This book offers a new approach to imagination which brings its emotional, social, cultural, contextual and existential characteristics to the fore. Fantasy and imagination are understood as the human capacity to distance oneself from the here?and?now situation in order to return to it with new possibilities. To do this we use social?cultural means (e.g. language, stories, art, images, etc.) to conceive of imaginary scenarios, some of which may become real. Imagination is involved in every situation of our lives, though to different degrees. Sometimes this process can lead to concrete products (e.g., artistic works) that can be picked up and used by others for the purposes of their imagining. Imagination is not seen here as an isolated cognitive faculty but as the means by which people anticipate and constructively move towards an indeterminate future. It is in this process of living forward with the help of imagination that novelty appears and social change becomes possible. This book offers a conceptual history of imagination, an array of theoretical approaches, imagination's use in psychologist's thinking and a number of new research areas. Its aim is to offer a re?enchantment of the concept of imagination and the discipline of psychology more generally.

Das Buch vermittelt Basiswissen uber zwei grundlegende Bereiche der Allgemeinen Psychologie: menschliche Wahrnehmung und Aufmerksamkeit. Welche Theorien sind wichtig? Welche Kontroversen und Fragen beschaftigen die Forscher aktuell, und wie haben sich die Gebiete historisch entwickelt? In klarer, verstandlicher Form fuhren die Autoren in die wichtigsten Grundfragen ein und verhelfen Leserinnen und Lesern so zu Orientierung und UEberblick.

In this highly original study, C. Michael Smith draws on phenomenological resources and hermeneutic dialogue to explore the affinities and distinctions between shamanism and Jungian psychology, both rooted ultimately in a heart-centered way if life, and both having highly intricate maps of the human psychic interiors. As the reader adventures through this book he or she will encounter shamanic initiation, dismemberments, disassociation, grief, despair, and soul loss, the healing power of ritual, ecstasy and other altered states. The book explores many rich topics including the role of talismans and amulets, the various levels of the collective unconscious, the archetypal and imaginable perspectives on such phenomena, and implications for psychotherapeutic practice today. In the new preface, the author argues that in the end "It isn't the fascinating and powerful techniques that are the essential thing, but the person inside, its capacity to live from the heart n Earth-honoring and Nature- attuning ways that is the essential center of the Jung/shamanism interface."
In Jung and Shamanism in Dialogue, C. Michael Smith has written a "must have" classic for all students of shamanism and Jungian psychology. Thorough, clear and authoritative, Smith writes from first-hand perspective, drawing on his own depth experiences in studying and teaching shamanism and Jungian psychology for decades. As in his previous book, Psychotherapy and the Sacred, he is psychological and spiritual, phenomenological and historical in his unique perspective. Jung was often described as a "shaman" by those who knew him well, but few have had the courage to openly make this claim, and none has presented the caseas thoroughly as Smith has. This new preface to this second edition adds a richness of wisdom worth the price of the book. -Tess Castleman, Training Analyst, The C.G. Jung Institute, Zurich

The prefrontal cortex makes up almost a quarter of the human brain, and it expanded dramatically during primate evolution. The Neurobiology of the Prefrontal Cortex presents a new theory about its fundamental function. In this important new book, the authors argue that primate-specific parts of the prefrontal cortex evolved to reduce errors in foraging choices, so that particular ancestors of modern humans could overcome periodic food shortages. These developments laid the foundation for working out problems in our imagination, which resulted in the insights that allow humans to avoid errors entirely, at least at times. In the book, the authors detail which parts of the prefrontal cortex evolved exclusively in primates, how its connections explain why the prefrontal cortex alone can perform its function, and why other parts of the brain cannot do what the prefrontal cortex does. Based on an analysis of its evolutionary history, the book uses evidence from lesion, imaging, and cell-recording experiments to argue that the primate prefrontal cortex generates goals from a current behavioural context and that it can do so on the basis of single events. As a result, the prefrontal cortex uses the attentive control of behaviour to augment an older general-purpose learning system, one that evolved very early in the history of animals. This older system learns slowly and cumulatively over many experiences based on reinforcement. The authors argue that a new learning system evolved in primates at a particular time and place in their history, that it did so to decrease the errors inherent in the older learning system, and that severe volatility of food resources provided the driving force for these developments. Written by two leading brain scientists, The Neurobiology of the Prefrontal Cortex is an important contribution to our understanding of the evolution and functioning of the human brain.

This text is intended for undergraduate experimental psychology and research methods courses. Its purpose is to provide students with exactly what they need to successfully conduct research and report their results. Advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students should find this book useful for reviewing experimental methods prior to beginning their own research.

For more than a century, the albino rat has been the standard subject in psychological research. Among other reasons, the rat was thought to be the perfect animal model of human behavior due to the presumed simplicity of its behavior, considered to be mechanistically controlled by the environment and, thus, free from the unnecessary complication caused by the influence of mental processes. In the last few years, a series of critical experiments have been conducted to understand the rat's mental abilities, finding evidence of sophisticated cognitive processes - some of which previously believed to be exclusively human. The rat, it turns out, is a good animal model of human cognition as well; its behavior is no more "reflexive" than it is "reflective." This book tells the story of the albino rat in the psychology laboratory, and how recent studies in animal cognition have changed our perception of its mental life. This is the story of the thinking rat.

QUANTUM JUMPS presents a radical new paradigm--that we exist in an interconnected holographic multiverse in which we literally jump from one parallel universe to another. Experience a new science of instant transformation. In a moment you can become smarter... more confident... happier... more outgoing... more effective... in better relationships... with more willpower. Gain practical tools to achieve real change in your life, regardless of past history. Leap forward to become happier and more successful, living the life of your dreams. Supported by distinguished sources from the fields of psychology, biology, sociology and physics, QUANTUM JUMPS is an inspirational book packed with practical tools for living a happier, healthier, more prosperous life. ""The 'Quantum Age' has finally arrived. Cynthia Sue Larson understands its implications for our everyday lives--for how we can make wiser decisions, relate better to other people, manage our careers more effectively, use our dreams to provide insights, and even how we can use 'quantum jumping' for self-healing."" -- Stanley Krippner ""The twenty-first century will be remembered as the era in which quantum physics, biology, and consciousness started shaking hands. We now know that 'quantum' is no longer limited to the invisible, subatomic realm, but involves our everyday world and our own mind. Cynthia Sue Larson's QUANTUM JUMPS is a daring, adventuresome, delightful romp in this territory."" -- Dr. Larry Dossey ""Cynthia Larson's new book QUANTUM JUMPS offers her latest insights into using the quantum metaphor to explain a number of human experiences that go beyond what we would normally call "normal." She writes with clarity, vision, and offers hope and encouragement to those who often fear such experiences that go beyond accepted norms of existence."" -- Fred Alan Wolf ""In QUANTUM JUMPS, Cynthia Sue Larson illustrates how 'quantum jumping' can greatly transform our everyday lives, bringing fresh new perspectives and clarity through one of our most natural gifts--the imagination."" -- Annamaria Hemingway ""Multiverse, alternate realities and quantum physics have taken root in American consciousness. We know that the universe is bigger and more mysterious than we can imagine. Cynthia Sue Larson is the first writer to provide a manual to allow us to experience the truth of the new physics. Better yet, Cynthia shows us how to manifest new positive realities that are surrounding us. She shows us what to do to make our Quantum Jump to these higher orders of reality. Her work is an amazing achievement and a stellar addition to the field of mind-body research."" -- Dr. Donald "Rock" Schnell ""I highly recommend QUANTUM JUMPS to all who desire to move out of 'stuckness' and jump into a state of well-being "" -- Jennifer Reich ""A brilliant blend of science and spirituality, possible and probable, QUANTUM JUMPS will catapult the reader into a whole new view of potential and remind us that we've always occupied this fantastic world of quantum reality, but it is now that we must act upon it I highly recommend this delightful book to anyone needing a verifiable record of the miraculous, mystical and magnificent. You will not want to put this book down "" -- Alexis Brooks

All the TV and radio talk shows that have adopted the subject of psychology as a staple are really only dealing with one side of that science - the clinical, or "healing," side. In her enormously intriguing book, Dr. Denise Cummins introduces us to the other side of the science of psychology - the study of the healthy mind and its powers.