Modern Psychology and Ancient Wisdom

Sharon G. Mijares, PhD, is an international speaker, author and teacher focused on psychospiritual healing and gender balance. She is a visiting professor at the UN University for Peace, part-time associate faculty at National University, core faculty at the California Institute for Human Science, and adjunct faculty at Brandman University. She is also the author of The Psychospiritual Clinician's Handbook: Alternative Methods for Understanding and Treating Mental Disorders.

"This marvelous book comes at a pivotal time in the history of the human journey—a time when the deadening forces of Western technology appear to be overtaking our humanity—and it offers the reader real alternatives. It provides clear and grounded discussion of the world's great healing traditions, spiritual wisdom, and indigenous practices from several ancient sources. I particularly valued the experiential guidance which clients and therapy practitioners may use to reconnect with the life force that sustains us all. An important book."—Maureen O’Hara, PhD, professor of psychology at National University"Modern Psychology and Ancient Wisdom, second edition, recasts the world's wisdom traditions in frames that restore social, ecological and gender balance. This work is as salient as it is timely; a clarion call to bind oneself with the crimson thread of empathy that unites all seekers of transcendence. I urge believers and nonbelievers alike to drink from this deep well of spiritual wisdom. I know I will be returning to it for years to come."—Andrew Gurevich, professor of world literature and world religions in Portland, Oregon"Modern Psychology and Ancient Wisdom, second edition, offers a unique exploration of ancient healing techniques and their application to modern counseling and therapy professions. This compilation informs the contemporary dialogue about psychotherapy while also rehabilitating the image of incorporating the wisdom traditions into practice. It reflects the significant work in the integration of spirituality and psychology of which all practitioners of healing and consciousness should be aware."—Hope Umansky, PhD, dean at the California Institute for Human Science"This important book pairs holistic practices of psychospiritual healing with the living truths and practices that inform the world’s great religious traditions. Both religion and psychology are strengthened by this synthesis."—Craig Chalquist, PhD, chair of the department of East-West Psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies"There is a growing awareness in the world of psychotherapy that spirituality is an integral part of the healing process. This wonderful sourcebook reminds us that the world's religious and spiritual traditions offer practices and perspectives that can support the development of the whole person on the therapeutic journey. Practitioners as well as individuals on their own journeys will benefit from the resources for psychospiritual exploration offered in this book, and readers will discover a deeper understanding of the synergy between the process of psychological growth and the realm of spiritual insight and awakening, as reflected in the diverse approaches presented."—Selene Kumin Vega, PhD, director of the Mind-Body Healthcare Practice Program at Saybrook University

• Foreword to the Second Edition Stanley Krippner Foreword to the First Editon Stephen Gilligan Introduction Sharon G. Mijares 1. Nurturing the Seeds of Sanity: A Buddhist Approach to Psychotherapy Karen Kissel Wegela 2. Rediscovering Christ, the Healer Dwight H. Judy 3. Tales of the Goddess: Healing Metaphors for Women Sharon G. Mijares 4. Kabbalistic Pathways for Growth and Healing Sheldon Z. Kramer 5. Indigenous Knowledge and Shamanic Ways: Inner Journeys and Soul Retrieval Sharon G. Mijares 6. The Key in the Dark: Self and Soul Transformation in the Sufi and Islamic Spiritual Traditions Neil Douglas-Klotz 7. Taoist Mind-Body Resources for Psychospiritual Health and Healing Benjamin R. Tong 8. The Yoga Path as a Way of Life Eleanor Criswell & Kartikeya C. Patel Conclusion Sharon G. Mijares Index