Apollo's Lyre: The Art of Spiritual Psychotherapy

by Kenneth Porter MD

Overview

Where does spirituality belong in psychotherapy, and in our lives? Drawing upon thirty years of experience with meditation, spiritual practice, and the art and science of psychotherapy, Dr. Kenneth Porter demonstrates how spiritual practices and psychotherapy inform and enhance one another in helping therapists, clients, and all of us in simply living our lives to find our fullest, most authentic, and loving selves. Utilizing a balance of personal experiences and established psychological theory, this book is an essential resource for psychotherapists and patients, presenting a compelling case for spirituality’s place in therapy, and explaining in detail how practitioners may incorporate spirituality into their practice. But Apollo's Lyre is also a crucial resource for all of us, establishing how we are all spiritual beings at our core, and revealing how spirituality reveals incredible possibilities for loving self-discovery and transformation in our lives.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781734600803
Publisher:	Kenneth Porter M.D., P.C.
Publication date:	04/08/2020
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d)

Table of Contents

Why This Book? . . . ix

Part I: Who Am I Really? . . . 1

1 What Is Spirituality? . . . 3

2 Our Resistances to Spirituality . . . 15

3 The Ordinary Self and the Real Self . . . 25

4 A Spiritual View of Human Development . . . 39

5 Diagnosis or Dharma? . . . 53

6 Beginning Spiritual Psychotherapy . . . 59

7 Ghosts in the Room and the Gift of Transference . . . 67

8 A Spiritual View of Resistance . . . 75

Part II: What Really Heals in Psychotherapy . . . 81

9 Disidentifying from the Ordinary Self . . . 83

10 Awareness . . . 91

11 Analysis . . . 99

12 Acceptance . . . 107

13 Allowing . . . 115

14 Action and Will . . . 127

15 Connecting with the Real Self: Communion . . . 135

Part III: Techniques of Spiritual Psychotherapy . . . 145

16 The No-Technique of Spiritual Psychotherapy . . . 147

17 Presence . . . 153

18 Don’t-Know Mind and Spiritual Guidance . . . 157

19 Non-doing . . . 165

20 Love, Hope, and Joy . . . 171

21 The Levels of the Soul and Working with the Body . . . 183

22 Working with the Super-ego . . . 191

23 The Necessity of Hatred . . . 201

24 The Role of Forgiveness . . . 207

25 Using Meditation and Other Spiritual Techniques . . . 215

26 Making Mistakes . . . 221

Part IV: The Frontiers of Spiritual Psychotherapy . . . 231

27 The Healing Crucible of Spiritual Couple Psychotherapy . . . 233

28 The Underworld Journey of Depression as a Spiritual Teacher . . . 249

29 Spiritual Emergency, Psychosis, and Transcendence . . . 265

30 Kundalini . . . 281

Part V: Coming to an End . . . 289

31 The History of Spiritual Psychotherapy . . . 291

32 Endings, Losses, Death . . . 297

33 Psychotherapy as a Spiritual Practice . . . 305

Acknowledgments . . . 311

Bibliography . . . 315

About the Author . . . .319

Editorial Reviews

“Apollo’s Lyre is a book of wisdom and heart. We are spiritual beings, and Kenneth Porter uses his rich years of therapeutic and spiritual understanding to help us wed together the worlds of psychology and soul.”

Jack Kornfield, Ph.D.,

Founder, Spirit Rock Meditation Center, and author, The Wise Heart: A Guide To The Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology.

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“Dr. Porter’s book is a must read for anyone considering bringing spirituality and psychotherapy together. He shows how spiritual concepts and practices can enhance growth in psychotherapy, while also showing how psychotherapy without spirituality is sadly incomplete. If you are interested in ways to enhance your growth and happiness and discover your True Self, this book is for you.”

Henry Grayson, Ph.D.,

Co-Founder, National Institute for the Psychotherapies Training Institute, and author, Mindful Loving and Use Your Body to Heal Your Mind.

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“Kenneth Porter is forging significant and creative new connections between spirituality and psychotherapy. His work stands out because of his extensive meditation experience, his rare insight, and the clarity and eloquence of his teaching.”

Sharon Salzberg,

Co-Founder, Insight Meditation Society, and author, Loving-Kindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness, and A Heart As Wide As the World: Living With Mindfulness, Wisdom And Compassion.

From the Publisher