Toward a Psychology of Awakening: Buddhism, Psychotherapy, and the Path of Personal and Spiritual Transformation Paperback – February 12, 2002
by John Welwood (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars 74 ratings
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How can we connect the spiritual realizations of Buddhism with the psychological insights of the West? In Toward a Psychology of Awakening John Welwood addresses this question with comprehensiveness and depth. Along the way he shows how meditative awareness can help us develop more dynamic and vital relationships and how psychotherapy can help us embody spiritual realization more fully in everyday life. Welwood's psychology of awakening brings together the three major dimensions of human experience: personal, interpersonal, and suprapersonal, in one overall framework of understanding and practice.
Editorial Reviews
Review
"A very important book. It represents a perceptive, scholarly and at the same time highly practical attempt to see not only how Western psychology and Buddhism relate to each other but also how they complement each other. I cannot commend this book too highly."— The Middle Way
"Brilliant and thought provoking. This ambitious work succeeds so well because it sheds light on the interplay between meditation, inner work, and conscious relationship as a spiritual practice."— Spirituality & Health
"Marvelously fluent, personable, and eminently compassionate."— NAPRA Review
"Rich, potentially transforming insights abound here. Psychotherapists and spiritual seekers alike will be enriched by this book."— Publishers Weekly
From the Inside Flap
Can the meditative traditions of Buddhism be integrated with the practice of Western psychology? John Welwood's latest book addresses this question with new comprehensiveness and depth, building on the innovative psychospiritual approach of his six previous books (with total sales of over 300,000 copies). The questions he addresses include:
What can the spiritual methodologies of the East teach us about psychological health?
What issues arise when the recognition of our larger nature challenges our very conception of individual self ?
What new directions become possible when psychological work is undertaken in a spiritual context?
How does Western psychological understanding affect our approach to spirituality?
Welwood's psychology of awakening brings together three major dimensions of human existence: personal, interpersonal, and suprapersonal in one overall framework of understanding and practice.
The book's first section addresses basic questions about the relationship between psychology and contemplative spirituality. The second explores the practical implications of this convergence for psychological health and healing. The third considers the implications for relationship and community.
From the Hardcover edition.
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Item Weight : 1.09 pounds
Paperback : 352 pages
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Biography
As a psychotherapist, teacher, and author, John Welwood has been a pioneer in integrating psychological and spiritual work. Welwood has published several books, including the best-selling Journey of the Heart (HarperCollins, 1990), as well as Challenge of the Heart (Shambhala, 1985), and Love and Awakening (HarperCollins, 1996). He is an associate editor of the Journal for Transpersonal Psychology. He leads workshops and trainings in psychospiritual work and conscious relationship throughout the world.
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4.7 out of 5 stars
Top reviews from the United States
K. Elena Gellepis
5.0 out of 5 stars Not for the Beginner Perhaps...
Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2017
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Welwood's books are amazing, but even for someone with degrees in psych and religion quite a intense read. One of the only authors I've read outside of academic necessity where I find myself rereading paragraphs, sometimes sentences, multiple times to assure myself of the deeper meanings. This particular book offers some fabulous insights into the differences, similarities, and the surprisingly frequent nexus of Eastern and Western thought. Just recommended it for a friend, and decided to buy the hardcopy for my personal library and give it another read myself.
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A. Robinson
5.0 out of 5 stars Half a book
Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2008
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This is an excellent book on the theory of enlightenment. I have asked numerous Buddhists of differing denominations, what is enlightenment, and few have been able to give me a straight answer. Some acted like it was a supernatural state of being that was impossible to achieve unless you were destined to achieve it in this lifetime. Others claimed that enlightenment was undefinable and only the one enlightened would know if they were (of course, if the only person who could tell they were enlightened was themselves, enlightenment was no more than a self-delusion). Without understanding what enlightenment is, there is no reason for anyone to wish to be enlightened.
John Welwood does an excellent job at explaining the state of enlightenment. John clarifies the distinction between being non-existent and the non-existence of the self, since they are not the same thing. John shows how the source of suffering can be caused by the split between our perceptions of reality and reality itself. We think we know reality when all we really know is our are mis-perceptions of reality created by the constant filtering of reality by the ego. We live in a dream world of our own re-making and whenever our dream world clashes with actual reality, reality always wins, and we suffer as a result. We need to awaken and start trying to see reality as it is instead of what we wish it were like. This is what enlightenment is -- awakening from suffering and the games people play and the misperception of reality -- but although many try, few succeed in ever attaining it. There are many things to distract a person from ever reaching that goal so it takes belief, desire, and a little guidance, from time-to-time, from someone 'higher up' than ourselves. John believes the next step in conscious or psychological evolution is going to be in the realm of passionate relationships and devotes a third of the book to this topic. He gives a good case for this belief, one that shoe horns nicely into the theories of Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell. In other words, by concentrating on fully conscious, passionate relationships, we have the greatest chance of reaching enlightenment today.
This is all excellent material except for one thing: theory is nice but theory is all talk and no action. Passionate relationships is only half of the equation and John is a heavy promoter of meditation -- the other half of the equation -- yet he offers no guidance whatsoever on how to meditate. His excuse? Psychological therapy and meditation do not mix -- to which I say, what a stupid excuse! I've tried John's method of meditation, which he describes as focusing on the silence between thoughts, and all that happens to me is I fall asleep. So why did I give this book five stars, despite this glaring omission and blunder? Because the theory is well thought out, easy to understand, and confirmed by demonstrable facts -- much more so than many other books I've read on the topic. This book is a great compliment to HOW TO SEE YOURSELF AS YOU REALLY ARE by the Dalai Lama, a book which goes into exquisite detail on how to meditate.
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Juju McGoobers
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolute addition to any therapist's library.
Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2014
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Amazing book. A culmination of Welwood's work over the last 2 decades. This is an absolute must read for therapists and buddhists (I am not Buddhist). Anyone in a helping profession would likely benefit. Enjoy.
There are 10 books that I categorize as precious in my library. This is one of them. Alongside the Tao Te Ching and A few texts by Trungpa (path of the warrior, cutting through spiritual materialism).
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Patrick D. Goonan
5.0 out of 5 stars More intellectual than John Welwood's more popular books on relationship
Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2006
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TOWARD A PSYCHOLOGY OF AWAKENING is a dense book that describes the path of spiritual transformation from both an Eastern and Western perspective. Its primary value lies in trying to synthesize these two ways of looking at reality and describes in detail how each path informs the other.
Many paradigms both East and West aren't necessarily integrative for many modern people. This book is an attempt to provide a more holistic worldview that reconciles psychology with Buddhist insights into human nature, love and transformation.
There is also a good section on relationship as a path. I think this is an important area to address because something arises in intersubjective experience that has emergent qualities that transcend each individual. In other words, things like love, compassion and community. We can only be fully human when we are fully engaged with others in a conscious manner. This book discusses these issues and does a great job of it.
Many people won't find this book an easy read. It contains a lot of material and it explores many ideas in-depth. It also attempts to synthesize a lot of material in a brief space. However, if you have a deep interest in psychology or Buddhism, you will discover a treasure trove of good information and innovative ways of bringing it together.
If you are not very familiar with Western Psychology or Buddhism, but have a deep interest in personal and spiritual growth, you will still get a lot out of this book. However, you may find it a slower read and will undoubtedly have to take time to assimilate all of the concepts. It will be well worth the effort, but this isn't a superficial bedtime story.
Overall, I give this book my highest recommendation. It is original, well-organized, and well thought out. It is an important contribution in the area of psychological and spiritual growth and the relationship between them.
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38 people found this helpful
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diane chavez
4.0 out of 5 stars not a quick simple read, but worth it
Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2015
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great philosophical and existential reasoning, and his work is not a simple read. for me, I had to digest some of it before I understood it well enough to move on the next thought! am reading it with a group of 8 women and 5 are psychologists and 3 of us are "other". we are all having a good time delving into his thought processes, and we're getting a lot from his book.
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Ein Kunde
5.0 out of 5 stars amazing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 14, 2018
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this book closed a huge gap for me. it provoked a real shift by addressing, and thereby giving answer, to an array of questionmarks I had about why all the not insignificant realisations obtained through meditation seem to elude me in daily life. truly the most important book I have read since first delving into.the abidhamma
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A writer in London
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolute genius
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 18, 2019
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This is a work of pure, unadulterated genius. I doubt there are many books in existence that contain as much poignant wisdom that is so directly relevant for our times and who we are. Read it, and you will never be the same again.
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Amina
5.0 out of 5 stars This should be a best seller.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 19, 2017
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Extremely valuable enquiry into healing and being, as well as how Western and Eastern traditions on these themes can be brought together. This should be a best seller.
2 people found this helpful
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Helen L
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating analysis. Really makes one reassess one's life. ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 31, 2017
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Fascinating analysis. Really makes one reassess one's life. Heartening to realise that so many of one's fears and worries are shared by most people.
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Mr. A.H.
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 21, 2015
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Really a pinnacle of John Welwood's work and understanding. A must read
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Toward a Psychology of Awakening: Buddhism, Psychotherapy, and the Path of Personal and Spiritual Transformation
by John Welwood
4.25 · Rating details · 775 ratings · 26 reviews
Have you ever noticed that self-described spiritual people are not necessarily all that easy to be with? John Welwood has a term for what often happens--spiritual bypassing. This is when a person reaches for the stars while forgetting about the goop on his shoes. Welwood, author of the popular Love and Awakening and Journey of the Heart has made a profession out of bringing East and West together, integrating the path to enlightenment with the techniques of psychotherapy. In Toward a Psychology of Awakening, Welwood integrates a series of his articles written over a period of 30 years in an attempt to explain the dynamics of psychologies East and West. The hope is that, combined, they can create a wholeness that encompasses the various levels of human experience. Since many of these articles were written for specialist readers, they won't have the verve and inspiration of Welwood's other books, but Welwood fans and enthusiasts of transpersonal psychology will be delighted to have all these ground-breaking articles together in one place. So go ahead and reach for the stars--just don't forget that you still have to slog through the mire with the rest of us. --Brian BruyaHow can we connect the spiritual realizations of Buddhism with the psychological insights of the West? In Toward a Psychology of Awakening John Welwood addresses this question with comprehensiveness and depth. Along the way he shows how meditative awareness can help us develop more dynamic and vital relationships and how psychotherapy can help us embody spiritual realization more fully in everyday life. Welwood's psychology of awakening brings together the three major dimensions of human experience: personal, interpersonal, and suprapersonal, in one overall framework of understanding and practice. (less)
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Paperback, 352 pages
Published February 12th 2002 by Shambhala (first published 2000)
Original TitleToward a Psychology of Awakening: Buddhism, Psychotherapy, and the Path of Personal and Spiritual Transformation
ISBN1570628238 (ISBN13: 9781570628238)
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Toward a Psychology of Awakening: Buddhism, Psychotherapy, and the Path of Personal and Spiritual Transformation
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Jaren
Feb 16, 2008Jaren rated it it was amazing
An incredible read. Experientially-based and clearly written, it's got so much good stuff on openness, ego, love, spirituality, and the beneficial intermingling of psychology and spirituality, psychotherapy and meditation... It had quite an influence on me.
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Steve Woods
Mar 12, 2012Steve Woods rated it it was amazing
Shelves: buddhism, psychology-psychotherapy
This is one of the most important books I have ever read. As a veteran of armed conflict in both Vietnam and Cambodia and a survivor of extreme abuse in childhood, the best that traditional mental health services based on the medical model could offer failed me. To begin with, there was no entry for PTSD in the DSM before 1982, so whatever I suffered from was either misdiagnosed or labelled some kind of malingering. That fact in and of itself points pretty clearly to the hopelessly inadequate and some might say criminally negligent approach of the so called professionals to a major problem then and an increasingly critical problem now. Returning veterans trying to cope with difficulties still poorly understood and inadequately treated.
For myself I reached a point where I simply gave up. That decision led me down a very dark road the destination of that path would inevitably have been for me as it is now for so many in the same position suicide. I was lucky, I eventually realized that the system supposedly there to support me was killing me. Nothing that was being put to me as therapy nor any medication was helping and in fact it was all compounding the issue and making matters worse. In a fit of defiance, I made a commitment to do whatever it took myself, that led me to do the only thing I knew how to do and that was to research. I have spent 10 years reading everything I could find on the condition of what is now called PTSD, from the American Civil War right through to conflicts today, together with all the basic texts I could find on psychotherapy, and the theories of personality development and adjustment; these ranging from the classical theorists, eg. Jung, Freud through to the later thinkers,e.g. Rogers, Epstein. Then there were the revolutionaries e.g. Szaz, Grof, Gendlin. It would probably be reasonable to say that I am at least as well read as anyone who has completed an undergraduate degree in Psychology at any major university. All this reading provided much fodder for tough, some insight and a great deal of perspective that just confirmed my view that whatever the latest fad might be in the treatment of PTSD; Cbt, ACT, whatever it would always fall short in exactly the same ways that my own experience had done.
The inadequacies of the medical model condemned it so. The idea that the person so affected was sick and had to be cured simply rammed home the sense of being broken and helpless that are so much part of the condition. There had to be more.
I was fortunate enough, having done what so many Vietnam Veterans and done and bailed out to SE Asia, shunning the country and the society I grew up in as having nothing to offer me, but further angst, I had started to explore meditation and psychology in the context of Buddhist teaching. Here was the more. No longer regarding the condition of my mind as "abnormal" but simply another aberration of the aberrant human condition. No more no less dysfunctional than any other and so the same approach to an enlightenment of sorts was now on the cards for me. I have never looked back.
Initially my response to having seen the light was to dump anything that was related to western psychology or psychotherapy into the garbage, since it had all served me so poorly. Over recent years however given all the reading and all the lived experience, now leavened with a little more compassion and open mindedness I felt that there had to be a wy forward incorporating the bestow both worlds, never quite able to see how that might be possible. Well here in this book greater minds have also done some thinking. This pulls it all together for me. There is the basis here for a therapeutic approach that would definitely work, it worked for me even though I found my way rather by accident than by design. It would however require a massive shift in philosophy, theory and approach. An uphill battle no doubt given the vested interests and the inbuilt cultural inertia that prevails but definitely worth some exploration. (less)
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Francisco
Mar 29, 2014Francisco rated it it was amazing
John Welwood does a wonderful job on showing the differences between Western views of consciousness (based on psychotherapy) and Buddhism. Neither Buddhism or Western psychotherapy deny the need for a strong ego. (Imagine ego as the continued ideas and representations that we have of ourselves.) A strong ego controls impulses, has adequate self-esteem (neither too high or too low) and is competent in worldly functioning. The problem is that for Buddhism (and the other great world religions) a functioning ego is not enough. Another way of saying this is that you can have a functioning ego and still miss out on much more that this existence has to offer. And still another way of saying this is that you can have a functioning ego (you can be wonderfully self-confident, fully in control of your impulses and function in such a way as to meet all your physical needs and still be miserable. Buddhists would not be surprised since the ego wants to be somebody always and to be somebody you must be constantly grasping and grasping is the source of suffering. Meditation and the development of mindfulness slowly reveals an awareness that is egoless or beyond the ego. In its intermediate stage this awareness is the witness that recognizes the ego's painful doings. In its ultimate stage this awareness is non-dual. I don't know what it is like to reach that ultimate expansive stage where there is no ego, no you or me, no this or that, but I have feeling that it is an extremely wholesome state. The beauty of a book like this one is that it encourages and shows how even small steps in the development of mindfulness can have a healing effect on the mental illnesses that afflict us. All mental illness is in some way or another at bottom a form of identification with a story, a self-image, a world view so narrow and constricted that it causes pain. Mindfulness creates the space necessary to see the pain, the narrowness and falsity of the mental construct. This is one of those books that develops awareness of your own mind, of your own ego doings, healthy and unhealthy, even as you read. And that is a good start. (less)
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Sarah
Apr 15, 2011Sarah rated it it was ok
Shelves: buddhism
I know this is sacrelig, but I could barely get through this. I thought it was fairly cumbersome and largely unreadable. The book makes the same mistake a lot of new-agey academics make: it wants to sounds science-y so it uses lots of obtuse sentence structure and language borrowed from the physics department to make it sound legit. If I ever smoke weed again, maybe I'll try and give this another shot.
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ABleu
Mar 19, 2011ABleu rated it liked it
Shelves: psychology, buddhism, set-down
I'm not going to lie, this book has been a challenge to get through. There are such long, abstract discussions about states of consciousness. I am a student of psychology and spirituality, but I can only grasp abstract concepts to a point. Quite often through out the book, Welwood will give you a gem of spiritual knowledge about the nature of suffering, unconditional presence, or the limited quality of the ego that will make you set the book down and go "wow."
I also did not like that EVERY SINGLE solution to living a deeper, fuller life was mediation. In my opinion, mediation isn't for everyone, and I don't know how helpful it would be for people who are very lost.
Every humanistic psychologist should have this book in his collection. Welwood provides valuable insight for therapists and healers. I wish he'd give a workshop or seminar so I could understand some of the more abstract concepts he writes about. (less)
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Ingrid
Nov 13, 2011Ingrid rated it it was amazing
My fascination with Welwood's concept of "spiritual bypass" led me to conduct research on the defense mechanism as it relates to recovery. This topic is the basis for my book.
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Jennifer
Apr 15, 2012Jennifer rated it it was amazing
Shelves: fav-psychology, library, heartbreak, relationships, self-help, favorites
This book is amazing & I need to own it because I know it will become a major reference throughout my life. I think it is one of the most helpful & profoundly truthful books I have read. From cover to cover, this book is so thoughtful that u almost have to be in the right frame of mind to absorb it all. It took me 3 times taking this book out of the library over the course of a few years to get through all 3 sections of this book & to realize how much I fully appreciate it. It is worth reading the last section of this book if u can‘t get through the first two because section 3 is about relationships. I also highly recmmend the chapter on Depression. I will need to reread this book again one day, not necessarily because it is dense, it is not a difficult read, but because my experiences change & I so easily forget some of the truths outlined here. I didn‘t find this book overly “ Buddhist“, but that it seeks to find the congruencies between Psychology & Eastern Philosophy. I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking to be a counsellor or psychologist. (less)
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Marco Pontual
Oct 10, 2018Marco Pontual rated it it was ok
Shelves: buddhism, psychology
As a psychology graduate and a self-declared buddhist I couldn't get past the first chapter after barely being able to finish the introduction. I suppose it has to do with my disagreeing with his basic premise, i.e., that buddhism doesn't deal with intrapersonal and interpersonal matters, and focuses only on the transcendental. My experience with buddhism has been of a tradition which values tremendously interpesonal relationship (heck, the Buddha said that Metta is the fastest way to reach nirvana) and has A LOT to teach about you as an individual and as a part of a community. I also found the author often on the self-promoting side which kinda rubbed me the wrong way.
Well, I really wanted to like the book but it didn't happen. I'll go back to reading https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9...
PS: I just remembered that at the time of this review this book is 16 years old and many of the good books that I've been reading were written more recently, which might partially explain the amount of positive reviews posted here (less)
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Susan Price
Aug 01, 2013Susan Price rated it it was amazing
Life changing for me, although as others have said, challenging at times. I think it helps to be practicing meditation and reading other Buddhist psychology in order to understand some of the more difficult concepts. Welwood is an excellent writer. I would recommend one of his other books, Perfect Love, Imperfect Relationships as a good starting point. It is not just for intimate relationships, but any relationship.
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Theodora
Mar 26, 2009Theodora rated it really liked it
Shelves: books09, unveiling, self-care
One of the best books on religion and psychotherapy I have read. I love the term 'spiritual bypassing,' which means spiritually advancing without working on your psychological stuff.
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Emmiliegh
Apr 29, 2020Emmiliegh rated it really liked it
This book was a great tool to open my mind to some thoughts on meditation and therapy that I had not considered. Or it allowed me to certainly think of these ideas on a deeper level. I also loved that the author included real case examples when explaining some methods, this helped me see how these could be used in a real world context. The overall layout of the book to me was off putting. At the beginning of each section each chapter of that section is broken down and your told what every chapter will be about. I understanding wanting to introduce the topics before you fully dive in but the way it is written felt redundant. The content however is still valuable and I’m happy I purchased my own copy to keep on bookshelf in reference in the future when I need. (less)
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Usama Saeed
May 09, 2020Usama Saeed rated it it was amazing
One of the most wonderful books I have ever read , never before I had any clear idea about the unconscious , the ego , dealing with emotions and transmutation . John Welwood will always be remembered as one of the greatest spiritual authors who contributed to the evolution of human consciousness
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Kai Frank
Jan 07, 2018Kai Frank rated it it was amazing
Potent. Down to earth. Worthwhile.
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Michael
Oct 19, 2018Michael rated it it was amazing
I found this to be a very thought provoking book that challenges some of the conventional psychological approaches.
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IAO131
May 28, 2015IAO131 rated it really liked it
Shelves: psychology, philosophy, mysticism
An interesting exploration of the intersection of psychotherapy and spirituality. In particular Welwood talks about Buddhism and Gendlin's Focusing most often. Particularly interesting were his concepts of 'spiritual bypassing' (a fairly well known idea nowadays in spiritual circles) and his different theory about the unconscious as part of an informational interpretation gestalt rather than a treasure chest of secret contents. Recommended for those who attempt to reconcile the impersonal & personal in their paths. (less)
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Christopherseelie
Jul 19, 2012Christopherseelie rated it liked it
A remarkable look at the ways Eastern spiritual traditions fall short of helping Westerners affect change in their psyches, and how Western psychology fails to be as fearless as meditation. However, this book has little negativity and a lot of heart directed at consolidating the 2 spheres of personal transformation. The chapters on Depression, Addiction, and how an intimate relationship can be a vehicle of spiritual growth are some of the highlights.
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David
Dec 19, 2007David rated it it was amazing
Recommends it for: psychologists, transpersonal psychologists, and spiritual seekers
Shelves: psychology, spirituality
Dr. Welwood integrates spirituality and psychology in an excellent overview of Buddhist Psychology. This integration of Eastern spiritual discipline with Western psychology purports to fully integrate mind, body, and spirit for the overall development of the individual. Welwood presents some very important and thought-provoking concepts in this book. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in psychology or spirituality.
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Natacha
Jan 05, 2016Natacha rated it it was amazing
I can only wish you all to read this book!
No need to be buddhist or have interest in psychology.
This book is about life, human being, being, discovering, understanding, love, personal and interpersonal relationships, awakening.
The whole written with so much justness and such a level of humanity.
So much wisdom contained in few pages.
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R.G. Bullet
May 14, 2011R.G. Bullet rated it really liked it
This book is truly amazing.
I admit I had to really concentrate to get through it at times, but to be totally fair the words in it can be so life-changing that I think fuses were blown while reading, and I found myself falling asleep with it on my chest. It had a strange affect of resonating for ages. I am happy to see it here with high ratings.
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Vicente Villela
May 09, 2016Vicente Villela rated it really liked it
Really beautiful and insightful book.
Can't believe Welwood is not as well known as Kornfield, Siegel, Epstein, Batchelor and all the rest. His name should be up there with all the big western exponents of buddhism.
For me the last chapter felt unnecessary and maybe would a better fit for another volume -if it wasn't for that, would've given it 5 stars.
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Nancy
Jul 10, 2009Nancy rated it it was amazing
This book is a keeper for me. At first, the material seems too dry and the TWO introductions I finally skipped. However, later into the book I felt the author had such wonderful insights to share. I always felt that a combination of psychotherapy AND spirituality were needed for me to heal, and this author validated that belief. I am going to order some of his other books!
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Krzys Piekarski
Mar 01, 2014Krzys Piekarski rated it it was amazing
As usual, leave it to Rilke to say it best: "Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are only princesses who are waiting to see us act just once with beauty and courage." An astonishing book full of more wisdom that I know what to do with. A+
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