CITE:Â Grof, S. The Stormy Search for the Self: A Guide to Personal Growth Through Transformational Crisis. Tarcher Perigee. 1990.
SUMMARY
In this book, Stanislav Grof explores the concept of transformational crisis, which he defines as a profound psychological crisis that can lead to personal growth and spiritual awakening. Drawing on his years of experience as a psychotherapist and researcher into non-ordinary states of consciousness, Grof offers practical guidance for navigating these crises and finding meaning in them.
Thus, “The Stormy Search for the Self” is a guidebook for individuals going through transformative crises, such as midlife crises, existential crises, or spiritual emergencies. The book explores the various types of crises people can experience, their underlying causes, and how they can lead to personal growth and spiritual awakening. The book draws from the author’s experiences as a transpersonal psychologist and from case studies of his clients who have gone through transformational crises.
HIGHLIGHTS
- The book presents a holistic approach to personal growth and healing that includes physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual dimensions.
- Grof identifies several different types of transformative crises, including spiritual emergencies, shamanic crises, kundalini awakenings, near-death experiences, and encounters with non-ordinary states of consciousness.
- These crises often involve a sense of ego dissolution, in which the individual feels a loss of identity and a connection to something larger than themselves.
- While transformational crises can be terrifying and disorienting, they can also lead to profound personal growth and spiritual transformation.
- The book emphasizes the importance of integrating experiences from transformative crises rather than suppressing or denying them.
- Grof provides practical guidance for individuals going through transformative crises, including how to find support, how to work with therapists, and how to engage in self-care practices.
SELECTED QUOTES
- “The crisis is a painful and turbulent process, but it also offers opportunities for growth and transformation that are difficult to achieve under more ordinary circumstances” (p. 5).
- “The transformational crisis is essentially a journey into the unknown, into the depths of the psyche, and into the great mystery of existence” (p. 7).
- “In the crisis, the psyche is trying to free itself from a situation that it experiences as being fundamentally flawed, insufficient, or outgrown, and to move to a new level of functioning and existence” (p. 11).
- “The transformational crisis can be seen as a descent into the underworld of the psyche, a journey into the dark night of the soul” (p. 16).
- “The transformational crisis represents a confrontation between the limitations of the individual’s current level of psychological and spiritual development and the potential for growth and expansion that lies beyond them” (p. 24).
- “Transformational crises are not just pathological states, but contain the seeds of profound personal growth and spiritual awakening” (p. 25).
- “The crises of spiritual emergence are related to a fundamental shift in the worldview and the value system of the individual. They reflect the emergence of a new vision of reality and a new sense of purpose and meaning in life” (p. 94).
