The Possible Human : A Course in Enhancing Your Physical, Mental, and Creative Abilities [Paperback]

Jean Houston (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 30, 1997

In what has been called "an intellectual and spiritual feast, " acclaimed pioneer in human development Dr. Jean Houston offers readers a tour of the great and unknowable homeland of the human spirit, while introducing them to a comprehensive theory and program for conscious creativity. THE POSSIBLE HUMAN is the book version of Houston's innovative and groundbreaking workshops.

Editorial Reviews

Review

When Dr. Jean Houston began The Foundation for Mind Research in 1965, her aim was to explore cultures in order to uncover the many ways peak human potential was defined and achieved. After extensive research using techniques such as dream work, altered states of consciousness and biofeedback on thousands of subjects, she began to conduct workshops that focused on psychophysical (mind/body) awareness and enhancement to reach a higher level of being. The core elements of these workshops are recreated here through essays and exercises designed to "awaken," in every sense, our physical and mental capacities, and to explore the realms of our inner space and creative processes. This is a fascinating work, both for its approach and the breadth of perspective given by the rich historical and cultural context the material is drawn from. Jean's social perceptions are remarkable, her delivery accessible and her confidence in human ability inspiring. -- From The WomanSource Catalog & Review: Tools for Connecting the Community for Women; review by Ilene Rosoff --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

What would you be like if you started today to attend the rest of your life, if you turned a corner and awoke? Suddenly, you are right there, an intense observer and participant in all the inner wit and wisdom, in knowings, growings, havings, being more present and alive in several moments than you had been in the previous drowse of years. Many of the so-called larger-than-life people differ from the rest of us chiefly in this one respect: not that they are actually larger or greater or more brilliant, but rather that they are profoundly present to the continuum of their lives. Of course there is more to them. The ages one to ten are present and accounted for, as are ages twenty to thirty, thirty to forty, and so on. There occurs an exponential gain and growth in the creative living use of all one's experience. Thus some die at seventy with an experiential age of seventeen while others are closer to a hundred and seventy, so intimate are they with the happenings of their lives.

At the height of laughter the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities. High comedy, and the laughter that ensues, is an evolutionary event. Together they evoke a biological response that drives the organism to higher levels of organization and integration. Laughter is the loaded latency given us by nature as part of our native equipment to break up the stalemates of our lives and urge us on to deeper and more complex forms of knowing. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Tarcher (June 30, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0874778727
• ISBN-13: 978-0874778724
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 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: #128,487 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The missing pieces, April 12, 2001

By A Customer

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This review is from: The Possible Human : A Course in Enhancing Your Physical, Mental, and Creative Abilities (Paperback)

Wondering why the world makes no sense? Our culture denies or denigrates so much of the core of human experience. Dr. Houston walks you through practical exercizes to regain your birthright as a human being. I'm not fond of 'self-help' books, most of them are rubbish. But I bought copies of this one for my family, because the information in it changed my perspective about myself and the world I have to live in. I highly recommed it for intelligent people who want solid information.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Possible Human : A Course in Enhancing Your Physical, Mental, and Creative Abilities, January 11, 2007

By 

JR Dekker (Ashland, OR United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Possible Human : A Course in Enhancing Your Physical, Mental, and Creative Abilities (Paperback)

Dr. Jean Houston in one of the greatest thinkers of our time and, indeed, a force of nature when it comes to exploring the boundaries of Human Capacities. Buckminster Fuller called her mind "The Eighth Wonder of the World." Anything she writes is worth reading. Everyone knows that we use only a fraction of our total capacities. Through misuse, neglect, and even bad training, all of us have lost the full potential of our minds and bodies. In the past two decades, much has been learned about reclaiming these lost abilities. Dr. Houston, the leading exponent in this area, describes how each of us can remove blocks so that we can see more, hear more, remember more, and draw on more of our inner resources. She offers a comprehensive program of exercises through which the reader can test her conclusions and integrate them into his or her own life. Based on twenty years of research, this book not only extends our concept of what the "possible human" is, but how to get there.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent primer for exploring the real potential of the everyday human, June 24, 2007

By 

Taylor Ellwood "http://www.imagineyourreality... - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: The Possible Human : A Course in Enhancing Your Physical, Mental, and Creative Abilities (Paperback)

This was probably one of the most innovative books I've read in a while. The exercises alone made this book a great read, but she also did an excellent job of explaining the underlying theory behind the exercises. I'll admit I liked this book a lot because it does go hand in hand with some of my own experiments, but I think that anyone who's interested in exploring the full potential of the human body will really enjoy this book, because the author shows you just how to do that. Her exercises are open-ended enough to allow for innovation on the part of the reader.

What I also really liked was that she did an excellent job of citing her sources and providing readers endnotes that fleshed out tangential concepts related to the main focus in each chapter.