Please use these links to view a reading list for the following topics:

Addiction and Drugs

Adolescence

Ecopsychology

Psychospiritual Practices

Shamanism, Ritual, and Ceremony

Social and Political Involvment

Addiction and Drugs

Alcoholism and Spirituality: A Transpersonal Approach, Charles Whitfield. East Rutherford, NJ: Perrin and Treggett, 1985. A transpersonal view of addiction and the recovery process in keeping with twelve step principles.

Breaking Free From Compulsive Eating, Geneen Roth. New York: Plume/Penguin, 1984. Techniques developed in her highly successful seminars about eating issues.

Chocolate to Morphine, Andrew Weil. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1993. An excellent overview of a very wide range of substances; how they may be of value and how they may be abused and harmful. Written shortly before this authors' meteoric rise to celebrity.

Drugs, Addiction and Initiation: The Modern Search for Ritual, Luiji Zoja. Boston: Sigo Press, 1989. A Jungian view of the addiction process. Looks at our culture's lack of ritual and initiation as a primary cause for widespread addiction.

Drugs in Perspective, Richard Fields. Dubuque, IA: Wm C Brown Communications, 1992. A quality overview of different drugs, theories of addiction, and perspectives on treatment. Useful as a textbook or layman's guide.

Love and Addiction, Stanton Peele and Archie Brodsky. New York: Signet Books, 1976. Perhaps the earliest book to show that the addiction model can also be seen in relationship issues. The authors have since taken strong issue with what they see as the distortion of these ideas into use for twelve step programs for emotional and relationship problems.

Many Roads, One Journey: Moving Beyond the 12 Steps, Charlotte Kasl. New York: Harper Collins, 1992. Controversial critique of AA from a feminist spiritual perspective. Many useful insights and reflections on the deeper meaning of the twelve steps with valuable suggestions for self-exploration.

The Natural Mind, Andrew Weil. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1972. Groundbreaking work on the quest for altered states of consciousness and a sane view of drug use and abuse.

Thirst for Wholeness, Christina Grof. San Francisco: Harper, 1993. The author's journey of discovery as she came to terms with alcoholism. Very powerful transpersonal view of the recovery process and support of AA by someone who hid her own problems while leading others on the spiritual and transformational path.

The Truth About Addiction and Recovery, Peele and Brodsky. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1991. A very powerful and scathing critique of mainstream addiction treatment and the world of twelve step programs.

When Food is Love, Geneen Roth. Dutton. Roth's conception of the emotional distress that gives way to eating issues; she draws from her own life.

Wild Hunger: The Primal Roots of Modern Addiction, Bruce Wilshire. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 1998. A wild and deep philosophical journey into the roots of addiction in our culture. Poetic, ecologically wise, helpful in putting things in perspective.

Witness to the Fire: Creativity and the Veil of Addiction, Linda Leonard. Boston: Shambhala, 1989. Excellent Jungian view of addiction recovery and the creative process.

Adolescence

Adolescence: Psychotherapy and the Emergent Self, Mark McConville. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publisher's, 1995.

Betwixt and Between: Patterns of Masculine and Feminine Initiation, ed. by Louise Carus Mahdi, Steven Foster, and Meredith Little. La Salle, Illinois: Open Court, 1987. Offers "new insights into the basic elements of initiations and rites of passage." Explores through various essays the vital need for rites of passage.

Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys, Dan Kindlon and Michael Thompson. New York: Balantine, 1999. This book asks the question, "What do boys need that they are not getting?" It provides guidance on how we can help boys become emotionally literate and, ultimately, more in touch with themselves and the world around them.

Real Boys: Rescuing Our Sons from the Myths of Boyhood, William Pollack. New York: Henry Holt, 1998. This book describes the mask of masculinity that boys and men are socialized to wear, and how boys can be assisted to shed this mask and become more fully who they are.

Reviving Ophelia, Mary Pipher. New York: Ballantine Books, 1994. Pipher writes about the difficulties of adolescent girls in the world today. The girls themselves give poignant accounts. Pipher "offers parents compassion, strength, and strategies with which to revive these Ophelias' lost sense of self."

Ophelia Speaks, Adolescent Girls Write About Their Search for Self, Sara Shandler. New York, Harper Collins 1999. Written when the author was 17 years old and inspired by Pipher’s Reviving Ophelia, this became a bestseller itself. Offers the voices of adolescent girls speaking candidly on their lives and the issues vital to them.

Ophelia’s Mom Speaks, Women Speak Out About Loving and Letting Go of Their Daughters, Nina Shandler. New York, Crown Publishers, 2001. Inspired by her daughter’s book, this one shares the voice of the mothers.

Treating the Unmanageable Adolescent, Neil I. Burnstein. Northvale, New Jersey: Jason Aronson Inc., 1996. Helpful, well-written, practical book about working with teens.

A Tribe Apart: A Journey into the Heart of American Adolescence, Patricia Hersch. New York: Balantine, 1998. The author, a journalist, provides an insightful picture of modern adolescence. A must for parents and therapists of teenagers.

Ecopsychology

The Dream of the Earth, Thomas Berry. San Francisco, Sierra Club Books, 1990. Beautifully written poetic philosopy; a call to re-envision who we are in relationship to the eco-system. Berry is one of the most respected visionaries of our time.

Ecopsychology, ed. by Theodore Roszak, Mary E. Gomes, and Allen D. Kanner. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 1995. The must-read book on the field of ecopsychology, bringing together some of the best writings by several ecologists, psychologists, activists, and social thinkers.

Green Psychology, Ralph Metzner. Vermont: Park Street Press, 1999. Essays from one of our most visionary explorers/researchers on consciousness, individual and social reality, and all things green.

Nature and Madness, Paul Shepard. San Francisco: Sierrra Club Books, 1982. Shepard looks at the disjunction between modern Western culture and the rest of the history of the human species, pointing to essential features, such as rites of passage and a sense of ecological belonging, which we will need to re-integrate into our culture if we are to survive.

Race, Poverty & the Environment: A Newsletter for Social and Environmental Justice, Carl Anthony and Luke Cole. San Francisco: Earth Island Institute. The authors examine the connections between social oppression and environmental degradation, demonstrating the need for social reconstruction in order to have any meaningful environmental improvements.

Sacred Land, Sacred Sex, Rapture of the Deep: Concerning Deep Ecology and Celebrating Life, Delores LaChapelle. Silverton, Colorado: Finn Hill Arts, 1988. A vast book of incredible scope, looking at how we got ourselves into the current mess. It also describes new ways of knowing that we must learn to access if we are going to build a more sustainable world.

The Spell of the Sensuous, David Abram. Vintage Books, New York, 1996. Abram elucidates indigenous ways of knowing from his experiences in Bali and Nepal. He explores our modern culture's disconnection from the body and the natural world, and offers possibilities for re-connection.

Thinking Like a Mountain: Towards a Council of all Beings, ed. by Joanna Macy, Patricial Fleming, and Arne Naess. Philadelphia: New Society, 1988. A critical book by two of the leading proponents of Deep Ecology.

Psychospiritual Practices

Care of the Soul, Thomas Moore. New York: Harper Collins, 1992. A
classic. Moore asks the question, "What makes for a meaningful life?"
His perspective is refreshing and inspiring.

The Elixir of Enlightenment, A.H. Almaas. York Beach, Maine: Samuel
Weiser, Inc., 1984. A guide to working through our barriers to our
essence.

Essence, A.H. Almaas. York Beach, Maine: Samuel Weiser, Inc, 1981. One
of several books by a well-respected teacher who blends Sufi wisdom and
Object Relations psychology.

The Four Fold Way: Walking the Paths of the Warrior, Teacher, Healer,
and Visionary, Angeles Arrien. NY: Harper Collins Publisher's, 1993. "A
treasure of practical wisdom for anyone on the path to wholeness. . . .
An inspiring, creative synthesis of shamanic teachings by an authentic
cross-cultural practitioner." –Frances Vaughan

A New Earth - Awakening to Your Life's Purpose, Eckhart Tolle. New
York: Dutton Publications, 2005. Tolle writes from his own experience,
perhaps the most lucid view around of what life is about; the nature of
Presence, how we suffer, and how we can wake up.

Seeking the Heart of Wisdom, Joseph Goldstein and Jack Kornfield.
Boston: Shambhala, 1987. A wonderful introduction to Vipassana
meditation, a technique taught by the Buddha, but non-sectarian in
practice, as brought over to the West by two leading meditation
instructors.

The Wisdom of Insecurity, Alan Watts. New York: Vintage Books, 1951. A
classic by one of the earliest proponents of Eastern thought in
America.

Shamanism, Ritual, and Ceremony

Betwixt and Between: Patterns of Masculine and Feminine Initiation, ed. by Louise Carus Mahdi, Steven Foster, and Meredith Little. La Salle, Illinois: Open Court, 1987. Offers "new insights into the basic elements of initiations and rites of passage." Explores through various essays the vital need for rites of passage.

Dance of the Four Winds: Secrets of the Inca Medicine Wheel, Alberto Villoldo & Erik Jendresen. Rochester, Vermont: Destiny Books, 1995. A story of a man's journey to Peru in search of self-knowing and deep healing.

Fire in the Head: Shamanism and the Celtic Spirit, Tom Cowan. San Francisco: Harper, 1993. "Yeats refers to 'fire in the head' as characterizing a visionary experience--Cowan pursues "this theme in a lyrical cross-cultural exploration of shamanism and the Celtic
imagination that examines the myths and tales of the ancient Celtic poets and storytellers and outlines techniques used to access the shaman's world."

Flowers of Wiricuta, Tom Soloway Pinkson. Mill Valley, CA: Wakan Press, 1985. Pinkson describes his own initiation into the healing tradition of the Wuichol Indians of Mexico.

Fools Crow, Fools Crow's word told through Thomas, E. Mails. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 1990. Account of Frank Fools Crow, a spiritual and civic leader of the Teton Sioux.

The Four Fold Way: Walking the Paths of the Warrior, Teacher, Healer, and Visionary, Angeles Arrien. NY: Harper Collins Publisher's, 1993. "A treasure of practical wisdom for anyone on the path to wholeness. . . . An inspiring, creative synthesis of shamanic teachings by an authentic cross-cultural practitioner." –Frances Vaughan

The Fruitful Darkness, Joan Halifax. San Francisco: Harper, 1993. Halifax's life experience of "years of practicing, working, and living with the traditions of Buddhism and Shamanism."

The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell. Princeton University Press, 1949, 1973. "This classic study traces the story of the hero's journey and transformation through virtually all the mythologies of the world, revealing the one archetypal hero in them all."

Medicinemaker, Hank Wesselman. New York: Bantam Books, 1998. A tale of the mystic encounters on the shaman's path.

Of Water and the Spirit, Malidome Somé. Somé, born to the Dagara tribe of Burkina Faso, provides a wondrous glimpse into the spirituality of his native culture. Also educated in the West (with PhD's from the Sorbonne and Brandeis), he is uniquely able to provide a bridge between vastly different cultural paradigms.

Secrets of a Talking Jaguar: Memoirs for the Living Heart of a Mayan Village, Martin Prechtel. Tarcher/Putnam, New York, 1998. Martin describes his initiation as a Shaman into the Mayan tradition of knowledge and healing.

A Separate Reality: Further Conversations with Don Juan, Carlos Casteneda. New York: Washington Square Press, 1971. Castaneda's further relationship with Yaqui don Juan.

Shakti Woman: Healing our Fire, Healing our World, Vicki Noble. NY: Harper Collins Publisher's, 1991. "For women who seek to regain their lost connection to Nature, power, and to their own bodies, Shakti Woman is both guide and inspiration." –Marija Gimbutas

Shaman the Wounded Healer, Joan Halifax. London: Thames and Hudson, 1982. Wonderfully illustrated exploration of the age-old practices of shamanism.

Shamanic Voices, Joan Halifax. New York: Arkana/Penguin Group, 1991. Halifax has collected a large number of accounts of shamans about their initiatory experiences, journeys, position as a link between the people of their community and "the timeless, ineffable cosmos of which each person is a part."

Soul Retrieval, Sandra Ingerman. San Francisco: Harper, 1991. Ingerman relates the "dramatic results of combining soul retrieval with contemporary psychological concepts;" she uses case studies from her years of teaching and practice; "illustrates what psyche or soul damage is and why it is a common yet little understood cause of psychological dysfunction."

The Way of the Shaman, Michael Harner. Harper: San Francisco, 1980, 1990. Classic handbook on practical shamanism--"what it is, where it came from, how you can participate."

Social and Political Involvment

Being Peace, Thich Nhat Hanh. Berkeley: Parallax Press, 1987. An inspiring, and enlightening application of zen mind to social and political reality by one of the world's most respected meditation teachers.

By Life's Grace: Musings on the Essence of Social Change, Fran Peavey. Philadelphia: New Society Publishers, 1994. Penetrating and politically savvy, humorous and deeply serious essays on social action.

Creative Work, Harmon & Harman. Institute of Noetic Sciences, 1990. A look at what we mean by work, and how individuals and society can rethink work and transform the world.

The Dream of the Earth, Thomas Berry. San Francisco, Sierra Club Books, 1990. Beautifully written poetic philosopy; a call to re-envision who we are in relationship to the eco-system. Berry is one of the most respected visionaries of our time.

Ecopsychology, ed. by Roszak, Gomes, & Kanner. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 1995. A collection of essays by environmentalists aware of the need for psychological work, and psychotherapists and inner explorers aware of the need for ecological activism. This is the first text for studying ecopsychology.

The Essential Ghandi (Anthology of his writings on his life, work and ideas), ed. by Louis Fischer. New York: Vintage Books, 1983. An anthology of Mahatma Ghandi's writings on his life, work and ideas. Ghandi's life and words have influenced historical movements on every continent.

Green Psychology, Ralph Metzner. Vermont: Park Street Press, 1999. Essays from one of our most visionary explorers/researchers on things green, consciousness, and individual and social reality.

The Healing of America, Marianne Williamson. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1997. An inspiring call for active participation in the American social and political system to revive the revolutionary and democratic vision.

How Can I Help, Ram Dass.

Human Survival and Consciousness Evolution, ed. by Stanislav Grof. State University of New York, 1988. Eighteen essays by eminent consciousness explorers on the causes and possible solutions to our current human–caused threats to survival.

I Have a Dream: Writings and Speeches that Changed the World, Martin Luther King, Jr., ed. by James Washington. San Francisco: Harper, 1992. Reading these speeches, one gets a deeper sense of why this man has been so honored.

In the Footsteps of Gandhi: Conversations with Spiritual Social Activists, Catherine Ingram. Berkeley: Parallax Press, 1990. A collection of moving personal interviews with activists including: Thich Nhat Hanh, Cesar Chavez, the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, Janna Macy, Joan Baez, and others.

Killing Rage, Bell Hooks. New York: Henry Holt, 1995. Hooks helps us see through denial and look at racism and sexism in America from the viewpoint of an African American woman. She takes us on a path of seeking the healing power within the inevitable rage.

The Lost Gospel of the Earth, Tom Hayden. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 1996. Many will be surprised at the deep, spiritual vision of this long–time activist and politician.

My Name is Chellis and I'm in Recovery from Western Civilization, Chellis Glendinning. Boston: Shambhala, 1994. A penetrating look at the costs of modern civilization to the Earth and to the human psyche.

Race Matters, Cornel West. New York: Vintage Books, 1992. "Cornel West is one of the most authentic, brilliant, prophetic and healing voices in America today. We ignore his truth in Race Matters at our personal and national peril." (Quote from Marian Wright Edelman who says it like it is).

Staying Alive, Roger Walsh. Boulder: New Science Library, 1984. Written with special emphasis on the nuclear threat felt in the 80's, Walsh emphasizes the need for psychological wisdom in resolving our pressing social problems. Easily as relevant today with our continued nuclear issues and multiple environmental threats.

Warriors of the Heart, Danaan Parry. New York: Sunstone Publications, 1989. One of the great warriors for peace and reconciliation, Parry shares some of the lessons learned from years of work helping warring groups hear each other.

We're All Doing Time, Bo Lozoff. Hanuman Foundation, 1995. Lozoff has devoted his life to teaching spirituality, especially to those in the prison system. This collection of teachings and letters to and from prisoners is an inspiration to those on both sides of the prison walls.