Grof and the Transpersonal Experience
by Robert Waxman
Dr. Stanislav Grof believes the transpersonal
experience has therapeutic value for patients with psychological problems and mental illness. He was a leading supporter of
LSD psychotherapy in the 1950’s and 60’s, and was seeking acceptance of this treatment from psychiatrists, scientists
and psychologists (Grof, 2006, p. 220).
In his book, Spiritual Emergency (1989),
Grof defines transpersonal as, “referring to transcendence of the ordinary boundaries of personality that includes many
experiences that have been called spiritual, mystical religious, occult, magical, or paranormal” (p. 10). This definition
is brought to life in the film (based on the book), The Razor’s Edge (1946, Fox Films). The main character,
Larry Darrell, is living alone on a mountaintop in the Himalayas, hoping to understand the meaning of life. His teacher visits
him and asks if anything out of the ordinary has occurred. Darrell says he transcended his physical body, and for one brief
moment - he and God were one. Darrell is describing the nature of a transpersonal experience.
In Beyond the Brain (1985), Grof expands
his definition of the transpersonal experience: “having a sense of cosmic unity, identification with the Universal Mind,
or experience of the Supracosmic and Metacosmic Void deserve special attention…They have enormous therapeutic potential.”
(p. 131). Grof is basing this definition on his experimental, therapeutic work with LSD during the 1950’s and 60’s.
Mood Altering Drugs in Various Cultures
Many cultures around the world have used mind-altering substances throughout
history (Smith, 1995, p. 518). “The student of world religion has long known about the sacramental use of such special
agents as alcohol, plants, mushrooms, etc., to facilitate contact with the gods or make available spiritual knowledge or powers”
(Jordan, 1963, p. 114). Religious scholar Dan Merkur concludes, the ancient Hebrews and early Christians were using psychedelic
substances during their sacrifices and rituals (Grof, 2006. p. 57). According to Kubby (1995), the ‘manna from heaven’,
referred to in The Book of Exodus (JPS, 1985), was a hallucinogenic mushroom growing plentifully in the desert. This
mysterious food kept the Hebrews alive for forty years. The Hebrews appreciated the mushroom, and drawings from the period,
show Hebrew priests wearing religious garb with mushroom shaped headdresses (JewishEncyclopedia.com). For the Hebrew wandering
forty years in the desert, the mood-enhancing effects of psychedelic mushrooms must have seemed heaven-sent.
The Greeks had a special elixir to raise their state of consciousness
(Clark, 1968, p. 95). “In Ancient Greece the Eleusinian Mysteries required the drinking of a secret potion as part of
the initiation ordeal, Plato made guarded reference to a drug much like LSD in The Laws” (Clark, p. 95). LSD
derives from a grain fungus called ergot (Wikipedia, 2007, LSD). The Greeks may have known of its hallucinogenic properties.
Clark continues, “There is also good evidence…the Aztecs used psychedelic mushrooms. In Mexico’s back country,
ceremonies are still carried out…utilizing such mushrooms” (p. 95). The Hindus refer to an uplifting potion called
soma juice, “sometimes mixed with milk and water….produced intoxication; specifically it produced visions and
a sense of strength and expansion” (Ingalis, 1971, p. 188). Native Americans and other indigenous groups smoked various
types of compressed herbs and peyote, “scholars have ignored the positive aspects of peyote religions and have refuted
their benefits because peyote is a drug, and strange to white people, so its use in worship must be a debilitating and immoral
practice” (Clark, p. 96). The South African Bushmen and American Plains Indians had visions from altered states of consciousness,
“...particularly among the religious practitioners of these cultures (Gronloh, 1977, p. 1).
LSD
and Mysticism
After Grof had several LSD sessions in the mid 1950’s, he became a pioneer in this field (Grof, 2006, p. 349).
Excited about the therapeutic benefits of LSD, he distanced himself from conventional psychiatry (Grof, 2006, p. 324). The
development of transpersonal psychology became his life’s work. According to Crownfield (1979), “Grof focuses
on the psychological dynamics of such experiences. He examines them descriptively, sympathetically, hierarchically. His ordering
principle is the degree of departure from ordinary time-and-space existence.” (p. 247).
When Grof was living in Prague in the 1950’s, he had unlimited access to LSD-25 (Grof, 2006,
p. 331). In one of his early sessions he had a transpersonal-mystical experience:
I
felt a divine thunderbolt had catapulted my conscious self out of my body. I lost my awareness of the research assistant,
the laboratory, the psychiatric clinic, Prague, and then the planet. My consciousness expanded at an inconceivable speed and
reached cosmic dimensions. There were no boundaries or difference between me and the universe. (Grof, p. xxxiii)
Grof’s account reads like
an eloquent version of Larry Darrell’s soliloquy in The Razor’s Edge (1946). Both men believe they are
having an out-of body experience, and both feel a sense of oneness with the cosmos.
The mystical experience is a sought-after goal for followers of esoteric-religious philosophies. The mystic goes through
an extensive process of initiation before experiencing higher realms of consciousness (Baigent, 2006, p. 233). Grof (2006)
reports, LSD speeds-up the preparation process to just 45 minutes after taking it (Grof, p. xxxiii).
Patients’
Experiences with LSD
Some patients are familiar with spiritual, mystical or religious
ideas and are predisposed to having a ‘peak’ experience during an LSD session. According to Jordan (1963),
The point is that LSD per
se, does not determine the particular nature or significance of the experiences. Of crucial positive importance is the personality
of the subject with his current attitudes and problems, the physical setting of the session, and the interpersonal relations
between doctor and subject. (p. 119)
In one study, patients’ were expecting to have a ‘peak’ experience before their LSD
sessions. “61% (of 194 subjects) indicated they had ‘an experience having a greater understanding of myself and
others’. Some subjects reported ‘peak experiences’ that dramatize, crystallize, and make lucid certain dim
feelings which hitherto had neither clarity nor convincingness” (Havens 1964, p. 220).
Mystics and spiritual seekers of the 1960’s wanted to experience
higher levels of consciousness. LSD helped them understand the true nature of the self. Many patients also experienced spiritual
ecstasy. According to Pahnke (1965),
This experience has been called by various names: psychedelic-peak, cosmic, transcendental,
or mystical. Nine universal psychological characteristics were derived from the study of the literature of spontaneous mystical
experience reported throughout world history from almost all cultures and religions: Unity, Transcendence of Time and Space,
Deeply Felt Positive Mood, Sense of Sacredness, The Noetic Quality – insight or illumination on an intuitive, nonrational
level, Paradoxicality, Alleged Infallibility, Transiency, Persisting Positive Changes in Attitudes and Behavior. (p. 6)
The
first five characteristics mentioned by Pahnke are discussed here in greater detail: unity, transcendence, positive moods,
sense of sacredness and insight or illumination.
Unity
Spiritual seekers want to feel a sense of unity with The Godhead or cosmos (Cooper, 1997, p. 277). According to Alexander,
Various states of consciousness
are hierarchically arranged, with the whole being understood as ‘the ultimate’ state of awareness, an organizing
principle which binds the cosmos together and which is immediately available to the consciousness of those who will avail
themselves of the proper techniques for its attainment. (p. 201)
For a spiritual seeker, an LSD session was the opportunity of a lifetime. According to Grof
(2006),
An
experience that happens to a devout seeker after years of serious spiritual practice and religious studies would certainly
be more valuable and influential than one that occurs to a totally unprepared and unsuspected guest in a party at Berkeley,
where someone throws a handful of sugar cubes laced with LSD into the fruit punch. (p. 222)
It
is easy to understand why LSD became so popular during the 1960’s. Feelings of unity were a central part of the flower-child
philosophy of love and acceptance. A long list of PhD’s, doctors, authors and celebrities were in favor of using LSD.
Dr. Louis Jordan West reports, “…either LSD is the most phenomenal drug ever introduced to psychiatry, or else
the results were evaluated by criteria imposed by enthusiastic, if not prejudiced people” (Novak, 1997, p. 99). Aldous
Huxley labeled LSD, “a mystical, religious experience” (Novak, p. 93). Isodor Thorner (1965) wrote, “One
who has had a mystic experience is convinced that non-empirical referent of his perception is imminent in nature as a whole
and that he has been in some sense one with it; union with divine has been achieved” (Novak, p. 82). This feeling of
unity causes the LSD patient to feel relaxed, calm, and ecstatic. Many felt their inner-self, merge with the one universal-self
(Jordan, 1963, p. 116). This is the final goal for the spiritual seeker: the microcosm merges with the macrocosm (Baigent,
2006, p. 212). This concept is prevalent in religious writings, parables and fables throughout the world (Grof, 1989, p. 5).
Included in these stories, are universal teachings about an individual’s consciousness connecting to The Source. A sense
of unity, therefore, becomes an individual’s reality. Havens (1964) explains, “…the more we move away from
the usual subject-object mode of thinking, the more ready we are to interpret the sense of Unity as an immediate apprehension
of Reality” (p. 221).
Transcendence
Another widely reported effect of taking LSD is the sensation of being outside
the body. The OBE (out-of-body experience), is a sought-after goal for spiritual seekers and mystics (Grof, 1989, p. 12).
According to Hines (1923), “Direct communion with God has been vouchsafed, and this lifts them to a plane higher than
the rest of humanity and to that degree of authority wherein souls less blessed come to them for knowledge and guidance”
(p. 42).
The practice of releasing the astral body goes back to the time
of the ancient Egyptians (Regardie, 2003, p. 223). The Pyramid Texts (circa. 2500 BCE), describe the Pharaohs
visiting The Far World and gaining higher knowledge (Baigent, 2006, p. 209). The Gnostics also believed the astral body separated
from the physical after death (Bloom, 1996, p. 101). The archetype of a resurrected Messiah is a metaphor for an astral body
returning to life. According to Grof (1989), the OBE allows the consciousness of the astral body to gain higher knowledge
in its travels (p. 12). Hines (1923) speaks about the attainment of this knowledge,
Another feature marked in
its clarity is the mystic’s emphatic assertion that a knowledge of things eternal has been gained, and that God himself
has revealed to the mind of his servant the reality of his divine existence and the attitude of mind he wants his servants
to have toward him. (p. 45)
Mystics wanted to obtain this knowledge, so they practiced releasing their astral-bodies at will. Once the
astral body was released, they transferred their consciousness from the physical to the astral body (Grof, 1989, p. 12).
While
experiencing transcendence, some patients returned from the LSD experience without any fear of death. According to Pahnke
(1969), “It seems as if the mystical experience, by opening the patient to usually untapped ranges of human consciousness,
can provide a sense of security that transcends even death.” (p. 12). When people lose their fear of death, they can
live a better life. They can change their beliefs about judgment day, the devil, and going to hell. Others can transcend the
mundane matters of mortal existence and begin developing positive beliefs. Crownfield (1979) explains, “All limits can
be transcended through the discovery that they are beliefs and alternative beliefs are possible” (p. 259). This
statement also applies to the moments before death.
The last thoughts of a dying person should be tranquil. (Kasley,
1948, p. 170). Rituals, such as ‘last rites’, are comforting to the individual and negative thoughts are transformed
into positive ones (Beliefnet.com, 2007). If LSD therapy can direct the patients’ thoughts to love,
goodness, truth and beauty; the death experience will be peaceful and emotionally painless (Beliefnet.com). Pahnke (1965)
argues, “If the use of psychedelic psychotherapy for the dying patient ever should become widespread in our society,
there would probably be a change in our whole approach toward death” (p. 20).
Positive Moods
During the 1950’s and 60’s, many people wanted to try LSD to
feel good. “The transformation of LSD from a medical affair to a cultural crusade occurred not only at Harvard in the
early 60’s or in San Francisco in the 1967 summer of love, but in Los Angeles in the late 1950’s” (Novak
97).
Many depressed people had transpersonal experiences while taking LSD (Novak, 1997, p. 91). They experienced a sense
of euphoria that many thought unattainable through traditional therapy. These individuals wanted to change their negative
moods into positive ones. The first time Dr. Sidney Cohen tried LSD, he said, “the problems and strivings, the worries
and frustrations of everyday life vanished; in their place was a majestic, sunlit, heavenly quietude” (Novak, p. 92).
Sense
of Sacredness
The transpersonal experience has many variations depending on the beliefs of the individual. According
to Crownfield (1979), “The ambiguity of drug-induced experiences and their volatility are well known. The suggestibility
of subjects using these techniques is high. The analogies between these experiences and those of the mystics are ambiguous
and in need of interpretation” (p. 248).
Grof does not know if his patients’ experiences
are religious-mystical (sacred) or imaginary (Grof, 2006, p. 11). According to Havens (1964), “We are here confronted
with inner events which are described both as ‘religious-mystical’ and ‘hallucinatory’.
Seldom has the demand for the rethinking of the nature of mystical, experiential religion been so insistent.” (p. 219).
It is important for the medical community to know if a patient is having a reality-based mystical-religious experience. Medical
acceptance of transpersonal psychology depends on the reality-based nature of the patients’ experience. Havens (1964)
continues, “If there are hallucinatory elements in these mystical visions, how may one determine the trustworthiness
of the wisdom and insight which seem to flow from them?” (p. 220). Grof (2006) discusses this controversial issue with
Carl Sagan, who is skeptical about the nature of the transpersonal experience. Grof argues:
It is the problem of the ontological status of transpersonal experiences such as:
experimental identification with other people and other life forms, veridical out-of-body experiences, visions of archetypal
beings and realms or ancestral, racial, karmic, and phylogenetic memories. Are they hallucinations and fantasies without any
basis in reality or instances of authentic connection with dimensions of reality and sources of relevant information that
are normally inaccessible to our consciousness? (p. 327)
If the transpersonal experience is hallucinatory, it is not a sacred experience (Hines, 1923,
p. 45). Grof believes a patient is not hallucinating during an LSD session, and Hines believes a spiritual seeker is not hallucinating
during a mystical experience (p. 45). Combining these two experiences creates the phrase, “drug mysticism” (Havens,
1964, p. 219). Its proponents thought God was the architect of these biochemical substances, suggesting ‘a sense of
sacredness’ was pervasive during LSD sessions and peak mystical experiences (p. 219). Havens continues,
My reading of many reports of psychedelic experiences, plus conversations with some who have claimed religious visionary
experiences under drugs, suggest that they are a drawing-together, a focusing and vivifying, a confirmation of insights and
meanings from many sources. This concentration of knowing is suggested by the phrases, ‘this is it’, ‘now
I’ve seen it’, ‘face-to-face with God,’ which occurs in the records (p. 219).
It is generally known
in esoteric traditions, communing with The Deity is a life-transforming event. Spiritual aspirants re-evaluate their lives,
identify causes of unhappiness, and begin the process of healing (p. 219).
Insight
and Illumination
Esoteric
religions have a special title for an enlightened person. It is generally known in Kabbalah, this person is a Tzaddik; in
Buddhism - a Bodhisattva; Hinduism – a Guru; Sufism – a Shaikh. This person eliminates the lower desires of the
ego, and merges the personality with the divine consciousness (Scholem, 1991, p. 91). By gaining insight, and using advanced
intuition, the enlightened person finds the natural path leading to illumination of mind (Scholem, p. 88).
When Grof began his LSD
experiments in the late 1950’s, he started developing a radical combination of ancient mysticism and Freudian psychotherapy.
According to Crownfield (1979), “Grof points out analogies between transpersonal experiences with LSD and those of mystics
are drawn: by a backward reflection, Grof thus interprets mystical experiences by analogy with LSD” (p. 248).
By
the early 1960’s, Grof and his associates began understanding the potential for LSD as a therapeutic drug. During an
LSD session, the patient viewed his life objectively, and everyday problems were resolved (Crownfield, 1979, p. 248). Grof
was determined to use LSD as a therapeutic aid. He wanted patients to gain insights into the self. According to Jordan (1963),
A type of phenomenon
regularly reported by LSD subjects is alteration of self…sometimes one’s self-image will change simply in terms
of self-confidence, views about one’s abilities, or the sense of one’s importance in life. In other instances
the very structure of self will radically change.” (p. 117)
Grof’s therapeutic techniques helped the patient to see, feel,
and hear the nature of the self. Some patients experienced a feeling of self-illumination and wholeness,
“moving in the direction of wholeness defines holotropic consciousness” (Grof, 2006, p. xvii).
References
Alexander,
G.T. (1980). William james, the sick soul, and the negative dimensions of
consciousness: a partial critique of transpersonal
psychology. Journal of the Academy of
Religion 48 (2): 191-205.
Baigent, M. (2006). The
jesus papers. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.
Baum, L.F. (1956).
The wizard of oz. New York: Del Ray Books.
Beliefnet.com
(2007), Transition rituals. Retrieved November 15, 2007 from
http://www.beliefnet.com/story/78/story_7894_1.html#cath
Bloom, H. (1996). Omens of the millennium: The gnosis of angels, dreams, and resurrection.
New
York: Riverhead Books.
Clark, W.H. (1968). Religious aspects of psychedelic drugs. California
Law Review 56 (1): 86-
99.
Cooper, D. (1997). God is a verb. New York: Riverhead Books.
Crownfield, D.R. (1979). The self beyond itself: Hermeneutics and transpersonal experience.
Journal of the American Academy of Religion 47 (2) 245-267.
Grof,
S., & Grof, C. (1989). Spiritual emergency. New York: St. Martin’s Press.
Grof, S. (1985). Beyond the brain. Albany: State University of New York Press.
______. (2006). The ultimate journey: consciousness
and the mystery of death. Ben Lomond:
MAPS.
______. (2006). When the impossible happens.
Boulder: Sounds True, Inc.
Goulding,
E. (Director). (1946) The Razor’s Edge [Motion Picture]. Los Angeles: Twentieth
Century Fox.
Grunloh, R.L. (1977). Flying saucers. Royal Anthropological Institute
of Great Britain and
Ireland 23 (1): 1-4.
Havens, J. (1964). Memo on the religious implications
of the consciousness changing drugs (lsd,
mescalin, psilocybin), Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 3 (2): 216-226.
Hines,
H.W. (1923). The prophet as mystic. The American Journal of Semitic Languages and
Literatures 40 (1): 37-71.
_________. (1928). The development of the psychology of prophecy. The Journal of Religion
8
(2): 212-224.
Ingalis, D.H. (1979). Remarks on mr. wasson’s soma. Journal
of the American Oriental Society
91 (2): 188-191.
JewishEncyclopedia.com. (2007) Costume.
Retrieved November 14, 2007 from
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=822&letter=C
Jordan, R.G. Jr. (1963). LSD and mystical experiences. Journal
of Bible and Religion 31 (2):
114-123.
Kasley, V. (1948). As life ebbs. The American
Journal of Nursing, 48, (3): 170-173.
Kubby, S. (1995).
Manner from heaven. Fullerton: Psychedelic Illuminations. Retrieved
November 14, 2007 from http://diseyes.lycaeum.org/fresh/mushmann.htm
Novak, S. J. (1997). LSD before
leary: Sidney cohen’s critique of 1950’s psychedelic drug
research. Isis 88 (1): 87-110.
Panke, W.N. (1969). The psychedelic mystical experience
in the human encounter with death.
The Harvard Theological Review 62 (1): 1-21.
Regardie, I. (2003). The tree of life; An illustrated
study in magic. St. Paul: Llewellyn
Publications.
Scholem, G. (1991). On the mystical shape of the godhead. New
York: Schocken Books.
Smith,
H. (1964). Do drugs have religious import? The Journal of Philosophy 61 (18): 517-530.
Tanakh~The holy scriptures: The new jps translation according
the Hebrew text. Philadelphia:
Jewish Publication Society, 1988.
Thorner, I. (1965). Prophetic and
mystic experience: Comparison and consequences. Journal for
the Scientific Study of Religion
5 (1): 82-96.
Wikipedia.
(2007). LSD. Retrieved November 12, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LSD
________.
(2007). Mystic. Retrieved November 11, 2007 from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysticism
References
Alexander,
G.T. (1980). William james, the sick soul, and the negative dimensions of
consciousness: a partial critique of transpersonal
psychology. Journal of the Academy of
Religion 48 (2): 191-205.
Baigent, M. (2006). The
jesus papers. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.
Baum, L.F. (1956).
The wizard of oz. New York: Del Ray Books.
Beliefnet.com
(2007), Transition rituals. Retrieved November 15, 2007 from
http://www.beliefnet.com/story/78/story_7894_1.html#cath
Bloom, H. (1996). Omens of the millennium: The gnosis of angels, dreams, and resurrection.
New
York: Riverhead Books.
Clark, W.H. (1968). Religious aspects of psychedelic drugs. California
Law Review 56 (1): 86-
99.
Cooper, D. (1997). God is a verb. New York: Riverhead Books.
Crownfield, D.R. (1979). The self beyond itself: Hermeneutics and transpersonal experience.
Journal of the American Academy of Religion 47 (2) 245-267.
Grof,
S., & Grof, C. (1989). Spiritual emergency. New York: St. Martin’s Press.
Grof, S. (1985). Beyond the brain. Albany: State University of New York Press.
______. (2006). The ultimate journey: consciousness
and the mystery of death. Ben Lomond:
MAPS.
______. (2006). When the impossible happens.
Boulder: Sounds True, Inc.
Goulding,
E. (Director). (1946) The Razor’s Edge [Motion Picture]. Los Angeles: Twentieth
Century Fox.
Grunloh, R.L. (1977). Flying saucers. Royal Anthropological Institute
of Great Britain and
Ireland 23 (1): 1-4.
Havens, J. (1964). Memo on the religious implications
of the consciousness changing drugs (lsd,
mescalin, psilocybin), Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 3 (2): 216-226.
Hines,
H.W. (1923). The prophet as mystic. The American Journal of Semitic Languages and
Literatures 40 (1): 37-71.
_________. (1928). The development of the psychology of prophecy. The Journal of Religion
8
(2): 212-224.
Ingalis, D.H. (1979). Remarks on mr. wasson’s soma. Journal
of the American Oriental Society
91 (2): 188-191.
JewishEncyclopedia.com. (2007) Costume.
Retrieved November 14, 2007 from
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=822&letter=C
Jordan, R.G. Jr. (1963). LSD and mystical experiences. Journal
of Bible and Religion 31 (2):
114-123.
Kasley, V. (1948). As life ebbs. The American
Journal of Nursing, 48, (3): 170-173.
Kubby, S. (1995).
Manner from heaven. Fullerton: Psychedelic Illuminations. Retrieved
November 14, 2007 from http://diseyes.lycaeum.org/fresh/mushmann.htm
Novak, S. J. (1997). LSD before
leary: Sidney cohen’s critique of 1950’s psychedelic drug
research. Isis 88 (1): 87-110.
Panke, W.N. (1969). The psychedelic mystical experience
in the human encounter with death.
The Harvard Theological Review 62 (1): 1-21.
Regardie, I. (2003). The tree of life; An illustrated
study in magic. St. Paul: Llewellyn
Publications.
Scholem, G. (1991). On the mystical shape of the godhead. New
York: Schocken Books.
Smith,
H. (1964). Do drugs have religious import? The Journal of Philosophy 61 (18): 517-530.
Tanakh~The holy scriptures: The new jps translation according
the Hebrew text. Philadelphia:
Jewish Publication Society, 1988.
Thorner, I. (1965). Prophetic and
mystic experience: Comparison and consequences. Journal for
the Scientific Study of Religion
5 (1): 82-96.
Wikipedia.
(2007). LSD. Retrieved November 12, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LSD
________.
(2007). Mystic. Retrieved November 11, 2007 from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysticism
References
Alexander,
G.T. (1980). William james, the sick soul, and the negative dimensions of
consciousness: a partial critique of transpersonal
psychology. Journal of the Academy of
Religion 48 (2): 191-205.
Baigent, M. (2006). The
jesus papers. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.
Baum, L.F. (1956).
The wizard of oz. New York: Del Ray Books.
Beliefnet.com
(2007), Transition rituals. Retrieved November 15, 2007 from
http://www.beliefnet.com/story/78/story_7894_1.html#cath
Bloom, H. (1996). Omens of the millennium: The gnosis of angels, dreams, and resurrection.
New
York: Riverhead Books.
Clark, W.H. (1968). Religious aspects of psychedelic drugs. California
Law Review 56 (1): 86-
99.
Cooper, D. (1997). God is a verb. New York: Riverhead Books.
Crownfield, D.R. (1979). The self beyond itself: Hermeneutics and transpersonal experience.
Journal of the American Academy of Religion 47 (2) 245-267.
Grof,
S., & Grof, C. (1989). Spiritual emergency. New York: St. Martin’s Press.
Grof, S. (1985). Beyond the brain. Albany: State University of New York Press.
______. (2006). The ultimate journey: consciousness
and the mystery of death. Ben Lomond:
MAPS.
______. (2006). When the impossible happens.
Boulder: Sounds True, Inc.
Goulding,
E. (Director). (1946) The Razor’s Edge [Motion Picture]. Los Angeles: Twentieth
Century Fox.
Grunloh, R.L. (1977). Flying saucers. Royal Anthropological Institute
of Great Britain and
Ireland 23 (1): 1-4.
Havens, J. (1964). Memo on the religious implications
of the consciousness changing drugs (lsd,
mescalin, psilocybin), Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 3 (2): 216-226.
Hines,
H.W. (1923). The prophet as mystic. The American Journal of Semitic Languages and
Literatures 40 (1): 37-71.
_________. (1928). The development of the psychology of prophecy. The Journal of Religion
8
(2): 212-224.
Ingalis, D.H. (1979). Remarks on mr. wasson’s soma. Journal
of the American Oriental Society
91 (2): 188-191.
JewishEncyclopedia.com. (2007) Costume.
Retrieved November 14, 2007 from
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=822&letter=C
Jordan, R.G. Jr. (1963). LSD and mystical experiences. Journal
of Bible and Religion 31 (2):
114-123.
Kasley, V. (1948). As life ebbs. The American
Journal of Nursing, 48, (3): 170-173.
Kubby, S. (1995).
Manner from heaven. Fullerton: Psychedelic Illuminations. Retrieved
November 14, 2007 from http://diseyes.lycaeum.org/fresh/mushmann.htm
Novak, S. J. (1997). LSD before
leary: Sidney cohen’s critique of 1950’s psychedelic drug
research. Isis 88 (1): 87-110.
Panke, W.N. (1969). The psychedelic mystical experience
in the human encounter with death.
The Harvard Theological Review 62 (1): 1-21.
Regardie, I. (2003). The tree of life; An illustrated
study in magic. St. Paul: Llewellyn
Publications.
Scholem, G. (1991). On the mystical shape of the godhead. New
York: Schocken Books.
Smith,
H. (1964). Do drugs have religious import? The Journal of Philosophy 61 (18): 517-530.
Tanakh~The holy scriptures: The new jps translation according
the Hebrew text. Philadelphia:
Jewish Publication Society, 1988.
Thorner, I. (1965). Prophetic and
mystic experience: Comparison and consequences. Journal for
the Scientific Study of Religion
5 (1): 82-96.
Wikipedia.
(2007). LSD. Retrieved November 12, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LSD
________.
(2007). Mystic. Retrieved November 11, 2007 from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysticism
