Beyond the Brain

Stanislav Grof, MD , is a psychiatrist with more than fifty years of experience in research of non-ordinary states of consciousness. He has been Principal Investigator in a psychedelic research program at the Psychiatric Research Institute in Prague, Czechoslovakia; Chief of Psychiatric Research at the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center; Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University; and Scholar-in-Residence at the Esalen Institute. He is currently Professor of Psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies, conducts professional training programs in holotropic breathwork, and gives lectures and seminars worldwide. He is one of the founders and chief theoreticians of transpersonal psychology and the founding president of the International Transpersonal Association (ITA). In 2007, he was granted the prestigious Vision 97 award from the Vaclav and Dagmar Havel Foundation in Prague. He is the author and editor of many books, including The Adventure of Self-Discovery: Dimensions of Consciousness and New Perspectives in Psychotherapy and Inner Exploration; Ancient Wisdom and Modern Science; The Cosmic Game: Explorations of the Frontiers of Human Consciousness; Human Survival and Consciousness Evolution; and Psychology of the Future: Lessons from Modern Consciousness Research; all published by SUNY Press.

• AcknowlegmentsIntroduction1. The Nature of Reality: Dawning of a New Paradigm Philosophy of Science and the Role of ParadigmsThe Newtonian-Cartesian Spell of Mechanistic ScienceConceptual Challenges from Modern Consciousness ResearchNew Understanding of Reality, Existence, and Human NatureThe Holonomic Approach: New Principles and New Perspectives2. Dimensions of the Human Psyche: Cartography of Inner Space The Sensory Barrier and the Individual UnconsciousEncounter with Birth and Death: The Dynamics of Perinatal MatricesBeyond the Brain: Realms of Transpersonal ExperiencesThe Spectrum of Consciousness3. The World of Psychotherapy: Toward an Integration of Approches Sigmund Freud and Classical PsychoanalysisThe Famous Renegades: Alfred Adler, Wilhelm Reich, and Otto RankExistential and Humanistic PsychotherapiesPsychotherapies with Transpersonal Orientation4. The Architecture of Emotional Disorders Varieties of Sexual Experience: Dysfunctions, Deviations, and Transpersonal Forms of ErosRoots of Violence: Biographical, Perinatal, and Transpersonal Sources of AggressionDynamics of Depressions, Neuroses, and Psychosomatic DisordersThe Psychotic Experience: Disease or Transpersonal Crisis5. Dilemmas and Controversies of Traditional Psychiatry The Medical Model in Psychiatry: Pros and ConsDisagreements about Theory and Therapeutic MeasuresCriteria of Mental Health and Therapeutic ResultsPsychiatry and Religion: Role of Spirituality in Human Life6. A New Understanding of The Psychotherapeutic ProcessThe Nature of Psychogenic SymptomsEffective Mechanisms of Psychotherapy and Personality TransformationSpontaneity and Autonomy of HealingPsychotherapy and Spiritual Development7. New Perspectives in Psychotherapy and Self-Exploration Principles of Psychotherapeutic AssistanceTechniques of Psychotherapy and Self-ExplorationGoals and Results of Psychotherapy8. Epilogue: The Current Global Crisis and the Future of Consciousness Evolution NotesBibliographyIndex