Transpersonal Medicine

"Transpersonal Medicine" is a term coined to embrace a wide range of alternative medical approaches that recognize the role of mind, consciousness, and spirituality in healing - powers that transcend those of the limited body or personality of the individual person. This broad-based medical approach also goes beyond the personal in enlisting support from others, for the powers of love, compassion, and fellowship are important catalysts for change. The ultimate goal of transpersonal medicine is not merely to eliminate or prevent disease, but to help us realize our inherent completeness and divinity, whether in sickness, health, or even death.
Drawing on his extensive background in clinical psychology as well as unconventional forms of therapy, Dr. Lawlis explores the multifaceted ways in which human consciousness facilities healing through such means as imagery, prayer, community support, positive emotions, humor and storytelling, symbology, altered states, and intuitive diagnosis. The common denominators are ritual and the acknowledgment of "nonlocal consciousness," the fact that the influence of the human mind is not bound by time or space. Each of nine chapters is followed by an interview with a recognized leader in the field of alternative medicine, including Jeanne Achterberg, Larry Dossey, Carl Simonton, Stanley Krippner, and Dean Ornish.