John Diamond (doctor)

John Diamond (born 9 August 1934) is a physician and author on holistic health and creativity. Diamond graduated from Sydney Medical School in 1957 and was awarded his Diploma in Psychological Medicine in 1962. He is a Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, a Foundation Member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, a Diplomat of the International College of Applied Kinesiology and is a Fellow and past-president of the International Academy of Preventive Medicine.^[1] He is an Honorary Advisor to the Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation and its Japanese sister organization, The Koushikai Foundation.^[2]

Diamond is the founder of Life-Energy Analysis (formerly Behavioral Kinesiology), a system based upon Applied Kinesiology. He developed what he termed "Life-Energy Analysis" in the 1970s. Diamond was the first medical doctor trained in applied kinesiology to become a Diplomate of the International Board of Applied Kinesiology (1976) and he is the only doctor trained in applied kinesiology to have studied personally with Florence Kendall."^[3]

He is also the author of bestsellers Your Body Doesn't Lie (originally released as Behavioral Kinesiology), and Life Energy: Unlocking the Hidden Power of Your Emotions to Achieve Well-Being. His recent book Facets of a Diamond: Reflections of a Healer is endorsed by Bernie Siegel and Caroline Myss.^[4]

Diamond now practices as a Holistic Consultant in New York. He has founded The Institute for Music and Health and The Arts-Health Institute to train those interested in learning how to use the arts as a therapeutic modality.

The Institute for Music and Health

The Institute for Music and Health (IMH), formerly CPD Music LLC, is a center based in New York’s Hudson Valley providing training and service in the area of "music for wellness".^[5] The IMH is directed by Peter and Judith Muir, who disseminate the work of Diamond through a variety of programs for all ages, abilities and backgrounds. Their approach is called the Diamond Method for Music, which espouses an altruistic philosophy. They run community outreach programs involving interactive and intergenerational music-making, connecting mainstream and special needs children with seniors.^[6]

The Music Engagement Program

Diamond's work has been cited as the inspiration for the Music Engagement Program (MEP) at the Australian National University School of Music. The MEP is based on what program director Susan West terms the Music Outreach Principle, an altruistic approach to music making which "draws on the philosophies of Dr. John Diamond and encompasses a modern interpretation of the idea that sharing music making promotes general well being."^[7]

According to Australian Capital Territory Arts Minister Joy Burch, as of mid-2013, the program reached 6,000 students, 120 teachers and 28 schools. Burch estimated that 2014-2016 student participation would increase to 10,000 students across ACT schools.^[8]

Bibliography

• The Collected Papers (Volumes 1&2). Valley Cottage, NY: Archaeus Press, 1977, 1980. ISBN 1-890995-30-4.
• Your Body Doesn’t Lie. Sydney: Harper & Row, 1979. ISBN 0-446-35847-9.
• A Spiritual Basis of Holistic Therapy. Valley Cottage, NY: Archaeus Press, 1979. ISBN 1-890995-28-2.
• Speech, Language and the Power of the Breath. Valley Cottage, NY: Archaeus Press, 1979. ISBN 1-890995-31-2.
• The Re-Mothering Experience: How to Totally Love. Valley Cottage, NY: Archaeus Press, 1981. ISBN 1-890995-25-8.
• The Life Energy in Music (Volumes 1-3). Valley Cottage, NY: Archaeus Press, 1981, 1983, 1986. ISBN 1-890995-34-7, ISBN 1-890995-26-6, ISBN 1-890995-27-4.
• Life Energy: Unlocking the Hidden Power of Your Emotions to Achieve Total Well-Being. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1985. ISBN 1-55778-281-4.
• Editor, A Book of Cantillatory Poems. Valley Cottage, NY: Archaeus Press, 1985. ISBN 1-890995-23-1.
• Life-Energy Analysis: A Way to Cantillation. Valley Cottage, NY: Archaeus Press, 1988. ISBN 1-890995-24-X.
• Editor, The Healing Power of Blake: A Distillation. Bloomingdale, IL: Creativity Publishing, 1998. ISBN 1-890995-03-7.
• The Way of the Pulse: Drumming with Spirit. Bloomingdale, IL: Enhancement Books, 1999. ISBN 1-890995-02-9.
• The Veneration of Life: Through the Disease to the Soul. Bloomingdale, IL: Enhancement Books, 1999. ISBN 1-890995-14-2.
• The Healer: Heart and Hearth. Bloomingdale, IL: Enhancement Books, 2000. ISBN 1-890995-22-3.
• Holism and Beyond: The Essence of Holistic Medicine. Bloomingdale, IL: Enhancement Books, 2001. ISBN 1-890995-37-1.
• Music and Song, Mother and Love. Bloomingdale, IL: Enhancement Books, 2001. ISBN 1-890995-33-9.
• Facets of a Diamond: Reflections of a Healer. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books, 2002. ISBN 1-890995-17-7.
• The Diamond Color Meditation: Color Pathway to the Soul. Ridgefield, CT: Enhancement Books, 2006. ISBN 1-890995-52-5.
• Stillpoints: An Introductory Guide to Haiku Painting. Ridgefield, CT: Enhancement Books, 2008. ISBN 1-890995-56-8.
• My Painting Guidance: Su Shih, Wang Wei, and the Nanga. Ridgefield, CT: Enhancement Books, 2010. ISBN 1-890995-61-4.
• Art for Healing: Guided Painting Then and Now. Ridgefield, CT: Enhancement Books, 2011. ISBN 1-890995-69-X.
• The Pulse of Music. Ridgefield, CT: Enhancement Books, 2011. ISBN 1-890995-58-4.
• Freedom From Fear: Transcending Economic Crisis. Ridgefield, CT: Enhancement Books, 2011. ISBN 1-890995-71-1.

References