Altered States of Consciousness and Mental Health: A Cross-Cultural Perspective

by Colleen Ward (Editor)

This volume presents various perspectives on altered states of consciousness and mental health and places them within the boundaries of cross-cultural psychology. Part One considers theoretical and methodological issues in the study of altered states of consciousness; Parts Two and Three link altered states of consciousness and mental health by focusing on both its therapeutic and pathological aspects. The final section concentrates on models highlighting a variety of paradigms and diverse methodological approaches.

320 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1989

Reviews

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of academic papers on the topic of Altered States of Consciousness. It dates from the 1980s. The collection includes multiple perspectives - psychology, psychiatry, anthropology, sociology. The main thrust of the book is to explore the therapeutic value of altered states of consciousness. That is, phenomena like trance states, and possession are primitive societies' psychotherapy and psychoanalysis. Therefore, Western society needs to rethink the definition of Altered States of Consciousness as pathological, and that rational thought and "normal" perception are the only healthy state of being.

Interestingly, most of the papers cited in the bibliographies of the papers are from the 1960s and 1970s. This is probably an indication that research dollars for studying ASCs dried up with the Reagan administration. Now, the only research done are with suspect New Age organizations like the Institute for Noetic Sciences, Esalen, the Institute for Transpersonal Psychology, etc.