Evolution and Consciousness, Revised Edition
From a Barren Rocky Earth to Artists, Philosophers, Meditators and Psychotherapists
Published on 2. March 2023
Book
Paperback/Softback
184 pages
978-90-04-52374-6 (ISBN)
Description
This volume is a newly revised and updated edition of Evolution and Consciousness (Brill, 2019) and provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the emerging concept of the evolution of consciousness. The simple, but dynamic, theory of evolving consciousness blends the powerful insights of modern science with the deep wisdom of age-old cultures, synthesising the traditions of East and West, of the head and heart, of male and female and of science and spirituality. To borrow a phrase from American philosopher Ken Wilber, it is a concept that "transcends and includes" all that has gone before. By integrating diverse multi-disciplinary approaches, it provides an overarching and transcending model that moves us to a new level of meaning and understanding of our place in the world, and in so doing deepens our work as psychotherapists.
Reviews / Votes
"This book is absolutely breathtaking in the extent of its exploration of concepts and theories, ranging from the Western psychotherapies to Eastern traditions of mindfulness and meditative practice. But even more amazing and exciting is that it weaves interconnections with a range of other disciplines, including physics, cosmology, genetics, neuroscience and philosophy. In so doing, it questions much of currently accepted wisdom. These ideas are presented clearly and coherently, accessible to the general reader as well as to clinicians, therapists and scientists."- Ray Fuller, PhD, Professor of Psychology and Fellow Emeritus, Trinity College Dublin, Author of Life of Brain and Six Confessions of the Self-serving Brain (2021).
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Leiden
Netherlands
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 155 mm
Thickness: 11 mm
Weight
321 gr
ISBN-13
978-90-04-52374-6 (9789004523746)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Michael (Michelo) DelMonte, Ph.D. (1982), Trinity College Dublin. Michael was Principal Clinical Psychologist at St. Patrick's University Hospital, Dublin. He is Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, Trinity College. He co-founded "The Transnational Network for Physical, Psychological and Spiritual Well-Being" (1990) in Tokyo.
Maeve Halpin is a Chartered Counselling Psychologist (PSI), clinical supervisor and founder-manager of the Appletree Health and Wellness Therapy Centre in Dublin. She is a co-founder of the Theravadan Irish Sangha Trust (IST, 2011). She compiled and published How to be Happy and Healthy: the Seven Natural Elements of Mental Health in 2014.
Maeve Halpin is a Chartered Counselling Psychologist (PSI), clinical supervisor and founder-manager of the Appletree Health and Wellness Therapy Centre in Dublin. She is a co-founder of the Theravadan Irish Sangha Trust (IST, 2011). She compiled and published How to be Happy and Healthy: the Seven Natural Elements of Mental Health in 2014.
Content
Foreword
Preface to the Revised Edition
Acknowledgements
Notes on Authors
Summary
Introduction:The Evolution of Consciousness: A New Perspective on Our Search for Meaning
?1 Models of the Evolution of Consciousness
?2 The Goal of the Journey
?3 Evolution and Consciousness: An Incredible Journey
1 The Evolution of Matter and Mind
?1 Introduction
?2 Methods of Inquiry: The Search for Meaning
?3 Evolutionary Psychopathology
?4 Consciousness and Learning
?5 Ultimate Causes
?6 Is Evolution Really Blind?
?7 The Evolution of Matter
?8 The Emergence of Life on Earth
?9 The Anthropic Principle
?10 The Evolution of Proteins and of Higher Forms of Life
?11 Quantum Biology
?12 From Rocks to Musicians, Engineers and Philosophers:The Problem of Entropy
?13 The Primacy of Mind over Matter?
?14 From Matter to Culture: A Co-operative Journey?
?15 The Animal Mind - Ethology
?16 The Missing Ingredient: Evolving Mind?
?17 Are There Limits to Darwinian Theory?
?18 Wallace's Perspective: Teleological Considerations
?19 Evolutionary Patterns
?20 Circular Causality: A Systemic Approach
?21 Panpsychism: A Systemic Approach
?22 The Mind/Brain Issue: A Systemic Approach
?23 Genetic Expression: A Systemic View
?24 Evolution: A Systemic Approach
?25 Relevance to Psychotherapy
?26 Conclusions
2 Awareness: Constructivist, Psychodynamic and Eastern Perspectives
?1 Introduction
?2 Language and Awareness
?3 The Continuum of Experience
?4 The Experience of Meditation
?5 Maps and Territory: Kelly and Piaget
?6 Levels of Awareness: Kelly and Freud
?7 Reality: Kelly and Lacan
?8 Group Construing
?9 The Unconscious
?10 Pre-verbal and Somatic Construing
?11 Suspension
?12 Constriction and Dilation
?13 Submergence
?14 Loosening and Tightening
?15 Constructivism, Buddhism and Duality
?16 The Healing Essence of Buddhism
?17 Transcendence, Ascendance and Descendance
?18 Somatoform Disorders
?19 Catharsis, Insight and Integration
?20 Non-dual States
?21 Critique and Conclusions
3 Consciousness and Mindfulness
?1 Summary
?2 Introduction
?3 Suffering
?4 The Talking Cure
?5 The Inner Observer
?6 The Role of Meditation
?7 Mindfulness and Dis-Identification
?8 Awareness Training
?9 Attention, Awareness and Self-Regulation
?10 Somatisation versus Symbolisation
?11 Attachments
?12 Attachment and Loss
?13 Defensive Detachment
?14 Adaptive Dis-Identification
?15 Non-Attachment Techniques of the Orient
?16 More Advanced Mindfulness Meditation Practice
?17 The Silence of Meditation
?18 Mindfulness in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
?19 Psychoanalysis as Mindfulness
?20 Gestalt Therapy Perspective
?21 Abreaction, Insight and Integration
?22 Potential Problems with Detachment and Dis-Identification
?23 Pathological Regression
?24 Suitability
?25 Conclusions
4 The Development of Symbolisation from the Pre-verbal to the Trans-verbal: An Evolving Consciousness
?1 Introduction
?2 Individual Development of Symbolisation
?3 Symbolisation and Communication
?4 Levels of Symbolic Development
?5 Pre-verbal Symbolisation: An Evolutionary Perspective
?6 Projective Identification
?7 Hysterical Identification
?8 Co-ontogeny, Identification and Transference
?9 Failures of Symbolisation: Somatisation
?10 Transitional Objects
?11 Symbolic "Castration"
?12 Sublimation
?13 Dreaming and Verbal Symbolisation
?14 Lacan and the Symbolic Order
?15 Society and Verbal Symbolisation
?16 Para-verbal Symbolisation
?17 Trans-verbal Symbolisation
?18 Summary and Conclusions
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
Endorsement
Preface to the Revised Edition
Acknowledgements
Notes on Authors
Summary
Introduction:The Evolution of Consciousness: A New Perspective on Our Search for Meaning
?1 Models of the Evolution of Consciousness
?2 The Goal of the Journey
?3 Evolution and Consciousness: An Incredible Journey
1 The Evolution of Matter and Mind
?1 Introduction
?2 Methods of Inquiry: The Search for Meaning
?3 Evolutionary Psychopathology
?4 Consciousness and Learning
?5 Ultimate Causes
?6 Is Evolution Really Blind?
?7 The Evolution of Matter
?8 The Emergence of Life on Earth
?9 The Anthropic Principle
?10 The Evolution of Proteins and of Higher Forms of Life
?11 Quantum Biology
?12 From Rocks to Musicians, Engineers and Philosophers:The Problem of Entropy
?13 The Primacy of Mind over Matter?
?14 From Matter to Culture: A Co-operative Journey?
?15 The Animal Mind - Ethology
?16 The Missing Ingredient: Evolving Mind?
?17 Are There Limits to Darwinian Theory?
?18 Wallace's Perspective: Teleological Considerations
?19 Evolutionary Patterns
?20 Circular Causality: A Systemic Approach
?21 Panpsychism: A Systemic Approach
?22 The Mind/Brain Issue: A Systemic Approach
?23 Genetic Expression: A Systemic View
?24 Evolution: A Systemic Approach
?25 Relevance to Psychotherapy
?26 Conclusions
2 Awareness: Constructivist, Psychodynamic and Eastern Perspectives
?1 Introduction
?2 Language and Awareness
?3 The Continuum of Experience
?4 The Experience of Meditation
?5 Maps and Territory: Kelly and Piaget
?6 Levels of Awareness: Kelly and Freud
?7 Reality: Kelly and Lacan
?8 Group Construing
?9 The Unconscious
?10 Pre-verbal and Somatic Construing
?11 Suspension
?12 Constriction and Dilation
?13 Submergence
?14 Loosening and Tightening
?15 Constructivism, Buddhism and Duality
?16 The Healing Essence of Buddhism
?17 Transcendence, Ascendance and Descendance
?18 Somatoform Disorders
?19 Catharsis, Insight and Integration
?20 Non-dual States
?21 Critique and Conclusions
3 Consciousness and Mindfulness
?1 Summary
?2 Introduction
?3 Suffering
?4 The Talking Cure
?5 The Inner Observer
?6 The Role of Meditation
?7 Mindfulness and Dis-Identification
?8 Awareness Training
?9 Attention, Awareness and Self-Regulation
?10 Somatisation versus Symbolisation
?11 Attachments
?12 Attachment and Loss
?13 Defensive Detachment
?14 Adaptive Dis-Identification
?15 Non-Attachment Techniques of the Orient
?16 More Advanced Mindfulness Meditation Practice
?17 The Silence of Meditation
?18 Mindfulness in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
?19 Psychoanalysis as Mindfulness
?20 Gestalt Therapy Perspective
?21 Abreaction, Insight and Integration
?22 Potential Problems with Detachment and Dis-Identification
?23 Pathological Regression
?24 Suitability
?25 Conclusions
4 The Development of Symbolisation from the Pre-verbal to the Trans-verbal: An Evolving Consciousness
?1 Introduction
?2 Individual Development of Symbolisation
?3 Symbolisation and Communication
?4 Levels of Symbolic Development
?5 Pre-verbal Symbolisation: An Evolutionary Perspective
?6 Projective Identification
?7 Hysterical Identification
?8 Co-ontogeny, Identification and Transference
?9 Failures of Symbolisation: Somatisation
?10 Transitional Objects
?11 Symbolic "Castration"
?12 Sublimation
?13 Dreaming and Verbal Symbolisation
?14 Lacan and the Symbolic Order
?15 Society and Verbal Symbolisation
?16 Para-verbal Symbolisation
?17 Trans-verbal Symbolisation
?18 Summary and Conclusions
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
Endorsement