Customer Reviews (2)

to japanvortex - the previous reviewer
You know - you are truly an idiot to rate this book and then admit that you bought it for a laugh. You say that you bought the book because the author has the same name as you do - but, you're such a moron that you didn't even notice that Ron Valle is the EDITOR - not the author.

Offering a review is not a game buddy - grow up. Maybe one day you'll actually be able to understand what is written in this book.

Phenomenological Inquiry in Psychology: Existential and Transpersonal Dimensions
I did not begin reading the book. I purchased it as a gag because the author has the same name as me. ... Read more

Product Description
This book presents rich source material; it makes no claim to being academic, though referring whenever possible to works available to the authors (the bibliography more or less stops with Ian Gordon-Brown's death in 1996). However, those interested in Transpersonal Psychology as an academic discipline will be able to avail themselves of the wealth of original material here and take it into the world of comparative study. Its origins could be traced back way beyond Jung, Frankl, Maslow and Assagioli to Far Eastern and Aboriginal sources, to Greek and later Western teaching, to other great transpersonal pioneers of the twentieth century and forward into the twenty-first. ... Read more

Product Description
This original book explores theories of consciousness ranging from ancient Greece to empirical neuropsychology to the experiential traditions of introspection and meditation. ... Read more

Product Description
In the last few years a number of books have appeared about Transpersonal Psychology, but few have been written by those with years of experience both in life and in the study of the Transpersonal.In the 1970's Barbara Somers and Ian Gordon-Brown started a centre for transpersonal study.This came out of their lifelong work and interest in psychology in its many forms.They developed a method and a mode of teaching that was unique to them, drawing on their own personal study and their life-experiences, and they took the essence of this and distilled it into a new form of training. This book, carefully edited by Hazel Marshall, is a distillation of that training.It will be extremely useful to therapists who have been working for some years, reconnecting them with their own original point of entry into this study and also affirming and adjusting many of the ways they now work.It will also be fascinating to those just starting on the path of psychotherapy, as it will give them insights that no other book that I know of can give them. This book is easy to read, but it is not easy to forget.Sentences, paragraphs, thoughts, understandings and indeed its deep humanness will stay with you for some time; perhaps for ever. ... Read more

Product Description
*The books of Alice A. Bailey, written in cooperation with a Tibetan teacher between 1919-1949, constitute a continuation of the Ageless Wisdom--a body of esoteric teaching handed down from ancient times in a form which is always suitable to each period. Intended to precede and condition the coming era, the Alice A. Bailey writings offer an unparalleled spiritual approach to such subjects as the teaching on Shamballa and the Path of spiritual evolution; the spiritual Hierarchy; the new discipleship and training in meditation as a form of service; the teaching on the seven rays and the new psychology of the soul; the teaching on esoteric astrology; and the new world religion, which emphasizes the common thread of truth linking all the major world faiths. Five volumes have been written under the overall title of A Treatise on the Seven Rays. This sequence of books is based on the fact, the nature and the quality of the seven basic streams of energy pervading our solar system, our planet and all that lives and moves within its orbit. Of the specialised subjects presented in these books, two volumes are concerned with esoteric psychology - the first in relation to basic energy patterns and structures; the second particularly applied to the soul and the personality of man and to the working out of the Plan for humanity. Psychology, defined in Webster's Dictionary as the science of mind, was at one time considered a branch of metaphysics. Today we are more inclined to include all the conditioning subjective factors as psychological in nature - mental and emotional impulses and soul contact, to whatever degree it exists. These subjective influences constitute the whole psychological background to a man's attitudes and behaviour, and create the faculty of spiritual response. The psyche is, after all, the human soul, the centre of consciousness. Esoteric psychology begins with a consideration of the human being as a soul, manifesting in the form of a personality, consisting of mental, emotional and etheric/physical substance, and more or less in contact and control, depending on the stage of evolution in the personality consciousness. From the point of view of esoteric psychology, evolution is the evolution of consciousness, by which the imbedded fragment of the soul within the personality progressively identifies its spiritual source and becomes at-one with it. The seven differentiated streams of ray energy play a significant role in this evolutionary process. A blend of five energies in a human being determine his goals, his problems, his available qualities and energy resources, and the correct method by which - according to his dominant ray influence - he may unfold his consciousness and make spiritual progress. In this Volume I of Esoteric Psychology, many of these distinctive ray qualities and methods are given as quotations, or interpretations, of The Old Commentary that have been put into poetic and symbolic words. The seven rays are shown as the Seven Creative Builders, each one imbued with purpose and power, functioning together as a synthesis in occult obedience to the purposes of our Solar Logos. Such a detailed and comprehensive study of the ray energies influencing our planetary life and all kingdoms in nature is of inestimable value to the aspirant consciously preparing himself to become of planetary service as he learns to serve and to unite with his fellowmen. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Opening Our Minds to Another Kind of Psychology
A. A. Bailey has 24 books from which to choose.I would agree with the other reviewer that Esoteric Psychology I might be a good place to start. Why?Because most folks grasp that everything is psychology, when you get right down to it.It's a hot topic everywhere.People are always "psychologizing" this, that, and the other.Because of that predeliction, readers will move easily from thinking of psychology as the study of the human mind to esoteric psychology which is the study of the soul. After all, that's what psychology really means...."psyche" = soul and "ology" = study of.Thus, anyone yearning to discover the soul should explore Esoteric Psychology I and then II. For me, the discovery has taken me far and wide, and into all 24 of Bailey's books. The whole experience has been life changing.

Esoteric Psychology, Vol. I & II
I was studying Esoteric Psychology by Alice Bailey at the same time that I was studying Psychology at university. An interesting experience, indeed, since the spiritual aspect of the human being came into play thanks to the esoteric view of man's makeup. Man, as part of the universe, comes into play with Esoteric Psychology, a place in the scheme of creation, which traditional psychology ignores. Knowledge of the fundamentals of man's psychology is expressed in Vol. I. The various universal laws are clearly explained in Vol. II. Read one; read them both. They complement one another. The reading of these volumes has introduced me to myself as a member of the Universal Body. I am not a pebble, I am part of the whole...just as we all are.

Can easily be choosed as a 1st book to read from A.A.B.
A whole book in itself, practical. Yet encourages to read a lot more of the Author's Litterature. ... Read more

Product Description
This book shows why the discovery of the unconscious by Nietzsche and Freud requires a reconception of the concepts of moral agency and responsibility and even of morality itself. It explicates how contemporary psychology has taken over the traditional task of ethics in elucidating a theory of human well-being, but criticizes this psychology for being unable to generate adequate notions of either responsibility or moral agency. Riker develops a new moral psychology in which the reality of unconscious functioning is included within a theory of responsibility, and the agent's primary ethic concern becomes knowing what her unconscious motivations are and integrating them into a morally and psychologically mature self. ... Read more

Product Description
In "Mysticism and New Paradigm Psychology" John E. Collins describes mysticism as a quaternary process of psychological transformation and shows how this understanding is compatible with the understanding of psychic process being promoted by new paradigm psychology. From an examination of the stories that mystics tell about their own experiences, Collins concludes that mysticism may be understood as stages-awakening, purification, illumination, and transformation. Collins provides a basis for interideological dialogue by demonstrating that this description of mysticism is similar to and compatible with the new scientific explanation of human psychological processes known as new-paradigm psychology (here represented by the work of Arnold Mandell, Karl Pribaram, and Charles Tart), those branches of scientific psychology that attempt to take seriously some of the insights and conclusions of quantum and relativity theories, and thus avoid the materialistic reductionism of most modern scientific theories. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Dark Night Early Dawn
I knew this book was going to be interesting and deep. Robert Monroe, Stan Grof, reincarnation and near-death experiences all in one book, how could it not be? But I was not expecting it to be so dark.

In Dark Night Early Dawn, Cristopher Bache explores with clarity the dynamics of the collective mind or species mind and how it interacts with the individual. A central notion is that we as a species are evolving culturally and that we are at a point in our evolution where we are facing a collective death-rebirth experience in the not so distant future. This would possibly according to Bache be triggered by suffering (as in the concept of "dark night of the soul") followed by species-wide psycho-spiritual rebirth. Death of the old matter oriented way and the birth of a new spirit-infused way. Bache feels that the coming future ecological crisis followed by social and economic collapse as a form of cathartic release of accumulated species-karma will be the trigger that launches species-wide ego death resulting in collective spiritual opening. From it will be reborn the Godess on Earth.

It is not hard to imagine that there may indeed be some form of great suffering ahead. I don't think that there necessarily *has to be* great collective suffering in order for the human species to be transformed (and it seems Bache doesn't either), although if we do experience great suffering this may very well trigger an enormous transformation especially if western society collapses in the process. A more hopeful view is that the transformation can be made slowly and gently. In practical terms, perhaps in the form of a psychedelic renaissance or archaic revival where modern man is integrated into the ancient shamanic worldview. It may be a race againt time. Will our society fuse with the archaic world of shamanism in time before we face total social, economic and ecological collapse followed by some sort of post-apocalyptic scenario where we kill one another for resources on a mass scale? That seems to be one of the most important questions explored in the book. If we do come to face this doomsday scenario then this book attempts to explore the causes and what might happen to us as a result.

Transpersonal states of consciousness as a means of healing humanity has been mentioned by Terence McKenna among others. Bache takes this one step further in a deeper exploration into the dynamics of individual/collective death-rebirth. The result of his probing contributes to an understanding of how psychedelic states can heal us as a species in a way that goes beyond simply "one person at a time". Grof has written about healing group-karma in a family or group of people, something that connects to this and to my mind remains one of the most intriguing phenomena in transpersonal psychology.

I would like to quote from the book something interesting that has to do with the powerful effect non-ordinary states can have on individuals: (p. 58) "Grof has found that every single person who reaches this level [full psychospiritual death and rebirth] in their work adopts a spirtual interpretation of existance, regardless of their prior psychosocial conditioning." This really says a lot about the benefit of introducing practices based on shamanism to our western culture. Writer Graham Hancock said recently in an interview that it should be required of individuals seeking to gain positions of power to have at the very least ten Ayahuasca sessions before they are considered as candidates. Grof has written about something like this aswell. I agree with this completely.

Before reading Dark Night Early Dawn it is helpful if the reader has some familiarity with the following individuals and their work (although the book contains summaries of some of these things):
- Stanislav Grof (Particularly "Realms of the human unconscious") and his cartography of the deep psyche.
- Ian Stevenson and his work on reincarnation
- Ken Wilber
- Robert Monroe and his work on out-of-body experiences
- NDE Research in general
- Rupert Sheldrake and his morphic fields

Selected points of particular interest:

- One of the most valuable things about this book is that it begins to connect the work of Stanislav Grof with Robert Monroe (Out-of-body experiences) and with Near-death experiences (NDEs). Bache argues that NDEs and OBEs can be understood as part of a death rebirth dynamic, this may be a step towards increased understanding of these phenomena.

- Bache discusses the limtations of a philosophical quest based exclusively on observations from ordinary states of consciousness, such as in our western society. He proposes that in order to explore the totality of human existence, both from a philosophical and psychological perspective, one must have personal experience of non-ordinary states, it is not enough to simply read about them. I think this is a very important point. This is something our culture is really missing out on. How can we as a culture call ourselves the peak of civilization and humanity when we deny ourselves one of the most fundamental of human needs; direct authentic experience of the divine?

- Bache's speculation that individual psychedelic experience are influenced by the collective state of humanity as a whole is interesting and can be connected to something I have heard Grofmention; that archetypal transit astrology (as in Richard Tarnas) can influence individual psychedelic states. It makes one wonder how for example ancient cultures like pharaonic egypt experienced non-ordinary states compared to modern man.

I really enjoyed reading Dark Night Early Dawn even though its really dark sometimes. The format is one of synthesis of different types of non-ordinary states, making connections where connections need to be made. As such this book is important. The fact that a lot of the content is grounded in the authors long experience of non-ordinary states (there are sessions described throughout) adds a lot to its authenticity. One criticism I have is that I think Bache should have written more about how all those years exploring non-ordinary states has changed his personal baseline consciousness other than in the classroom.

Revolution in consciousness
To begin with a disclaimer, I am biased by previous inclination towards the perspective evinced in this book.I attend a school where the author obtained a degree and sometimes teaches.While not everyone there holds the same worldview as the author and I, many do.I would say there are three major aspects of the book; they are 1)the exposition of a new paradigm of human evolution;2)an expanded and more subtle cosmology, and 3)a proposal that the results of a careful use of psychedelics as agents of exploration, therapeutic healing, and personal transformation be considered valid and meaningful, and allowed (with supervision and support) for those who choose to follow that path.This is my current assessment of the book; I am still reading it.I find his observations and insights are congruent with other, related reports from psychonauts, meditators, and the epistemological and ontological schemas proposed by the various esoteric systems and Vedanta that I have read (and myself experienced to a modest degree).The subject matter of the book is, I believe, best considered within a transpersonal psychological perspective.

Disappointed
As Christopher M. Bache explains in the introduction, this book is his "talking himself in from spirit", an attempt to comprehend two decades of experiences in nonordinary states of consciousness, primarily evoked using experimental psychotherapeutic methods such as Holotropic Breathwork and the supervised use of psychedelics.

Unfortunately for his readers, Bache failed to provide us with either a detailed biography and "travelogue" as for example Tom Pinkson did in his book Flowers of Wiricuta or to provide us with a grounded analysis of transpersonal states like Stanislav Grof did in any of his numerous books. What Bache ultimately delivered is just another mix of already seen ideas, personal speculations, ideas on the supposedly upcoming "end of the world", mixed with a few "trip reports" which represent the best parts of the book.

The general idea of the book is that humanity is on the verge of tremendous cataclysmic events, which will cause a species ego-death and its subsequent spiritual rebirth.

Bache fails to take into the account that traumatic events by itself are rarely spiritual liberating, but are more often that not extremely damaging to the psyche which rarely recovers to its previous level of functioning. A short analysis of post-traumatic stress literature would show that.

Instead of merely speculating on potential rebirth humanity may experience after it faces the upcoming cataclysm, Bach could analyze previous global traumatic events humanity as a whole experienced so far and look if any kind of positive spiritual liberations came out of them. If Bache hypothesis would be correct, we would definitely witness an "awakening" of some kind already at the end of World War II. Or were the suffering of millions on the battlefields and concentration camps not enough of a stimuli for the species-mind to awaken - at least even a bit?

In my view, Bache got caught up in the same loop as Terence McKenna did with his I-ching hypothesis (see The Invisible Landscape: Mind, Hallucinogens, and the I Ching) and Daniel Pinchbeck did with his Quetzalcoatl hypothesis (see 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl). All three failed to seriously analyze the knowledge they received in non-ordinary states of consciousness and instead took it for granted. They also failed to realize that some things couldn't be understood rationally no matter how hard we try. To paraphrase Carlos Castaneda's mythic character Don Juan - the Abstract by its very nature cannot be understood rationally. Trying to do so only brings out confusing ideas of no real value or use.

The other mistake Bache got caught in was the fact that he failed to keep his process fully internalized. Instead it seems he started to project his inner experience to the outer world. I'm sure the cataclysm Bache saw coming is true, but not outside his own mind. The ego death is not of the specie, but of his own self (identified as the species mind). In starting to project that inner reality Bache ultimately created an amalgam of inner and outer experiences, which he tries to convince us as truth. During my own personal spiritual crisis I did the same, so I can understand his mistake.

In the end, I would like to say that I had great hopes for this book, but after reading it I'm left disappointed.I truly hope Bache will have the grace to write another book, this time with more personal tone, with less speculations on the nature of reality and the future of mankind and more of what got him interested in the psychedelic research in the first place and what were those two decades like for him. That would be something I would love to read.

Dark Night, Early Dawn
I thoroughly enjoyed this book!I helped me to understand better the therapeutic use of psychedelics and made me want to learn more about holotropic breathing.I did skip over the parts that emphasized that self-transformation must have a "dark night" before an "early dawn" is reached.I know well the challenges that face a person truly devoted to self-transformation, but I don't think that is something that should be expected.I do agree that a person has to be called to inner work and ready to face whatever emerges as a result of that inner work, but "hell" is a self-fulfilling prophecy I suspect.

'Dark Night' adds light to spiritual journey
For anyone interested in stretching the bounds of spirituality and exploring the limits of consciousness--and the unconscious--this is a must-read. Author Chris Basche is both courageous and humble in this undertaking, and the ideas he puts forth add much to the discourse on transpersonal communication and spirituality. ... Read more

Product Description
Caught between a scientific worldview that scoffs at the spiritual and a mythical worldview that runs counter to scientific reason, many seekers don’t know where to turn. For those whose beliefs—religious, agnostic, or atheistic—fail to make sense or provide inner peace, Jim Stempel offers hope. Explaining that the barrier to truth is the limitation of our beliefs, Stempel encourages an expanding of our focus. Just as the noise and movement of a carwash seem chaotic to those who stay inside their cars, so can our lives seem chaotic when we are on the inside looking out. When Beliefs Fail takes us outside our personal sound and fury to look at the whole. ... Read more

Product Description
Practicing psychologists explore the mutual impact of Buddhistteachings and psychology in their lives and practice. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Complementary POV with considerable profundity
This book has 9 essays (3 by Segall) comparing Western Psychology with Buddhism-mostly Theravada, some Zen, & allusions to Mahayana/Vajrayana.While the authors discuss similarities & differences between these 2, the main thrust is complementary nature so that they can be mutually supportive.
A.BUDDHIST MEDITATION CAN HELP BOTH THERAPIST & CLIENT:
p. 175: Segall, "Psychotherapy Practice as Buddhist Practice": "Buddhist practice may be an important vehicle for developing emotional skills that are vital for the practice of psychotherapy, but are harder to teach...In the last half-century there has been a growing appreciation for the relevance of many of Buddhism's core concepts and practices to the practice of psychotherapy."
B.BUDDHIST APPROACHES CAN HELP FILL IN GAPS INHERENT IN PSYCHOTHERAPY:
p. 49: Jeffery Rubin, "Close Encounters of a New Kind" "The trace of the tragic psychology of illness in psychoanalysis emerges implicitly in its neglect of such topics as creativity, spirituality, and optimal mental and physical health.The psychoanalytic view of health is, according to Buddhism, a suboptimal state of being; an arrested state of development.Buddhism can challenge the limitations of a psychoanalytic view of self that is excessively self-centered and restrictive."
C.CORRESPONDINGLY, PSYCHOANALYSIS CAN HELP WESTERNERS PRACTICING BUDDHISM:
p. 48: Rubin, "Psychoanalysis can help Buddhists detect where they neglect unconsciousness and are being self-deceptive-where, for example, self-abasement in a Buddhist meditator can masquerade as spiritual asceticism."
D.BALANCED VIEW: BUDDHIST MIDDLE WAY/ARISTOTLE'S GOLDEN MEAN vs. EXTREMISM:
p. 35: Rubin-"Eurocentrism refers to the intellectually imperialistic tendency in much Western scholarship to assume that European and North American standards and values are the center of the moral and intellectual universe."& p. 39: "Orientocentrism...the mirror opposite danger to Eurocentrism: the idealizing and privileging of Asian thought-treating it as sacred-and the neglect if not dismissal of the value of Western psychological perspectives."
E.DIFFERENCES BETWEEN EASTERN & WESTERN MENTALITIES MUST BE CONSIDERED:
p. 58 note 4: Rubin: "The Dalai Lama was shocked to hear that Americans suffered from "self-directed contempt" (p. 196). He told a group of American scientists and mental health professionals that this experience was absent from Tibetan culture"
p. 152: Robert Rosenbaum, Reflections on Mirroring"--"As the bumper sticker on my daughter's car says, "Always remember you're unique, just like everybody else." Buddhism does not deny the existence of a personal, relativistic ego, but it does deny it any permanent, static qualities."
F.THERE ARE ALSO SOME PROFOUND OBSERVATIONS & VALUABLE METAPHORS:
p. 83: Segall, "On Being a Non-Buddhist Buddhist"--"I think we are very much like a whirlpool (Beck, 1993) in the ocean. We can identify and point to the whirlpool as a "separate" entity that we can observe.It is a pattern of energy and matter that emerges for a time, persists for a time, and then dissolves, much like ourselves. But the water of the whirlpool is not separate from the sea. The water in the whirlpool at one point in time is not the same water that is in the whirlpool at another point in time."
p. 155-6: Rosenbaum: "We are all constantly breaking into 100's of 1000's of pieces.Studying the pieces of the mirror is the mirror.When we study ourselves, we become the mirror facing the mirror.When we study ourselves in the presence of another person, two mirrors face themselves & face each other: we meet in mirroring.Each fragment of our experience is a clear mirror, is our entire life.Each piece is a whole; that whole is no different, in its wholeness, from this whole.This is complete realization... Enlightenment is simply an unburdening of all the accretions of thought, of preconceptions, of sense distortions, of preferential feelings that obscure reality; enlightenment is simply the manifestation of that which is."
G.SUMMARY--This is a very fine book.It would be interesting to see how they would react to Mahamudra or Dzogchen.Also, while I like their whirlpool and mirror analogies, they might also consider bar magnets or holograms in which the parts include the whole & the whole includes the parts. ... Read more

Product Description
The Transpersonal VisionStanislav Grof

Beyond the Brain with Stanislav Grof -In 1954, physician and research scientist Stanislav Grof began hisinvestigations into nonordinary states of consciousness. On The Transpersonal Vision, this pioneering cartographer of the human psyche tells the story of his quest for a new architecture of the self.You will hear about Dr. Grof’s forays into the worlds of the shaman and mystic, what past-life experiences can teach us about our life purpose, how nonordinary states reveal the intrinsic structure of the universe itself, and much more. Here is Stanislav Grof’s own front-line account of his search beyond the domain of our "personal biographies" – and into the territory of mystical states, archetypal forces, and even the intrinsic structure of the universe itself. Includes 145-page book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Covers just about anything "Grof"
This audioseries is a nice summary on the work by Stanislav Grof and some others, it covers a wide range of topics on the transpersonal, paranormal and ancient eastern wisdom.

The audio is not perfect but very much acceptable.

Also available at...
I purchased the multiple cassette version, before the CD set version was available and sincerely enjoyed.However, a few days ago I also purchased it at Audible for 1 Credit, which can be very reasonable, for example with a trial membership or bulk credit purchases.

I first attended a talk by Dr. Grof in 1973 at a Symposium on Transpersonal Psychology in Amherst, MA, when I was a 18 year old freshman at UMass, and have been impressed by his career over the years.

The audio quality aside...
Aside from the previous reviewer's comment about the audio quality, the subject that is being discussed is truly excellent!A well-researched (audio)book.It is fascinating to me to have someone other than an American-born person giving detailed information about such a subject.Indeed, it seems that these subject matters are more than just mere fads of thought within the American culture, but something that the world has been aware of and still coming to.Again, worth the listen past the quality of the audio.

Horrible audio
While the content may be interesting (I say may be because how would I know), the poor quality of sound dictates the poor rating. With an arcane subject such as this is, a clear voice is necessary. The narrator (and author) not only has a Mid-European accent, but the recording sounds as though it was done through a closed door, creating a "muffled" tone.

These factors combine to produce a book that is "unlistenable." ... Read more

Product Description
Stress may cause highly activated mythic images to erupt from the psyche's deepest levels in the form of turbulent visionary experience. Depending on whether the interactions between the individual and the immediate surroundings lean toward affirmation or invalidation, comprehension of these visions can turn the visionary experience into a step in growth or into a disorder, as an acute psychosis. Based on his clinical and scholarly investigations, John Weir Perry has found and formulated a mental syndrome which, though customarily regarded as acute psychosis, is in actuality a more natural effort of the psyche to mend its imbalances. If the upset is received in the spirit of empathy and understanding, and allowed to run its course, an acute episode can be found to reveal a self-organizing process that has self-healing potential.

This book examines what the acute "psychotic" experience stirs up in the psyche and how to empathetically respond. Understanding the function of mythic themes is reached through the author's investigation into myth and ritual of antiquity and also the visionary experience undergone by prophets and social reformers in various ages and parts of the world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Important Book!
The fact that Stanislav Grof, author of Spiritual Emergency, endorses this book, is enough for me to want to read it.If I were on an island and could choose only one book on Spiritual Emergency, it would be this one, by the Grofs.Based on a look I had from Amazon's Look Inside feature, this is an important contribution to the field of Spiritual Emergency.

In 1991 I did my Clinical Psychology Masters Thesis at Cal State University Hayward on The Forms of Spiritual Emergency, and the Diagnsis and Treatment of Spiritual Emergency. Found 19 Forms. Went through several forms myself back in 1988-1991. The maps provided by Spiritual Emergency literature (particularly Grofs, and Bragdon), I believe kept me from completely losing it. I was close, and agree with Bragdon, that the purpose of Spiritual Emergency is to get us to return to God (Divine).For me what stopped the overwhelming kundalini symptoms was a prayer to God,at that point in my life, closer to an intellectual construct.Nothing like some direct positive and powerful results with prayer to God. At the same time I went through the Dark Night of the Soul, where the best I could experience was that another dear to me was holding my hand; that was wonderful, and not enough to heal me at the time.Site under construction: Sacred Heart Sacred Spirit. You will find more about Spiritual Emergence and Emergency on that site in about six weeks. Regards, Sakanta Running Wolf, Walks in Freedom. Peru,Brazil,USA,Mexico

Redeeming those you can't redeem themselves
According to John Weir Perry, 'when a true spiritual awakening or transformation is underway, one usually encounters the emotional experiences and accompanying images of death and the annihilation of the world itself'.(127)

Therefore, it would seem to me, an experience involving such encounters is probably the inevitable and ulitmate path towards spiritual enlightenment, and one who has not traveled along it is still awaiting a transformation.

Mr. Perry, however, would disagree. According to him, one undergoes such a process, which he calls the 'renewal process' and associates with brief psychotic episodes, only when there is an imperative need for the individual to break free from old value systems, emotional patterns, assumptions about the nature of the world or cultural forms etc, and this need is being resisted.(128-129)

Perry argues that when this process of breaking free is not undertaken 'voluntarily' by the individual, 'with knowledge of the goal and considerable effort', the conscious personality is overwhelmed by the psyche and its own powerful processes.(129)

In response to this rather undynamic view of the dynamics of the psyche and soma, I would like to point out what a shame it is indeed for those who lack the 'trials' or other fiendish elements which may be resisted, surrendered to and ultimately used to demonstrate grace, the grace, perhaps, in following what necessity dictates, for it is surely those 'lacking' individuals who are submerged in unconsciousness.

I would agree with Perry's view that the treatment received by an individual in a state of 'psychosis' or altered state of consciousness has a profound effect on them, such that, like a magic mirror, if the experience is treated as a disease, it appears as one.

However, I believe that his argument for the individual's role (or lack thereof) in the origin of their own experience is flawed. This is because what he is essentially arguing is that, on the one hand, through hard, conscious struggle (and presumably objectivity) a person may actually anticipate the 'renewal process' and therefore avoid it altogether, and that on the other hand, and by the same argument, it is a lack of vision which leads one to be overwhelmed by unconscious forces (exactly where a 'visionary mind' comes from and what it may have to do with personal volition seems to be a mystery to Perry).

Overall, this rather transcendentalist and ascetic argument seems to be at odds with his view that death, disorder and destruction must be embraced on a journey of self-transformation, but it does tie in well with his abhorrently patriachal, elitist and Western-centric view of mythology which, for me, was the biggest disappointment of all in reading this book.
I would not recommend it to anyone.

A powerful critique of modern psychiatry
If a visionary like Jesus Christ were admitted to a modern psychiatric hospital, he'd be diagnosed as "mentally imbalanced" and injected with anti-psychotic medication. If his delusional symptoms continued for more than a few days, the drug dosage would be increased. Eventually the patient's condition would be stabilized, allowing a transfer from the locked ward to a halfway house, thence to a board-and-care home, with biweekly visits to an outpatient clinic. No longer a threat to himself and others, Jesus would begin his career as a permanent client of the mental health system.

"Trials of the Visionary Mind" is a powerful critique of modern psychiatry, but even more importantly, this book offers an alternative vision of how the natural healing process can be encouraged with compassionate therapy instead of being suppressed with coercive "treatment."

In the 1970's John Weir Perry founded Diabasis, a safe haven in San Francisco where individuals experiencing an acute first episode of psychosis ("spiritual emergency") were allowed to let their psychic upheaval run its course in a caring environment without medication. Perry discusses the philosophy behind Diabasis, and he shares some of the lessons learned and insights gained from a lifetime of study and practice.

The book includes an appendix with suggestions on how to set up a residence facility like Diabasis, but it's unlikely that Perry's ideas will be embraced by the psychiatric profession. Most psychiatrists today are psychopharmacologists who simply manage symptoms by dispensing pills, and they're wedded to the "chemical imbalance" theory of mental illness that's so widely promoted by the pharmaceutical industry.

This book should be read by anyone who's appalled by a mental health system that labels every condition a "disorder" and limits treatment to prescribing a pill. John Weir Perry points to a better way. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

When scientists and mystics meet
This beautiful book, orig. published in 1984, chronicles the meeting in India of ITA (The International Transpersonal Association) under the presidency of renowned master-psychologist Stanislav Grof. An event vivdly described by Fritjof Capra in his book "Uncommon wisdom". Capra of course one of the participants in this encounter between cutting-edge scientists and Indian mystcics like Swami Muktananda. (In "When The impossible Happens" Grof describes his rather powerful experience on this occasion with the controversial founder of Siddhi Yoga). There is also, rather surprisingly, a guest appearance by Mother Teresa.

In a way it's a bit sad and nostalgic to read these articles with their feeling of "We want the world and we want it now" and their thorough arguments for the necessesity of changing our values towards wholeness and spirituality. All the sweet dreams of an imminent paradigm shift and the hopes for a better world.

But as the predictions of financial and enviromental collapse seem all too precise, perhaps their positive visions will also be fulfilled.

An interesting historic document and quite a few of the articles still are highly relevant and engaging. ... Read more

Product Description
SELF TO SOUL: A Vision of Psychology and Spirituality, by Judy Marshall, Ph.D., puts spiritual knowledge - from traditional religious theory to the esoterica of the New Age - in perspective for the serious and mainstream reader.Building on the work of Aldous Huxley and Joseph Campbell, it compares psychological and philosophical universals and describes a system of spiritual "reality" and our psychological place within it.This is a rational and intelligent discussion of universal spiritual wisdom and how the soul and "spirituality" can work in our lives.SELF TO SOUL is also an honest look at what universal spiritual principles say about psychology.It endorses an entirely spiritually-based view of psychological experience as the key to transformation on both the individual and collective levels.The reader is taken on a journey from the pursuit of self (so basic in our culture and popular psychology) to the collective, always interactive experience of soul, in which the individual is served best by serving God and the greater spiritual order and maintaining an attitude of compassion towards others. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Valuable Book
This is a valuable, but unusual book.While discussing many of the familiar concepts in psychology and spirituality, it is a new and provocative perspective that definitely made me think of myself in new ways and affected me on many levels.Because there is so much to really think about and digest, I could not read this book in one or even several sittings (but considered this a good thing).Sometimes it provoked questions that made me angry.Sometimes I felt soothed or calmed by reading it.It definitely challenges some of the ideas of popular psychology and brings expanded meaning to the concenpts of a sense of self versus soul and the spiritual meaning in relationships.I found myself wanting to discuss the material with others. ... Read more

Product Description
Integral Psychology, a concise version of Wilber's long-awaited textbook of transpersonal psychology, presenting one of the first truly integrative models of consciousness, psychology, and therapy.Charts correlating over one hundred developmental and evolutionary theories, ranging from ancient mystical traditions to modern theorists.Essays on human development, art, meditation, spirituality, yoga, women's studies, death and rebirth, science and mysticism, and transpersonal psychotherapies.Wilber's thoughtful replies to criticisms of his work. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Wilber's effort to integrate psychological approaches
This book is too much to explain in a short review.Here is a start: Wilber is best known for his evolutionary model, in which he explains what phases a person goes through during one's life. One can stay stuck somewhere on these evolutionary scales.Most therapeutic appraoches don't have this evolutionary vision.Wilber explains how to make the match: what kind of psychological model will help to solve problems at which evolutionary level?

(a longer review can be found at http://users.pandora.be/merlevede/eqnl0302.htm#BOOKREVIEW)

Excellent new book, plus a whole lot of great essays
Volume four of the Collected Works is critical reading material for any serious Ken Wilber student.It contains his contributions to the _Transformations of Consciousness_ book, his introduction to _TheHolographic Paradigm_ (but not the ReVision interview found in that book),as well as a new book, _Integral Psychology_, which will be releasedindividually in April 2000.The real meat of the book, however, lies inthe voluminous collection of essays, interviews, and book forewords thatWilber has written over the years.

Of special importance is the essaytitled "Death, Rebirth, and Meditation," in which Wilber,following the Tibetan Buddhist data, details the process of dying and deathin intricate detail.He also clearly defines his use of the word"soul" and shows how even Buddhism is not exempt from thedoctrine of an eternal and indestructible soul, despite popular notions tothe contrary.He explains how certain Advaita teachers who insist that theAbsolute is the only transmigrate are somewhat mistaken, and he alsomentions the work of Dr. Ian Stevenson, and says that while some persons_may_ be able to remember past lives, most memories are strictly mental,and therefore they dissolve completely once the present-life minddisappears into the soul during the dying process.

Also important isChapter 14 of _Integral Psychology_.Here Wilber gives, for the firsttime, a truly thorough analysis of the mind-body problem (much more than hedid in SES or TEOS).The chapter is expanded upon in an endnote that isparticularly illuminating, discussing everything from the naivete of mostforms of "panpsychism," to the extremely low level ofconsciousness possessed by quantum particles, to the necessity of allexteriors (matter) as having interiors (consciousness), since, as Wilberexplains, "To say that the physical universe is a universe of allexteriors and no interiors is like saying the world has all ups and nodowns--it makes no sense at all.Inside and outside arise togetherwherever they arise. . . ."He insists, however, that the realsolution to the mind-body problem is not solved through mentalunderstanding of dualistic interrelations, but rather through the radicaltranscendence of all dualism in nondual awareness, "whereupon theproblem is radically (dis)solved."

Anyway, I highly recommend itto Wilber students, as well as to anyone with a serious interest inpsychology, philosophy, or spirituality who finds something profoundlylacking in the position of scientific materialism and seeks a saner, morecomprehensive approach to matter, life, mind, soul, and the infinitereality that contains the entire display. ... Read more