Healing the Split: Integrating Spirit Into Our Understanding of the Mentally Ill, Revised Edition (SUNY series in the Philosophy of Psychology) - Hardcover

Nelson, John E.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0791419851 ISBN 13: 9780791419854

Publisher: State University of New York Press, 1994

Synopsis

The links between madness, creative genius, and spiritual experiences have tantalized philosophers and scientists for centuries. In Healing the Split, John Nelson brings the lofty ideas of transpersonal psychology down to earth so they can be applied in a practical way to explain the bizarre effects of insanity on the human mind. Drawing on a vast knowledge of Eastern philosophy and mainstream neuropsychiatry, he heals the split between orthodox and alternative views with a comprehensive approach that goes beyond both. Starting where R. D. Laing and Thomas Szasz left off, Nelson revises and expands their radical views in light of modern brain science. He then turns to ancient tantric yoga for a synthesis that weaves brain, psyche, and spirit into a compelling new conception of mental illness.

For professionals who seek to meet the needs of their patients more creatively, this book offers a unique synthesis. For people in emotional crisis, it clarifies the distinctions among intractable psychosis, temporary breakdowns in the service of healing (spiritual emergencies), and psychic breakthroughs (spiritual emergence). And for anyone interested in the seemingly inexplicable workings of the human mind gone mad, this fascinating exploration of psychotic states of consciousness will be exciting reading.

About this title

About the Author

John E. Nelson, M.D., is a practicing psychiatrist certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. He has worked with psychiatric patients since 1969 and has long been a student of transpersonal psychology and Eastern philosophy.

Edition details

• Publisher: State University of New York Press
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0791419851
• ISBN 13: 9780791419854
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 472