Modern Consciousness Research and the Understanding of Art: Including The Visionary World of H.R. Giger

About this book

“Dr. Grof’s positive message of universal spirituality hardwired in the brain and unlocked during the mystical psychedelic state should be front page news. With this new book, he shows how visionary artists are transcribing the present World Soul’s birth trauma and by sharing the discoveries of consciousness research he creates a new context for viewing, appreciating, and awakening through visionary art.”—Alex Grey, visionary artist and co-founder of the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors“After Sigmund Freud, who introduced the unconscious, the libido, and guilt into the interpretation of art, and Carl Gustav Jung who introduced the collective unconscious and the archetypes, we now have Stanislav Grof who widens the horizons by bringing in the perinatal and the transpersonal dimensions of human experience. Grof is unquestionably the third giant in the psychological interpretation of art in the modern age.”—Ervin László, Hungarian philosopher of science, systems theorist, and editor of World Futures: The Journal of General Evolution“In this unique illustrated volume, we marvel at the startling correlations between the healer’s insights and the artist’s visions. Both have given powerful expression to the apocalyptic violence and destructiveness seething beneath the surface of 20th century mass-mind mentality. In the recognition of these powerful unconscious processes, there is great hope that humanity may find a way back to a saner and healthier balance.”—Ralph Metzner, Ph.D., psychotherapist and author of The Unfolding Self, The Well of Remembrance, and The Roots of War and Domination.“In this brilliant book, Stan Grof guides us through the human psyche, using his own unique and comprehensive map, illustrated here by the art of H. R. Giger. The result is a major contribution to the field of depth psychology, bringing together art and science to create a document that is both evocative and therapeutic. This book once again confirms Grof as a profound pioneer in the study of consciousness.”—Wes Nisker, Buddhist meditation teacher and author of Buddha’s Nature: A Practical Guide to Discovering Your Place in the Cosmos“In Grof’s newest book, his insights into the mysterious sources of artistic inspiration and the enchanting power of great art are presented in the form of an engaging narrative covering the history of depth-psychological interpretations of art, a concise overview of Grof’s revolutionary and expansive‘ cartography of the psyche’ gleaned from decades of consciousness research, and a compelling analysis of the spell-binding effect of Giger’s visionary life-work.”—Sean Kelly, Ph.D., Professor of Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness at the California Institute of Integral Studies“Stan Grof, one of the consciousness pioneers of the 20th and 21st century, has been on the forefront of understanding the importance of art in our human evolution toward a more enlightened species. In his unparalleled work, he’s created techniques of transforming the shadows into the light, and pointed to art as one the greatest expressions of these alchemical processes. This book honors the profound contributions of the artist, and illuminates Stan Grof’s tremendous contribution to consciousness research.”—Martina Hoffmann, visionary painter and sculptress