Consciousness Books - Page 4

The Myth of Sanity : Divided Consciousness and the Promise of Awareness

Martha Stout

List Price: $25.95 By: Viking Adult Amazon Marketplace: 15 new & used starting at $6.42

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 36 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Early traumatic memories affect us all, every day-but in startling ways that we are only beginning to understand.

You are driving from one familiar place to another and realize upon arriving that you can't remember how you got there. Or, on a holiday trip home to see family, you find you are inexplicably fatigued. Perhaps it's your spouse, who has taken to disappearing for evenings at a time, and you're convinced that he or she is having an affair. Or it is a boss or colleague, who seems to switch to an alternate personality in the blink of an eye. You can never predict when it will happen, or why it does. The Myth of Sanity is a book about our common, but mostly invisible, dementia. In the first book to explore this topic, Martha Stout explores the profoundly fragmented nature of human awareness and offers a new understanding about the role played by traumatic memories in day-to-day life.

Do people who have recovered from extreme trauma come to know something about awareness that the rest of us are never forced to learn? Through the lives of patients like Julia, a film editor who "woke up on Tuesday and found out that it was Friday"; Garrett, who experiences severe dissociative identity disorder; and Nathan, a psychiatrist himself, we come to understand that the answer is yes. Healing, wholeness, and the will to live our best lives, these elusive qualities are, ironically, lessons well taught by those whose lives have been shattered and remade.

The Pop-Up Book of Nightmares

Gary Greenberg

Amazon Price: $19.77 List Price: $29.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: St. Martin's Press Amazon Marketplace: 22 new & used starting at $8.41

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Adult Pop Ups are Fun! 4 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

I now own three "adult" pop up books (adult in theme not sexual content) and the are all just fun to have and share. They are nice enough to be coffee table books and they really bring pleasure to all who see and experience them. It is silly to say this one is better than an other one, although my personal favorite is the Pop Up Book of Phoebias, but this work by Gary Greenberg is a delight and one everyone with a sense of humor and who still loves to read Where the Wild Things Are, will love to have in their home. I gave it "only" 4 stars since I want to save a star for, say, The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen but of its kind The Pop-Up Book of Nightmares is 5 star all the way.

patrick cronin

Editorial Review:

They're gripping, they're realistic, and they're universal--those primal scream-creating nightmares that every reader has had at one time or another.The Pop-Up Book of Nightmares brings them vividly to life with ten richly illustrated, over-the-top pop-ups that put the reader right in the center of a world gone mad.Which one of these nightmares did you have last night? --Being unprepared for a final exam --Going for a midnight snack and finding a refrigerator teeming with rats --Giving birth to a baby that's anything but normal --Being chased by a menace that seems to be everywhere at once --Free falling with no hope of a safe landing The Pop-Up Book of Nightmares is the perfect gift for anyone who wants to mine the psychological riches of their deepest slumber. AUTHORBIO: Gary Greenberg, Balvis Rubess and Matthew Reinhart collaborated on Melcher Media's THE POP-UP BOOK OF PHOBIAS.

Zen and the Brain: Toward an Understanding of Meditation and Consciousness

James H. Austin

Amazon Price: $25.08 List Price: $38.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: The MIT Press Amazon Marketplace: 57 new & used starting at $14.25

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Total reviews: 33 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Winner of the Scientific and Medical Network 1998 Book Prize

Aldous Huxley called humankind's basic trend toward spiritual growth the "perennial philosophy." According to James Austin, the trend implies a "perennial psychophysiology"—for awakening, or enlightenment, occurs only because the human brain undergoes substantial changes. What are the peak experiences of enlightenment? How could they profoundly enhance, and yet simplify, the workings of the brain? Zen and the Brain summarizes the latest evidence.

The book uses Zen Buddhism as the opening wedge for an extraordinarily wide-ranging exploration of consciousness. In order to understand the brain mechanisms that produce Zen states, one needs some understanding of the anatomy, physiology, and chemistry of the brain. Austin, a neuroscientist and Zen practitioner, interweaves his teachings of the brain with his teachings/personal narrative of Zen. The science, which contains the latest relevant developments in brain research, is both inclusive and rigorous; the Zen sections are clear and evocative. Along the way, Austin covers such topics as similar states in other disciplines and religions, sleep and dreams, mental illness, consciousness-altering drugs, and the social consequences of advanced stages of enlightenment.

The Really Hard Problem: Meaning in a Material World (Bradford Books)

Owen J. Flanagan

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Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Honorable Mention, Philosophy category, 2007 Professional/Scholarly Publishing Awards for Excellence Competition presented by the Association of American Publishers, Inc.

If consciousness is the "hard problem" in mind science—explaining how the amazing private world of consciousness emerges from neuronal activity—then the "really hard problem," writes Owen Flanagan in this provocative book is explaining how meaning is possible in the material world. How can we make sense of the magic and mystery of life naturalistically, without an appeal to the supernatural? How do we say truthful and enchanting things about being human if we accept the fact that we are finite material beings living in a material world, or, in Flanagan's description, short-lived pieces of organized cells and tissue? Flanagan's answer is both naturalistic and enchanting. We all wish to live in a meaningful way, to live a life that really matters, to flourish, to achieve eudaimonia—to be a "happy spirit." Flanagan calls his "empirical-normative" inquiry into the nature, causes, and conditions of human flourishing eudaimonics. Eudaimonics, systematic philosophical investigation that is continuous with science, is the naturalist's response to those who say that science has robbed the world of the meaning that fantastical, wishful stories once provided.

Flanagan draws on philosophy, neuroscience, evolutionary biology, and psychology, as well as on transformative mindfulness and self-cultivation practices that come from such nontheistic spiritual traditions as Buddhism, Confucianism, Aristotelianism, and Stoicism, in his quest. He gathers from these disciplines knowledge that will help us understand the nature, causes, and constituents of well-being and advance human flourishing. Eudaimonics can help us find out how to make a difference, how to contribute to the accumulation of good effects—how to live a meaningful life.

Jungian Dream Interpretation: A Handbook of Theory and Practice (Studies in Jungian Psychology By Jungian Analysts, 13)

James A. Hall

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Theory and Practice of Understanding Your Dreams 5 out of 5 stars.
41 of 42 people found this review helpful.

This compact discussion of the Jungian method of dream analyses is a thorough examination of basic concepts as they are applied in practical dream interpretation. The author, a psychiatrist and Jungian Analyst, clearly outlines the process of understanding dreams and addresses their purpose. Dreams are for "problem solving and personality development." First they are compensation for conscious attitudes that are ineffective. Secondly dreams serve as guides to conscious integration of the unconscious elements of the psyche as an individual matures into an effective individuated being.
As an experienced student of dreams for 50 years, I consider this to be one of the best concise references. His example dreams illustrate the concepts and his organization of the theory of knowing one's Self is not dogmatic. Hall advises that the process is one of flexibility in differentiating the personal psyche of an individual from the universal and cultural structures that influence us all.

A Universe Of Consciousness How Matter Becomes Imagination

Gerald Edelman, Giulio Tononi

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Boring 2 out of 5 stars.
28 of 47 people found this review helpful.

I have been reading about the brain and working of the mind for a few years now (I am 50). I am also a university professor in engineering and consider myself well-informed. I have read many popular science books which are popular because they are interesting to general readers. This books utterly lacks interesting points especially for someone who is already familiar with the working of the brain. I am wondering if there is a reviewing conspiracy to glamorize this book which not only throws neurological jargon at you in bundles, but, at the end offers nothing content-wise. What theory? That consciousness arises from a complex and highly integrated system? Dah.. I wonder how you reached that conclusion. There is a good use for a book full of jibberish however - I use it before bed and it puts me to sleep immediately, for that reason I give it 2 starts. For a book on this subject, one can read the first and last chapters and know what the content of the book is in a nutshell. I have read them a few times and everytime I am completely blank - nothing, this books says nothing ... but it may impress some people as highly significant becasue the presentation is highly cast in scietific terms.

Editorial Review:

A Nobel Prize-winning scientist and a leading brain researcher show how the brain creates conscious experience In A Universe of Consciousness, Gerald Edelman builds on the radical ideas he introduced in his monumental trilogy-Neural Darwinism, Topobiology, and The Remembered Present-to present for the first time an empirically supported full-scale theory of consciousness. He and the neurobiolgist Giulio Tononi show how they use ingenious technology to detect the most minute brain currents and to identify the specific brain waves that correlate with particular conscious experiences. The results of this pioneering work challenge the conventional wisdom about consciousness.

Paths beyond Ego (New Consciousness Reader)

Roger Walsh, Frances Vaughan

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Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Great book on transpersonal Psychology 5 out of 5 stars.
13 of 13 people found this review helpful.

This book is a wonderful series of essays for those of us interested in transpersonal experiences. It was very inspiring and helped me experientially get closer to transcendence. The richness in content comes from many people discussing the transpersonal experience from many different perspectives. I'd highly recommend this book. Another book on transpersonal psychology I'd recommend is "The Ever-Transcending Spirit" by Toru Sato. It is the best book that explains what transcendence really means! It explains these things in a way that everyone can understand! Both books are excellent!

An Easy Read 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I was so relieved and pleasantly surprised when I opened up and began to read "Paths Beyond Ego." As this was a required text for my university class of Transpersonal Psychology, and just one of many text books I have to read, this wonderfully written book makes study time a joy. So often school text is very dry and technical so as to require the use of a dictionary every paragraph, just to get the idea of what point the author is trying to relay. Roger Walsh and Frances Vaughan use brilliant examples and metaphors in the form of stories and poems that keep your interest and explain difficult concepts in the simplest ways. This is a wonderful addition to any library that focuses on transpersonal issues.

Editorial Review:

This book is a clarion call for an expanded vision of human possibilities. The 50 essays that make up Paths Beyond Ego apply transpersonal thinking to individual growth, psychotherapy, meditation, dreams, psychedelics, science, ethics, philosophy, ecology and service. The result is an integrated and comprehensive overview of the many dimensions of human experience.

The Art of Dreaming: Creative Tools for Dream Work

Jill Mellick

List Price: $9.99 By: Gramercy Amazon Marketplace: 11 new & used starting at $6.98

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Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

The Art of Dreaming: Tools for Creative Dreamwork 5 out of 5 stars.
17 of 18 people found this review helpful.

Psychologist and author Jill Mellick offers much more than a dream interpretation book in The Art of Dreaming: Tools for Creative Dreamwork. Conventional interpretation relies on words to describe dream imagery, and often the words are terribly inadequate. Dr. Mellick says "we can express dreams in the art form the best suits them, in the art form whose structure is most akin to their innate structure."

She then fully describes more than 50 ways to explore dreams, including painting, dance, sculpture, drawing, poetry, music, or any combination of these. She explains several techniques for letting go of expectations and allowing the dream to guide the dreamer to the best form of expression.

Dr. Mellick also recognizes that many people don't have lots of time for working on their dreams. For those with little time for reflection, she provides a chapter titled "Expressive Dream Work in Five Minutes." A companion chapter offers techniques for those who have as much as ten minutes a day for dream work.

Not all dreams are pleasant. She offers help also to those haunted by nightmares, including how to make a healing mandala. She also discusses dreams in which a particular action or image is repeated.

Although most of us prefer to work alone with our dreams, some people find it beneficial to form a dream work group. Dr. Mellick provides guidelines for establishing a group and ensuring that it's beneficial to all participants.

One fascinating exercise asks people to imagine life events as a dream. The events can be ordinary activities. She says that doing this offers a new perspective that can be helpful in understanding our lives.

"The Art of Dreaming is an excellent resource and practical manual that inspires and amplifies self-discovery and understanding of the rich spiritual treasure and guidance that dreams provide."

Editorial Review:

Explore your subconscious life through understanding your dreams. Tame your nightmares through understanding them too. More than fifty activities--many of them can be done in just five to fifteen minutes--will guide you through a fascinating process of self exploration. Learn different ways interpret your dreams and how to choose the right one for a particular dream. With carefully chosen creative tools--paint, words, clay, dance, drama, masks--you will be able to uncover the deep and essential messages your dreams are sending you.

The Head Trip: Adventures on the Wheel of Consciousness

Jeff Warren

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Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

A world at once familiar and unimaginably strange exists all around us–and within us. It is the world of consciousness, a protean mental landscape that each of us knows intimately in bits and pieces yet understands in its totality scarcely at all. Tied to the body and the brain, consciousness is nonetheless beyond our ability to measure or quantify. Despite the attempts of scientists and mystics, poets and dreamers, crackpots and geniuses, to map its contours and explain its secret workings, the mind remains mysterious. And the more we learn about it, the more mysterious it becomes.

But that is not to say that we know nothing about consciousness. In fact, as gonzo science journalist Jeff Warren demonstrates in this provocative, often hilarious, and always fascinating synthesis of cutting-edge research and personal experience, just how much we do know is little short of astonishing. And when Warren fits the pieces together, the implications of that knowledge are, well, mind-blowing.

Warren begins with the insight that consciousness is not a simple on-off proposition, with rigid demarcations separating waking awareness from the murky depths of sleep, but rather a round-the-clock continuum regulated by natural biorhythms. He then sets out to explore, and to experience for himself, the seemingly miraculous, all-but-untapped potential of the human mind.

From the full-immersion virtual realities of lucid dreaming to the esoteric disciplines of Eastern meditative practices that have reached outposts of consciousness far beyond the grasp of Western science, from techniques of hypnosis and neurofeedback to such exotic states of awareness as the Watch and the Pure Conscious Event, Warren takes us on an incredible journey through our own heads–a journey conducted with the adventurous spirit and intellectual curiosity of a Darwin coupled with the sensibility of a stand-up comedian.

Part user’s manual and part travel guide, The Head Trip is an instant classic, a brilliant summation of consciousness studies that is also a practical guide to enhancing creativity, mental health, and the experience of what it means to be human. Many books claim that they will change you. This one gives you the tools to change yourself.

Hypnosis for Beginners: Reach New Levels of Awareness & Achievement (Llewellyn's Beginners Series)

William W. Hewitt

Amazon Price: $10.36 List Price: $12.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Llewellyn Publications Amazon Marketplace: 87 new & used starting at $1.96

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 33 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Great Staring point 4 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

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This a great starting point for learning hypnosis. As the title says "For Beginners".

If you need more than that, this is not the book for you.

Good place to start. 4 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Hypnosis for Beginners was a good place to start off with learning hypnotism. Hewitt explains a little bit about the history, and what is going on in the brain when hypnosis is induced. This book is directed more towards clinical/therapy types of hypnosis, however I added my own words to make it into an entertaining night with my friends. Hewitt's induction methods are good, but it is a lot of page turning to follow his lead. Hewitt has several scripts for specific therapy, and detailed instructions on self-hypnosis, also. Overall this is a good book if you want to learn to how induce hypnosis, but it does take a little practice and creativity so your "victim" is thinking about relaxing, and not how inexperienced you are.

Editorial Review:

Hypnosis is one of the most valuable tools available for the enrichment of lives. It''s a normal, safe, healthy phenomenon that brings you to the altered state of consciousness needed for directing your mind to specific goals. The power and scope of self hypnosis can blow your mind into new, heightened levels of awareness and achievement. When you are finished with this step-by-step guide, you will be able to hypnotize yourself and others safely and easily.