Harness the psychospiritual healing potential of prayer, meditation, breathing, and more!This thoughtful anthology illuminates ancient ways of psychospiritual healing. Research has shown the healing potential of prayer, meditation, controlled breathing, and other timeless spiritual disciplines. This extraordinary book brings together experts who explore these concepts from the perspectives of Christianity, Buddhism, Sufism, the Goddess tradition, Judaism, Native American spirituality, Taoism, and Hinduism/Yoga. In Modern Psychology and Ancient Wisdom: Psychological Healing Practices from the World’s Religious Traditions, you’ll discover ancient techniques used by teachers, guides, and practitioners through the ages to facilitate psychological healing.Each chapter of this unique book presents a unique and distinctive view of psychospiritual practice and demonstrates its healing applications. With it, you will explore: the Buddhist concept of Brilliant Sanity and how to help clients reconnect to it through several specific practices ways of accessing the healing power of Christ as employed by various denominations a remarkable collection of metaphors in the Goddess tradition to help in the healing process for battered and abused women Kabbalistic (Jewish mystical) paths to healing Native American healing rituals and tales Sufi stories, poetry, and practices--dance, sound, breathing, turning, walking meditation, and remembrance--that encourage the healing process health and healing resources from the Taoist tradition, including wu-wei (effortless effort), acupuncture, diet and nutrition, and meditation Hindu yoga techniques that employ physical postures, mantric sound, and breath control and much more! Modern Psychology and Ancient Wisdom is a book that offers important help to the layperson, psychologist, pastoral caregiver, and professor. It will help religious leaders understand more about the practices of other faiths. It is in harmony with the movement of our post-modern world toward multicultural perspectives, offering a large, varied, and meaningful view of the world.

Table of Contents:
About the Editor Contributors Foreword Acknowledgments Introduction Examining the Problem The Shadow Side of Neglect Integrating Science and Religion Buddhism Chapter 1. Nurturing the Seeds of Sanity: A Buddhist Approach to Psychotherapy Introduction Brilliant Sanity and Buddha Nature The Four Noble Truths The Path of Contemplative Psychotherapy Cultivating Mindfulness The Four Foundations of Mindfulness Using Mindless Practices Mindfully The Outcome Christianity Chapter 2. Rediscovering Christ, the Healer Rediscovering Mystical Christianity Contemporary Prayer Experiences Prayer Healing with Scripture Stories Free-Form Prayer Healing An Experience of Prayer Healing A Transpersonal Model of Christian Prayer Healing Mary, the Saints, and Other Wisdom Figures Healing of the Generations—A New Perspective on Purgatory Intercessory Prayer and the Liturgy of Healing Prayer in a Mystical Cosmos Goddess Spirituality Chapter 3. Tales of the Goddess: Healing Metaphors for Women The Splitting of Earth and Sky Embodied Narratives The Cycles of a Woman’s Life Reclaiming the Garden of Paradise Judaism Chapter 4. Jewish Spiritual Pathways for Growth and Healing Introduction Kabbalistic Paths of Healing Balancing Yourself on the Tree of Your Life The Three Strands of the Soul Meditation and the Tree of Life Returning to Your Soul: The Relationship Between Rabbi and Student Community As Healer Jewish Holidays: Holistic Days Future Directions in Jewish Spirituality and Psychological Growth Summary Native American Psychospirituality Chapter 5. Dancing the Circle: Native American Concepts of Healing Introduction East: New Beginnings South: Initiation and Learning West: Revelation and Insight North: Transformation and Systemic Change Self-Care and Integrity: Guides for the Healer Conclusion Sufism Chapter 6. The Key in the Dark: Self and Soul Transformation in the Sufi Tradition History and Background The Ecology of Mind in Sufi Stories and Poetry Views of the Self and Soul Practices: Breath, Sound, Walking Meditation, Dance, Turning, and Remembrance Twenty-First-Century Applications Taoism Chapter 7. Taoist Mind-Body Resources for Psychological Health and Healing Taoism: The Tao, Ch’i, and Ch’i Gung “Good-Enough” Health and Wellness The Path of No-Paths: Suchness and Simplicity “No-Identity Is True Identity” Illness As “Stuck” or “Attached” Life Energy Wu Wei: The Ultimate Achievement in Taoist “Wellness” On Taoist Masters and Students Conclusion Yoga and Hinduism Chapter 8. The Yoga Path: Awakening from the Dream Introduction Indian Science Yoga As Somatic Science Yoga Education The Goals or Outcomes of Yoga Yoga and Psychotherapy Cautions for Yoga Practice Yoga and the Psychospiritual Client Yoga As a Way of Life Conclusion Ways of Presenting Spiritual Teachings Ethical Concerns Distinctions and Similarities Healing Self, Healing Culture Index Reference Notes Included