Psyche Unbound: Essays in Honor of Stanislav Grof is an extraordinary compilation of twenty-two essays that honor the path-breaking lifework of Stanislav Grof, M.D., Ph.D., the world’s leading researcher in psychedelic-assisted therapy, breathwork, and the exploration of non-ordinary states of consciousness. This new collection, copublished by Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) with Synergetic Press, is now available.Â
Dr. Grof, a founder of transpersonal psychology, is recognized by many as having both inherited and extended the great revolution in psychology begun by Freud and Jung. His investigations of the nature and healing potential of non-ordinary states of consciousness led him to propose a model of the psyche which honors the full range of human experience. Unconstrained by the dogmatic prejudices of mainstream psychology and of the dominant reductive, mechanistic, and materialistic-scientific paradigm, Grof offers a liberated — and liberating — vision of psyche unbound.
Psyche Unbound features contributions from thought leaders of the last five decades, including a piece from Joseph Campbell’s 1971 lecture in the Great Hall at Cooper Union and Huston Smith’s 1976 summary of Grof’s work as it relates to the study of religion and mysticism. More recent writing includes reflections by renowned psychiatrists and researchers that discuss the importance of Grof’s contributions on the current wave of interest and research into psychedelic-assisted therapies and alternative states of consciousness.
Psyche Unbound includes essays that explore Grof’s work on numerous fronts including transpersonal sexual experiences, implications for social and cultural change, comparative studies with Asianreligious systems, the perinatal dimensions of Jean-Paul Sartre’s transformational 1935 mescaline experience, and parallel findings from quantum and relativistic physics.
Edited by Richard Tarnas, Ph.D., and Sean Kelly, Ph.D., Psyche Unbound has already received praise from some of modern psychology’s most formidable academics and visionaries.
“What is remarkable about this book is that while each essay discusses, describes, or elaborates on a majorconcept or contribution of Grof’s, few of the essays overlap in any meaningful way,” says James Fadiman, Ph.D., author and pioneer of psychedelic therapies, of the collection. “The result is a volume of original thinking, speculation, and elaboration that is deeply satisfying in its exploration of ways of knowing Grof encountered or created during his long career.”
Grof is himself the author and editor of many books, including Psychology of the Future: Lessons from Modern Consciousness Research; The Cosmic Game: Explorations of the Frontiers of Human Consciousness; Human Survival and Consciousness Evolution; The Adventure of Self-Discovery: Dimensions of Consciousness and New Perspectives in Psychotherapy and Inner Exploration; Beyond the Brain: Birth, Death, and Transcendence in Psychotherapy; and Ancient Wisdom and Modern Science, all published by SUNY Press. MAPS has previously published The Way of the Psychonaut: Encyclopedia for Inner Journeys (Vol. One) and The Way of the Psychonaut: Encyclopedia for Inner Journeys (Vol. Two), LSD Psychotherapy: The Healing Potential of Psychedelic Medicine, and Modern Consciousness Research and The Understanding of Art.
Psyche Unbound: Essays in Honor of Stanislav Grof, which features a foreword by Rick Doblin, Ph.D., founder of MAPS, will be released January 11, 2022.
Additional Praise for Psyche Unbound: Essays in Honor of Stanislav Grof
“Brilliant and deep, this volume celebrates and illuminates Stan Grof’s genius. His profound vision has created a powerful new paradigm for psychology, medicine, human and social development, and for understanding the nature of consciousness. His groundbreaking research and vast experience offers us wisdom, a wise heart and whole beneficial new perspectives across multiple fields. A truly important worthy tribute.” — Jack Kornfield, Ph.D., Author of A Path With Heart
“An inspiring, highly personal look at Stanislav Grof’s groundbreaking work, and how it has created the modern foundation for what we now know as transpersonal psychology. This inspiring festschrift compiles twenty-two anecdotal and analytical essays from leaders in their fields whose work has been influenced by Grof, and relays the breadth and significance of Grof’s insights and theories throughout the years.” — Zaya and Maurizio Benazzo, Science and Non-Duality (SAND) Founders and Organizers “The festschrift is literally a tour de force. It weaves together insights into the transformative nature of consciousness throughout—and beyond—our lifespan. Wisdom is shared by leaders in this fascinating field and they open the shudders to an expanded horizon of human potentials. Psyche Unbound deserves a front row seat in the dynamic play of consciousness in a post materialist world.”— Marilyn Schlitz, Ph.D., M.A., Professor, Sofia University, Author of Death Makes Life Possible and Living Deeply: The Art and Science of Transformation
About Stanislav Grof:
Stanislav Grof, M.D., Ph.D., is a psychiatrist with more than fifty years experience researching the healing and transformative potential of non-ordinary states of consciousness. His groundbreaking theories influenced the integration of Western science with his brilliant mapping of the transpersonal dimension. Dr. Grof is also the founding President of the International Transpersonal Association (ITA) and was its President for many years. Currently, Dr. Grof is Professor of Psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) in the Department of Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness in San Francisco and at Wisdom University in Oakland, Calif.
Dr. Grof’s extensive research includes experiential psychotherapy using psychedelics and non-drug techniques, especially the Holotropic Breathwork™ (a method he developed with Christina Grof), alternative approaches to psychoses, understanding and treatment of psychospiritual crises (“spiritual emergencies”), the implications of recent developments in quantum-relativistic physics, biology, brain research, and other avenues of the emerging scientific paradigm, for psychiatric theory and consciousness studies.
ABOUT MAPS
Founded in 1986, MAPS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit research and educational organization that develops medical, legal, and cultural contexts for people to benefit from the careful uses of psychedelics and marijuana. MAPS is sponsoring the most advanced psychedelic therapy research in the world: Phase 3 clinical trials of MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD. Since its founding, MAPS has raised over $130 million for psychedelic and marijuana research and education and has earned both the Guidestar Platinum Seal of Transparency and a 4-Star Rating from Charity Navigator.
ABOUT SYNERGETIC PRESS
For over 35 years as an independent publisher, our mission has been to promote mindful discussion of humankind’s present and future lives. We have published unique and paradigm-shifting ideas in subjects such as ecology, sustainability, psychedelics, consciousness, and cultural anthropology that inspire both individual and social change. For more information visit synergeticpress.com.
