Psychology of Early Sufi Samāʻ: Listening and Altered States

Psychology of Early Sufi Samāʻ: Listening and Altered States
ISBN-10
0415311063
ISBN-13
9780415311069
Category
History
Pages
241
Language
English
Published
2004
Publisher
Psychology Press
Author
Kenneth S. Avery

Description

Avery explores the psychology of altered states among the early Sufis. It examines samâ` - listening to ritual recitation, music and certain other aural phenomena - and its effect in inducing unusual states of consciousness and behaviours. The focus is on the earliest personalities of the Islamic mystical tradition, as mediated by texts from the tenth to the twelfth centuries C.E. These unusual states are interpreted in the light of current research in Western psychology, and also in terms of their integration into historical Islamic culture. A Psychology of Early Sufi Samâ` provides new insights into the work of five Sufi authors, and a fresh approach to the relation between historical accounts of altered states and current psychological thinking.

Similar books