Mortal Spirit

Book excerpt: Mortal Spirit takes us on a compelling journey from naivete to wisdom, from instinct to heightened consciousness. In an age dominated by psychoparmocological and solution-focused treatments for human discontents, many of us have turned to spiritual teachings for succor. Yet, here too, we often do not find the answers we desire. Human development and spiritual evolution are part of a contimuum of self-transcendence. Mortal Spirit is the recognition of our ever evolving nature.The power of Brian Gleason's message is in his willingness to challenge the sacred cows of both psychology and spirituality. Gleason cogently argues that until we accept the biological realities of our beingness we will forever flounder in a fantasy world of hoped for immortality. To be fully alive, in this very moment, is the highest spiritual challenge. We cannot get there through traditional psychotherapy, or classical spiritual practices alone.Gleason's elegant work opens us to a new paradigm called spiritual-somatics. Here, we learn that the human energy field must embrace all the potent forces of the universe in a developmentally appropriate sequence. Both pleasure and pain must be fully experienced on this path. The capacity to "tolerate" strong emotions is fundamental to self-transcendence. Spiritual-somatic theory suggests that body and spirit must develop in harmony for personal evolution to unfold.