THE ONLY WAY OUT IS IN - YOGA, AYURVEDA AND PSYCHOLOGY

This is a book about religion and psychology. The title is very attractive. However, the author in his introduction, suggests skipping certain chapters if the reader finds them too theoretical. The chapter he wants us to read and digest, chapter 7, which he says is the central model for most of his considerations comes more than half-way through the book!

If I had not been asked to review this book, I would have given up very early on. There is too much theory in the early part. It would be much better to present the central ideas at the beginning and then go onto the theory before the reader has got bogged down in 'religion' being a turn off, conflict, fear, fragmentation, splitting, boundaries, object relations theory, maps and models.

I kept asking myself 'what is the author trying to say?' His aim apparently is to help to 'change your mind' from the sense-mind to the intelligence of the soul - mind over matter (p. 22). However, the chapter on Ayurveda and Yoga is very short, talks about the models and tools that Ayurveda and Yoga can give us but does not discuss them until chapter 11. Most of the theories behind the models of psychotherapy do not include a spiritual perspective so that there is a confusion between ego and soul. Proper healing occurs at a soul level, which may or may not include direct attempts to repair body and mind (p. 60)

The section on Grof's four basic perinatal matrices is an important model in transpersonal psychology as it includes biological, psychological, archetypal and spiritual aspects, is well described. The four stages recur as themes and key issues throughout people's lives as they set up a COEX (Constellations of Condensed Experience) in the unconscious and are deeply connected to the birth experience as well as archetypes of the collective unconscious.

Kowalski discusses the connection between our inner psychological and outer societal worlds, which are not separate but a reflection of each other. The spiritual path of yoga is about withdrawing energy from the senses - the only way out is in - so that the soul can reconnect with God as presented by the Vedas in contrast to present society which is mostly concerned with obtaining maximum pleasure, leading to splitting and fear.

At last in chapter 7 we get to the work of Assagioli on Psychosynthesis, the psychological greenhouse, where people are seen as spiritual beings, where the client is not only struggling as an individual but is also a soul on a journey.

As the Upanishad states: 'When all the senses are stilled, when the mind is at rest, when the intellect wavers not - that say the wise, is the highest state. This calm of the senses and the mind has been defined as yoga. He who attains it is freed from delusion.' This is why meditation and withdrawing energy from the senses is so important. It is about creating a future that is not totally determined by the past.

The last chapter on Going In is about meditation and devotion, the best chapter in the book. I was sorry to have taken such a difficult journey to get to the heart of the book! This book might be better arranged in a different order, so that the readers attention is captured, where he feels engaged and included, rather than leading from the known psychological theory - getting bogged down in it - to the unknown spiritual experience, which in practice one has to work for, to rediscover that which is already known but covered, but in reading a book one would like to have some joy early on for encouragement.

Yogananda writes: find joy within and express it in your face. When you do that, wherever you go a little smile will surcharge everyone with your divine magnetism. Everyone will be happy!