In 1991, when her daughter’s rare, hand-carved harp was stolen, Lisby Mayer’s familiar world of science and rational thinking turned upside down. After the police failed to turn up any leads, a friend suggested she call a dowser—a man who specialized in finding lost objects. With nothing to lose—and almost as a joke—Dr. Mayer agreed. Within two days, and without leaving his Arkansas home, the dowser located the exact California street coordinates where the harp was found. Deeply shaken, yet driven to understand what had happened, Mayer began the fourteen-year journey of discovery that she recounts in this mind-opening, brilliantly readable book. Her first surprise: the dozens of colleagues who’d been keeping similar experiences secret for years, fearful of being labeled credulous or crazy. Extraordinary Knowing is an attempt to break through the silence imposed by fear and to explore what science has to say about these and countless other “inexplicable” phenomena. From Sigmund Freud’s writings on telepathy to secret CIA experiments on remote viewing, from leading-edge neuroscience to the strange world of quantum physics, Dr. Mayer reveals a wealth of credible and fascinating research into the realm where the mind seems to trump the laws of nature. She does not ask us to believe. Rather she brings us a book of profound intrigue and optimism, with far-reaching implications not just for scientific inquiry but also for the ways we go about living in the world.

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "Perspectives on Reincarnation: Hindu, Christian, and Scientific" that was published in Religions

The first book by a respected journalist on Nearing Death Awareness—similar to Near-Death Experience—this “fascinating” (Kirkus Reviews) exploration brings “humor, sympathy, and keen critical intelligence to a topic that is all too often off-limits” (Ptolemy Tompkins, collaborator with Eben Alexander on Proof of Heaven). People everywhere carry with them extraordinary, deeply comforting experiences that arrived at the moment when they most needed relief: when they lost a loved one. These experiences can include clear messages from beyond, profound and vividly beautiful visions, mysterious connections and spiritual awareness, foreknowledge of a loved one’s passing—all of which evade explanation by science and logic. Most people keep these transcendent experiences secret for fear they will be discounted by hyperrational scrutiny. Yet these very common occurrences have the power to console, comfort, and even transform our understanding of life and death. Prompted by her family’s surprising, profound experiences around the death of her father and her sister, reporter Patricia Pearson sets out on an open-minded inquiry, a rare journalistic investigation of Nearing Death Awareness, which Anne Rice praises as “substantive, eloquent, and worthwhile.” Opening Heaven’s Door offers deeply affecting stories of messages from the dying and the dead in a fascinating work of investigative journalism, pointing to new scientific explanations that give these luminous moments the importance felt by those who experience them. Pearson also delves into out-of-body and near-death experiences, examining stories and research to make sense of these related but distinct categories. Challenging current assumptions about what we know and what we are still unable to explain, Opening Heaven’s Door will forever alter your perceptions of the nature of life and death.

Humans have developed visible and invisible aids, like, science and religion for survival on Earth and searched for gifts of knowledge which is Gods will and His wisdom. We wanted to know why we are on Earth. Why we remember the past but not the future, and who we really are? We search for truth and like to be reminded that the knowledge of the truth belongs to creator, God who dwells in higher dimensions.

Architecture has long been understood as a cultural discipline able to articulate the human condition and lift the human spirit, yet the spirituality of architecture is rarely directly addressed in academic scholarship. The seventeen chapters provide a diverse range of perspectives, grouped according to topical themes: Being in the World; Sacred, Secular, and the Contemporary Condition; Symbolic Engagements; Sacred Landscapes; and Spirituality and the Designed Environment. Even though the authors’ approach the subject from a range of disciplines and theoretical positions, all share interests in the need to rediscover, redefine, or reclaim the sacred in everyday experience, scholarly analysis, and design.

Nina E. Cerfolio masterfully explores the deeper spiritual and psychoanalytic understanding of the origins of human aggressive and destructive instincts which underlie mass shootings and terrorism. The author survived two terrorist attacks: developing breast cancer from being a first responder at 9/11, and being poisoned by an FSB agent while providing humanitarian aid in the Second Chechen War. Through a personal, scholarly investigation into her psyche, the author describes the spiritual awakening that was catalyzed by these events and their traumatic impact, and examines how a world could create the firmament for the kinds of destructive aggression that are a daily occurrence. Featuring cutting-edge quantitative research and case material, which illustrates the prevalence of undiagnosed and untreated psychiatric illness among mass shooters and terrorists, this book encourages dialogue about the stigma of mental illness and challenges the perception of terrorists as monsters with no societal responsibility. Championing the forgotten collective humiliation of the marginalized—which in turn breeds terrorism—and documenting a new spiritual lens through which healing is possible, this book will be essential reading for mental health workers and anyone wishing to understand the traumatizing epoch in which we are living.

The book culminated from teaching-discussion sessions conducted by the author for over a decade in Mumbai. The students varied a lot; coming from various socio-economic strata, ranging from young adults to the elderly, some of whom were educated and professionally qualified, while others were not. The effort has always been to stimulate reflection, question unexamined beliefs, and opinions, and expose their hollowness, and irrationality, enable comprehension of human frailties, and reveal the rationale underlying the precepts of the Bhagavad Geeta. The Geeta is sought to be presented as a guide to good living, not determined by a god/gods but as the outflow from the right comprehension of oneself, the nature and processes of the universe, and the very notion of what the Divine is. The book departs from the usual shloka-commentary format. Instead, it is a dialogue between Arjuna, now a highly evolved radiant master, and Rashmi, a new millennium aspirant. The teaching is interspersed with Arjuna’s recall of his early failings and frailties, and Rashmi’s asides, reflections, and articulation of her misgivings about herself. It is hoped that this format of the Geeta will resonate more intimately with the psyche of the new millennial.

This book illustrates the current findings of interpersonal neurobiology that inform knowledge building and clinical practice. Contributions cover an impressive range of material including how neurobiology interfaces with clinical work with children, individuals with substance abuse issues, couples and clients with trauma histories. Leading mental health clinician-scholars describe path-breaking explorations at the neurobiological frontiers of 21st century clinical theory and practice. Representing the fields of social work, psychology and psychiatry, these authors creatively apply research findings from the ongoing revolution in social and behaviour neuroscience to a diverse array of clinical issues. Contributions include elaborations of theory (the evolving social brain; new directions in attachment, affect regulation and trauma studies); practice (neurobiologically informed work with children, adults, couples and in the conduct of supervision); and emerging neuroscientific perspectives on broader mental health issues and concerns (substance abuse; psychotropic medications; secondary traumatic stress in clinicians; the neurodynamics of racial prejudice; the dangers of forfeiting humanism to our current romance with the biological). Together, these chapters equip readers with state-of-the-art knowledge of the manner in which new understandings of the brain inform and shape today’s professional efforts to heal the troubled mind. This book was originally published as a special issue of Smith College Studies in Social Work.

Intuition in Psychotherapy provides an unprecedented look at the phenomenon of clinical intuition, outlining its role in psychotherapy and providing a framework to develop intuitive skills that will positively impact practice. Based on qualitative research and extensive first-hand interviews, the text illuminates how an awareness of intuitive processes can benefit therapists’ diagnostic and treatment outcomes. Chapters provide a context for the use of intuition within current thinking in psychotherapy and highlight different forms of intuition that can be purposefully incorporated into clinical practice. Suitable for trainee and practicing psychotherapists, the text explores common intuitive processes and offers guidance for how practitioners might develop a unique therapeutic style. As understanding of intuition becomes mainstream in psychotherapy practice, Intuition in Psychotherapy will serve as a key point of reference for years to come.

A powerful, step-by-step manual for living joyfully with the help of the angels and Archangels • Offers simple and practical exercises to connect with 15 Archangels, access angelic help and healing, and manage your energy levels and higher vibration in a chaotic and demanding world • Explains when each Archangel becomes active, notes their color and associated crystal, and offers a visualization to connect with each angel • Shows how to safely open the channel to communicate with the angelic realm and how to co-create with the angels Angels come to us in many ways: through the lyrics of a song we hear, a timely hand on the shoulder, or a book we happen upon. Angels come to our aid to help us feel safe and help our hearts open wide, so our light and our love shine through. After a powerful visit from an angel helped her transform her fast-paced, chaotic, and addiction-filled Manhattan banker lifestyle, author Kathryn Hudson decided to pay it forward and help others discover that each of us is surrounded by angels to help us. In this book, she shows how to safely open the channel to communicate with the angelic realm in order to access the help the angels are so willing to provide. She offers simple and practical exercises for connecting with 15 Archangels and shows how each of these Archangels brings specific Divine qualities to assist and support you. She explains when each Archangel becomes active, notes a color and a crystal associated with them, and offers a unique visualization exercise to connect with the essence of the individual angel, inviting this quality into your life. Each angel also provides a powerful message about this turning point in human evolution. Exploring inner child work, chakra practices, and exercises for purification and harmonization of relationships, Kathryn reveals the importance of releasing the weight of the past in order to open up to angelic guidance about the future. Working with angelic healing, she shows how to handle our energy levels in a chaotic and draining world and maintain a higher vibration. Taking you from simple questions and requests to direct experience and actual co-creation with the angelic realm, this guide reveals how to team up with our friends in high places to open your heart and live out your highest and best version of yourself in this life.