Baruss' Books

What happens when we die? Death is clearly an altered state of consciousness. But is it merely oblivion, as materialists believe, or does consciousness continue in some form? And, if so, what are its properties? In this book, the author investigates the scientific data for answering these questions in chapters about after-death communication, mediumship, instrumental transcommunication, near-death experiences, past-life experiences, and other anomalous phenomena associated with death. This discussion will broaden the reader’s perspective and fill an educational need for researchers, teachers, and practitioners of this understudied subject matter.

Finally, a book written by a skilled researcher, teacher, and communicator that presents the diverse areas of evidence that collectively all point in one direction—toward the survival of consciousness after physical death. Dr. Barušs is deeply thoughtful about alternative interpretations of the different areas of evidence. Although he is balanced and fair, he allows the best evidence to rise to the surface and helps the reader appreciate its importance. Since all living systems face the fact of physical death, having the opportunity to learn the evidence for survival of consciousness in a reader-friendly yet scholarly manner is refreshing and essential. This book is destined to become a classic. It deserves to be read and pondered by psychologists, scientists more broadly, and the science-minded public in general.
—Gary E. Schwartz, PhD, Professor of Psychology, Medicine, Neurology, Psychiatry and Surgery, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States; Director, Laboratory for Advances in Consciousness and Health

If you are interested in knowing what the afterlife looks like to a serious academic studying the available literature from both a scientific and spiritual perspective, there is no better book that I could recommend. Dr. Barušs’s approach is thoughtful and well-informed. He is able to integrate masses of data to carefully delineate possibilities in an area that most people find confusing at best.
—Jeffrey Mishlove, PhD, Host and Producer, New Thinking Allowed YouTube channel

Death as an Altered State of Consciousness: A Scientific Approach is a key contribution to the scientific literature exploring the nature of consciousness. You will be delighted with the way the narrative captures your interest, as well as the clear organization of Barušs’s arguments. He builds compelling evidence from a variety of research areas, including near-death experiences. This book will be of special interest to caregivers in end-of-life care, offering a new understanding of this highly debated and often misunderstood topic.
—Marjorie Woollacott, PhD, Professor, Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, United States

Barušs is just one of the few real authorities on altered states. I can’t wait to order a copy!
—Charles T. Tart, PhD, Professor Emeritus, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United States; Editor, Altered States of Consciousness

Even the most skeptical readers will see Death as an Altered State of Consciousness’s relevance to ongoing developments in dissociative identity disorder, fantasy proneness, grief counseling, and psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and other means of personality transformation. Barušs’s lively writing style and his judicious use of intriguing examples make it difficult to put this book down.
—Stanley Krippner, PhD, Affiliated Distinguished Professor, California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco, CA, United States; Coeditor, Varieties of Anomalous Experience: Examining the Scientific Evidence

Perhaps the most important book of our age, and certainly among the most fascinating. Not since Rudolf Steiner, Emanuel Swedenborg, and The Tibetan Book of the Dead (Bardo Thodol) have we been treated to such a rich tour of conscious experience during dying and death. And this time with scientific rigor.
—Allan Leslie Combs, PhD, Author, The Radiance of Being: Understanding the Grand Integral Vision; Living the Integral Life and Consciousness Explained Better: Towards an Integral Understanding of the Multifaceted Nature of Consciousness

Radical Transformation: The Unexpected Interplay of Consciousness and Reality

In Radical Transformation, Imants Barušs leads the reader out of the receding materialist paradigm into an emerging post-materialist landscape in which new questions present themselves. If consciousness has nonlocal properties, then how are boundaries between events established? If consciousness directly modulates physical manifestation, then what is the scope of such modulation? If consciousness continues after physical death, then how much interference is there from non-physical entities? As we face the threat of extinction on this planet, is there anything in recent consciousness research that can help us? Are there effective means of self-transformation that can be used to enter persistent transcendent states of consciousness that could resolve existential and global crises? The author leads the reader through discussions of meaning, radical transformation, and subtle activism, revealing the unexpected interplay of consciousness and reality along the way.

“This is the kind of creative and well-informed thinking we need to move ahead toward a more comprehensive understanding of the mind!” — Professor Charles Tart, author of The End of Materialism.

“After reading Radical Transformation you will never think of human consciousness in the same way again. Imants Barušs reveals reasons why consciousness cannot be produced by the brain, and why it is much more glorious than we have taken it to be. This book is science at its best: fearless, futuristic, and rock-solid.” — Larry Dossey, MD, author of One Mind: How Our Individual Mind is Part of a Greater Consciousness and Why it Matters.

“Radical Transformation is a bold empirical study arguing that the findings underpinning a new post-materialist understanding of consciousness can help us address systemic global crises beyond the limitations of our current self-understanding, patterns of thought and tendencies towards procrastination.” — David Lorimer, Editor, Paradigm Explorer.

". . . the entrenchment of materialistic physicalism in the academic establishment, [creates] a formidable obstacle to any serious (even scientific) discussion about mental, psychical or mystical phenomena. It is a brave orthodox scientist who risks his tenure and the fury of his colleagues, who sheds the biases of his profession and is willing to engage with the investigation and theorising of truly profound anomalies. . . . Barušs is such a hero -- an accredited academician who is striking at the very roots of precisely how orthodox science should tackle provocative anomalies. . . . Barušs's conclusion is that human consciousness itself is sleepwalking towards planetary disaster if we can't learn to understand our own mind and how it creates and uses a protean, non-local, multiphasic 'reality' - the eponymous 'radical transformation'. . . . This is definitely not hysterical waffle from a crank . . . Here is a lucid, rational and surprisingly readable dissection of precisely why today's materialistic science and medicine have failed us in crucial areas. This deceptively modest book may be one of the most important steps on the way to a better understanding of the many genuine mysteries of the human mind. . . ." 5 stars --- Bob Rickard, Fortean Times, Volume 408, p. 61.

The book can be obtained from the publisher Imprint Academic or your favourite bookseller. Enjoy!

Alterations of Consciousness: An Empirical Analysis for Social Scientists, Second Edition

"Now in a second edition, this pathbreaking investigation into the nature of cognitive reality explores various manifestations of consciousness, including more familiar states such as sleeping and dreaming, as well as hypnosis, trance, dissociation, and near-death experiences. Barušs brings to bear significant new neuroscientific evidence supporting the occurrence of these phenomena and their nature and purpose. Other major updates include the latest findings in sleep research, therapeutic discoveries related to psychedelics, empirical research into transcendent states, developments in the study of anomalous phenomena such as purported alien abduction and UFOs, and a new conclusion discussing an exosomatic theory of consciousness that can account for the findings in the text. Students and other readers of this engaging text will sharpen their critical thinking skills and gain an enriched understanding of consciousness, reality, and the scientific endeavor."

"Okay, so this second edition is readable, rigorous, and brilliantly inclusive, and yet it reads like a cross of William James's The Principles of Psychology and his The Varieties of Religious Experience, updated for the 21st century. Consciousness researchers and students will probably carry it around with them, but it also feels like anyone can use Barušs's novel and practical insights to gain an understanding of human experience that includes phenomenology, cognitive science, and neuroscience as well as psychedelics, UFOs, and gifts of imagination."
---Julia Mossbridge, PhD, Executive Director, The Institute for Love and Time

"This book will without doubt be a major contribution to contemporary consciousness research literature, both a gift and a resource to all interested parties."
---Allan Combs, PhD, President Emeritus of The Society for Consciousness Studies and recipient of their Lifetime Achievement Award; Professor of Transformative Inquiry, California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco, CA

"Alterations of Consciousness fills in the large gap in our understanding of reality, including an expansive theory of consciousness based on evidence presented in the book. Barušs is uniquely qualified to write this book due to his background in psychology, philosophy, and mathematics, as well as personal experiences and experiments conducted with his students. The book is very readable, with a logical flow that avoids jargon. It's guaranteed to broaden your thinking, including thinking about yourself in a new way."
---Gayle Kimball. PhD, Author of 20 books, including the new trilogy The Mysteries of Reality, The Mysteries of Knowledge Beyond the Senses, and The Mysteries of Healing

"A marvelously readable, wide-ranging, and insightful book that makes the case that we consider to be 'normal' consciousness is---to paraphrase William James---just one out of a wide spectrum of different states. Altered states have a massive amount to tell us about the nature of reality and the limitations of our normal awareness, and this book guides us expertly through them.
---Steve Taylor, PhD, author of The Leap and Spiritual Science

"Barušs gracefully covers eight diverse topics of consciousness with a clear and concise style that will appeal to beginners, yet the material is thoroughly cited for the experts, to broaden their horizons as well."
---Paul Kalas, PhD, Adjunct Professor, University of California, Berkeley; author of The Oneironauts: Using Dreams to Engineer Our Future

"Full disclosure ... I have been an admirer of the work of Imants Barušs for many years now. The broad range of his interests runs contrary to the current trend of simple specialization within narrowly defined fields. His forays into complex questions (can you pick a more difficult problem to study than consciousness?) produce a synthesis of ideas ranging from hard empirical data to grand philosophical questions. After reading this, the world you thought you knew will never seem quite the same again."
---William Bengston, PhD, President, Society for Scientific Exploration

"Controversial, thought-provoking, and accessible, this new edition of Alterations of Consciousness is one of the most intriguing books you will read this year. It is a must-read for anyone interested in learning more about the nature of reality and what lies on the fringe of human experience."
---Robert Horvath, BA (Psychology), King's University College at Western University Canada, London, Ontario; MA (Philosophy), Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium

The book can be obtained from the publisher APA Books or your favourite bookstore.

Julia Mossbridge and I decided that it was time for a post-materialist book about the nature of consciousness, so we wrote one. This is it! We like it a lot! The following is the description of the book from the back cover, along with some endorsements and reviews:

Where does consciousness come from? For most scientists and laypeople, it is axiomatic that something in the substance of the brain — neurons, synapses and gray matter in just the right combination — create perception, self-awareness, and intentionality. Yet despite decades of neurological research, that "something" — the mechanism by which this process is said to occur — has remained frustratingly elusive. This is no accident, as the authors of this book argue, given that the evidence increasingly points to a startling fact: consciousness may not, in fact, reside in the brain at all.
In this wide-ranging and deeply scientific book, Imants Barušs and Julia Mossbridge utilize findings from special relativity and quantum mechanics, modern and ancient philosophers, and paranormal psychology to build a rigorous, detailed investigation into the origins and nature of human consciousness. Along the way, they examine the scientific literature on concepts including mediumship, out-of-body and near-death experiences, telekinesis, "apparent" versus "deep time," and mind-to-mind communication, and introduce eye-opening ideas about our shared reality. The result is a revelatory tour of the "post-materialist" world — and a roadmap for consciousness research in the twenty-first century.

Transcendent Mind is a landmark text in the history of western psychology. It is perhaps the first postmaterialist psychology textbook of the 21st century. It offers a rational analysis of theories of consciousness and a rigorous discussion of essentially all the data collected in western science that speak to the possibility of shared mind, and mind without brain. It is data-driven yet open-minded and scholarly, yet accessible. It should be required reading for a new generation of consciousness investigators.
—Leanna J. Standish, PhD, ND, LAc, FABNO, Professor, School of Naturopathic Medicine, Bastyr University, Kenmore, WA; and School of Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle

Few people on the planet can match Imants Barušs and Julia Mossbridge in their familiarity with and understanding of the relevant research and in their perspective to put that research into context. Transcendent Mind stands out among other books on consciousness in its consideration of all the data both for and against various interpretations, and in its rigorous scientific thinking about mind–body interactions.
—Bruce Greyson, MD, Carlson Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville

Here is a breath of clean fresh air for the serious explorer of consciousness. I've waited my whole career for such a book, given to us now by two of the foremost researchers in the field.
—Allan Leslie Combs, PhD, Doshi Professor of Consciousness Studies and Director, Center for Consciousness Studies, California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco; President, The Society for Consciousness Studies; author of Consciousness Explained Better: Towards an Integral Understanding of the Multifaceted Nature of Consciousness

Should be compulsory reading for every student of parapsychology, the paranormal, spirituality and life itself. The authors have done a magnificent job translating scientific research to make a compelling case for consciousness separate from the brain. They are both highly respected in their field and this book is destined to become an important one for generations of students to come. Shame about the price but for the amount of golden research collated and articulated in there it is worth every penny. Simply brilliant.
—Book Lover, Amazon.com, September 6, 2016

I cannot rate this book highly enough! This is simply the most intelligent consideration of this topic in print. The meticulous research, honesty even when it is not in favor of the hypothesis, collection of data, and the absolutely brilliant offering of multiple interpretations of data is unsurpassed.
—R. Pickering, Amazon.com, September 19, 2016

5.0 out of 5 stars

Once upon a time, not so long ago, there was a kingdom called Science whose citizens were guided by a uniform belief — that their consciousness is produced by the chemistry, physiology, and anatomy of the physical brain. Forfeited in this belief was the capacity for free will, as well as any higher meaning and purpose to existence. The possibility that consciousness might survive the physical death of the brain and body was considered heretical and blasphemous. Enormous pressure was exerted on the guardians of science to conform to the concept of materialism undergirding this precious belief system. In support of these beliefs, the centurions of science marshaled enormous bodies of data that, they were convinced, confirmed their views. They were so emphatic in their position that data to the contrary were largely dismissed as irrelevant, and those who dared to challenge the materialistic perspective were often denigrated as traitors to the scientific tradition. But just when the materialistic perspective was considered beyond reproach and safe from significant challenge, there came this shocking announcement from two prominent consciousness researchers: “We are in the midst of a sea change. Receding from view is materialism, whereby physical phenomena are assumed to be primary and consciousness is regarded as secondary. Approaching our sights is a complete reversal of perspective. According to this alternative view, consciousness is primary and the physical is secondary. In other words, materialism is receding and giving way to ideas about reality in which consciousness plays a key role.” This is the opening salvo of Transcendent Mind: Rethinking the Science of Consciousness (page 3).
    I have introduced my comments about Transcendent Mind as a kind of fairy tale, a product of the imagination, because that is how this book may be regarded by those who have not followed the revelations of consciousness research for the past few decades. Across this period, a formidable body of data has accumulated that the materialistic credo is not merely off base in a few minor details, but is fundamentally flawed beyond repair. The trend toward this view is “quietly occurring within a swiftly evolving and increasingly postmaterialist paradigm,” the authors contend. The explanation of how this “sea change” has come about is the theme of Transcendent Mind.
    In their challenge to materialism, authors Barušs and Mossbridge contend that “the deep structures underlying our waking consciousness are fundamentally spatially and temporally nonlocal in nature (page 81).” The implications for our understanding of our own minds, and the practical ways in which we lead our lives, are enormous.
    The authors explore empirical data, too long ignored, indicating that “consciousness is capable of existing in an extended or transcendent state in which it is not completely bound to the brain (page 171).” This data supports the concept of “shared mind,” minds linked across space and time to form a collective, unitary human consciousness. This view of nonlocal, shared, transcendent mind is supported by abundant empirical evidence, as the authors show, such as near-death experiences, telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition. These phenomena might be predicted from an “unconstrained mind that is directly connected to other minds, probably outside the usual confines of space and apparent time (page 177).”
    Do not suppose that the idea that consciousness is fundamental and irreducible to anything more basic is some hare-brained notion conjured in the fever dreams of wayward new agers, as is often charged. In fact, consciousness as fundamental has an impressive pedigree. It has been endorsed by some of the greatest figures of twentieth-century science such as Max Planck, the founder of quantum physics: “I regard consciousness as fundamental. I regard matter as derivative from consciousness. We cannot get behind consciousness. Everything that we talk about, everything that we regard as existing, postulates consciousness.” Erwin Schrödinger, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist, agreed: “Although I think that life may be the result of an accident, I do not think that of consciousness. Consciousness cannot be accounted for in physical terms. For consciousness is absolutely fundamental. It cannot be accounted for in terms of anything else.” As to the contention of Barušs and Mossbridge of shared, unitary minds, we find Schrödinger in agreement: “The overall number of minds is just one…. In truth there is only one mind.” And as the eminent physicist David Bohm observed, “Deep down the consciousness of mankind is one. This is a virtual certainty … and if we don’t see this it’s because we are blinding ourselves to it.” (Citations for these quotations are available in my book One Mind, mentioned below.)
    If you are not intrigued by the evidence in Transcendent Mind, well, bear in mind the adage, “There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance — that principle is contempt prior to investigation.” But if you are among those who are hesitant to adopt materialism as part of your personal credo, this erudite, reader-friendly book will perhaps fill in some of the blanks on your map of reality. You may discover not only empirical evidence for transcendent, shared mind, but for a transcendent reality as well.
—Larry Dossey, MD, Author: One Mind: How Our Individual Mind Is Part of a Greater Consciousness and Why It Matters, Amazon.com, September 23, 2016

I highly recommend this book.
—Susan Gordon, "Transcending Mind in Time," PsycCRITIQUES, January 2, 2017, Vol. 62, No. 1, Article 9

Transcendent mind es una obra excepcional en el catálogo de la American Psychological Association, la principal asociación que nuclea a los psicólogos americanos, escrita por dos psicólogos, Imants Barušs y Julia Mossbridge, quienes plantean un desafiante para la actual corriente psicológica: "El retroceso del materialismo, por el cual se supone que los fenómenos físicos son primarios y la conciencia es algo más secundario" -sostienen. Pero esta obra representa una subversión total a esta perspectiva. Según su posición, "la conciencia es primaria y la física secundaria." En otras palabras, el materialismo está retrocediendo y dando paso a ideas sobre la realidad en las que la conciencia juega un rol clave. El propósito de este libro es explorar lo que hace la conciencia cuando no asumimos automáticamente que ésta debe surgir de las operaciones de la materia. Baruss y Mossbridge examinan las investigaciones de los aspectos anómalos de la conciencia -como las experiencias cercanas a la muerte, las interacciones con seres desencarnados y la influencia mental directa sobre procesos físicos y examinan la naturaleza de la conciencia y su relación con los fenómenos físicos.
—Jorge Villanueva, Instituto de Psicología Paranormal E-BOLETÍN PSI. Vol.12, No.1, Enero 2017

In the times in which we live, every aspect of our lives as members of our civil society and as individuals is touched, colored, and largely controlled by the foundational world view held by the major scientific, academic,corporate, and political entities. And while this arrangement is normal enough, if the foundational world view is inadequate or flawed, everything that follows will have and perhaps magnify those inadequacies and flaws. This has been the case for a few centuries ever since science began to view the world through the lens of lifeless atoms. Reducing matter, even complex human beings into nothing more than "complex collections of molecules" makes it OK to depersonalize people, treat animals as industrial inputs, and treat our environmental resources as ours to exploit. The fly in this ointment is the chance that this world view is flawed; that consciousness is a fundamental force of existence; that we are all connected; that in the web of life everything affects everything else. For there to be a change from the prevailing world view, the change will have to come from the community of science, as that is where the foundation lays. And for that change to start, there has to be a set of first principles set down, there has to be and agreement on the definition of words and terms, and there has to be sufficient research all ready done, even if not widely recognized, that both refutes the current world view and lays a more or less clear path towards an imagined future, better world view. This is precisely what this book achieves. It is a foundational text in the path to this new world view. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
—Dr David Shuch, Amazon.com, February 9, 2017

"[This] book is an invaluable addition to the literature arguing that consciousness (however defined) plays a key role, and perhaps an essential role, in the construction of reality (however defined). It is radical, even at times outrageous, but it makes its case elegantly and (for many readers) persuasively." —Stanley Krippner, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 31(1), pp. 94–97.

"I strongly recommend it to anyone involved with science or deeply interested in the nature of mind."—Charles Tart, May 4, 2017 blog on http://blog.paradigm-sys.com/.

"According to journalistic protocol, reviewers are expected to include some criticism to demonstrate their critical distancing and objectivity, since no book is perfect. I’ll break tradition, because my objections are trivial when compared to this book’s overall contribution. This is simply a flatout courageous, evidence-based, tightly reasoned document that no doubt will infuriate many paid-up materialists who read it—but that is one of the best compliments that a book of this genre could receive."—Larry Dossey, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 31(1), pp. 98–110.

"Possibly one of the most important books I've read in several years - truly groundbreaking. I can't recommend it highly enough. Absolutely superb production and design as well."—Lorin Cutts, Amazon.com, June 13, 2017

"Excellent research in parapsychology is done year in and year out, yet is almost never published in mainstream scientific journals. This excellent book takes apart the often flippant criticisms against such research and exposes the fact that rigorous studies are all to often dismissed, simply because the subject matter is rejected out of hand. Perhaps this book represents a break in the dam of mainstream bias, having been published by the American Psychological Association Press. I hope so. Serious consideration of the emerging paradigm shift in the science of consciousness and the mind is long overdue." — Steve Blumberg, Amazon.com, October 19, 2018

"This amazing book goes on my 'special shelf' of key works which, if they were to be truly embraced and lived by modern scientists (and in fact everyone), they would catapult us out of our currently-unacknowledged dark age of scientific materialism. We stand on the brink of a new era of scientific understanding of ourselves, the place of our consciousness in the universe and our responsibility to step into maturity, if only we would let go of old dogmas and re-integrate our inner wisdom into daily awareness. “Transcendent Mind” is a gentle yet powerful impetus to do so. Every point is discussed with the clarity of detachment and openness, enabling the reader to settle in and ponder the observations and ideas on many levels. It is refreshing to read a book which is free of the arrogance, dismissiveness, judgment and vigorously defended belief that characterize so much scientific thinking and writing today. Imants Baruss and Julia Mossbridge invite us to bring out the inner scientist in us all, restoring true observation to the important position in which it belongs. Not least, the book is very readable, sensible, flowing and accessible. A non-expert reader could enjoy it and get the gist, as with a good story, without being lost in technical detail. Yet its scientific clout is there, for anyone who reads it honestly and pays attention to the scope being offered. Definitely recommended." — D. Trussell, Amazon.com, December 16, 2019

Transcendent Mind can be purchased from the publisher APA Books, from Amazon.com, from Amazon.ca, or from your favourite bookseller. Enjoy reading it!

I wrote this book because I have found that my students can often relate to personal experiences better than they can relate to scientific studies. In this case, these are some of the personal experiences that I have had that, along with empirical evidence from scientific studies, have led me away from materialism toward a transcendent view of reality. In particular, I describe the sequence of dreams that I had over the course of several decades that led me to realize that some of my dreams anticipate future events. In addition, I talk about some of my efforts at distance healing and my experiences with a medium who regularly produces correct information that was not acquired through ordinary means. It is my hope that my experiences can provide an inspiration for others to explore these phenomena for themselves.

Gary Schwartz kindly wrote the following blurb for the book: "Sometimes the most convincing and meaningful data come not from the university laboratory but from the laboratory of personal life. Dr. Imants Baruss practices the integration of academic and self-science in an inspiring and compelling manner. This book stunningly illustrates how the trained scientific mind can help reveal the seemingly impossible in everyday life." - Gary E. Schwartz, PhD, Professor of Psychology and Medicine at the University of Arizona, author of THE AFTERLIFE EXPERIMENTS and THE SACRED PROMISE.

And here's a review: "Imants Baruss is not claiming that the logically impossible happens. He doesn't claim to have found a round square, for example, or a colorless blue disk. But he does claim to have experienced some things that seem to be physically impossible — things such as dreaming of a future event before it happens, healing someone at a distance through mental imagery, curing a lesion on his own liver by analyzing his dreams, and communicating with dead people. It is perfectly reasonable to be skeptical about such claims. What is so effective about the approach Imants takes in this book is that he shows that it is also perfectly reasonable to be open-minded about these claims, for he describes his experiences and explains his thinking about them in a way that is consistent with the basic principle of empiricism: try it and see for yourself. ~ Jack Call, PhD, Professor of Philosophy, Citrus College, author of God is a Symbol of Something True

Here's an unsolicited e-mail that I received on January 10, 2014: "> ......just finished reading it. I wailed through it. It was surprising to me that I would peel through a book that fast. I could not put it down. What a journey! Thank you for choosing the courage to be vulnerable and exposing an experience that is difficult to prove scientifically as a scientist. An experiential component combined with discernment is worth a scientific investigation and measure. Human beings experience more than our brain can define. It was like reading a science project combined with the authors personal experience at the same time. I struggle not to write my own opinions, but I discern that through physical and psycho/spiritual experiences one discovers we are not just cognitive beings. Empirical evidence need not be proven within these experiences but rather living through the heart is evidence enough and ultimately heals us from within and without. In witnessing that, perhaps there is nothing to prove. Or is there?" --- Monica Antonowitsch

Copies of The Impossible Happens can be obtained from the publisher, John Hunt Publishing, or the usual booksellers. The book is also available on about 17 different e-book platforms, including iTunes.

Science as a Spiritual Practice is in three parts. In the first part I argue that there are problems with materialism and that self-transformation could lead individual scientists to more comprehensive ways of understanding reality. In the second part I take on the contentious notion of inner knowledge and show how access to inner knowledge could be possible in some altered states of consciousness. The third part is an analysis of the philosophy of Franklin Wolff, who claimed that the transcendent states of consciousness which occurred for him resulted from his mathematical approach to spirituality. The following are the jacket blurbs:

"Science as a Spiritual Practice is a remarkable achievement, of which many of the patriarchs of science, such as Bacon and Newton, would likely approve. They would probably marvel at the banishment of spirituality from science that has occurred in the modern era, and the irrational tenacity with which it remains tabooed. Baruss's courageous, insightful book redresses this development. His perspective makes science more scientific, not less." -- Larry Dossey, MD, author Space, Time & Medicine and The Extraordinary Healing Power of Ordinary Things

"Science is now recognizing spiritual change and higher transcendent conscious states. This book is at the cutting edge of neuroscience and spiritual practice. It is essential reading for any scientist seeking consciousness development." -- Peter Fenwick, MD, President of the Scientific and Medical Network

"Science as spiritual practice is a highly thought provoking book and is a must read for any open-minded scientist who is interested in the nature of reality." -- Amit Goswami, Professor Emeritus of Physics, University of Oregon, and author of The Self-Aware Universe and other books

"The author is a true scientist, and one of the delights of this book is the way in which his scientific curiosity keeps bubbling out to descriptions of surveys carried out under his supervision to investigate aspects of deeper experience . . ." -- Chris Clarke, networkreview, Summer 2007, pp. 47-48

"There is a mature outlook to the book, an awareness that spirituality can make your life more difficult . . . . There is no programme here, mind, but nor does the book consist of just discussion and chatter. . . . Overall, Science as a Spiritual Practice presents a thought-provoking discussion of the possible rewards and costs of a particular kind of spiritual journey. If you're at an existential crossroads, whatever they look like when they're at home, it could well be a catalyst for change." -- Paul Kane, 2009, The Compulsive Reader

Science as a Spiritual Practice can be obtained from the publisher, Imprint Academic, or Amazon.

This book is an overview of alterations of consciousness such as daydreaming, sleep, dreaming, hypnosis, and psychedelics. I have included some less-traditional alterations such as sensory restriction, trance, transcendence, and near-death experiences. But also some truly controversial ones such as possession, alien-abduction experiences, and past-life experiences. Throughout, I have tried to give an even-handed presentation of the subject matter. While the book is primarily an academic book that I wrote for use as a textbook in my general level altered states of consciousness course, it would also be of interest to scientists looking for an overview of altered states of consciousness, and general readers with an interest in consciousness. I tried, as much as possible, to write the book in an engaging style. From the reviews:

"[Barušs] describes and critiques the various scientific approaches, all with a combination of brisk research summaries, a narrative sense of how one question leads to another and an engaging, almost conversational style. . . . Though billed as 'An Empirical Analysis for Social Scientists,' this volume should prove useful to anyone seriously interested in research on these subjects and on the questions left for future research." -- William Kowinski, San Francisco Chronicle

"Alterations of Consciousness is the product of Baruss' keen insights, his focus on the ideas behind research, the many theoretical connections that he successfully makes, and his multifaceted approach to the subject matter. The book is quite interesting and engaging. It can intrigue readers who are looking for an introduction to the topic of consciousness, and still challenge those who have enough background knowledge to disagree or concur with some of Baruss' claims. This is a book that puts readers on a pedestal, gives them the tools to understand a complex subject, and then dares them to think deeply about it. At the end, readers may not always agree with Baruss' view of things, but they will undoubtedly savor the realization that they have learned a great deal about consciousness by reading this book." -- Maura Pilotti, Metapsychology

What I tried to do in this book was to show how science and spiritual aspiration converge on fundamental questions about the nature of consciousness and reality when authentically pursued. The book includes chapters about authenticity (what it means to be true to oneself), science (what happens when science encounters the sublime), transcendence (the promise of enlightenment), theory (a theosophical model of reality), and self-transformation (adventures and misadventures of a spiritual aspirant). From the reviews:

"All in all, the book provides enjoyable, enlightening, and thought provoking reading. . . . Throughout, the author proves to be a worthy and mature guide for a journey that contemplates both the spoken and the unspoken, the seen and the unseen, and keeps its sojourners within light's bounds." -- Thomas W. Draper, Journal of Consciousness Studies

This book is my doctoral dissertation in which my supervisor Robert Moore and I tried to circumscribe the state of scientific knowledge concerning consciousness in the mid-1980s and to better understand the disparity of notions of consciousness of the scientists and academics studying it. What we found, both through theoretical and empirical investigation, was that there is a material-transcendent dimension concerning beliefs about consciousness and reality that underlies the Western intellectual tradition, which, in particular, colours the manner in which research about consciousness is conducted. From the reviews:

"[This book makes] a valuable first contribution to the important project of empirically establishing a typology of views of consciousness." -- Roger Walsh, Journal of Transpersonal Psychology

Imants Barušs' Books

Authentic Knowing: The Convergence of Science and Spiritual Aspiration

The Personal Nature of Notions of Consciousness

A Theoretical and Empirical Examination of the Role of the Personal in the Understanding of Consciousness