The Ultimate Power: How to Unlock Your Mind-Body-Soul Potential

William Glassman is a professor of psychology at Ryerson Polytechnical
University.

The Ultimate Power is described as a self-help book, concerned with
health and spirituality. In large measure, this is accurate; however,
the value one accords to its content will likely vary considerably among
readers.

In structure this is really two related books: the first chronicles
Vegotsky’s harrowing experiences after a near-fatal parasailing
accident; the second draws upon this autobiographical material to
present some guidelines and exercises for enhancing one’s own life.

Vegotsky’s description of the accident and how it altered his life is
vivid, although the details are often expressed in strangely flat
language. In this sense, the intensity is in the events, not the
writing. It is easy to empathize with his many difficulties—personal
and economic as well as medical—and he makes some telling observations
about, for example, the way modern medical care can dehumanize. At the
same time, it is harder to make the leap of faith (for that is what is
called for) to “unlocking mind–body–soul potential.” The problem
is twofold: first, there is little evidence beyond Vegotsky’s own
testimony for judging the effectiveness of his approach. Second, authors
who deal with this subject matter must contend with the subjectivity
this entails, but unfortunately others seem to do it better (Joan
Borysenko and Carl Rogers are two who come to mind). If one accepts that
there is a universal reality underlying each person’s life, then one
may argue that Vegotsky’s account has as much validity as any other;
as with traveling, however, each person has different tastes in favored
companions.