ELIAS, Jason 1947-

PERSONAL: Born November 29, 1947, in Brooklyn, NY; son of Ben (a clothing manufacturer) and Betty (a homemaker; maiden name, Sumber) Elias; married Birgit Peters (a psychiatrist), September 20, 1980; children: Adam Benjamin. Education: New School for Social Research, M.A., 1972; Swedish Institute, license in massage therapy, 1973; New York Center for the Alexander Technique, teaching certificate, 1974; doctoral study at Columbia Pacific University; Tri State Institute for Traditional Chinese Acupuncture, license, 1984. Politics: Liberal Democrat. Religion: "Jewish, Eastern religions."

ADDRESSES: Home—10 Rockledge Dr., Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520. Office—c/o Integral Health Associates, 3 Paradies Lane, New Paltz, NY 12561. Agent—Janis Valelly, Flaming Star Literary Agency, 320 Riverside Dr., No. 12D, New York, NY 10025.

CAREER: Self-employed in New York, NY, 1970—; Tri State Institute for Traditional Chinese Acupuncture, teacher, 1984-88. Member of National Commission for the Certification of Acupuncturists and Traditional Acupuncture Institute, Columbia, MD.

MEMBER: American Association for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, Northeast Herbal Association.

WRITINGS:

(Coauthor) In the House of the Moon: Reclaiming the Feminine Spirit of Healing (health book), Warner Books (New York, NY), 1995.

The A-Z Guide to Herbal Healing Remedies, Dell (New York, NY), 1995.

(With Katherine Ketcham) Feminine Healing: A Woman's Guide to a Healthy Body, Mind, and Spirit, Warner Books (New York, NY), 1997.

(With Katherine Ketcham) Chinese Medicine for Maximum Immunity: Understanding the Five Elemental Types for Health and Well-Being, Three Rivers (New York, NY), 1998.

(With Katherine Ketcham) The Five Elements of Self-Healing: Using Chinese Medicine for Maximum Immunity, Wellness, and Health, Harmony (New York, NY), 1998.

SIDELIGHTS: Jason Elias is a licensed acupuncturist who also teaches and practices traditional Chinese forms of medicine. Trained as a psychotherapist, he also learned Gestalt therapy methods and studied Eastern medical traditions. Through numerous books Elias has sought to bring healing to more people than he can reach in his practice.

In the House of the Moon: Reclaiming the Feminine Spirit of Healing shows Elias's belief in the power of the body and mind to work together for healing. His strong orientation to the "Five Transforming Powers" of Chinese medicine is also evident. These powers, which include wood, fire, earth, metal, and water, are described in detail in this book, along with the types of people usually associated with them. The balance of the body is also discussed, and treatments for problems common to women are offered. Menopause, PMS, and osteoporosis are analyzed, along with their relief by acupuncture, diet, and herbal treatments.

The Five Elements of Self-Healing: Using Chinese Medicine for Maximum Immunity, Wellness, and Health is a "superior popular introduction to traditional Chinese medicine," in the estimation of Penny Spokes, a contributor to Booklist. The elemental system is explained, and readers are helped to decide which element is the most key to their well-being. Illnesses are discussed in terms of disordered systems in the body, and suggestions for restoring balance by various means are offered.

Elias once told CA: "I love my work. More than anything else, seeing individuals experience vitality and joy in their lives fills me with happiness. For more than twenty-five years in the healing arts, I have learned about the traps and pitfalls into which so many of us constantly fall, and I have also learned effective strategies for bringing more awareness and joy into our lives. Working on an individual basis is rewarding, but to be able to reach many people at once is both daunting and totally exhilarating.

"I have always loved writing, and writers from many disciplines and ages have influenced me and my work. When I was a youth, the I-Ching (or Book of Changes) was a constant companion, which led me to read Lao Tsu's Tao te Ching and many of the spiritual writers, from Gurgieff to Krishnamurti. Psychological writers also moved me deeply, from Rollo May and Carl Jung to Fritz Perls and Abe Maslow.

"Those individuals gave me a good grounding psychologically and spiritually, but I also needed practical knowledge of nutrition and herbs. My work, as I see it, is to integrate the practical and metaphysical to help empower individuals to heal themselves and take responsibility for their lives and this magnificent planet we all share."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

periodicals

Booklist, December 15, 1997, Penny Spokes, review of The Five Elements of Self-Healing: Using Chinese Medicine for Maximum Immunity, Wellness, and Health, p. 674.

Library Journal, August, 1995, Natalie Kupferberg, review of In the House of the Moon: Reclaiming the Feminine Spirit of Healing, and Valerie Vaughan, review of The A to Z Guide to Healing Herbal Remedies, p. 104.

Publishers Weekly, July 31, 1995, review of In the House of the Moon: Reclaiming the Feminine Spirit of Healing, p. 65.*