Psychology of Early Sufi Samāʻ: Listening and Altered StatesPsychology Press, 2004 - 241 pages 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. |
Contents
an overview | 10 |
The language of sama and other key concepts | 55 |
The psychology of sama Part 1 | 85 |
The psychology of samā Part 2 | 139 |
The psychology of sama according | 150 |
The Sufis explanations of their altered state | 159 |
The ritual behaviour and etiquette of samā | 174 |
The paradigmatic experience of two ecstatics | 193 |
Conclusions | 220 |
226 | |
Other editions - View all
A Psychology of Early Sufi Samâ`: Listening and Altered States Kenneth S. Avery No preview available - 2015 |