Walking Shadows: Archetype and Psyche in Crisis and Growth
Book Details
Also by Tim Read
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There are certain unusual mental states that have such an extraordinary intensity, that they are numinous; they involve the presence of an archetype. These states can be beautiful or utterly terrifying, they can predispose to illness but if carefully negotiated they carry enormous potential for accelerated development. This book is about these high intensity mental states as found in the psychiatric emergency room, in everyday life, in psychotherapy and in spiritual practice.
How can we understand this archetypal layer of psyche and how can we work with its power to promote psycho-spiritual growth? The author weaves the archetypal perspective into the psychoanalytic and medical models of mind to show us how the different layers of the individual and collective psyche intertwine to give us our rich experience of being human.
Using everyday language and using case studies from clinical work in psychiatry and psychotherapy, the author takes the reader on a journey from:
* Breakdown to breakthrough
* Plato's cave to Jung's archetypal crisis
* Genetics to transpersonal psychology
* Hearing voices to post traumatic stress disorder
* Psychoanalysis to psychedelics
* The mid life crisis to the encounter with death
* Quantum physics to synchronicity
* Shakespeare to shamanism
* Transcendent nature to mindfulness
Customer Reviews
Our customers have given this title an average rating of 5 out of 5 from 1 review(s), add your own review for this title.
Dr J O'Reilly on 07/12/2014 18:56:55
(5 out of 5)
This is a fascinating book written in a beautifully accessible and clear style. Dr Read draws upon a wealth of clinical experience as a psychiatrist in addition to his own more personal experiences to provide the reader with a rich menu of chapters and stories ranging from psychiatric crisis to the complexity of all that makes us human. With a strong and creative theoretical basis he links key ideas about individual development and psychoanalytic theory with transpersonal and Jungian perspective to explore the possibility of an archetypal experiential layer to our lives and how this can add to our understanding of ourselves, in crisis and in growth. A scholarly work richly based in experience his writing style makes these ideas compelling reading for all. Highly recommended as a strikingly original work and a valuable contribution for anyone interested in asking some of the deeper questions about who we are.
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