The Spirit Transcendent
What are we to make of direct spiritual experience? Of accounts of going to heaven or meeting angels? Traditional science would call these hallucinations or delusions. Clinical psychologist Dr. Mark Yama argues the opposite. Through interviews with his patients, he shows that underneath the visions and experiences there is a unifying spiritual reality apart from the material world.
One of the stories recounted in this book is that of Betty, a woman who had visions of the future, visions that turned out to be correct in all of the details, and later, in a spiritual transport was taken to Heaven where great truths were revealed. And then there was Carol, who lived a life marked by a spiritual sensitivity that defied materialist explanation. After she passed away of cancer, remarkably, she (or her consciousness) came to inhabit the mind of another of Dr. Yama's patients much like a benign possession. These stories, and many others, argue for a deeper reality that strives to place spirituality on an equal footing with the material world.
Press
Peering into the paranormal
Psychologist Mark Yama’s education in the spirit world began the day he met the witch of Orofino. Nine years ago, Betty walked into an Orofino pain clinic where Yama worked as a consultant, alongside his career as a professor at the University of Idaho. She was battling cancer, and it had spread to her bones. They talked about ways she dealt with pain, an ordinary discussion but for an odd turn; she said that the people of Orofino considered her to be a witch.
She looked like a witch, Yama thought. Her clothes were threadbare, her hands gnarled. She could only use one eye; the other had been closed since birth. Her teeth were gone. She used a crooked tree branch as a cane. To top it off she wore a wide-brimmed black felt hat.
It would have been easy for Yama to dismiss Betty as a crazy old woman, but for some reason he felt a connection to her. He began meeting with her privately, recording her stories of strange miracles and conversations with God. She recounted seeing Mount St. Helens erupt, five years before it happened. She’d frantically called NASA 15 minutes before the space shuttle Challenger exploded. She foresaw the assassination of President Kennedy, 9-11 and much more.
Yama, of Troy, describes himself as “a reluctant convert.” Before meeting Betty, “there was no way I would even look at this stuff. I would just assume it couldn’t be true.
Betty (whose name Yama changed for privacy) was the first of many clients to share personal experiences that shook his belief system to its core . . .
Reviews
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There has always been a hard line between science and spirituality, but in his book Dr. Yama challenges that view. His willingness to listen to and validate the spiritual experiences of others is refreshing. Could these stories be explained from a psychological perspective, or is there something else going on? I would recommend reading Dr. Yama's book and exploring these questions for yourself. Very well written!
Sandra
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Such a fascinating book. I have bought this book and lent it out several times, and recommended it to everyone. Love that most of these NDE experiences are stories from areas in Idaho where I grew up too. A must read. I keep buying copies to give to friends.
Amazon customer
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Mark: 1st Thank You for writing this book. Where to start? For the reader every word in this book is true! We, most of us if not all were compelled to tell you our experiences without any prompting. I, for one knew there was someone whom I worked with that I had to share my experiences with. That evening you and I talked out in the parking lot. I instantly knew that I had found that person! For the 3 of us who together with you shared our many wonderful hours-Thank You again!!
Gary Butler
Podcast
“Survival of the Spirit,” an interview with Marla Brooks on her podcast Stirring the Cauldron