Beyond Religion: A Personal Program for Building a Spiritual Life Outside the Walls of Traditional Religion [Paperback]

Ph.D. David N. Elkins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1998

Let David Elkins, psychologist and former minister, show you how to find authentic, soul-nurturing spirituality outside church or temple walls. Discover your personal path to the sacred and explore new ways to bring nonreligious spirituality into your life.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Quest Books (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 083560764X
• ISBN-13: 978-0835607643
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #252,003 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm a licensed psychologist but I hate much of what passes for psychology -- the kind that pathologizes individuals and pretends a therapist is like a physician. Most of those who seek counseling or psychotherapy do not need a "doctor" who "diagnoses" their "pathology" and pretends he or she has medical-like "techniques" that can "cure" their "mental disorder." Instead, I believe we all have difficulties in life and that what most of us need is a caring, compassionate person with a deep understanding of psychology and an even deeper appreciation for the existential struggles of life to hear our story and journey with us during those difficult stretches of life. Interestingly, the best research today undermines the medical model in counseling and therapy and supports the kind of therapeutic experience I have long believed in. I am a professor emeritus of psychology at Pepperdine University where I taught for 20 years and I am the chair of the Doctor of Psychology program at Saybrook University in San Francisco (as of September, 2010). In 1998-1999, I was president of Division 32, Society for Humanistic Psychology, American Psychological Association, and was recently elected as president again (my term will begin in August, 2011). My book BEYOND RELIGION (see amazon.com) is about spirituality as a universal and deeply healing human phenomenon and how traditional religion holds no monopoly on spirituality. In other words, I believe one can be "spiritual but not religious." The book has received good reviews and been translated into four foreign languages. My most recent book, HUMANISTIC PSYCHOLOGY: A CLINICAL MANIFESTO (see amazon.com) presents a critique of contemporary clinical psychology and points the way to a more humane and compassionate profession. Anyone interested in a "non-religious" approach to spirituality or in the politics and problems of contemporary clinical psychology should enjoy my books -- at least I hope so.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended for the spiritual seeker., April 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Beyond Religion: A Personal Program for Building a Spiritual Life Outside the Walls of Traditional Religion (Paperback)

A lucid, permission-giving approach to finding one's own spiritual path, written by a psychologist who realized that traditional religion no longer spoke to him and decided to search for "new wells" to drink from. Excellent.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clear, intimate, and significant, February 10, 2005

By 

Steve Allison (Knoxville, TN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beyond Religion: A Personal Program for Building a Spiritual Life Outside the Walls of Traditional Religion (Paperback)

This book, which I've read twice through and refer to from time to time, gives the reader a clear explanation of spiritual paths. They are backed up by the author's experience and knowledge of the field. Being a southern boy from a conservative christian group, many of the concepts here are foreign to the heritage in which I was raised. I have attempted at times during the course of my life to understand and fathom this yet evolving alternative spiritual tradition. This book has been a help. The fact that it is authored by a person who comes from where I come from provides validation for me of the truths of this spiritual stream. David and I come from the same place in rural Arkansas. He is six years older than I and I can distinctly remember him on pitcher's mound throwing his roundhouse curveball to Pony league batters. We grew up in an intense, close knit christian group. Zealous and extremely rational, the rules are well set and little deviation allowed. But sincere, diligent, and devout beyond reproach. Therefore, I know where he is coming from. David was always a caring, thoughtful and feeling type person. Naturally, he went into the ministry originally but eventually found his way and home in the psychology profession (lucky for you dear reader). Even though I haven't seen or talked with him since I was a teenager in the sixties I can still hear his voice when I read the book. You can perceive that he made an impression on me. The book shows that he has read widely and he draws from resources back to the Greeks and before as well as spiritual writings up to the present. It is not New Age pap. I really admired him for self-disclosure and for his guts to say some of the things he did in the sections on the feminine and the erotic. The book is intended for those "outside the walls of traditional religion". But, it is my opinion that it is no less useful for those (like myself) who are within organized religion. So read it and try out some of the paths. It is good that he provides suggested structure and discipline. Didn't Jesus say something like "My yoga is easy my burden is light"?

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book will open your eyes, as it did mine!, September 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Beyond Religion: A Personal Program for Building a Spiritual Life Outside the Walls of Traditional Religion (Paperback)

As a spiritual teacher I have often been asked about spirituality and religion. David, however, deals with this topic better than anyone I have ever seen--Del Millers, author, Dancing with God