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Book description

How can we connect the spiritual realizations of Buddhism with the psychological insights of the West? In Toward a Psychology of Awakening John Welwood addresses this question with comprehensiveness and depth. Along the way he shows how meditative awareness can help us develop more dynamic and vital relationships and how psychotherapy can help us embody spiritual realization more fully in everyday life. Welwood's psychology of awakening brings together the three major dimensions of human experience: personal, interpersonal, and suprapersonal, in one overall framework of understanding and practice.
John Welwood

John Welwood

Author Bio

As a psychotherapist, teacher, and author, John Welwood (1943–2019) was a pioneer in integrating psychological and spiritual work. Welwood published six books, including the best-selling Journey of the Heart (HarperCollins, 1990), as well as Challenge of the Heart (Shambhala, 1985), and Love and Awakening (HarperCollins, 1996). He was an associate editor of the Journal for Transpersonal Psychology and led workshops and trainings in psychospiritual work and conscious relationship throughout the world.

Praise for the book

The Middle Way

“A very important book. It represents a perceptive, scholarly and at the same time highly practical attempt to see not only how Western psychology and Buddhism relate to each other but also how they complement each other. I cannot commend this book too highly.”

Spirituality & Health

“Brilliant and thought provoking. This ambitious work succeeds so well because it sheds light on the interplay between meditation, inner work, and conscious relationship as a spiritual practice.”

NAPRA Review

“Marvelously fluent, personable, and eminently compassionate.”

Publishers Weekly

“Rich, potentially transforming insights abound here. Psychotherapists and spiritual seekers alike will be enriched by this book.”