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Later books have more content regarding Mental Health and veer towards total acceptance of Life and the Universe!
To be added soon!
Therapeutic Journeys to Self-Realisation by Raymond Pattison. - Published 2024.
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Summary
Therapeutic Journeys to Self-Realisation. (With Waymarkers), offers a unique, integrated approach to achieving self-realization, blending therapeutic practices with spiritual insights. Drawing on extensive background as a former monk and decades of experience as a mental health professional, the book guides readers on a transformative path beyond traditional psychological or purely spiritual frameworks.Core Thesis & ObjectivesThe central thesis is that self-realization is an achievable human potential, accessible through a structured, therapeutic journey that integrates mind, body, and spirit. The objective is to provide a practical roadmap—"waymarkers"—for individuals to navigate their internal landscape, transcend ego-driven limitations, and achieve a state of realistic enlightenment or practical self-realization. The book emphasizes a holistic approach that encompasses mental well-being, personal growth, and spiritual awareness, often challenging conventional dogma in both therapy and spirituality.
Key Findings & Arguments
Integration of Therapy and Spirituality: Ttraditional therapy often falls short by not fully addressing spiritual or existential dimensions, while some spiritual paths can be overly abstract or carry burdensome dogma. This book bridges that gap by offering therapeutic exercises (e.g., relaxation, defusion, strengths identification) as practical tools for spiritual progress.
The Ego as a Primary Obstacle: A significant finding is that the ego-based personality is the primary barrier to self-realization. The book provides exercises to help readers identify and transcend ego identification, viewing it as a learned construct rather than one's true nature.
"Conscious Enlightenment Practice" (CEP): CEP as a term for a secular yet spiritually infused practice that focuses on present-moment awareness and intentional development, distinct from traditional religious or spiritual labels.
The Power of "Letting Go": A recurring theme is the necessity of releasing past baggage, including negative thoughts, beliefs, attachments, and regrets, to move forward. Specific exercises are provided to facilitate this process.
Inner Deity/Guide: The concept of an "Inner Deity" or "Inner Guide" is presented as a powerful internal resource, distinct from external religious figures, which can be accessed through visualization and practice to provide direction and support.
Sound and Mantras as Therapeutic Tools: The book highlights the profound impact of sound and mantras, viewing them not just as spiritual aids but as therapeutic tools that can influence brainwave activity, promote emotional regulation, and facilitate a connection to a deeper reality.
Post-Enlightenment Integration: The journey doesn't end with enlightenment but requires integration into daily life. The author advocates for becoming "Realistically Realised & Practically Enlightened," maintaining a witness state while navigating the world, and serving others through one's evolved strengths.
Therapeutic Exercises: The book is structured around practical exercises such as "Grounding or Earthing," "Spinal Integrity," "Effective Breathing," "Defusion," "Strengths Exercise," "Letting-Go Exercise," "Leaving Behind the Ego," and "Finding Your Inner Deity." These provide concrete steps for readers.
Why Spirrituality? by Raymond Pattison with Alex Vost - Published 2025.
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Summary - Key points:
Wisdom and Modern Therapies: There is vast history of wisdom, so it contrasts with modern therapies like CBT and ACT, which are relatively recent developments. There's also a possibility that AI could potentially help rediscover ancient wisdom.
Modern psychology is a recent development compared to ancient wisdom regarding existence and consciousness.
Mantra and Pain: The effectiveness of mantras in relieving pain is clear. However, mantras may not be a quick fix for pain relief but can be helpful over time. Understand the power of sound. The importance of living through physical experiences, even painful ones, is also to be considered. There is also a role of mantras in navigating delusion and desires.
The Guru and Inner Guidance: If we emphasize the importance of inner guidance and light, then we need to reference the Guru role in bringing that light in. Ultimately though the guru and the light are within. Thus, we can stop searching externally when we are practicing at the Higher Levels. The answers are already within!
Acceptance: Embracing the inner child without labelling oneself as mentally ill is crucial; the focus should be on accepting one's existence and purpose beyond societal roles.
Meditation and Mindfulness: These practices are gaining traction in the corporate world but often serve to enhance ego functionality rather than transcendence.
What is the perspective on the relationship between meditation and the corporate world?
Meditation and mindfulness are gaining traction within the corporate world, indicating that these practices are already being integrated into that environment. However, there is scepticism about the motivations behind this trend, implying that people may be using meditation for ulterior reasons, such as enhancing their ego rather than fostering true transcendence. Overall, there can be a disconnect between the spiritual essence of meditation and its adoption in a corporate context.
What is the perspective on the relationship between the ego and the inner child?
Healing the inner child requires surrendering the ego; the ego cannot resolve its own suffering.
The perspective on the relationship between the ego and the inner child is that the ego obstructs the healing of the inner child. The argument is that the ego cannot resolve its own suffering, and thus, to address the inner child's pain, one must surrender the ego identity. Instead of trying to heal the inner child, individuals could accept its existence while focusing on transcending the ego.
The concept of the inner child is that it is something that exists but should not be treated as a separate entity requiring constant healing. Instead, accept the inner child as it is, without the need to abandon or overly focus on it. Recognizing the inner child's presence is important, but true freedom comes from surrendering the ego, rather than trying to heal the inner child continuously.
What is the relationship between the ego and suffering?
The relationship between the ego and suffering as one where the ego is inherently tied to the experience of pain and cannot resolve its own suffering. The ego's identity and attachments contribute to ongoing distress, making it impossible for the ego to find true resolution. To alleviate suffering, one must surrender the ego and move beyond its limitations to access a deeper understanding of self and existence.
What is necessary to transcend pain?
To transcend pain, one must gradually understand the power of spiritual practice, with a strong inclination towards mantra sounds. Ultimately surrender the ego identity. By moving beyond the ego, individuals can access a deeper state of awareness and acceptance, allowing them to transcend their suffering. This process involves recognizing the limitations of the ego and embracing a more profound connection to one's true self and the universe.
What is the significance of doing mantras?
The significance of doing mantras, lies in their ability to help individuals stay safe and sane amidst a hostile and dysfunctional world. Mantras serve as a form of meditation that connects practitioners to their bodies and the universe, facilitating a deeper awareness and transcendence of pain. Ultimately, they are viewed as a vital tool for maintaining mental and emotional well-being.
What are the key mantras mentioned for various chakra centres?
Specific key mantras for various chakra centres are enumerated in the extract from Om Divine grace Yoga – see there are mantras for emotions like anger and lust included. All my books focus on general and specific mantra teachings.
Dropping into the body using mantras, through the chakras, helps individuals connect with their physical presence and awareness in the world. It allows for the experience of being grounded and present, even in challenging environments. This practice is seen as a way to navigate emotions and transcend pain over time through the power of sound.
Am I Mad, Bad, Sad. or Just Spiritual?
By Raymond Pattison - published 2026. Get a copy -click blue button below.
Many years ago, I self-published Spirituality Goes with Depression & Addiction. I took it out of circulation a year later.
That was my fourth book. Previously I wrote about my 10 years as a monk in India. I wrote about spiritual matters, with the focus derived from my time in India. There was material about Chakras, Mantras, Kundalini, Shakti and Tantra. At that time, I was not ready to enter the realms of mental health focused writing.
However, since leaving India in 1976 I became a mental health professional, qualifying in 1980 in the U.K. In my latter years I have been a clinical educator and a counsellor/therapist. Since 1981 I have been mostly resident in New Zealand. (And have citizenship).
I ran away from home several times as a teenager, leaving at London in 1965, aged 17, to “go to Istanbul”, on the “hippy trail”. I was a Beat, in post-beatnik times. The word hippie came later. (I ended up in India a year later, after following the hippy trail). I had since mid-teens been quite heavily into the Beatnik/Beat scene in London. Until I reached India and became a monk, I used a lot of cannabis and occasional other drugs. (And then stopped almost forever).
Recently my writing has changed direction a bit. Thus, a recent book I wrote was titled Therapeutic Journeys to Self-Realisation, which contained content relating to C.B.T., A.C.T., and other therapy models. Now I’m ready to re-visit my “wider world” with more mental health perspectives, with a lot of new material.
Why?
Well, my specialties as a clinician were depression and addiction. One of the reasons for that choice was my own lived experience of depression with anxiety and some dependency type behaviors. Now though I am more concerned about my childhood trauma – which I can’t clearly or definitively identify.
I am now focused on how to use spiritual practice to deal with trauma and mental dysfunction, as well as the gamut of human afflictions. My childhood constitution and experience seemed to have a lot to do with driving my issues with mood and behaviors.
I have eight self-published books on IngramSpark, Draft 2 Digital, and KDP. All with their eBooks.
(There is some overlap with some books with several publishers.
I do write in this book about depression and addiction, as well as many aspects of mental health, with the spiritual contrasts. (It’s really about mental health in its entirety. and even life in its entirety).
I call life in its entirety: Life and the Universe. I use the term - Life and the Universe - to talk about life in general when I am trying to coalesce spiritual and mundane matters, or the transcendental with what is not transcendental.
Here a core philosophy is that life is not about a battle of opposites, (like madness v sanity), because in my philosophy both good and evil are elements of a spectrum. That spectrum is the Cosmic Consciousness, of which we are all a part of, and therefore all participants in certain learning experiences. We are on our journeys, even though our ego-based personality seems to be just a “spark” in terms of the Cosmic events. An event which is spiritual/emotional/soulful as well as evolutionary.
I try to be generous about psychiatry/psychology, the medical model, and the various models of therapy and counselling.
As per my past background as a Hindu monk/Sannyasin, I do bring in significant information related to that period of ten years in India.
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