Aeon Academic – serie

An exploration of the use the of psychedelics and Jung's work on trauma, the shadow, psychosis, and psychospiritual transformation.Carl Gustav Jung pioneered the transformative potential of the deep unconscious. Psychedelic substances provide direct and powerful access to this inner world. How, then, might Jungian psychology help us to better understand the nature of psychedelic experiences? And how might psychedelics assist the movement toward psychological transformation described by Jung?Jungian depth psychology and psychedelic psychotherapy are both concerned with coming to terms with unconscious drives, complexes, and symbolic images. Unaware of significant evidence for the safe clinical use of psychedelic drugs, Jung himself remained wary of psychedelics and staunchly opposed their therapeutic use. His bias has prevented Jungians from objectively considering the benefits as well as the risks of using psychedelics for psychological healing and growth.Confrontation with the Unconscious intertwines psychedelic research, personal accounts of psychedelic experiences, and C. G. Jung's work on trauma, the shadow, psychosis, and psychospiritual transformation - including Jung's own confrontation with the unconscious - to show the relevance of Jung's penetrating insights to the work of Stanislav Grof, Ann Shulgin, Ronald Sandison, Margot Cutner, among other psychedelic and transpersonal researchers, and to demonstrate the great value of Jung's penetrating insights for understanding difficult psychedelic experiences and promoting safe and effective psychedelic exploration and psychotherapy.

A complete guide to the Buddhist practices of meditation, right living, and everything else you need to knowWho was the Buddha and why did he become such a significant historical figure? What were his most important insights and teachings? What can he tell us about the universality of suffering and the potential for freedom? How can we live a life with growth and harmony and without emotional pain? What is Buddhist understanding of the greater reality? With clarity and simplicity, wisdom and humour, Paramabandhu Groves takes us on a journey towards some answers to these questions.The Buddha's remarkable passage through his own life showed him that ascetic practice in itself did not bring enlightenment, but a careful attention to internal processes combined with a compassionate attitude to self and others could bring an extraordinary freedom from suffering. The mainstay of Buddhist practice is mindfulness of breath, body and emotions leading to a more profound awareness.The Buddha indicated a bigger picture, beyond words, based on the interconnectedness and impermanence of all things. Practical Buddhism shows us how we can use these practices to lead a moral and ethical life, receiving and giving friendship, not causing harm and achieving happiness while our consciousness becomes, brighter, clearer and more subtle. Paramabandhu weaves examples both from his own experience and other people's to demonstrate the value of Buddhist practice and techniques in managing the multiple demands and challenges of everyday life.Practical Buddhism explores:* Mindfulness practice and misconceptions about meditation* Working with troublesome thoughts and difficult emotions* The practice of compassion and kindness* Guidelines for skilful living* Working through stress, relationship problems and addictive behaviour* The meaning of karma and dharma* Understanding freedom, impermanence and non-selfhood* Buddhism and psychotherapy* How Buddhist practice informs our relationship with sexuality, illness and pain, greed and sustainability.

A seminal text exploring the means by which the herbal practitioner can seek to appreciate the individual patient's predicament.Written for both herbal medicine students and practitioners, The Consultation in Phytotherapy takes a radical approach, challenging readers to reflect on the nature, scope and methods of the consultation in herbal practice.Author Peter Conway asserts that the effective consultation represents a therapeutic act in and of itself, and proposes strategies for maximising and realising this therapeutic potential.His book provides both a complement to, and a critique of, mainstream texts on clinical diagnosis and case management.It contrasts the herbal consultation with that occurring in conventional medicine and offers rationales, arguments and tools aimed at developing an enhanced capacity to achieve profound results in the herbal clinical encounter.