achieve, but it has made me look at how i deal with certain situations. For a non self help book reader it was intelligently written and could prove very useful for some people

https://books-and-thebigscreen.co.uk/books/the-source-open-…change-your-life/

First off, this is an exceptionally well written, enjoyable read. The mix of biography, anecdotes, science, and experience is probably as perfect as it can be.

I have always been a stern believer in the power of the mind and its ability to ‘attract’ the results we envisage. Whether positive or negative for that manner. To read the science behind this and how we can change/affect engrained neural passageways is exceptionally interesting.

I have to be honest, I did not give myself completely to the knowledge that has been imparted, as I haven’t planned to do all the activities for now, but that does not deter from how brilliant the gist of this book is. I certainly can’t fault its intention, nor its content and guidance. Even if I take on board one or two of the pillars of this book for now, I know that I will I see positive outcomes in my life.

Thank you Dr Tara Swart for a great read!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy

This is a good and plausible self-help book. Dr Tara Swart is a neuroscientist, medical doctor and a leadership coach. She uses a lot of real life examples and also scientific evidence about the science of the brain to back up her ideas.

I found her use of the phrase ‘The Source’ a little wearing after a while as it felt like she was trying to sell us a new age technique when actually she wasn’t. The book could be more succinct. There is a lot of ‘I will show..’ and ‘You will see..’ sentences where the reader is told that all will be revealed later. I find that irritating in a presentation and more so in a book.


I believe what Tara has to say is excellent advice – basically that our brain have a tremendous amount of plasticity and we do not have to be constrained by past memories but can train our brains to do things we always thought were impossible and lessen our recall of negative thoughts.

There are many exercises which I think are worth doing and plan to myself. I have tried to bookmark the relevant pages as I read on my Kindle. It would be a nice touch if these exercises could be linked in easily via an index or table of contents.

I think there's nothing new that hasn't been written in this book before, but nevertheless, it's always a good reminder to read the obvious. It's more for people who are really struggling, but I did take a few reminders.

Thanks a lot Netgalley and the publisher for granting this copy in exchange for an honest review.

I admit that when I read a book blurb that says you are four steps away......... - then I expect to open the book and hit the ground running. Unfortunately that was not what happened in this book. I was good and read the intro blurb which I would usually skip, thinking I would be rewarded with "the goods" straightaway afterwards.

What happened instead was I read a lot of background and a lot more and then some. It was ok, in fact a lot of it I was already aware of through other books I have read. For other readers this may not be so laborious as it felt to me. What was good was the science that was shown to back up what I already knew. I haven't read The Secret so can't comment on how the books compares with that as other reviewers have.

My favourite quote used in this book was this:-

The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who can't read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn AlvinToffler

Then I got to the action part and I discovered it involved writing a journal and that this was the only way to proceed. So, if you are not one for writing down your thoughts this may not be the book for you. I personally don't like journalling but carried on and took what I could from the book, in the main preparing an action board.