Listening From the Heart of Silence

• This exceptional anthology reflects the deepening confluence between timeless spiritual wisdom and Western psychological understanding.  Bringing the spiritual insights of Zen, Tibetan Dzogchen, and Advaita Vedanta to bear on the practice of psychotherapy, the authors demonstrate how genuine nondual spiritual realization naturally applies itself in the therapeutic encounter. Most impressive is the fact that these are not religious scholars, but dedicated realizers and teachers whose work with students and clients is both healing and enlightening. Again and again, the separation between self and other inevitably breaks down as truth spontaneously moves to reveal itself through both therapist and client.” --Stephan Bodian, MFT, psychotherapist, dharma teacher, and author of Meditation For Dummies and coauthor of Buddhism For Dummies

• “The dialogue concerning the nondual approach to psychotherapy is greatly enriched by this admirable collection compiled by John Prendergast and Ken Bradford.”  -- Swami Abhayananda, author of History of Mysticism, The Supreme Self, Mysticism And Science

• “This book demonstrates that the nondual psychotherapist is able to facilitate and guide the leap into formlessness, the uncovering of the deepest psychological contractions, and the recognition that the body, or form, is not separate from the formless. This ability or function of the nondual psychotherapist is the same as that of the enlightened guru. This book, along with The Sacred Mirror, is a major contributor to a revolution in psychotherapy.” -- Jerry Katz, founder of Nonduality.com, Editor, One: Essential Writings on Nonduality

• This is one of the best transpersonal guides to being, of which I am aware.  Both professionals and clients will benefit from this volume’s acute evocation of mystery—and its startling power to heal.”--Kirk Schneider, PhD, editor of the Journal of Humanistic Psychology,  author or editor of The Paradoxical Self: Toward an Understanding of Our Contradictory Nature; Horror and the Holy: Wisdom-teachings of the Monster Tale; The Psychology of Existence: An Integrative, Clinical Perspective (with Rollo May), and The Handbook of Humanistic Psychology: Leading Edges in Theory, Research and Practice. 

• “This clear, insightful and deep book will assist lovers of reality.”  --Isaac Shapiro, dharma teacher, author of Outbreak of Peace; It Happens by Itself

• “Whether you are a psychotherapist, a spiritual teacher, a client, or a student, each of the essays in this wise and elegantly written book will inspire you not only to listen but to think and respond from the heart of silence. Read, learn from, and be challenged and inspired by this book.” --Amy Weintraub, MFA, ERYT 500, is the author of Yoga for Depression and the founder of the LifeForce Yoga Healing Institute. 

• “Along with its predecessor, The Sacred Mirror, this book addresses many of the major questions concerning the healing power of genuine nondual realization in the therapeutic relationship.  I am grateful to the editors for extracting the essence of this monumental teaching and applying it to everyday clinical practice. Their book will inspire an ever-increasing number of therapists who intuit that emotional problems naturally begin to resolve as we open ever more deeply to the One Self beyond all selves.” --Bryan Wittine, PhD, Jungian Analyst, C. G. Jung Institute of San Francisco

• “This is a breakthrough book that goes beyond the nondual school and enters into dialogue with the mainstream schools of psychotherapy.  It is an important developmental step that is essential in order to insure that this newly emerging approach can find a place in the larger psychotherapy world.” --Brant Cortright, Ph.D., chairman of the Integral Counseling Psychology department at the California Institute of Integral Studies, author of Integral Psychology: Yoga, Growth, and Opening the Heart (2007)and Psychotherapy and Spirit: Theory and Practice of Transpersonal Psychotherapy

• “I can think of no more profound advance in the healing arts than the integration of modern psychotherapy and the nondual traditions.  This book gets to the heart of that marriage, and both therapists and their clients stand to benefit enormously from its insights.” -- Philip Goldberg, author of Roadsigns on the Spiritual Path: Living at the Heart of Paradox

• “Listening from the Heart of Silence is a veritable feast for scholars, psychotherapists and spiritual aspirants alike. Phenomenologically bold, each contributing author pays homage to the primacy of direct experience when openly and wakefully inquiring into what is referred to throughout as nondual Reality. The wisdom and skillful means contained in the text have been carefully hewn from years of integrating personal and clinical experience.  These writings seek refuge in the eternal waters that lie far from the shores of new age and transpersonal dilettantism. Listening from the Heartof Silence seeks not to instruct as much as it does to reveal the majestic unity and ineffable diversity of Presence as realized human embodiment.” --Arthur Giacalone, Ph.D., Psychologist, Adjunct Faculty, Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, Director, Silent Lamp: A Thomas Merton Documentary

• “This inspiring collection of essays weaves together various threads that comprise the tapestry of modern transpersonal psychology: non-duality, contemporary psychological theory, religious philosophy and clinical practice. Rather than relying on spiritual theories and secondary sources, the authors’ personal experience with non-duality and clinical practice informs the ground out of which the essays in Listening from the Heart of Silence spring, imbuing them with a feeling of creativity and authenticity. This book is an important contribution to the transpersonal psychology literature and should be required reading in any transpersonal psychology graduate school curriculum.” --Laurel Parnell, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist, author of Transforming Trauma: EMDR, EMDR in the Treatment of Adults Abused as Children and A Therapist’s Guide to EMDR, former core faculty member at John F. Kennedy University, Graduate School for the Study of Human Consciousness, and adjunct faculty at California Institute of Integral Studies.

• “I applaud Listening from the Heart of Silence for extending the pioneering work begun in The Sacred Mirror, that of revealing how psychotherapy assists the embodiment of spiritual self-realization, and how spiritual awakening supports the integration of insights that arise during psychotherapy. The authors of this incisive anthology speak eloquently from both their personal and professional experience, illuminating how spirituality and psychotherapy are indeed not separate, but conjoint movements which, when creatively interwoven, help us become fully alive, awake and integrated human beings. These two volumes should and, I hope, will become required reading for all students of psychology and spirituality.”  --Richard C. Miller, PhD., Clinical Psychologist, author of Yoga Nidra: The Meditative Heart of Yoga, Co-president of the Institute for Spirituality and Psychology, president of the Center of Timeless Being, and co-founder of the International Association of Yoga Therapy.

• "Reading these pages is like witnessing the birth of a new wisdom tradition, quintessentially American, and therefore very accessible to the Western mind.  The work of these authors may indeed represent a brilliant evolution of the entire field of mental health in America." --Anna Douglas, Ph.D., one of the founding teachers of Spirit Rock Meditation Center (Insight Meditation Society)

• “John Prendergast and Ken Bradford are breaking new ground in the research and clinical practice of psychotherapy. As the quest for personal meaning, religious experience and interfaith dialogue are making more headlines in the news, psychotherapy cannot stay aloof from these new trends in the consciousness of its customers. This collection of essays targets issues of high complexity, such as the clinical implications of ego-transcendence and non-dual consciousness, that have been ignored or marginalized in prior psychological research. This pioneering group of dedicated practitioners is presenting clinical insights grounded in real life, paving the ground for future academic studies and enhancing salutary possibilities of psychotherapy.” --Olga Louchakova, M.D., Ph.D., core faculty at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, author, international seminar leader, former neuroscientist, and a psychotherapist in private practice.

• “This is a ‘where the rubber meets the road’ exploration of the interface of psychotherapy with Zen, Advaita Vedanta and Dzogchen and other nondual approaches. In addition, the risks of using nonduality as a spiritual bypass are frankly addressed. Case studies and therapy excerpts add further depth to this inquiry. This book serves as an excellent resource for therapists interested in bringing more spiritual awareness into their clinical practice.” --David Lukoff, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, Co-president of the Association of Transpersonal Psychology

• “Listening from the Heart of Silence deepens and expands on the wisdom expressed in The Sacred Mirror, the first book in the series on Nondual Wisdom and Psychotherapy.  John Prendergast and Ken Bradford have created an anthology of gifted writers, therapists and teachers, who inspire and move us to an awakened understanding of listening from the heart of silence.  This book is a valuable addition to the field of spirituality and psychotherapy, drawing on both traditional and modern perspectives. Readers, be they students, teachers or therapist, will be invited into a larger radiance of being, truly touching on the wisdom of the nondual perspective.” --Ray Greenleaf, M.A., MFT, Chair, Counseling Psychology School of Holistic Studies John F. Kennedy University

• “Listening from the Heart of Silence is an invitation itself to deeper listening.  It is at the same time intellectually stimulating, professionally instructive, and spiritually inspiring.  The authors take great care to connect nondual wisdom to the work of psychotherapy in a way that can be transformative of both the client and the therapist.”  -- Paul J. Roy, Ph.D., Academic Vice President, Institute of Transpersonal Psychology

The Sacred Mirror: Nondual Wisdom and Psychotherapy

• This brilliant collection of essays introduces us to the most expansive of all human possibilities - the wisdom of the unconditioned mind. This is groundbreaking work, and of compelling interest to all psychotherapists exploring the potentials of the self."    -Stephen Cope, LCSW, Senior Scholar, Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, author of Yoga and the Quest for the True Self  and Will Yoga and Meditation Really Change Your Life? 

• "The best presentation that I have ever read of both the theoretical reasons for introducing nondual spiritual understanding into psychotherapy as well as descriptions and instructions on how to do it."  --Seymour Boorstein, M.D., author of Transpersonal Psychotherapy  and Clinical Studies in Transpersonal Psychotherapy , Department of Psychiatry, University of California Medical School  

• "There is a wealth of insights in The Sacred Mirror  that point the way forward for psychotherapists and spiritual seekers." --Christopher Titmus, Buddhist teacher and author of An Awakened Life 

• "Whether they call it an approach, a wisdom, a therapy or an understanding, each of the authors in this book have found a unique way to describe their understanding and experience of nondual wisdom and psychotherapy. Like a many faceted diamond, each expression shines forth to illuminate an important aspect of this approach. It is the whole jewel however that can inspire the reader into their own inquiry and understanding, born of their own spiritual and psychological development and philosophy into this nondual approach. Practitioners, teachers, and students have the potential to become richer and wiser in the process." --Ray Greenleaf, M.A., chair of the Counseling Psychology Department in the School for Holistic Studies at John F. Kennedy University,  in Journal of Transpersonal Psychology  (V. 36, N.2, 2004)

• "The Sacred Mirror  recognizes that the actuality and depth of the unconditioned mind is decisive for dissolving neurotic fixations of all kinds, including the most subtle and enduring fixation that clings to the construct of a separate sense of self. The therapeutic skillful means most emphasized in the book include promoting the primacy of presence, or unconditioned openness in being with an other, ie. "sacred mirroring", and the therapeutic use of deconstructing mental constructs through radical forms of questioning. Written largely by seasoned clinicians, the authors return frequently to the necessity of existential grounding for nondual therapeutics. Dangers of spiritual bypassing are spoken to throughout. But the real brilliance of this text lies in the courageous, at times erudite, at times gritty displays of sanity in being fully human and evoking that fullness in an other." --Kenneth Bradford, PhD, Adjunct Professor at JFK University and California Institute of Integral Studies; a psychologist in private practice  

• "The Sacred Mirror  is truly a landmark book in the history of psychotherapy, and can be considered 'must reading' for all therapists, therapists-in-training, their instructors, and, I daresay, many spiritual teachers."  --Timothy Conway, Ph.D., author of Women of Grace and  Power   

How is modern psychotherapy impacted when it is approached from the presence and understanding of the unconditioned mind? What happens when therapists are able to function as a sacred mirror for their clients’ essential nature, reflecting back not only the contents of awareness—thoughts, feelings and sensations—but awareness itself? Informed by their direct experience as well as by nondual teachings from both eastern and western wisdom traditions, the authors take a fresh look at what psychotherapy can be. These seminal essays will challenge and inspire readers to approach psychotherapy in a new way—as a potential portal for experiencing their deepest nature as free and joyful beings.

Seasoned clinicians, Dan Berkow, Stephan Bodian, Dorothy Hunt, Sheila Krystal, Lynn Marie Lumiere, Richard Miller, John Prendergast, John Welwood, Jennifer Welwood and Bryan Wittine, and innovative western spiritual teachers, Adyashanti and Peter Fenner, explore critical issues at the interface of psychology and spirituality from a nondual perspective.

 

• John J. Prendergast, Ph.D., is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies and a psychotherappist in private practice in San Rafael, California.
• Peter Fenner, Ph.D., is formerly a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at Deakin University who currently offers Radiant Mind workshops and trainings internationally.
• Sheila Krystal, Ph.D., is a practicing clinical psychologist in Berkeley, California.