Synopses & Reviews
Living Deeply transcends any one approach by focusing on common elements of transformation across a variety of traditions, while affirming and supporting the diversity of approaches across religious, spiritual, scientific, academic, and cultural backgrounds. Each chapter in the book ends with Experiences of Transformation, exercises drawn from wisdom traditions or scientific investigations meant to enhance your direct experience of the material.
Opportunities to actively engage in your own transformation and that of our world are woven into the fabric of your everyday life. Learning more about the terrain of consciousness transformation can not only give you a map, but can help you become the cartographer of your own transformative journey. Research over the last decade at the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) has systematically surveyed hundreds of people's stories of their own transformations, as well as conducting over 50 in-depth interviews with teachers and masters of the world's spiritual, religious, and transformative traditions.
No matter who you are,where you come from, or what your current path is - whether you seek to transform your life completely or simply make adjustments that will add a layer of richness and depth to your life - exploring the many ways that transformation is stimulated and sustained can hold great power. Weaving together cutting-edge science with wisdom from teachers of the world's transformative traditions this book explores how people experience deep shifts in their consciousness, and how those shifts can lead to healing and wholeness.
Research over the last decade at the Institute of Noetic Sciences has explored in depth the phenomenon by which people make significant shifts in the way they experience and view the world. Focusing in particular on positive transformations in consciousness, or those that result in improved health, well-being, and sense of meaning, purpose,and belonging, hundreds of people's stories of their own transformations were included in the research, as well as in-depth interviews with over 50 teachers and masters of the world's spiritual, religious, and transformative traditions.
Authors Marilyn Mandala Schlitz, Ph.D., Cassandra Vieten, Ph.D., and Tina Amorok, Psy.D. - will begin conducting workshops based on the information they have gathered for this book. These workshops will blend the rigors of science with the deep wisdom of the worlds spiritual traditions. Drs. Schlitz, Vieten, and Amorok will offer key insights from the decade-long qualitative and quantitative research study, of how people transform their lives. The workshops will include rigorous inquiry, group dialogue, and direct experience about the kinds of transformations in consciousness that change a persons worldview to one that is more connected to others.
For more information about the Signature Education Workshops, please visit www.livingdeeply.org
Also available is a companion DVD.
Review
Living Deeply is the accumulated wisdom of many of our greatest living teachers, all adepts in the goal of personal transformation. This is one of the finest collections of gentle, penetrating insights available. Highly recommended.
—Larry Dossey, MD, author of The Extraordinary Healing Power of Ordinary Things
Review
Living Deeply provides us with some of the most significant insights into spiritual transformation that I have ever read. Based on interviews with spiritual teachers, leading scientific researchers, religion scholars, important public intellectuals, and major writers, this volume is a remarkable example of an integrative approach to a topic of immense importance. It is marvelous to look through the different windows of transformation that are so richly described and interpreted both spiritually and scientifically. Living Deeply is a major accomplishment that will hopefully become a classic in an emerging field. It is truly a brilliant synthesis. I think Living Deeply will change lives and change the world for the better.
—Stephen G. Post, Ph.D., professor of bioethics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Review
“This book fills a very important gap in the training of most mental health professionals. Carefully researched, well organized, and wonderfully practical, it will help any clinician who recognizes the importance of spirituality and religion in most people’s lives yet feels uncertain of how to approach these issues in psychotherapy.”
—Ruth Baer, PhD, professor of psychology at the University of Kentucky and author of The Practicing Happiness Workbook
Review
“Spiritual and religious competency is a foundational skill for clinicians, but has typically received much less attention than it deserves. This book thoughtfully engages key issues and provides clinicians with up-to-date resources and strategies for building this core skill.”
—Willoughby Britton, PhD, assistant professor of research in the department of psychiatry and human behavior at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Review
“If you’re a psychologist or clinician, put
Spiritual and Religious Competencies in Clinical Practice on your list of must-read books. It will be your guide to helping clients access the religious and spiritual resources—like coping skills or social support—available for their treatment or recovery. Keep it close and refer to it often!”
—Christine Carter, PhD, author of The Sweet Spot and Raising Happiness
Review
“If you are unaware of the spiritual dimensions of healing, your competence will be seriously compromised. This is a must-read manual for therapists, healers, doctors, nurses, or anyone in the healing professions.”
—Deepak Chopra, MD
Review
“This critical resource takes a deep look at the self-insight, knowledge, and skills that clinicians need to have in working with clients of varying spiritual and religious identities. Unlike vague advice to be open and empathic, this book relies on research and provocative clinician experiences to highlight specific recommendations to take seriously psychologists’ oft-ignored requirement to respect and take seriously clients’ diverse spiritual and religious identities.”
—Adam Cohen, associate professor of psychology at Arizona State University
Review
“This is a much-needed contribution that significantly raises awareness of religious and spiritual dimensions of clients’ lives, highlights client resources that can be drawn upon, and expands the diversity discussion in a thoughtful and inclusive way. I would recommend this book for every therapist.”
—Brant Cortright, PhD, professor of psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies and author of Psychotherapy and Spirit and Integral Psychology (SUNY Press)
Review
“One of the major developments in psychology and medicine in recent decades is the realization that spiritual and religious practices can have major positive influences on health and longevity. These findings, buttressed by thousands of studies, are now largely accepted as part of the canon of medical science. These practices are not handed down from on high, but can be taught by professionals who are competent to do so. The development of these competencies is what this breakthrough book is all about.
Spiritual and Religious Competencies in Clinical Practice is a doorway toward a more empathic, compassionate, and effective form of healing. This book is of value not just for mental health professionals, but for practicing physicians as well.”
—Larry Dossey, MD, executive editor of Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing and author of One Mind
Review
“Aimed at clinicians, this is also a quietly profound and transformational book. It draws readers into a heartfelt engagement with their own deepest questions and longings while offering many practical guidelines and suggestions for skillful, effective work with diverse spiritual, religious, and existential issues. Unique, and destined to be a classic in the field.”
—Rick Hanson, PhD, author of Buddha’s Brain
Review
“Grounded solidly in research, Vieten and Scammell do a masterful job of applying general multicultural competence issues involving therapist attitudes, knowledge, and intervention strategies to the spiritual and religious domains. A must-read for all mental health professionals, but especially those who find their commitment to diversity most challenged by clients’ spirituality and religiousness.”
—Peter C. Hill, PhD, Rosemead School of Psychology, Biola University
Review
“In this revolutionary book, Vieten and Scammell open our eyes to the power of the sacred in the therapeutic encounter, enabling client and clinician to find purpose, healing, and joy in the individual’s religious and spiritual convictions.”
—Dacher Keltner, professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley; director of Greater Good Science Center; and author of Born to Be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life
Synopsis
Drawn from the Institute of Noetic Sciences' (www.noetic.org) thirty-year investigation into transformations in human consciousness, this book explores the power of mind-body practice, heightened states of awareness, and moments of personal transformation. The book includes specific suggestions for readers who want to create transformation in their own lives.
Synopsis
Contributor] Lauren Artress [Authors] Marilyn Mandala Schlitz, Ph.D., Cassandra Vieten, Ph.D., and Tina Amorok, Psy.D.
Synopsis
The book Living Deeply is the product of the Institute of Noetic Sciences decade-long investigation into transformations in human consciousness. It transcends any one approach by focusing on common elements of transformation across a variety of traditions, affirming and supporting the diversity of approaches across religious, spiritual, scientific, academic, or cultural backgrounds. Living Deeply makes these teachings accessible without diminishing their complexity, empowering readers to become their own scientists, develop and test their own hypotheses, and reach their own conclusions.
Synopsis
Religion lies at the heart of many clients' core values, and helps shape their perception of themselves and the world around them. In Spiritual and Religious Competencies in Clinical Practice, two clinical psychologists provide a much-needed, research-based road map to help professionals appropriately address their clients spiritual or religious beliefs in treatment sessions. This book is a must-read for any mental health professional.
Synopsis
Religion lies at the heart of many clients' core values, and helps shape their perception of themselves and the world around them. In this book, two clinical psychologists provide a much-needed, research-based road map to help professionals appropriately address their clients’ spiritual or religious beliefs in treatment sessions.
More and more, it has become essential for mental health professionals to understand and competently navigate clients' religious and spiritual beliefs in treatment. In Spiritual and Religious Competencies in Clinical Practice, you’ll find sixteen research-based guidelines and best practices to help you provide effective therapy while being conscious of your clients' unique spiritual or cultural background.
With this professional resource as your guide, you will be prepared to:
- Take a spiritual and religious history when treating a client
- Attend to spiritual or religious topics in a clinical setting
- Hold clear ethical boundaries regarding your own religious or spiritual beliefs
- Know when and how to make referrals if topics emerge which are beyond the scope of your competence
This book is a must-read for any mental health professional looking to develop spiritual, religious, and cultural competencies.
About the Author
Marilyn Mandala Schlitz, PhD, is a clinical research scientist, medical anthropologist, writer, speaker, thought leader, and change consultant. Her work over the past three decades explores the interface of consciousness, science, and healing. Her recent book, Consciousness and Healing: Integral Approaches to Mind Body Medicine has been described as a tour de force. Her research has been featured in such forums as the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and ABC World News. Schlitz serves as vice president for research and education at the Institute of Noetic Sciences and as senior scientist at the Research Institute, California Pacific Medical Center.
Cassandra Vieten, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist, president and CEO of the Institute of Noetic Sciences, and a scientist in the Mind-Body Medicine Research Group at the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute. Her research has focused on spirituality and health, development and pilot testing of mindfulness-based approaches to cultivating emotional balance, and transformative experiences and practices. She is coauthor of Living Deeply (New Harbinger/Noetic Books 2008) and author of Mindful Motherhood (New Harbinger 2009).
Tina Amorok, PsyD, is a clinical and research psychologist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences where she coedited the anthology, Consciousness and Healing: Integral Approaches to Mind-Body Medicine and is an investigator on the IONS Transformations of Consciousness Study. with a background in integral health and healing, clinical psychology, and change management, Amorok has designed and implemented programs for professional, university, corporate, and lay sectors on wellness and transformation. Her current research, entitled the Eco-Trauma and Eco-Recovery of Being, examines how to heal and transform the primal wound of human alienation from nature from which destructive ecological behaviors, violence, and unhealthy life styles arise.Dr. Robert A.F. Thurman is the Jey Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies in the Department of Religion at Columbia University, President of the Tibet House U.S., a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Tibetan civilization, and President of the American Institute of Buddhist Studies, a non-profit affiliated with the Center for Buddhist Studies at Columbia University and dedicated to the publication of translations of important texts from the Tibetan Tanjur. Thurman's work and insights are grounded in more than 35 years of serious academic scholarship. He has a B.A., A.M. and PhD degrees from Harvard and has studied in Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in India and the United States. A long-time advocate of Buddhist monasticism, in 1962, Thurman became the first American ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist monk. He gave up his robes after several years, however, when he discovered he could be most effective in the American equivalent of the monastery, the university. He has written both scholarly and popular books, and has lectured widely all over the world. His special interest is the exploration of the Indo-Tibetan philosophical and psychological traditions, with a view to their relevance to parallel currents of contemporary thought and science.
Table of Contents