Spiritual Threads in Psychotherapeutic Work

The Healing Power of Non-ordinary States of Consciousness

This video talk looks at the Non-ordinary states of consciousness that are found in everyday life, in crisis, in psychiatric emergencies and in spiritual emergence. These states, that we might call numinous, can be beautiful or terrifying, sacred or dread-filled. They can cause breakdown but, if carefully negotiated, they carry enormous potential for accelerated psychological development and deeper integration. Traditionally shamans have walked between the two worlds of everyday and non-ordinary consciousness; nowadays we have a range of techniques available to assist our explorations. But where do these journeys take us? The parallels with shamanic journeying and the potential of modern psychotherapy are also considered.