Spirituality & Post Traumatic Growth - Dr Steve Taylor, PhD

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For 15 years, the transpersonal psychologist Steve Taylor has been researching cases of ‘transformation through turmoil,’ or spontaneous spiritual awakening caused by suffering. In times of bereavement, serious illness, addiction, deep depression and intense stress, a miraculous transformation can occur: the death of an old identity and the birth of a new, spiritually awakened self.
In this session based on his upcoming book Extraordinary Awakenings, Steve shares some cases from his research, and explains the reasons why intense suffering can lead to transformation. Then he explains what we can learn from the phenomenon, with principles that we can apply to our own spiritual development. He also explains the global and evolutionary aspects of the phenomenon, in relation to the crises we face as a species. Steve will also lead meditations and exercises to show how we can harness the transformational power of crises and turmoil in our lives.

Reading Recommendations:

Taylor, S. (2021). Extraordinary Awakenings: When Trauma Leads to Transformation. Novato, CA: New World Library.
Taylor, S. (2017). The Leap: The Psychology of Spiritual Awakening. Novato, CA: New World Library.
Taylor, S. (2012.) Out of the Darkness: From Turmoil to Transformation. London: Hay House.
Taylor, S. & Egato-Sazbo, K. (2018). Exploring Awakening Experiences: A study of awakening experiences in terms of their triggers, characteristics, duration and after-effects. The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 49 (1).

About the Speaker:

Dr Steve Taylor, PhD

Steve Taylor, PhD, is the author of Extraordinary Awakenings and many other bestselling books including The Leap and Spiritual Science. He is a senior lecturer in psychology at Leeds Beckett University and the chair of the Transpersonal Psychology Section of the British Psychological Society.

Steve’s articles and essays have been published in over 100 academic journals, magazines, and newspapers and he blogs for Scientific American and Psychology Today. Eckhart Tolle has described his work as ‘an important contribution to the shift in consciousness which is happening on our planet at present.’ Steve lives in Manchester, England, with his wife and three young children. Visit him online at www.stevenmtaylor.com.