Psychology of the Future: Lessons from Modern Consciousness Research

Convinced that the study of nonordinary consciousnesses represents a fundamental challenge to the prevailing psychological interpretations of consciousness, Grof (California Institute of Integral Studies) introduces the reader to his work in the study of nonordinary consciousness, especially those brought about by psychotropic substances such as LSD and that brought about by the author's own "holotropic breathwork." He explores the therapeutic potential of these states and makes an argument that these aspects of the psyche could not possibly arise from a purely physiological basis, thus "consciousness is a primary attribute of existence . . . [that] participates in a larger universal field of cosmic consciousness that permeates all existence."