Customer Reviews:
Thankfulness.......2007-08-01
A strong soulful effort to bring gentle balance to a difficult but natural transition, much needed in western culture.
When Crisis Becomes a Personal Transformation.......2004-01-12
In addition to my previous review of this book I wrote down some thoughts and feelings that came to me while reading this book.
Briefly, my overall feelings on the book are that it is possibly the most influential book I have yet to read relating to personal transformation and the processes of therapy. With essays from a wide range of authors it shows that there is an undercurrent to the dominant medical view of mental disorder/illness, which has a firm basis in reality rather than trying to force a medical model onto conditions with an "unknown cause" - that is a cause that may not have an apparent logical, rational, or objective basis.
I feel a sense of hope reading this book, seeing that others (some with qualifications in psychology or psychiatry from prestigious Universities) share some common beliefs about the spiritual basis of transforming crises.
What follows are some thoughts and occasionally questions I will ponder on for some time before they become clear:
There is a theme of "non-standard" states of consciousness being suppressed.
In ancient times: imprisonment, torture, death, and isolation
In modern times: medication to suppress
Transformative psychological events often parallel shamanic experiences.
Question: Increase in "mental illness" stemming from evolutionary change in consciousness? This is being suppressed at present by psychiatry. Is consciousness trying to change and evolve into higher forms on a larger scale, rather than more isolated shamanic initiations?
The importance of the subjective experience, e.g. Past Life Regression. The objective or factual explanations are not necessary or relevant to the transformative process. Only the subjective is necessary in the scope of Self Growth or therapy. It is irrelevant whether one actually had that Past Life, or whether the Past Life memories are a fictional way of experiencing a set of beliefs and issues within one's psyche.
Recurring (personal) conflict between super-normal experiences and consensus reality. This is the basis of psychosis (for diagnosis), that a person's thinking is non-rational, and departs from what is considered normal or representative of what is normal. For me personally, I have had to adjust from being highly sceptical of anything which was non-rational, non-logical, to being able to think and understand in transpersonal, spiritual and magical terms. This probably places me within the definition of psychotic, although I have also kept a reasonable grip on consensus reality, not departed from it. So, while "magical thinking" is one of the symptoms of psychosis, the ability to "think magically" and also function within society seems to allow one to functional fully. Possibly medicating people with tranquillising medicines stops people being able to work through a psychotic departure from reality and retain the ability to "think magically" but also to function within society or the physical world.
Question: Is Possession akin to Multiple Personality Disorder Syndrome? And rooted in sub-personalities. It certainly seems likely to me the MPDS stems from a severe trauma resulting in a subpersonality or conglomerate of subpersonalities taking over to ensure the survival of the individual Self, in some form. Possession also is a departure, usually temporary, from the Self being in control and a dominant and regressive subpersonality being in control, or perhaps even an external "entity". Perhaps that would lead to two types of possession, one by an external agent the other being sub-personality possession?
With new "mental states" one needs to adjust to living with new views of reality and still retain the ability to function in mundane society. This carries on from the above comments on "magical thinking" and psychosis. It may be productive for a time for a severe departure from reality, but preferable to have an experienced guide (therapist / shaman) to assist one's journey and even more preferable (but generally unobtainable in present society) a retreat where one can go to and work through changes in the view of reality. It seems that it is possible to keep a grip on rationality and also experience non-rationality intermittently or at the same time, and with some effort functional to some degree within society (ie. Hold down a job, and maybe even a relationship!), and grow and expand one's consciousness into new realms, and formulate new views of reality.
Death and World Destruction themes. The birth - life - death - rebirth (renewal) are common themes in paganism and alchemical process. In Alchemy (spiritual and laboratory) there are phases of putrefaction, negredo (blackening) and other "unpleasant" stages through which things are transformed.
Dysfunctional families. This is another strong theme in the book, and basically the topic for a one-hour talk I gave. It is families that are seen as the root of psychosis in many instances. The term schizogenic is used by one author.
In dealing with people in Spiritual Emergency personal qualities are more important than professional qualifications. Non-labelling is also important, and something we talk about in Psychosynthesis, about not putting "things" and "people" into little boxes, but letting them be how they are.
According to John Perry, the renewal process requires an emotional framework (a partner). This is curious and relates back to what I've been taught, thought about, and experienced with the Inner Mate process, and various interactions of the anima and animus. It may also relate heavily to "Self in relationship to Other" which was the theme of the second year Psychosynthesis course, and the various functions of a guide (shaman or therapist).
When Personal Crisis becomes a Transformation.......2003-09-09
An excellent book for anyone involved with psychotherapy or magical / spiritual practices, whether as a guide / therapist / teacher, student, or simply on your own journey. This is a good introductory overview of the subject of Spiritual Emergence and Spiritual Emergency. I believe anyone undertaking serious magical work, training or psychotherapy, at some stage will undergo a crisis, which can then either lead to Spiritual Emergency or Spiritual Emergence. The research and ideas this book contains can assist in one's own development or guiding someone else through those dark days and nights.
Essential reading for those taking the Hero's Journey.......2003-05-15
This book is a must for anyone who is experiencing or who knows someone who is experiencing spiritual emergence. It provides essential information so that you know you are not moving into uncharted territory or losing your mind. Spiritual emergence can be an extraordinary healing process and much much more. I highly recommend this book.
I feel this spans both metaphysics and psychology very well.......2003-02-05
I have gone through many "dark nights of the soul" and
this book helps separate the spiritual transformation from
the mental breakdown, get me to the hospital quick type.
Worth the time spent reading it.
Book Description
If you had to rely upon only one source of information to help you and your family survive a severe bird flu pandemic, the Bird Flu Manual would be your best bet, hands down! In a severe pandemic, you will be required to cope with the gravest medical and social consequences with virtually no outside help. Having a proper appreciation of the risks and taking prudent steps to deal with them ahead of time, are ways to cope successfully with this crisis. Most people who will die from influenza do so from pneumonia or dehydration. Dehydration can be readily detected and treated at home and explaining how to do that is one of the major focuses of the Bird Flu Manual. Preventing or treating dehydration in people with pandemic flu will save more lives than all other treatments combined. The home treatment advice provided by Dr. Woodson is based upon 25 years of Internal Medicine practice and experience treating hundreds of flu patients. From this foundation, he has concentrated the essence of lifesaving care of mild to severely ill flu patients at home in the Bird Flu Manual. That the pandemic is coming is certain. What we don’t know is when and how bad it will be. Dr. Woodson provides the reader of the Bird Flu Manual with a survey of the medical and scientific literature dealing with influenza pandemics and Bird Flu in particular.
Customer Reviews:
Don't face a pandemic without it........2007-09-26
Because a pandemic happens in many places at once, it is absurd to believe that the government and an over-extended healthcare system can take care of everyone's needs. We'll face the next pandemic with the resources we personally set aside to do so. The Bird Flu Manual explains what we need to do to prepare in advance of a pandemic (as in now). Most importantly, it explains how we can care for loved ones should they fall ill. Because a pandemic emergency may result - and likely will - in disruptions to basic services such as Internet and electricity, it's a very good idea to have essential information in print, on the bookshelf. That's why this invaluable book is in my library.
Must have for planning purposes.......2007-08-23
If the worst case scenario occurs and a pandemic occurs this book should be stored with the home emergency supplies. It is an invaluable resource for how to deal with possible medical, home logistics, and self presevation. Not suitable for young readers due to frank, graphic medical discussions.
Extremely thorough .......2007-03-29
This book covers pandemic concerns not covered by many other sources including solid suggestions for home nursing. I'm especially pleased to see it address psychological aspects and how to handle them in the absence of professionals - which may well be the reality.
This information is useful for any emergency where folks will be isolated - something we should all be prepared for. Better to be prepared than scared.
This book has it all and is well worth the expense.
Top-notch advice.......2006-10-12
Dr. Woodson has prepared this detailed guide, sprinkled with stress-breaking humour, to help families prepare for, and recover from, a pandemic. As hospitals will be overwhelmed in the event of a pandemic, the only sure way for a family member to receive medical treatment is for another family member (or friend) to be prepared to apply the techniques Woodson lays out in detailed but readable fashion. As importantly, the psychological stresses people will face in such a situation are also addressed in layman's terms. In addition, Woodson discusses some of the approaches to mitigating the possibilty of utility failure, food shortages, civil unreset, sanitation, and other crucial areas that we take for granted in today's advanced civilization. If you are looking for references to help you in your preparations, consider this to be one of the most important.
William Stewart
Author, "How to Prepare for a Pandemic"
The medical advice in this book will save many lives........2006-10-07
The 300 page Bird Flu Manual will save many lives. All of the world's top scientists and public health professionals agree that another flu pandemic is inevitable. This book should be read by anyone that wants to be prepared for that inevitable event. In this well researched book Dr. Woodson has sifted through all the scientific sources on the Bird Flu and on pandemic flu in general and presents them in a clear and rational way. He paints a picture of what life would be like during both a severe or minor pandemic based on research into previous pandemics.
Unlike some other books and articles Dr. Woodson presents balanced realistic recommendations that will work for most people. For example, Dr. Woodson gives specific recommendations for when you should stay and home and when it is safe to go to work. He lists a clear time line of actions that should be taken at specific times during a pandemic to maximize your safety. He writes about many aspects of life during a pandemic that some people may not have thought about such as what to do when all the mortuaries are full and the psychological consequences of surviving a severe pandemic.
This book guides you though advanced preparations you need to make to be prepared for a pandemic. It addresses food, water, energy, heating, cooking, security, hygiene and forming a pandemic survival group. He has many specific recommendations on products to consider based on his research and personal testing. I found the section on forming a pandemic survival group particularly helpful and based on that and the knowledge I gained from reading this book am going to form a neighborhood pandemic survival group.
This book would be an extraordinarily valuable resource to have on the shelf during a pandemic since Dr. Woodson has written 4 chapters on taking care of someone with severe flu. Many flu deaths are preventable with proper medical care and this book teaches you how to provide that care. Since during a flu pandemic hospitals and clinics will quickly reach capacity this is very valuable information to have. One of the chapters is specifically written about taking care of children with bird flu and another is written for medical professionals who want a more detailed discussion about caring for bird flu patients. Unlike some other books that give general guidelines Dr. Woodson gives all the specific information a lay person would need such as how to compound your own medicines, how to make Tamiflu last longer and doses for children based on their weight. This medical advice alone makes the book worth buying.
I think this is an excellent book and am going to buy a copy of this book for all my family members and neighbors.
Book Description
If you could change your life today, what would you do...?
Your Daily Walk with the Great Minds gives you the inspiration you need each day to be the best you can be and live the life you've always desired. Let me be the coach who will lift your spirits, challenge you to go the extra mile, and fulfill your life's wishes every day.
Have you ever wondered?
. How to have the most fulfilling relationship you can imagine?
. Why you keep ending up in the same situations over and over again?
. How to get the job of your dreams?
. How to maintain peace of mind in a world of conflict and strife?
. What does it really mean to be a successful human being?
I invite you to find the answers to these and other questions through meditations and journaling exercises on Your Daily Walk with the Great Minds: Wisdom and Enlightenment of the Past and Present, Pocket Edition
For those who wish to journal in-place, try my Workbook Edition
Praise for Your Daily Walk
"I have spent my life studying lots and lots of self-development books and I can say emphatically that Your Daily Walk with the Great Minds ranks in the top ten. I whole heartedly recommend this book to any seeker of self-development." -C. Kumarbabu, MD, former chair of Psychiatry, Govt. Stanley Hospital, India
"Your Daily Walk with the Great Minds is a highly intimate and engaging philosophy and very strongly recommended for its in-valuable grasp of worldly study and in-depth analysis of the surrounding experience." -Midwest Book Review
About the Author
Richard is formerly from Pennsylvania, however recently relocated to Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands. He practices psychotherapy on the island and writes in his free time. Richard has extensive experience in the field of addiction treatment and mental health.
He is Humanistic in his philosophy and believes that all human beings have the capacity for greatness in whatever they pursue and desire. He consistently supports human beings in their search for purpose and passion in life. Richard passionately believes in equality among all human beings. "After all we only have one race: the Human Race." Richard's passion in life is to help other human beings in any way possible.
Look for his next book, Eastern Wisdom for Your Soul coming soon from Loving Healing Press (www.LovingHealing.com)
Your Daily Walk is Book #6 in the Spiritual Dimensions Series.
Customer Reviews:
A Book to Change the Way You Think .......2007-02-19
Richard Singer's book "Your Daily Walk with the Great Minds of the Past and Present" will definitely change the way you look at life and become the person you were sent down here to be.
What can you look forward to when you get this book? The book is broken down into daily assignments...you read a quote from one of the great minds, then a short paragraph to guide you on your day along with a mind searching question which you answer. This short daily time enables you to gradually change your mindset and I have found that I think about my daily question and answer all day. I have a small notebook I take along with me and have all my short daily thoughts written down...which helps me keep the concepts I have learned so far fresh in my mind.
Another good thing is that Richard gives you a monthly reading assignment...a book written by a great mind, past and present. Having the whole month to read the assignment enables you to absorb the information.
I am gradually changing the way I look at my life and people around me have started noticing a change...more positive, more hopeful, more grateful to the abundance that I do have in my life...even if right now it's not the monetary abundance...but I am now hopeful and positive that that too will change very soon.
Thank you Richard...you have written a book that everyone can handle gradually...so even those who say "I have no time to read" can do this and will gradually want to read more.
Journey to Inner Peace.......2006-12-07
Reviewed by Lisa Kisner for Reader Views (11/06)
If you have every wondered how to start finding peace within yourself, look no further than this book. Mr. Singer's book gives you the tools to change your life and be inspired to live each day to its' fullest. Day by day this book expands on wisdom imparted by a surprisingly diverse group of people, from well known spiritual leaders such as Gandhi to Jackie Collins, popular author. Mr. Singer provides you with a daily meditation based on the thought of the day. Questions for thought and personal journaling, as well as affirmations to carry through out the day, round off each day's mediations and help you find answers to your life questions. Also provided each month is a suggested reading that enhances the daily enlightenment exercises.
Mr. Singer walks the reader through his strategies for transformation. These include:
Modeling - gaining insight from the quotes and the people who said them,
Bibiotherapy - reading to gain knowledge and insight,
Mindfulness - applying the daily guidance throughout the day,
Journaling - express your thoughts and feelings in a personal notebook,
Visualizations- visualizing your transformation each day will help you achieve the results you want, and
Affirmations - internalizing and applying these truths throughout the day.
I found this book very easy to read. Every day's meditation can be completed in a few minutes. Subject and author indexes are provided should you have need for a specific topic of meditation on any given day. The suggested monthly readings fit well with the meditations and feature some of my favorite inspirational books. Each day's meditations, journaling exercise and affirmations related to some aspect of my life and challenged me to look inside myself and find my purpose. Every message was inspirational and left me wanting more. I found it impossible to read only one day at a time, even on my busiest days. I read the entire book in less than a week. Now, I look forward to each morning's message and journaling. Already I can say that I am further down the road to inner peace than before picking up this wonderful book, "Your Daily Walk with the Great Minds."
A Reviewer's Review.......2006-12-06
Rick Singer has outdone himself! If you thought his first book, "Your Daily Walk with the Great Minds of the Past and Present," was wonderful, you haven't read anything yet. Singer has taken the word "mindfulness" to a new level and shows us how to apply it to every moment of our lives. A Japanese Proverb says, "Beginning is easy, continuing is hard." However, they obviously hadn't read Singer's new book, " Eastern Wisdom for Your Soul: 111 Meditations for Everyday Enlightenment" -- Rick has made it easy to begin and continue. -- Sue Vogan, author/radio show host
A symphony for the Seeker.......2006-08-13
If you are a seeker of truth and knowledge, "Your Daily Walk with the Great Minds of the Past and Present" is a must read. The author created a masterpiece juxtaposition of both classical and contemporary thinkers most thought provoking works presented in a wonderful format which encourages the reader to record their own thoughts brought out by the myriad of masterminds presented so artfully in this work. The author definitely did his homework. An enthralling, mesmerising book, that no one's library is complete without. Do yourself a big favor; buy this book!
A Program for an Exciting Life Journey .......2006-07-23
Richard Singer is a genius at adapting a profound quote from a well known thinker of the past into a challenge, an inspiration, a motivation, and a source for contemporary personal application. Arranged as a program for daily reading, each meditation allows the reader the opportunity to gain knowledge, insight and understanding to change.
Richard than provides thought provoking questions for reflection, contemplation, and action. These questions become the basis for a personal journal that will enable the reader to assimilate and internalize these principles, to consider a higher calling to live life with an intense constancy of purpose and a sense of fulfillment.
An example of quotes found in the book is one by Richard Singer himself:
"There are three gifts you can give on a daily basis that will eventually transform all of creation; they are love, compassion, and kindness."
Richard had provided a book of the month suggestion. I plan to incorporate these books as must reading for the year ahead. I personally was challenged to live in the present moment, with a combination of determination, persistence, and patience.
This is more than a self help, motivational or inspirational book. It is a program for a changed life. I highly recommend it for anyone wants to move beyond mediocrity and to experience a more fulfilling, meaningful, and purposeful life.
Book 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.
Customer Reviews:
Important Book!.......2006-07-01
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.......2003-12-10
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.......2001-01-17
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.
Customer Reviews:
Growing Through Psychological Upheavals To a New Wholeness.......2002-09-13
The authors of STORMY SEARCH FOR THE SELF bring a unique set of life experiences to this book. Christina Grof has been through her own tumultuous psychospiritual awakening, while her husband Stanislav Grof, M.D. brings the insights he gained from his seventeen years as a pioneering LSD psychotherapist.
During the birth of her first child, at one point Christina felt something "snap" inside of her, and powerful electrical-like energies began rushing through her body, while brilliant white fireworks exploded in her head. These and similar symptoms of kundalini-energy arousal plagued her life from that day onward, and eventually she turned to alcohol for relief, resulting after several years in alcohol addiction. When she "hit bottom" with her alcoholism, the sense of total physical, emotional, and spiritual bankruptcy was the internal dying experience or "ego death" (the turning point in many psychospiritual crises) that she needed; from that day on, her kundalini symptoms disappeared and never returned.
As the Grofs began telling others about Christina's stormy spiritual awakening, they discovered that other people had been through similarly difficult periods of psychological instability and growth. However, others' troublesome symptoms had been triggered by a variety of events other than kundalini arousal, ranging from a near-death experience or a mystical experience, to unsought development of psychic powers or spirit guides or channeling or shamanic-initiation illness, to encounters with UFO-related otherwordly visitors, to psychiatrist John Perry's psychosis-like "return to the center" (which the book left me with only a vague understanding of; I wish the authors had explained this condition more clearly and completely). The Grofs also concluded that some addictions (like Christina's alcoholism) can be a sign of a "spiritual emergency" in progress. ("Spiritual emergency" is the authors' term for any period of emotional turbulence and/or mental confusion which is caused by a traumatic experience in a person's life; such conditions always have the potential for healing and growth leading to a higher sanity, deeper stability, and greater wholeness than ever before.)
The Grofs offer practical guidelines for anyone going through a stormy psychospiritual awakening, such as listening to music while expressing your feelings in dancing or other movement, while at the same time singing or chanting or otherwise vocalizing. They also suggest how family and friends can help, such as by remaining nonjudgemental, keeping your sense of humor, offering supportive physical contact like hugs, and trusting the process to eventually resolve itself provided it is simply supported and encouraged.
One way to encourage and support the growth process is simply by breathing more quickly and deeply than usual. During Christina's crisis, the Grofs had discovered that hyperventilation causes symptoms to temporarily intensify, eventually (after an hour or so of fast, deep breathing) to reach a climax, and then to subside for several days or weeks. Repeated hyperventilaton sessions--especially when done in a group with other hyperventilators, which greatly potentiates the process--results in permanent cessation of troublesome symptoms.
Two chapters of this book stand out for me. One is devoted to outlining Stanislav's new map of the psyche, which is based on his experience as an LSD therapist. Nearest the psyche's surface are repressed memories from childhood; deeper within lies the experiential (psychosomatic and emotional) memory of one's birth, as well as one's unconscious fear of death; deepest of all one encounters the spiritual or "transpersonal" dimension of the self, which can mediate contact with the divine during healing transcendent mystical or "peak" experiences. This new view of the subconscious helped me to understand how distressing psychological symptoms are formed, and how they can be cured
Another chapter explores the history of psychological crises, such as aboriginal rites of passage, the ancient Greek "mystery" religions, and the hero's journey in mythology; there is also a section on the teachings of Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, and Judaism about spiritual growth and enlightenment.
Another noteworthy feature of this book is the clear guidelines the authors provide for distinguishing a psychological growth crisis from psychosis. Since spiritual awakenings are often mis-diagnosed as psychosis, this section should prove quite useful.
STORMY SEARCH FOR THE SELF has reassured me on my own psychotherapeutic journey that I can indeed trust the intrinsic wisdom of the psyche, and the natural unfolding of my path of growth, to lead eventually to wholeness, as I simply support it with hyperventilation and other therapeutic techniques.
Other books I like are Stanislav Grof's BEYOND THE BRAIN, and also his THE ADVENTURE OF SELF-DISCOVERY. I also enjoyed SOUL RETRIEVAL by Sandra Ingerman, Whitley Strieber's COMMUNION, John Mack's PASSPORT TO THE COSMOS, and Betty Eadies's inspiring near-death account EMBRACED BY THE LIGHT, as well as THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF GOPI KRISHNA.
SPONTANEOUS PSYCHOSPIRITUAL AWAKENING CRISES.......2002-06-29
STORMY SEARCH FOR THE SOUL brings together Christina Grof's tumultuous kundalini/alcoholism crisis with her husband Stanislav Grof's seventeen years' experience as an LSD psychotherapist.
When the couple began sharing with others about Christina's stormy psychospiritual awakening (which began with the birth of her first child as powerful electrical-like energy coursed through her body and brilliant white fireworks exploded in her head), they discovered that many other people had been through similarly difficult, dramatic experiences. Yet instead of kundalini awakening, others had been confronted with a variety of diverse events, from near-death or mystical experiences, to UFO/extraterrestrial encounters, to shamanic opening, to development of psychic powers or channeling or spirit guides; the Grofs also concluded that some cases of alcoholism or other addiction are due to a potentially positive spiritual awakening that is trying to happen; and they describe several additional types of "spiritual emergencies," as they term these sorts of crises.
Although often mis-diagnosed as psychosis, a psychospiritual awakening crisis can be worked through, using techniques such as hyperventilation, resulting in growth and a positive resolution, just as Christina's alcoholism-kundalini crisis resolved when she hit bottom with her alcoholism, helped along by her husband's knowledge from LSD psychotherapy.
For indeed, Stanislav had noticed that his wife's symptoms were similar to what people go through in LSD therapy (in large part reliving birth, and confronting death). He dovotes a chapter to describing the levels of the psyche that he discovered as an LSD therapist (the surface layer of childhood traumatic memories, and deeper in the unconscious the experiential memory of birth, while deepest of all lies the transpersonal or spiritual aspect of the self). With his understanding, and the couple's discovery that hyperventilation can resolve troubling symptoms in a way quite similar to how LSD therapy resolves problems (by reliving birth and facing one's mortality over several dozen intense, dramatic therapy sessions), Christina had reached a new stability, and freedom from her kundalini symptoms which ended her hunger for alcohol to blunt the symptoms.
The authors offer guidelines for distinguishing a psychospiritual awakening from psychosis, which should be helpful for anyone falsely diagnosed as psychotic, or anyone wondering if they are going crazy (which is a not uncommon feeling in a spiritual emergency).
They also offer suggestions for working through one's symptoms and so cooperating with one's growth process, such as singing and dancing and yelling to music; also included are tips for friends and family who want to help, such as trusting the process to eventually resolve itself with encouragement and support.
I have been going through my own psychospiritual journey of awakening for about fifteen years, and I found STORMY SEARCH FOR THE SELF to be quite reassuring and helpful in trusting my own growth process...I recognized some of my own symptoms in the pages of this self-help masterpiece.
I have found STORMY SEARCH... more useful since I have also read other books such as Stanislav Grof's comprehensive distillation of all he learned from his almost two decades as an LSD psychotherapist, BEYOND THE BRAIN: BIRTH, DEATH, AND TRANSCENDENCE IN PSYCHOTHERAPY; THE ADVENTURE OF SELF-DISCOVERY, about the Grof's hyperventilation therapy technique (which I've found useful in resolving several severe panic attacks about a year ago in my own life); Sandra Ingerman's SOUL RETRIEVAL: MENDING THE FRAGMENTED SELF, a modern shamanic view of welcoming home one's lost inner child self which may have split off in childhood due to trauma; THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF GOPI KRISHNA, about his kundalini awakening; Whitley Strieber's and John Mack's books about otherworldly visitors (such as COMMUNION and PASSPORT TO THE COSMOS); LSD PSYCHOTHERAPY, Grof's guidbook for psychedelic therapists; and Betty Eadie's near-death bestseller EMBRACED BY THE LIGHT.
Helpful, if you seek validation.......2002-01-30
The title says it all. The path one treads on the search for the Self is at times fraught with unpleasant experiences. Memories, traumas and negativity which the human entity identifies with, resurface during this quest, and must be dealt with if one is to 'grow'. The book sets this much out well, but fails to go beyond. Or rather, it would seem that one would need the help of a Grof-trained person for dealing with the storm.
Potentially Life Saving.......2001-03-18
An excellent book for anyone who's ever wondered if they are having a psychic experience or a psychotic experience. Details the Grof's personal experiences and lists other types of spiritual emergencies. Also gives excellent advice about how to cope with a spiritual crisis. Everyone involved in spiritual pursuits should read this book because the potential negative side effects of meditation, prayer, etc. are rarely mentioned elsewhere.
a recommended resource.......2000-05-17
While I have reservations about the work done by the Grofs, I heartily recommend this book to anyone suffering from a crisis of spirit, particularly when accompanied by the symptoms of what used to be called shamanic illness (believe me, you'll know it if you have it). I don't know how many people who've negotiated this crisis who have told me they wished they had a resource to normalize their extrahuman experiences, experiences they believed (and were told by doctors and shrinks) represented the onset of insanity rather than a unique gift highly prized in more spiritually aware cultures of the past. This book is such a resource.
Book Description
Expert advice, practical tips, and encouragement for those caring for aging loved ones, as well as ways for to care for themselves.
Customer Reviews:
Hands-on Guidebook for Caregiving.......2007-09-28
In "Compassionate Caregiving" author Lois D. Knutson offers workable solutions, tips, encouragement, and invaluable information important to family caregivers. Sensitive to the spiritual nature and call of caregiving, Lois includes a scripture passage and prayer within each chapter specifically related to the material covered. I found the suggested affirmations, one for each day of the month, to be especially valuable for spiritual encouragement and keeping a perspective on personal self worth.
Knutson includes guidelines for nurture, both spiritual and psychological, as well has practical issues like equipment needed in the home, celebrating holidays, evaluating nursing homes, assisted-living, and other caregiving facilities.
Lois has given me insight into caregiving as a spiritual calling. Readers will find the chapters on how to deal with the death of a loved one important, comforting, and compassionate.
A comprehensive appendix is filled with forms, a spiritual journey exercise, suggested Bible passages for caregivers, and a list of helpful web sites. The end notes listed by chapter give evidence of thorough, well documented, research. Lois Knutson, herself a caregiver, has served as a hospital chaplain, is trained in geriatric pastoral care, and is a national speaker on older adult ministry.
"Compassionate Caregiving" is an important and timely book. Although written specifically for the family caregiver, this is a valuable resource tool for pastors, lay counselors, hospital chaplains, and seminary students.
This is a book to be read again and again.
Book Description
We need God’s help...and fast! Deborah Smith Pegues, a behavioral consultant and the author of 30 Days to Taming Your Tongue (more than 280,000 copies sold), offers readers a 9–1–1 prayerbook for life’s many circumstances and needs. Brief, immediate, and heartfelt, these prayers bring God’s Word to the forefront of a reader’s mind as they lift up cries for:
- help on the homefront
- financial discipline and direction
- resistance of temptations
- guidance in important decisions
- comfort in the midst of pain
This conveniently sized emergency guide can remain close at hand and heart as it leads readers to God’s presence for every need.
Books:
- St Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologica (translated by Fathers of the English Dominican Province) (5 Volume Set)
- St Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologica (translated by Fathers of the English Dominican Province) (5 Volume Set)
- SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine
- Talk to the Snail: Ten Commandments for Understanding the French
- The Amazing Power of Deliberate Intent: Living the Art of Allowing
- The Analects (Penguin Classics)
- The Apocalypse Code: Find Out What the Bible REALLY Says About the End Times . . . and Why It Matters Today
- The Bhagavad Gita
- The Doors of Perception and Heaven and Hell (Perennial Classics)
- The Enlightened Heart: An Anthology of Sacred Poetry
Books Index
Books Home
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- Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style, Third Edition
- Introduction to Elementary Particles
- Fossil Collecting in the Mid-Atlantic States: With Localities, Collecting Tips, and Illustrations of
- Federal Income Taxation of Trusts & Estates: Cases, Problems, and Materials
- Fear No Yellow Stickies: More Business Wisdom Too Simple Not to Know
- Energy Balances of Non-Oecd Countries 2000-2001, 2003
General
| Psychology & Counseling
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
The Stormy Search for the Self
The Adventure of Self-Discovery: Dimensions of Consciousness and New Perspectives in Psychotherapy and Inner Exploration (SUNY Series in Transpersonal and Humanistic Psychology)
The Holotropic Mind: The Three Levels of Human Consciousness and How They Shape Our Lives
When the Impossible Happens: Adventures in Non-ordinary Reality
The Thirst for Wholeness: Attachment, Addiction, and the Spiritual Path
