Extraordinary Awakenings: When Trauma Leads to Transformation, Paperback

A compelling investigation of how intense psychological suffering can lead to a dramatic shift into a new, expansive identity

Why do some people who experience the worst that life has to offer respond not by breaking down but by shifting up, into a higher-functioning, awakened state, like phoenixes rising from the ashes? And perhaps more importantly, how can we emulate their transformations? Over many years of observing and studying the phenomenon of life-changing awakening through extreme suffering, Steve Taylor coined the term "transformation through turmoil." He calls these people "shifters" and here shares dozens of their amazing stories. In addition, Taylor uncovers the psychological processes that explain these miraculous rebirths after years of struggle or devastating loss, addiction, or imprisonment. He highlights a number of lessons and guidelines that the shifters offer us. In Extraordinary Awakenings, readers will find not only riveting stories of transformation that show the amazing resilience of the human spirit, but also hope and guidance to call on during their own struggles, together with inspiration and profound food for thought.

About author(s):Steve Taylor, PhD, is a senior lecturer in psychology at Leeds Beckett University, the chair of the Transpersonal Psychology Section of the British Psychological Society, and the author of many bestselling books, including The Calm Center, The Leap, and The Clear Light. Eckhart Tolle has described his work as "an important contribution to the shift in consciousness which is happening on our planet at present." He blogs for Scientific American and Psychology Today.