Download or read book Shamans Among Us Schizophrenia Shamanism and the Evolutionary Origins of Religion written by Joseph Polimeni and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2012-12-01 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Schizophrenia is one of the most enigmatic human experiences. While it can cause terrible distress, it doesn't fit the mold of a classic medical disease. In Shamans Among Us, Joseph Polimeni shows that today's schizophrenia patients are no less than the modern manifestation of tribal shamans, people vital to the success of early human cultures. Spanning human history and including discussions of evolution, the definition of disease, and the nature of psychosis, Shamans Among Us is the most detailed and comprehensive evolutionary theory yet assembled to explain a specific psychiatric diagnosis. "Joseph Polimeni's scholarly book challenges several traditional concepts of both evolutionary biology and medicine. I strongly recommend it to all those who dare to think outside the box." - Martin Brüne, MD, author of Textbook of Evolutionary Psychiatry.
Download or read book Evolutionary Psychiatry written by Anthony Stevens and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-12-14 with total page 341 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Evolutionary Psychiatry was first published in 1996, the second edition followed in 2000. This ground breaking book challenged the medical model which supplied few effective answers to long-standing conundrums. A comprehensive introduction to the science of Darwinian Psychiatry, the second edition included important fresh material on a number of disorders, along with a chapter on research. Anthony Stevens and John Price argue that psychiatric symptoms are manifestations of ancient adaptive strategies which are no longer necessarily appropriate but which can best be understood and treated in an evolutionary and developmental context. Particularly important are the theories Stevens and Price propose to account for the worldwide existence of mood disorders and schizophrenia, as well as offering solutions for such puzzles as paedophilia, sado-masochism and the function of dreams. Readily accessible to both the specialist and non-specialist reader, Evolutionary Psychiatry describes in detail the disorders and conditions commonly encountered in psychiatric practice and shows how evolutionary theory can account for their biological origins and functional nature. This Classic Edition of the book includes a new preface by Anthony Stevens and a foreword by Paul Gilbert.
Download or read book Neo shamanism and Mental Health written by Karel James Bouse and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2019-10-24 with total page 163 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores the contemporary practice of Neo-shamanism and its relationship to mental health. Chapters cover the practice of Neo-shamanism, how it differs from traditional shamanism, the technology of the shamanic journey, the lifeworlds of some of its practitioners, as well as its benefits and pitfalls. The author’s analysis draws on an in-depth study of existing literature, original qualitative-phenomenological research into the lifeworlds of practitioners, and nearly three decades of observation and experience as a student, teacher and practitioner of Neo-shamanism. She discusses the potential role of Neo-shamanic journey technology as an approach for psychology-based studies of consciousness and anomalous phenomena; its value as a tool for self-exploration as part of a supervised curriculum; as well as the possible therapeutic applications of the journey and shamanic healing protocols for use by mental health professionals. This book is a rich and timely resource for students and teachers of psychology, anthropology and sociology, psychotherapists, and anyone who is interested in consciousness and parapsychology.
Download or read book My Mysterious Son written by Dick Russell and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2018-01-02 with total page 514 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What does a father do when hope is gone that his only son can ever lead anything close to a “normal” life? That’s the question that haunted Dick Russell in the fall of 2011, when his son, Franklin, was thirty-two. At the age of seventeen, Franklin had been diagnosed with schizophrenia. For years he spent time in and out of various hospitals, and even went through periods of adamantly denying that Dick was actually his father. A mixed-race child, Franklin was handsome, intelligent, and sensitive until his mental illness suddenly took control. After spending the ensuing years trying to build some semblance of a normal father-son relationship, Dick was invited with his son, out of the blue, to witness the annual wildlife migration on Africa’s Serengeti Plain. Seizing this potential opportunity to repair the damage that both had struggled with, after going through two perilous nights together in Tanzania, ultimately the two-week trip changed both of their lives. Desperately seeking an alternative to the medical model’s medication regimen, the author introduces Franklin to a West African shaman in Jamaica. Dick discovers Franklin’s psychic capabilities behind the seemingly delusional thought patterns, as well as his artistic talents. Theirs becomes an ancestral quest, the journey finally taking them to the sacred lands of New Mexico and an indigenous healer. For those who understand the pain of mental illness as well the bond between a parent and a child, My Mysterious Son shares the intimate and beautiful story of a father who will do everything in his power to repair his relationship with a young man damaged by mental illness.
Download or read book Acute Religious Experiences written by Richard Saville-Smith and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2023-02-09 with total page 174 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book engages the problem of how, in the 21st century, we are to speak about experiences of the extraordinary/anomalous/extreme which occur on a transhistorical and transcultural basis. Critical re-readings of seminal texts show how 20th-century theoreticians in the humanities sought to erase madness from their irrational subjects. This propensity to sanitize madness in the study of religions was mirrored by the instinct of psychiatrists to degrade religious experiences by reducing mad consciousness to psychosis or dissociation. Richard Saville-Smith introduces explanatory pluralism as a way of recognizing these disciplinary biases and mad studies as a way of negotiating this understanding. The disproportionate significance of madness in shaping the fabric of the human story can then be recovered from both erasure and dismissal to be given the recognition previously denied - as acute religious experiences. Acute Religious Experiences divides into three sections, beginning with re-readings of William James's pathological programme, Rudolf Otto's numinous, T. K. Oesterreich's possession, Mircea Eliade's shamanism, Walter Stace's mysticism, Walter Pahnke's psychedelic experience, and Abraham Maslow's peak experiences. These ideas are shown to constitute the beginnings of a fractured discourse on the irrational. In part two, contemporary psychiatry's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) and Foucault's History of Madness are re-read to reposition madness as not necessarily pathological. This opens the way for the identification of acute religious experiences as a new holistic and post-colonial approach through which religious data can be organized and addressed on a comparative basis. In part three, The Gospel of Mark is re-read as a case study to demonstrate the novel insights which flow from the identification of acute religious experiences. Richard Saville-Smith draws on his own experiences of madness and his PhD from the School of Divinity at The University of Edinburgh to elucidate his research.
Download or read book Health and Safety for Spirit Seers Telepaths and Visionaries written by Anna Cornelia Beyer and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2019-01-04 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a much-needed, positive, hopeful and holistic perspective on how to cope with schizophrenia. While 51 million people in the world are afflicted with this illness, self-help books on the topic are not in ample supply, and those that do exist are often very dark in outlook. This volume combines knowledge from previous studies, personal accounts, and scientific research today. Topics explored here include an overview on experiences with, and explanations for, schizophrenia; alternative and natural healing tips for psychosis and schizophrenia, including diet and orthomolecular medicine; an overview of alternative therapies; relationship and career advice; how to deal with emergencies; and how to recover after a period of psychosis, among others.
Download or read book The SAGE Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology written by Todd K. Shackelford and published by SAGE. This book was released on 2021-08-04 with total page 2222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Evolutionary psychology is an important and rapidly expanding area in the life, social, and behavioral sciences, and this Handbook represents the most comprehensive and up-to-date reference text in the field today. Over three volumes, the Handbook provides a rich overview of the most important theoretical and empirical work in the field. Chapters cover a broad range of topics, including theoretical foundations, the integration of evolutionary psychology with other life, social, and behavioral sciences, as well as with the arts and the humanities, and the increasing power of evolutionary psychology to inform applied fields, including medicine, psychiatry, law, and education. Each of the volumes has been carefully curated to have a strong thematic focus, covering: - The foundations of evolutionary psychology; - The integration of evolutionary psychology with other disciplines, and; - The applications of evolutionary psychology. The SAGE Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology is an essential resource for researchers, graduate students, and advanced undergraduate students in all areas of psychology, and in related disciplines across the life, social, and behavioral sciences.
Download or read book The Origins of Shamanism Spirit Beliefs and Religiosity written by H. Sidky and published by Lexington Books. This book was released on 2017-06-21 with total page 267 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In The Origins of Shamanism, Spirit Beliefs, and Religiosity, H. Sidky examines shamanism as an ancient magico-religious, divinatory, medical, and psychotherapeutic tradition found in various parts of the world. Sidky uses first-hand ethnographic fieldwork and scientific theoretical work in archaeology, cognitive and evolutionary psychology, and neurotheology to explore the origins of shamanism, spirit beliefs, the evolution of human consciousness, and the origins of ritual behavior and religiosity.
Download or read book Shamanism written by Michael J. Winkelman and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2010-08-05 with total page 334 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines shamanism from evolutionary and biological perspectives to identify the origins of shamanic healing in rituals that enhance individual and group function. What does the brain do during "soul journeys"? How do shamans alter consciousness and why is this important for healing? Are shamans different from other kinds of healers? Is there a connection between the rituals performed by chimpanzees and traditional shamanistic practices? All of these questions—and many more—are answered in Shamanism, Second Edition: A Biopsychosocial Paradigm of Consciousness and Healing. This text contains crosscultural examinations of the nature of shamanism, biological perspectives on alterations of consciousness, mechanisms of shamanistic healing, as well as the evolutionary origins of shamanism. It presents the shamanic paradigm within a biopsychosocial framework for explaining successful human evolution through group rituals. In the final chapter,"the author compares shamanistic rituals with chimpanzee displays to identify homologies that point to the ritual dynamics of our ancient hominid ancestors.
Download or read book Religion and Mental Health written by Harold G. Koenig and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2018-03-23 with total page 385 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Religion and Mental Health: Research and Clinical Applications summarizes research on how religion may help people better cope or exacerbate their stress, covering its relationship to depression, anxiety, suicide, substance abuse, well-being, happiness, life satisfaction, optimism, generosity, gratitude and meaning and purpose in life. The book looks across religions and specific faiths, as well as to spirituality for those who don’t ascribe to a specific religion. It integrates research findings with best practices for treating mental health disorders for religious clients, also covering religious beliefs and practices as part of therapy to treat depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. Summarizes research findings on the relationship of religion to mental health Investigates religion’s positive and negative influence on coping Presents common findings across religions and specific faiths Identifies how these findings inform clinical practice interventions Describes how to use religious practices and beliefs as part of therapy
Download or read book Schizophrenia written by Kevin Silber and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2014-07-23 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This comprehensive introduction to schizophrenia is an ideal starting point for students. It covers the theoretical foundations of different perspectives of schizophrenia, including medical, evolutionary and social, to give readers a solid grounding and then discusses the various forms of treatments and the arguments surrounding each perspective.
Download or read book A Dimensional Approach to Schizotypy written by Simone Cheli and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2023-10-09 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This timely volume explores the range of personality traits and psychosocial deficits which are associated with the broadly defined construct of schizotypy. Describing schizotypy as a phenomenon that can be located on a continuum ranging from sub-clinical states to severe disorders, the editors have brought together experts in this field to discuss approaches to assessment, conceptualization, and treatment. This volume aims to provide a unique and clinically oriented perspective on schizotypy as a feature of personality and psychopathology. An essential resource for professionals, researchers, and academics the reader will gain knowledge of: Underlying maladaptive traits that can emerge as schizotypy Dimensional and transdiagnostic approaches to psychopathology Relationship to metacognition, mentalizing, attachment, self-criticism and interpersonal criticism
Download or read book Cultural Perspectives on Mental Wellbeing written by Natalie Tobert and published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. This book was released on 2016-09-21 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As human migration brings an ever more diverse range of people, cultures and beliefs into contact, Western medical systems must adapt to cater for the different approaches it encounters towards illness, the body, gender, mental health and death. Based upon training courses taught by the author to staff at hospitals, mental health professionals, and on degree courses, this complete resource provides an essential foundation for understanding the complex and manifold approaches to medicine and health around the world. An awareness of this diversity moreover allows healthcare professionals to better engage with their patients and offer them satisfactory care and support in the future.
Download or read book Shamanism written by Manvir Singh and published by Random House. This book was released on 2025-05-20 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From a brilliant, young, Harvard-trained anthropologist and contributor to The New Yorker comes a fascinating investigation into the spiritual practice of shamanism from its beginnings through to the present day, for readers disaffected with organized religion who seek a more personal approach to spirituality. “Shamanism” is broadly defined as a religious practice of spiritual transformation wherein a specialist (a shaman) uses initiations, drug-induced altered states, and deprivation to heal, divine, and otherwise tame life’s uncertainties. Might shamanism—a centuries-old phenomenon—be a reservoir of ancient knowledge, an embodiment of our once-true spirituality and connection to nature, or is it a relic of a backwards era, mere “superstitious savagery” produced by crafty showmen to exploit naïve credulity? Informed by the latest developments in cognitive science, evolutionary biology and anthropology—and relying on field research in remote Indonesia, the Amazon and the South Pacific—Manvir Singh holds a magnifying glass to the practice of shamanism, examining its long history, its pitfalls, and its potential benefits to today's society. At its core, this is a book about faith and healing and the universal hunger for god. Shamanism is a deep dive into archaic wisdom that feels uniquely relevant in a moment of specious modern religiosity.
Download or read book Cave Paintings and the Human Spirit written by David S. Whitley and published by Prometheus Books. This book was released on 2009-09-25 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Whitley, one of the world's leading experts on cave paintings, rewrites the understanding of shamanism and its connection with artistic creativity, myth, and religion by interweaving archaeological evidence with the latest findings of cutting-edge neuroscience.
Download or read book Wondrous Healing written by James McClenon and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For thousands of years, spiritual questions have haunted the hearts and minds of humankind. Do higher powers exist, and if so, what is our relationship to them? And how else might we interpret seemingly miraculous events such as faith healing, out-of-body experiences, and extrasensory perceptions? Wondrous Healing traces the human capacity for religious belief to the success of ancient healing rituals, such as chanting to calm women in childbirth or rhythmic dancing to reduce trauma from wounds. Those who accepted these hypnotic suggestions were far more likely to receive positive benefits from the "healing." The apparent success of such rituals, McClenon argues, led to the development of shamanism, humankind's first religion. Controversial and daring, McClenon's theory is based on his extensive research and firsthand observation of modern shamanistic performances across Asia and North America. His evidence supports the argument that evolutionary processes developed a biological basis for religion. McClenon's historical and anthropological analyses of these issues explore the relationship between science, society, and spirituality.
Download or read book Shamanism and the Origin of States written by Sarah M. Nelson and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2008 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sarah Milledge Nelson's bold thesis is that the development of states in East Asia--China, Japan, Korea--was an outgrowth of the leadership in smaller communities guided by shamans. Using a mixture of historical documents, mythology, archaeological data, and ethnographic studies of contemporary shamans, she builds a case for shamans being the driving force behind the blossoming of complex societies. More interesting, shamans in East Asia are generally women, who used their access to the spirit world to take leadership roles. This work challenges traditional interpretations growth of Asian states, which is overlaid with later Confucian notions of gender roles. Written at a level accessible for undergraduates, this concise work will be fascinating reading for those interested in East Asian archaeology, politics, and society; in gender roles, and in shamanism.
