Steve Taylor (2) (1967–)

This book is simply fascinating. It is full of those "I experience that all the time" like moments that mark out a good book. For example why does time seem to slow down when you are bored and yet it speeds up when you are enjoying yourself? and why is it that as a child the summer holidays went on for ever and now the years flash by?

I could not put this book down and read it in one sitting that seemed to last about ten minutes but when I looked at the clock three hours had passed!!!

In this book the author examines post-traumatic growth (PTG) and transformation through turmoil (TTT).

Research has shown that around half of all people experience personal growth after traumatic events,

A related phenomenon is TTT, which is what we call “”the sudden and dramatic shift into a new identity” which can arise from intense psychological suffering.

People who have experienced TTT include those who have been addicted to drugs or alcohol for many years who are suddenly freed show more of their craving, and those who have been depressed for years who suddently “transition to a state of permanent ease and well-being".

Taylor calls these people the “shifters”.

“People who have experienced TTT feel a constant state of well-being and a strong sense of connection to other people, nature, and to the world as a whole”.

TTT is a “complete transformation of identity and being”.

TTT occurs to people in combat and those suffering incarceration. The experiences are also extraordinary because they are miraculous in that they “defy rationality”.

The author focuses on “”the extraordinary awakening that may occur in the midst of extreme human suffering””.

We are given individual stories of awakening of people on the battlefield, for example, Gus, who was a soldier in the Falklands war. He had a wonderful experience just before a battle when he reconciled himself with the thought of death and felt complete peace. “Time disappeared and I was filled with ecstasy.”

After the war Gus suffered from PTSD. In a meditation group he realized that his suffering didn’t come from the war but from his internal dialogue about the war. The pain came from holding on to everything.

He realized that enlightenment was not about gaining anything but about what you let go of.

Phyllis had an awakening experience while serving in Afghanistan. She lived in a tent in a state of constant stress and danger.

One day a wave of “super happiness” washed over her and she ceased having any feelings of stress or fear. It lasted about five hours and then “gradually dimmed to a peacefulness that kept (her) going until (they) arrived back in the States”.

We are told that the “”miraculous spiritual transformations that occur in the midst of intense suffering are largely due to the breakdown of psychological attachments”.

Prisoners of war suffer a more extreme level of deprivation “with a near-starvation diet, terrible living conditions and cruelty at the hands of their captors”. Also, their future is uncertain and they know they may not survive.

There are high levels of post-traumatic growth among ex-prisoners of war.

Murray experienced an extraordinary sense of joy – he had stepped out of time into timelessness – “the prisoners in the compound, all and each transfigured by a beauty that glowed through them”.

During the Spanish Civil War the author Arthur Koestler was charged with espionage and sentenced to death.

Whilst in solitary confinement he had an intense awakening experience.

He felt in touch with “real reality”, where the “I” had ceased to exist, having been dissolved in “the universal pool”. This was sensed as an “oceanic feeling”, the “peace that passeth all understanding”.

Sri Aurobindo, as a political prisoner, underwent spiritual awakening. His main insight was that what present-day humans experience as higher states of consciousness are “glimpses of the future of evolution and will one day be normal to the whole human race”.

In one of Aurobindo’s spiritual awakenings he describes feeling “an inexpressible peace, a stupendous silence, an infinity of release and freedom”.

He experienced a “state of indescribable bliss.

After this experience his hardships in prison, though considerable, “”seemed as if drops of water on a lily”.

He spent the rest of his imprisonment in a state of bliss.

The iron bars, the blank surface of the wall “all seemed to come alive as if animated by a universal consciousness. A vibration of pure love seemed to radiate from them towards (him) --- A pure and wide peace reigned everywhere”.

There is also a chapter on transformation through facing death.

We hear about Tony and Emma who underwent a shift after an isolated encounter with death. They learned to cherish life and found joy.

Cancer causes pain and discomfort, but precisely because of this it has much spiritual potential.

We re told of several cases in detail where after life-threatening experiences or NDEs the persons concerned have powerful awakenings and permanent transformation.

In the conclusion we are impressed with the need for collective awakening, if we are to save our planet. Our considerable problems were caused by our sleep state and ego-separateness; we need to wake up to survive.

This is an important and inspiring book, providing new information. I highly recommend that you read it. show less

Unnecessarily controversial book. Example : “Right wings politicians may voice a desire to help their citizens…but in practice their policies always increase inequality” (p. 181);

Not convinced by all the arguments but worth thinking about