How to Meditate; A Guide to Self-Discovery

New York, N.Y.: Bantam Books, 1981. 11th Printing. Mass market paperback. Fair. [10], 161, [5] pages. Cover creased. Some page discoloration. Afterword by Edgar N. Jackson. Notes. Topics covered include Why We Meditate; How a Mediation Feels; The Psychological Effects of Mediation; The Physiological Effects of Meditation; The Basic Types of Meditation; Structured and Unstructured Meditations; Mysticism, Meditation and the Paranormal; The "How" of Meditation; Alluring Traps in Meditation and Mysticism; Is a Teacher Necessary for Meditation? Choosing Your Own Meditational Path; The Integration of Psychotherapy and Meditation: A Set of Guidelines for Psychotherapists; and The Social Significance of Meditation. Lawrence LeShan (born September 8, 1920)[1] is an American psychologist, educator and the author of the best-selling How to Meditate (1974) a practical guide to meditation.[2] He has authored or co-authored approximately 75 articles in the professional literature and thirteen books on a diverse range of topics including psychotherapy, war, cancer treatment, and mysticism. He has also written science fiction under the pseudonym Edward Grendon. LeShan holds a Ph.D. in Human Development from the University of Chicago and has taught at Pace College, Roosevelt University, and the New School for Social Research. He worked as a clinical and research psychologist for more than 50 years, including six years as a psychologist in the U.S. Army. Author Lawrence LeShan, a pioneer in exploring therapeutic and ethical implications of meditation, is a practicing psychotherapist, and conducts training seminars in meditation. Derived from a Kirkus review: LeShan argues that much of meditation is hard discipline, but it's also pleasant, serene and relaxing. It offers a different (but not superior) view of reality (LeShan likens it to an Einsteinian vs. a Newtonian perspective), providing a background for quotidian reality -- in fact, integrating the two. LeShan, a psychotherapist, asserts that meditation has benefits both psychological and physiological; he does so calmly, directly, without fanfare. It's best to have a teacher, but since a good one is hard to find, the author suggests you begin on your own. He offers some meditations, starting with breath counting, and cautions against certain pitfalls such as pulse rate observation. A sound, discriminating manual for those put off elsewhere by cultist rhetoric.