Table of Contents
The Unfolding Self: Varieties of Transformative Experience
Transformational experiences are unique yet reveal universal truths about human nature. In “The Unfolding Self: Varieties of Transformative Experience,” Ralph Metzner, PhD, identifies common dynamics and archetypes in transformative experiences. This book serves as a reliable guide for those undergoing personal or societal changes.
Dr. Metzner’s insights stem from a diverse background, including early work with Dr. Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert at Harvard University in the 1960s. He weaves a rich tapestry of myths, allegory, and historical context to explore deep concepts.
“The Unfolding Self” equips readers with valuable tools to become wise, impartial judges of their transformation, helping them grow into more integrated, fulfilled individuals.
Drawing on a vast array of disciplines and global cultures, Dr. Metzner expands on his transpersonal psychology background to uncover universal patterns of spiritual transformation. Engaging with this rich lifework can catalyze readers’ personal evolution. No other psychology of spirituality offers such a comprehensive blend of scholarship, experimentation, and spiritual practice.
About the Author
Ralph Metzner
Ralph Metzner, PhD, (1936-2019) was a globally renowned pioneer in consciousness and transformative experience studies. His work expanded traditional psychology by integrating shamanic methods that transform consciousness and deepen our understanding of the human psyche.
Metzner’s consciousness studies began at Harvard University. He worked with Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert (later Ram Dass) on the Harvard Psilocybin Projects. He co-authored “The Psychedelic Experience” in the 1960s and edited “The Psychedelic Review.” Ralph Metzner earned a Bachelor of Arts from Oxford University and a PhD in clinical psychology from Harvard.
During the 1970s, Metzner spent ten years studying and practicing Agni Yoga. This meditative system focuses on light-fire life energies. He wrote “Maps of Consciousness” in the early 1970s, a groundbreaking work in consciousness mapping, and “Know Your Type: Maps of Identity,” surveying personality typologies.
In the 1980s, Metzner was the Academic Dean at the California Institute of Integral Studies. He taught “Altered States of Consciousness” and “Developing Ecological Consciousness.” He later became Professor Emeritus at CIIS.
His publications include “The Well of Remembrance,” “Green Psychology,” and “Birth of a Psychedelic Culture.” He edited collections on ayahuasca and teonanácatl. “The Unfolding Self: Varieties of Transformative Experience,” first published in the 1990s, was reprinted in 2022 by Synergetic Press.