Healing the Split: Integrating Spirit Into Our Understanding of the Mentally Ill (Suny Series, Philosophy of Psychology) [Paperback]

M.D. John E. Nelson (Author), Michael Washburn (Introduction)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

If California psychiatrist Nelson is correct, the hallucinated voices and visions of psychotics may lie on a continuum with the spirits and elementals known to occultists and mystics of all ages. In a challenging synthesis of transpersonal psychology, medical psychiatry and neuroscience, Nelson interprets schizophrenia, psychosis and multiple-personality disorder as altered states of consciousness involving erasure of self-boundaries and, in at least some patients, an overwhelming influx into the conscious mind of disorienting material from what Nelson calls the Spiritual Ground (equated with Brahma, Tao, The Word). Critical of the antipsychiatry movement begun by Thomas Szasz and R. D. Laing, Nelson is also dubious of theories seeking an ultimate explanation for madness in genetic abnormalities or chemical imbalances. He outlines a seven-step path of personal/spiritual growth that recognizes that madness may have roots in shocks to the fetus, the birth trauma, painful childhood experiences or dysfunctional families.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 468 pages
• Publisher: State University of New York Press; Revised edition (February 28, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 079141986X
• ISBN-13: 978-0791419861
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #723,217 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent synthesis of Eastern philosophy and Western scien, August 27, 1999

By A Customer

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This review is from: Healing the Split: Integrating Spirit Into Our Understanding of the Mentally Ill (Suny Series, Philosophy of Psychology) (Paperback)

At last, an enlightened psychiatrist describes a way to distinguish mystical experience and creative inspiration from regressive psychosis. Nelson integrates Eastern Philosophy and Western neuroscience into a unique and practically helpful synthesis that appeals to educated people who see consciousness as more than brain chemistry, but who also discern the flaws in R.D. Laing's and Thomas Szasz's now outdated views on psychotic experience. Highly recommended!

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best of Kundalini, February 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Healing the Split: Integrating Spirit Into Our Understanding of the Mentally Ill (Suny Series, Philosophy of Psychology) (Paperback)

I feel that this book and Kundalini, Evolution and Enlightenment edited by John White are two of the best, well-rounded books on Kundalini. This is due to their holistic input of theories, personal accounts and scientific research. Both books show the individual/social aspects. In addition, this author does a wonderful job of making the distinction between regressive illness and progressive transformation - a much needed view! These two books should always be available as invaluable resources for professionals and/or those with a serious interest in the topic.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Healing the Split, July 4, 2000

By 

Oneman "Oneman" (Out west) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Healing the Split: Madness or Transcendence? A New Understanding of the Crisis and Treatment of the Mentally Ill (Hardcover)

This is a wonderful book by an experienced psychiatrist who knows what to ask when a patient says God is telling him what to do. According to Dr. Nelson, sometimes anti-psychotic medications are needed, other times more transpersonal approaches work better. In his Foreword, Ken Wilber calls the book "enormously impressive and profound" and laments that it isn't required reading for psychiatry residents. The book is divided in four parts, dealing in turn with madness and consciousness, the brain, the spirit, and ending with the part on healing. The book is beautifully written with many insights into the non-rational world. My favorite is the explanation of the futility of trying to invalidate a paranoid delusion-logic's razor's edge is no match for the granite of necessity. The book is full of insights into all forms of altered states of consciousness, creativity, and genius, and how they compare to madness. It should forever debunk the myth that creativity and insanity inevitably go hand in hand.