Abstract

(from the jacket) This book summarizes and integrates the emerging fields of transpersonal psychiatry and psychology. /// After surveying the Western roots of transpersonal psychiatry and psychology . . . the book reviews the rich contributions of such differing cultures as shamanism, Hinduism, and Buddhism, illustrating the influence of these traditions on the therapeutic community. The authors then proceed to the latest scientific research on meditation, psychedelics, altered states, and parapsychology. Organizing human experience into a continuum--from a basic level dominated by biological factors to personal, psychological structures and on to complex, spiritual experiences--seasoned transpersonal clinicians discuss distinctive issues, problems, and treatments at each level. The contributors describe practical techniques [using real-life cases], including the outcomes and risks of various interventions.