Synopses & Reviews
Most of us walk through each day expecting few surprises. If we want to better ourselves or our lives, we map out a path of gradual change; perhaps in therapy or a 12-step group. University of New Mexico psychologists William Miller and Janet C'de Baca were longtime scholars and teachers of this approach to self-improvement when they became intrigued by a different sort of change that was sometimes experienced by people and often described as a bolt from the blue or seeing the light. When they placed a request in a local newspaper for people's stories of unexpected personal transformation, the deluge of of responses was astounding.
These compelling stories of epiphanies and sudden insights inspired Miller and C'de Baca to examine the experience of quantum change through the lens of scientific psychology. Where does quantum change come from? Why do some of us experience it, and what kind of people do we become as a result? The answers that this book arrives at yield remarkable insights into how human beings achieve lasting change--sometimes, even, in spite of ourselves.
Drs. Miller and C'de Baca began their collaborative research on quantum change in 1990, and this book is the first full report of their work.
Synopsis
Most of us walk through each day expecting few surprises. If we want to better ourselves or our lives, we map out a path of gradual change; perhaps in counseling or psychotherapy. University of New Mexico psychologists William Miller and Janet C'de Baca were longtime scholars and teachers of traditional approaches to self-improvement when they became intrigued by a different sort of change that was sometimes experienced by people they encountered--something often described as "a bolt from the blue" or "seeing the light." And when they placed a request in a local newspaper for people's stories of unexpected personal transformation, the deluge of responses was astounding. The vivid, moving stories they gathered form the basis for this compelling book.
Exploring the experience of "quantum change" through the lens of scientific psychology, the book identifies two kinds of sudden personal transformation: insights and the more mystical epiphanies. Some participants in the authors' study accepted their experiences as products of rarely tapped inner resources; others as gifts from a higher power. Many recounted their epiphanies and sudden insights in exquisite detail years after the fleeting event, describing such enduring results as a greater sense of meaning in life, a shift in values or goals, or freedom from unhealthy behaviors. Closely examining the life conditions and personality traits in place both before and after the quantum change occurred, the book shows that such experiences are not as uncommon as typically believed, nor are they easy to toss aside as wishful thinking or passing delusions. The authors draw from research findings and psychological theory to address fascinating questions about where quantum change comes from, why some of us experience.
About the Author
William R. Miller, PhD, is Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of New Mexico. He has published 40 books, including
Motivational Interviewing: Helping People Change, and his many scientific publications reflect his interests in the psychology of change, the treatment of addictions, and the interface of psychology and spirituality. The Institute for Scientific Information lists him as one of the world's most cited scientists.
Janet C'de Baca, PhD, received her doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of New Mexico. She is currently a research scientist with the Behavioral Health Research Center of the Southwest, in Albuquerque. Her professional interests include cross-cultural psychology and the prevention and treatment of addictive behaviors.
Table of Contents
I. The Context
1. Something Old, Something New
2. The Landscape of Quantum Change
3. Before
II. Insights
4. The Insightful Type of Quantum Change
5. Boom
6. Taking the AA Train
7. A Mirror and Two Roses
8. Awakening
9. Ripples
III. Epiphanies
10. The Mystical Type of Quantum Change
11. The Reluctant Mystic
12. Something Like a Star
13. A Voice in the Fireplace
14. At Pecos
15. Trampoline
IV. Reflections
16. After
17. Are Quantum Changes Always Positive?
18. What Happened?
19. Messages to Humankind
Epilogue
An Invitation
Appendix. Values: What Matters Most to You?
Notes