The Source

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. This is something I've become interested in recently after reading a few guides to mindfulness etc and so it is apt that this book arrived when it did to explore these concepts in more depth and learn how to apply them to my daily life. Dr Tara Swart writes in a way that you can easily understand the concepts and biology of what our brains are capable of and 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.
I am vaguely aware of the concepts surrounding The Secret and this book tackles them from a neuroscience evidence based approach which was well explained and inspiring.
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.

First, this book's cover does not do it justice. It's a fairly generic self-help cover without anything to really suggest the utter treasures inside! My suggestion would be to create something WAY more dynamic.

That said, this book is every self-help science focused nerd's dream. It's verification and scientifically-tested improval tips for many of the major self-help techniques. I've been mostly reading about visualisation and, coming from a cognitively trained background, although the writing is friendly and straight-forward, the breadth of knowledge behind it is breathing-taking.

I think it worth pointing out that Jesus himself talked about the importance of visualising your prayer goals (for things you wish to receive) and although this is science based - there never really was a huge gap between science and religious faith. The first great scientists all believed in a universe ordered by laws given my God - so the idea that evidence like this would not be useful to a person of faith - is misguided.

I fully recommend this book. It even has an innovative link method contained within the book - when the author mentions a previous point she includes a 'jump-link' so you can go back to that page and refresh yourself on the point. This is such a great idea I'm going to use it in my books.

This book is like a better version of the Secret. It doesn’t play the blame game but specifically focuses on the present and future. What are you doing today to impact your future.

There are real life examples throughout the book of people who Tara has coached with their lives before and after focusing on what they want in their life and how to visualise that future.

There is a big focus at the beginning about the physiology of our manifestations and how neuroscience works for us,

I thought it was informative and practical and has given me ideas on how I can move forwards and stop feeling ‘stuck’.

Fascinating insight into the brain, how our minds work and the impact upon our lives as well as our health (both mental and physical).

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.

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 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.

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.

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!

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.