The Ways of the Soul

Some 30 years ago, I reviewed an important book by Jacob Needleman entitled The Way of the Physician, in which he argued that in order to be a fine physician, one had first to be a fine human being. This also puts me in mind of the answer by Krishnamurti to a question from Fritjof Capra about how to relate his humanity to being a scientist, to which he replied, 'you are a human being first and a scientist second.' This of course applies to all of us in the relationship between the personal and professional, and is highlighted by Peter Fenwick in his foreword to the book when he describes how, during a talk by Andrew Powell on soul therapy, he was 'bowled over by his humanity, his loving presence, his maturity and his deep insight into who we truly are.' I can relate to this through my own experience of hearing Andrew and three of our Beyond the Brain conferences – these talks are reproduced in this volume - he often sat quietly on a stool, reading his paper but making at the same time a deep connection with the audience, who always rated him as the leading speaker.

Peter was also part of the group, chaired by Andrew, who initiated the special interest group in spirituality and psychiatry in the Royal College of Psychiatrists, which has grown over the past 20 or so years to become the largest single special interest group within the College, with 3,000 members. This is a forum for those who wish to put the soul into psychiatry and way of re-contextualising what Andrew calls 'the institutionalised disregard for spiritual and religious concerns' that prevents psychiatrists from making a deeper soul connection with their patients. Andrew takes the view that by limiting ourselves to a science-based exchange 'we may meet the patient but we will not meet the person, and we will certainly not engage with the soul, so important for the journey of healing and recovery.' This encounter is an opportunity to move beyond 'the medicalisation of human anguish' now costing $77 billion worth of psychiatric drugs globally.

The papers and presentations printed here date from between 1997 and 2005, and were delivered or written in a number of contexts. They are firmly based on a holistic and spiritual understanding of life aligned with the view of CG Jung quoted as saying that 'despite the materialist tendency to understand the psyche as a mere reflection or imprint of physical and chemical processes, there is not a single proof of this hypothesis… There is no thus no ground at all for regarding the psyche as something secondary or as an epiphenomenon.' (p. 27) Like Jung, Andrew also draws inspiration from the implications of quantum physics in terms of wholeness and connectedness. Along with his professional training, he has pursued a more personal path that has given him direct insight into such areas as healing, past lives and spirit release therapy, of which many of his colleagues would be suspicious, although they themselves are the losers in terms of not engaging at that depth.

The titles are both descriptive and suggestive: the soul of the newborn child, soul consciousness and human suffering, the unbounded psyche, spirituality and science, psychosocial implications of the shadow, good and evil, mental health and spirituality, spirituality, healing and the mind, death and soul consciousness. In these papers and talks, Andrew integrates his professional expertise with his own spiritual experience and vision, drawing on a number of fascinating case histories that indicate a deeper interconnectedness through realms beyond the physical. He stresses the importance of treating patients' experiences as real, regardless of one's own view, giving them an opportunity to work through their issues towards a greater sense of wholeness. In this respect, spiritual care and love are quite critical, not incidental.

The same applies to spirituality more generally, which Andrew defines as that which makes life meaningful and purposeful, calling for a perspective on life beyond one's own small being where the ego steps out of the way. Some papers address the importance of the shadow and shadow work, both individually and collectively as a key to the evolution of consciousness and culture on Earth. In my view, teaching young people about the shadow and projection should be a key element in personal and social education, otherwise we will not bring that awareness to our own social interactions. One does not have to look very far in the current geopolitical scene to see this splitting and projection where people who regard themselves and their cause as good and just project the shadow on their enemies. Andrew uses the term homo spiritus as an evolutionary step, but I prefer the corresponding term used by Sir George Trevelyan – homo mulier noeticus.

I hope this wise and compassionate book will be widely read not only within therapeutic and healing professions, but also by those seeking a deeper understanding of life. Andrew's passionate conviction, which I share, is that spiritual awareness needs to be the cornerstone of psychiatry, and indeed of psychotherapy. In that sense, he sees compassionate love as spirituality in action as a means of helping patients towards healing and greater wholeness (integration or individuation) without forgetting the parallel spiritual journey of the carers themselves.