Elena Avila is a certified psychiatric nurse and professional curandera who has been blending the best of traditional Western and folk medicines for 25 years. Joy Parker is an ethnographic writer who has taught at New York University and Columbia University. They define this healing modality as "an earthy, natural, grounded health-care system that seeks to keep all of the elements of our being in balance." It contains ingredients of Aztec, Spanish, Native American, and African medicines.

Avila apprenticed with an Aztec healer for 14 years learning the fourfold emphasis upon education, bodywork, medicine, and sacred tools. She describes the uses of herbs, counseling, massage, soul retrieval, psychodrama, rituals, and spiritual cleansings in her practice. Unlike modern medicine that does not incorporate the soul and spirit in the diagnosis and treatment of disease, curanderism affirms that every illness has a story and the task of the healer is to uncover that story.

Avila shares examples of how she has worked with clients and also includes an overview of her special interest in healing burnt-out health care providers. Woman Who Glows in the Dark is tailor-made for all those who are interested in exploring ancient and unconventional methods of healing.