Book picks similar to
The Deep Self: Consciousness Exploration in the Isolation Tank by John C. Lilly
psychology
consciousness
non-fiction
metaphysics
The Examined Life: How We Lose and Find Ourselves
Stephen Grosz - 2012
These beautifully rendered tales illuminate the fundamental pathways of life from birth to death.A woman finds herself daydreaming as she returns home from a business trip; a young man loses his wallet. We learn, too, from more extreme examples: the patient who points an unloaded gun at a police officer, the compulsive liar who convinces his wife he's dying of cancer. The stories invite compassionate understanding, suggesting answers to the questions that compel and disturb us most about love and loss, parents and children, work and change. The resulting journey will spark new ideas about who we are and why we do what we do.
Space-time and beyond : toward an explanation of the unexplainable
Bob Toben - 1975
Captioned cartoon drawings offering an overview of universal order as they deal with various phenomena are combined with scientific commentary
The Quantum and the Lotus: A Journey to the Frontiers Where Science and Buddhism Meet
Matthieu Ricard - 2000
Eventually he left his life in science to study with Tibetan teachers, and he is now a Buddhist monk and translator for the Dalai Lama, living in the Shechen monastery near Kathmandu in Nepal. Trinh Thuan was born into a Buddhist family in Vietnam but became intrigued by the explosion of discoveries in astronomy during the 1960s. He made his way to the prestigious California Institute of Technology to study with some of the biggest names in the field and is now an acclaimed astrophysicist and specialist on how the galaxies formed. When Matthieu Ricard and Trinh Thuan met at an academic conference in the summer of 1997, they began discussing the many remarkable connections between the teachings of Buddhism and the findings of recent science. That conversation grew into an astonishing correspondence exploring a series of fascinating questions. Did the universe have a beginning? Or is our universe one in a series of infinite universes with no end and no beginning? Is the concept of a beginning of time fundamentally flawed? Might our perception of time in fact be an illusion, a phenomenon created in our brains that has no ultimate reality? Is the stunning fine-tuning of the universe, which has produced just the right conditions for life to evolve, a sign that a “principle of creation” is at work in our world? If such a principle of creation undergirds the workings of the universe, what does that tell us about whether or not there is a divine Creator? How does the radical interpretation of reality offered by quantum physics conform to and yet differ from the Buddhist conception of reality? What is consciousness and how did it evolve? Can consciousness exist apart from a brain generating it?The stimulating journey of discovery the authors traveled in their discussions is re-created beautifully in The Quantum and the Lotus, written in the style of a lively dialogue between friends. Both the fundamental teachings of Buddhism and the discoveries of contemporary science are introduced with great clarity, and the reader will be profoundly impressed by the many correspondences between the two streams of thought and revelation. Through the course of their dialogue, the authors reach a remarkable meeting of minds, ultimately offering a vital new understanding of the many ways in which science and Buddhism confirm and complement each other and of the ways in which, as Matthieu Ricard writes, “knowledge of our spirits and knowledge of the world are mutually enlightening and empowering.” “The Quantum and the Lotus is a mind-expanding, eye-opening exploration of the exciting parallels between cutting-edge thinking in physics and Buddhism–a scintillating conversation any thinking person would delight in overhearing.” —Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence“The Quantum and the Lotus is the rich and inspiring result of a deeply interesting dialogue between Western science and Buddhist philosophy. This remarkable book will contribute greatly to a better understanding of the true nature of our world and the way we live our lives.” —His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Mental Combat: The Sports Psychology Secrets You Can Use to Dominate Any Event!
Phil Pierce - 2015
The problem is that many of these techniques are kept secret and other guides are heavy and full of jargon. So how can you use the simple power of Sports Psychology techniques to revolutionize your performance today? Clearly you need more than just a system, you need the right kind of system. Not just the science behind mental strength but a super-simple, step-by-step guide to unlocking the power of your brain. As a bestselling author, martial arts and fitness coach, I’ve been lucky enough to work with some of the best experts around the world. With input from top instructors and researchers I discovered easy tactics that can be effortlessly used by everyone. From fitness fans, runners and gym athletes to combat styles like boxing, MMA, and martial arts. Even the busy office worker can dominate any competitive or stressful event in minutes! This is “Mental Combat”... and once applied to your training it quickly revolutionizes performance – every time! What Is Mental Combat? Mental Combat is a simple, easy set of tactics for unlocking the full power of your brain and body. Moreover, it gives you the proven scientific benefits of Sports Psychology without needing to understand the complex history and theories. Whilst traditional guides can be heavy and difficult to follow, Mental Combat is a simple, tactical approach. Perfect for martial artists, fitness fans, gym enthusiasts and even the busy office worker! Stressful, nerve-wracking events become a walk in the park when transformed using the right techniques. A busy and cluttered mind becomes laser focused. Would you like to know the quickest and easiest way to experience the incredible benefits of mental training? The Easy New Way To Get Started with Mental Training Inside “Mental Combat” you’ll discover… How to “psych-out” an opponent. “Mind Hacks” for instant, rock-solid confidence and cool. Powerful motivation and concentration skills. Revealed: the body position to banish nerves quickly and easily. The truth behind meditation. (and why it’s easier than you think). How to unlock the power of your brain for any event. The secret to managing victory, like a pro. The secret to handling defeat… and coming back stronger. How you can use Sports Psychology tactics even if you don’t do sports! And much more! Want To See For Yourself How Mental Combat Can Transform Your Performance? Click and grab your copy of Mental Combat now to see you’ve been missing! To say thanks for checking out this book you can claim your free guide: “3 Steps to Explosive Power” FREE from my website. Just visit: www.BlackBeltFit.
The History of Last Night's Dream: Discovering the Hidden Path to the Soul
Rodger Kamenetz - 2007
When Sigmund Freud awakened modern interest in the dream a century ago, his theory of interpretation undermined the potential insights dreams had to offer. For Freud, dreams were little more than fragmented puzzle parts made up of events from our waking lives. Most of us today still live under Freud's far-reaching influence. When we wake up after experiencing a powerful series of images, we too readily explain them away or simply ignore them all together. Whatever emotion or insight the dream evokes slowly fades. But what if Freud was wrong? Unless we challenge his deeply-ingrained assumptions, we will forever lose the gift of our dreams.International bestselling author Rodger Kamenetz believes it is not too late to reclaim the lost power of our nightly visions. Kamenetz's exploration of the world of dreams reopens all the questions scientists and psychologists claimed to have settled long ago. The culmination of decades of research, The History of Last Night's Dream is a riveting intellectual and cultural investigation of dreams and what they have to teach us. We discover how the age-old struggle between what we dream and how we interpret our dreams has shaped Western culture from biblical times to today. Kamenetz introduces us to an eighty-seven-year-old female kabbalist in Jerusalem, a suave Tibetan Buddhist dream teacher in Copenhagen, and a crusty intuitive postman-turned-dream master in northern Vermont. He fearlessly delves into this mysterious inner realm and shows us that dreams are not only intensely meaningful but that they hold essential truths about who we are. In the end, each of us has the choice to embark on this illuminating path to the soul. But one thing is certain: our dreams will never be the same again.
A History of Modern Psychology
C. James Goodwin - 1998
They will also develop a deeper understanding of the many interconnections that exist among the different areas of psychology. Goodwin's book not only provides accounts of the lives and contributions of psychology's pioneers set into historical context; it also contains original writings by these psychologists, interwoven with informative comments from the author. The text is written in a conversational and engaging style with discrete attention to recent scholarship in the history of psychology, especially that of the past 150 years.
Intuition: Knowing Beyond Logic
Osho - 2001
Logic is how the mind knows reality, intuition is how the spirit experiences reality. Osho's discussion of these matters is wonderfully lucid, occasionally funny, and thoroughly engrossing.All people have a natural capacity for intuition, but often social conditioning and formal education work against it. People are taught to ignore their instincts rather than to understand and use them as a foundation for individual growth and development-and in the process they undermine the very roots of the innate wisdom that is meant to flower into intuition. In this volume, Osho pinpoints exactly what intuition is and gives guidelines for how to identify its functioning in others and ourselves. You will learn to distinguish between genuine intuitive insight and the "wishful thinking" that can often lead to mistaken choices and unwanted consequences. Includes many specific exercises and meditations designed to nourish and support each individual's natural intuitive gifts. OSHO challenges readers to examine and break free of the conditioned belief systems and prejudices that limit their capacity to experience life in all its richness. He has been described by the Sunday Times of London as one of the "1000 Makers of the 20th Century" and by Sunday Mid-Day (India) as one of the ten people-along with Gandhi, Nehru, and Buddha-who have changed the destiny of India. More than a decade after his death in 1990, the influence of his teachings continues to expand, reaching seekers of all ages in virtually every country of the world.Intuition deals with the difference between the intellectual, logical mind and the more encompassing realm of spirit. Logic is how the mind knows reality, intuition is how the spirit experiences reality. Osho's discussion of these matters is wonderfully lucid, occasionally funny, and thoroughly engrossing. All people have a natural capacity for intuition, but often social conditioning and formal education work against it. People are taught to ignore their instincts rather than to understand and use them as a foundation for individual growth and development-and in the process they undermine the very roots of the innate wisdom that is meant to flower into intuition. In this volume, Osho pinpoints exactly what intuition is and gives guidelines for how to identify its functioning in others and ourselves. You will learn to distinguish between genuine intuitive insight and the "wishful thinking" that can often lead to mistaken choices and unwanted consequences. Includes many specific exercises and meditations designed to nourish and support each individual's natural intuitive gifts.
Frequency: The Power of Personal Vibration
Penney Peirce - 2009
Everything is vibrating. In fact, each of us has a personal vibration that communicates who we are to the world and helps shape our reality. In Frequency, Penney Peirce shows you how to feel your personal vibration and work intentionally with energy to transform your life. By learning to find your "home frequency" -- the highest, most natural personal vibration you can attain -- you can maximize clarity, minimize struggle, and discover new talents and capacities. Awakening to the new reality that a higher frequency reveals can help you dramatically improve relationships, find upscale solutions to problems, and materialize a life that contains everything you need. Frequency shows you how to manage your energy "state" so you can stay on track with your destiny -- and reap the benefits of the life you're truly built for.
Psychedelic Healing: The Promise of Entheogens for Psychotherapy and Spiritual Development
Neal M. Goldsmith - 2010
Through clinical trials to assess their use, entheogens have been found to ease anxiety in the dying, interrupt the hold of addictive drugs, cure post-traumatic stress disorder, and treat other deep-seated emotional disturbances. To date, results have been positive, and the idea of psychedelics as powerful psychiatric--and spiritual--medicines is now beginning to be accepted by the medical community. Exploring the latest cutting-edge research on psychedelics, along with their use in indigenous cultures throughout history for rites of passage and shamanic rituals, Neal Goldsmith reveals that the curative effect of entheogens comes not from a chemical effect on the body but rather by triggering a peak or spiritual experience. He provides guidelines for working with entheogens, groundbreaking analyses of the concept--and the process--of change in psychotherapy, and, ultimately, his own story of psychedelic healing. Examining the tribal roots of this knowledge, Goldsmith shows that by combining ancient wisdom and modern research, we can unlock the emotional, mental, and spiritual healing powers of these unique and powerful tools, providing an integral medicine for postmodern society.
Kriya Yoga by Swami Yogananda (1930)
Paramahansa Yogananda - 2013
This is an exact reproduction of his 1930 work (now Public Domain), formatted for Kindle devices. It contains detailed descriptions and instructions in the following techniques: (1) Kriya Proper - The basic Kriya Pranayama technique (2) Maha Mudra - Preparatory technique for Kriya Proper (3) Jyoti Mudra - Technique to see the Spiritual Eye
Descartes' Baby: How the Science of Child Development Explains What Makes Us Human
Paul Bloom - 2004
They expect objects to obey principles of physics, and they're startled when things disappear or defy gravity. Yet they can also read emotions and respond with anger, sympathy, and joy. In Descartes' Baby, Bloom draws on a wealth of scientific discoveries to show how these two ways of knowing give rise to such uniquely human traits as humor, disgust, religion, art, and morality. How our dualist perspective, developed throughout our lives, profoundly influences our thoughts, feelings, and actions is the subject of this richly rewarding book.
Conscious Dreaming: A Spiritual Path for Everyday Life
Robert Moss - 1996
Written by a popular leader of dream workshops and seminars, Conscious Dreaming details a unique nine-step approach to dreams, especially precognitive and clairvoyant ones, that uses contemporary dreamwork methods and techniques developed from shamanic cultures around the world.
Real Magic: Ancient Wisdom, Modern Science, and a Guide to the Secret Power of the Universe
Dean Radin - 2018
Are such powers really possible? Science says yes.According to noted scientist and bestselling author of The Conscious Universe, Dean Radin, magic is a natural aspect of reality, and each of us can tap into this power with diligent practice.But wait, aren't things like ESP and telepathy just wishful thinking and flights of the imagination? Not according to the author, who worked on the US government's top secret psychic espionage program known as Stargate. Radin has spent the last forty years conducting controlled experiments that demonstrate that thoughts are things, that we can sense others' emotions and intentions from a distance, that intuition is more powerful than we thought, and that we can tap into the power of intention (think The Secret, only on a more realistic and scientific level). These dormant powers can help us to lead more interesting and fulfilling lives.Beginning with a brief history of magic over the centuries (what was called magic two thousand years ago is turning out to be scientific fact today), a review of the scientific evidence for magic, a series of simple but effective magical techniques (the key is mental focus, something elite athletes know a lot about), Radin then offers a vision of a scientifically-informed magic and explains why magic will play a key role in frontiers of science.
Comfortably Numb: How Psychiatry Is Medicating a Nation
Charles Barber - 2008
In 2006, 227 million antidepressant prescriptions were dispensed in the United States, more than any other class of medication; in that same year, the United States accounted for 66 percent of the global antidepressant market. In "Comfortably Numb, "Charles Barber provides a much-needed context for this disturbing phenomenon. Barber explores the ways in which pharmaceutical companies first create the need for a drug and then rush to fill it, and he reveals that the increasing pressure Americans are under to medicate themselves (direct-to-consumer advertising, fewer nondrug therapeutic options, the promise of the quick fix, the blurring of distinction between mental illness and everyday problems). Most importantly, he convincingly argues that without an industry to promote them, non-pharmaceutical approaches that could have the potential to help millions are tragically overlooked by a nation that sees drugs as an instant cure for all emotional difficulties. Here is an unprecedented account of the impact of psychiatric medications on American culture and on Americans themselves.
The Finders
Jeffery A. Martin - 2019
The most common way this manifests is in a persistent sense of discontentment. Something just doesn’t feel quite right. That something is usually hard to put a finger on. It’s often just a feeling that haunts us in the background, one that leads to endless soul searching and goal striving. Although it can disappear when a desire is achieved, or a piece of our life that was believed to be missing falls into place, ultimately the relief is only temporary. Before long, the background feeling that something is not okay returns and the search begins anew. You may be surprised to learn that life doesn’t have to be this way. Since 2006, our global scientific research project has been on the trail of the tiny fraction of the population that seems to have escaped this fate. We found thousands of them, and what we learned has been nothing short of astonishing. It will revolutionize your life for the better, if you’ll let it. Praise For The Finders "If a Nobel Prize existed for Psychology, the work done by Jeffery Martin and his team and described in this book would be a strong contender. The book is about people who have managed to fulfil one of the most sought after but rarely achieved human needs – true happiness, a deep and fundamental sense of wellbeing." ~ Dr. Peter Fenwick, internationally renowned neuropsychiatrist and Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists "Dr. Jeffery Martin's work on non-symbolic states of awareness has helped create the most lucid map for understanding higher states of consciousness. I have personally gained a deeper understanding of the universality of human sacred experience from his research and have been able to replicate and publish it. For anyone who is interested in getting scientific knowledge of the range and evolution of human experience in the direction of expanded awareness and ultimately that which wisdom traditions call 'enlightenment' Jeffery's book and research are must reads." ~ Deepak Chopra, MD, FACP, founder of The Chopra Foundation and co-founder of The Chopra Center for Wellbeing, author of over 85 books including dozens of best sellers "In this book Dr. Martin takes his place beside William James and Abraham Maslow to give us one of the most important and ground-breaking works on consciousness and human potential in recent memory." ~ Allan Leslie Combs, Ph.D., CIIS Professor of Consciousness Studies, author of The Radiance of Being and Consciousness Explained Better "Dr. Jeffery Martin and his colleagues have produced a landmark study, one not only relevant to transpersonal psychology but to psychology in general. Maslow wrote of 'self-actualized' persons. Dr. Martin goes a step further, describing the phenomenology of Maslow's highest level, namely the self-transcendent or enlightened. This book contains a schema by which its readers can more deeply appreciate the development of these men and women. It is not often that rigorous research can be inspirational, but Dr. Martin has come through. Indeed, readers on a spiritual path are now able to chart their own development on a continuum of experiences, one that many writers once pathologized." ~ Stanley Krippner, PhD, Professor of Psychology at Saybrook University; past-President of two and Fellow in five divisions of the American Psychological Association, and winner of its lifetime achievement award for Distinguished Contributions to the International Advancement of Psychology; 50+ year veteran researcher and pioneer in the scientific study of consciousness