For years, North Americans have been seeking rational, analytical answers to despair and anxiety. But now, this rational Western perception of consciousness has been challenged by an Eastern discipline which brings into sharp focus the travesty and deception underlying many of the contemporary awareness movements. Yet it is also the author's intent to combat the easy criticisms of the super-rationalists who dismiss every new development as the irresponsible inventions of the "guru-of-the-month club." He offers not only the finding of extensive scientific research on the brain but the valuable discoveries of personal experience as well. There is no one who is better qualified to assess our modern approach to matters of the mind than Robert Ornstein and he does so with clarity, wit, and utter persuasiveness
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Robert Ornstein is a brain researcher who, having worked his way to the cutting edge of consciousness, refuses to budge. In what is essentially a series of essays, The Mind Field takes a rational, scientific look at the esoteric envelope -- psychotherapy, Eastern mysticism, intuition training, parapsychology. With deft reasoning and rock-solid information, Ornstein delivers an enlightening exploration which brushes away much detritus, leaving a sprout of potential to be nurtured and observed.
Review
"For genuine enquirers this book is a must!" -- Doris Lessing
"Works with cool logic and scientific skepticism to point up the potential of intuitional, inductive, and holistic modes of thought." -- The New York Times
"Works with cool logic and scientific skepticism to point up the potential of intuitional, inductive, and holistic modes of thought." -- The New York Times
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
In-between science and spirituality: parapsychology,
By
This review is from: The Mind Field: A Personal Essay (Hardcover)
In this book, Ornstein gives his opinion about the shortcomings of both pure psychology and pseudo-spiritual practices. As neither pure science nor pure spirituality can cover the whole spectrum of the human subjectivity field, both are required to understand the nature and the working of the human mind. Science analyzes, reasons, and is limited by its very rationality and consistency requirements. Any single-minded spirituality on the other hand cannot capture the whole range of possible subjective approaches of reality as seen by every human being. Overall, this book provides quite interesting insight and experience as seen from a professional psychologist who is deeply interested in understanding the mind, not just describing as are most blind scientists.
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Ok but dated,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Mind Field : A Personal Essay (Paperback)
Mind Field is part essay and part exposition of Idries Shah's non-Islamic Sufism. The first half of the book is a overview of psychology as it stood back in 1975 when it was written. It covers subjects like parapsychology and altered states, the effects of meditation. Overall the first half is a good read. The second half is a rather indirect introduction to Idries Shah's version of Sufism via a series of his teaching stories. In fact Ornstein attempts to convey Shah's Sufism almost entirely via these stories rather than explaining what Shah's Sufism is. It comes off in my opinion rather poorly. Unless you are into decipering parables and hidden meanings this part is a waste of time. Not to mention that Shah's Sufism comes across not so much as a spiritual path but like a secular humanist psychology or some derivative of the human potential movement like NLP or EST.In summary the book is ok but don't look for anything that has not been covered by other authors in the same field. It really needs to be updated to make it relevant today. As those especially in the Transpersonal Psychology field have long passed Ornstein by. If you are interested in Sufism look elsewhere like those by Kabir Helminski - Living Presence, The Knowing Heart. For psychology and meditation I'd start with Charles Tart and Daniel Goleman. Both of whom have extensive experience in both areas.
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