Review Of Literature
(Exam questions are not drawn from the Review of Literature Section)
Toxic Psychiatry: Why Therapy, Empathy, And Love Must Replace The Drugs, Electroshock And Biochemical Theories Of The “New Psychiatry” (1991) is an interesting approach to the subject of trauma and recoveryby Peter Breggin.The back coverof this very important book states that “Peter Breggin is the leading voice in this country exposing psychiatry’s betrayal of the most fundamental essence of what it means to be human.” In other words, psychiatry attempts to break the spirit of human beings who cannot or will not conform to an inhuman way of life. Since this inhumanity has become a compulsory feature of life in modern industrial society, any member of this society who insists on being fully human must be classed by psychiatry as insane.
Dancing The Dream: The Seven Sacred Paths Of Human Transformation (1999)by Jamie Sams who is,“Widely recognized as one of the foremost teachers of Native American wisdom. Jamie Sams reveals the seven sacred paths of human spiritual development and explains how exploring each path leads to shifts in our personal relationships with the earth, our loved ones, friends and communities, and most important, our own spiritual selves. As part of a profound awakening process, these paths help us heal the past, shed fear of the future, and focus on being aware and fully present in our daily lives. Ultimately, we discover that we are indeed dancing the dream.” This book shows how traumatic experiences can be viewed as initiatory challenges that lead us down the path to greater spiritual awareness.
Tarot Shadow Work: Using The Dark Symbols To Heal (2000) by Christine Jette, “provides a type of ‘mystical therapy,’ a careful blending of practical advice and mysticism.”
The
Myth Of Mental Illness (1974) by Thomas S. Szasz explores the history
of mental “illness” as a medical concept, and the contradictions
inherent in this concept. Other titles by the same author include Law,
Liberty, And Psychiatry; Psychiatric Justice; The Ethics
of Psychoanalysis; Ideology And Insanity; and The Manufacture
Of Madness.
Thoughts Without A Thinker (1995) explores the common ground between Buddhist philosophy and Western psychology.
Seeing With The Mind’s Eye (1990) by Mike and Nancy Samuels provides the student with a wealth of visualization techniques that can be used to free the mind from the limitations imposed on thought by verbal structures.
Other books situated at the entryway to related avenues of study have been quoted at various lengths in this course. The titles and authors of such works can be found in the bibliography. Any detail or critical concept missing from this course can be found within the pages of the books we have listed. The healing process may involve a great deal of reading and research on the part of the student, healer, or seeker after recovery.