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Shivitti: A Vision

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This book is not for the faint hearted or for the person whio is interested in history. The premise of the book is that the author relives his Aschiwitz experence through LSD treatment by a psychogist. Some things he remembers are likley to have happened to him, and some are a nightmare of things he cannot escape. If you want to read any of this authors books you need to have a strong stomach, It is a very rewarding and powerfull book if you are up for it

For 30 years after his release from Auschwitz death camp, Yehiel De-Nur suffered nightmares but their specific content eluded him. His worst memories escaped him. He wrote books during this period, always signing them with the number tattooed on his left arm (Ka-Tzetnik 135633) at Auschwitz. Ka-Tzet are the initials K.Z., standing for the German "Konzentration Zenter" (Concentration Camp), and every prisoner was known as "Ka-Tzetnik Number so-and-so." Yehiel De-Nur's suffering was so severe during those 30 years that he eventually allowed himself to be persuaded to undergo therapy with LSD (Lysergic acid diethylamide) at the hands of a Dutch Professor skilled and experienced in the use of this powerful drug. The treatments were mentally and emotionally agonizing; the hallucinations they produced need to be read to be believed and understood - and one needs mental and emotional strength to continue with the reading. After a number of treatments, Yehiel De-Nur saw and remembered what his mind had allowed him to forget since Auschwitz. This is harrowing for the reader, and the memory for Mr De-Nur causes him such suffering that he wonders for a long time afterwards about the wisdom of forcing oneself to recall what the mind kindly allows one to forget. This book is a translation from the Hebrew, one of the translators being Eliyah Nike De-Nur, the writer's wife who gave him constant, loving support. The reader is left with the stark horror of hallucinations and memories wide awake within her, and a strong reminder of the evil that human beings can, and do, perpetrate upon one another. To be read with an open mind and a strong heart. Sheila McLaren.

This book is a great insight into the personality of the author Yehiel Dinur a.k.a Katzetik. The book stands on its own as a powerful recording of the events that took place in the life of the author during the holocaust. As with all of Katzetnik's books the events are heart wrentching. Particulary worth recalling in this book is when he for the first time goes to a beach in Europe during his medical treatment of the 1970s and exposes his arm that was tatooed in Aushwitz with his inmate number 135633. The scene is chilling and unforgetable. The premise of the use of LSD to come to terms with his lifelong nighmares about his experiences of the holocaust is secondary except for the fact that it is through this means that the author comes to terms with his pain caused by the cruel germans and their helpers. Overall, this book is an important read and is even more stunning if you read Katzetnik's other books. Katzetmik is one of the most powerful and important authors on the subject of the holocaust and his books are a must read for everyone lest the world forget what happened.

Yehiel Dinur, Ka-Tzetnik 135633 survived the horrors of the Holocaust only to discover that survival alone would not end his torment. Hunted by distressing symptoms of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) he underwents a supervised LSD treatment program. Unfortunately after many sessions his situation deteriorates and he decides to leave the program. He writes near the end of the book: "I can't stop thinking that maybe I shouldn't have provoked fate by trying to rewrite my life script. Maybe I should never have made that trip to En-Dor, should never have used LSD to conjure up the secret that a Hand, keeping its own counsel, had cared enough to hide from me."

Short, honest and heart-wrenching book highly recommended to all transpersonal psychotherapists, underground psychedelic therapists, Holotropic Breathwork practitioners and everyone else interested in the depths of human psyche.

I found this book free, at my local library, and oh what a treasure. This book isn't very long but it is full of emotion and power. I was very moved by everything about this book. I am now on the prowl for other nonfiction books by this author.