Yvonne Kason - Touched by the Light: Exploring Spiritually Transformative Experiences

In the tradition of William Jamess classic book The Varieties of Religious Experience, Yvonne Kasons might well be called The Varieties of Spiritually Transformative Experiences, and, like its predecessor, it, too, is likely to become a classic. For it is a brilliant treatment of these important spiritual experiences, both theoretically and empirically, and is chock full of fascinating illustrative cases. In addition, it contains many helpful and wise suggestions for how to deal with the challenging aspects of these experiences. For my money, it is the single most valuable resource now available both for clinicians and for those who have undergone these life-changing transcendent encounters.

Kenneth Ring, Ph.D., professor emeritus of psychology, University of Connecticut, co-founder, International Association for Near-Death Studies, author of Lessons from the Light

Now comes the pioneer of the term Spiritually Transformative Experiences with a new revision of her previous book Farther Shores, that is not only updated but substantially deepened by additional material. I consider this revitalized classic the single best resource, and therefore a must-read, for anyone who has had an STE or who works with such experiencers in medical, psychological, or spiritual health-care settings.

Janice Miner Holden, Ed.D., LPC-S, LMFT, NCC, ACMHP, chair, Department of Counseling & Higher Education, professor, Counseling Program, University of North Texas, past president, International Association for Near-Death Studies, editor, Journal of Near-Death Studies

This expanded version of Yvonne Kasons Farther Shores is dramatically revised in the light of her decade of spiritual growth since that books last edition, with entirely new chapters and new and deeper understandings of how to nurture spiritual transformation. While Farther Shores was a pioneering book in its day, this revision breaks new ground, reflecting Dr. Kasons incredible journey and greater insights over the ensuing years.

Bruce Greyson, M.D., Carlson Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry & Neurobehavioral Sciences, University of Virginia, co-founder, International Association for Near-Death Studies

As President of the Board of Directors of ACISTE the American Center for the Integration of Spiritually Transformative Experiences, an organization devoted to training professionals how to work with STEs I believe Dr. Kasons text should be required reading for all entering the field. I have personally recommended her prior texts to my doctoral students. I have also recommended it to clients with whom I have worked and who are struggling to stay present amidst difficult spiritual crisis. Finally, I have used her book in my own life, as a guide to working through my own spiritual development. Touched by the Light will no doubt be a key read for the next generation of spiritual seekers and professional helpers alike.

Ryan Rominger, Ph.D., ACSGC, president, board of directors, American Center for the Integration of Spiritually Transformative Experiences, associate university research chair, Center for Leadership Studies & Educational Research, University of Phoenix, adjunct research faculty, Sofia University, California Institute of Integral Studies

A lucid and illuminating compendium of Spiritually Transformative Experiences by a wise and knowledgeable guide. Exploring these very common yet poorly understood occurrences through the lens of yogic consciousness is fascinating. Doctors should put this on their must-read list.

Patricia Pearson, author of Opening Heavens Door: What the Dying May Be Trying to Tell Us About Where Theyre Going

Dr. Yvonne Kason has brought together in this book an astonishing gathering of information from quoted spiritual lines, clinical understandings, and individual accounts of spiritual energies that open us to reconnect to our Divine source. Her writings will help individuals going through such dynamic experiences by giving them a way to understand and integrate happenings that are usually not understood by the mainstream. Her information can help physicians and professional practitioners ground their practices in clearer protocols that will assist these individuals as midwives in a transformative process. These individuals have been cracked open by the Divine and are the ones that, once reintegrated, will bring more conscious ways to benefit their local communities and the global community at large. This book is a jewel on the path to wholeness!

Jyoti Prevatt, Ph.D., spiritual director, Center for Sacred Studies, founder, The Fountain for the Natural Order of Our Existence, author of An Angel Called My Name

Through fascinating case studies and her own personal experience, Dr. Yvonne Kason explores the mysterious forces shaping our spiritual and psychic lives. Provocative, well-researched, and full of practical wisdom.

Sylvia Fraser, author of My Fathers House and The Quest for the Fourth Monkey

An exceptionally readable and useful book on near-death and other spiritually transformative experiences. Written in a popular style that will appeal to intelligent lay readers, this book is careful enough about its science to be palatable as well to physicians and scholars.

Bruce Greyson, M.D., Bonner-Lowry Professor of Personality Studies, University of Virginia Medical School, editor of The Journal of Near-Death Studies and The Near-Death Experience: Problems, Prospects, Perspectives

Dr. Kasons near-death experience propelled her on a lifetime quest for answers. In discovering some for herself, she found ways of helping others deal with the kind of life-shaking events that had been routinely dismissed by orthodox medical practitioners as unbelievable, irrelevant, and bizarre.

Chatelaine

What is striking about this book is the down-to-earth nature of Kasons interpretations of the data she presents a grounded and sensible book.

Canadian Book Review Annual

As a physician, Kason is able to bring a fresh perspective to much of this material. Shes able to account clinically for many of the physical symptoms of the typical experience.

Vancouver Sun

An exceptional book [that] takes the reader into a world where mystical happenings bring direction and healing to our everyday lives.

Jyoti (Jeneane Prevatt, Ph.D.), former director of the Spiritual Emergence Network, author of An Angel Called My Name

A major contribution to our understanding of a wide range of spiritually transformative experiences Kason is a wise and knowledgeable guide in these realms, and I can recommend her book with the greatest enthusiasm.

Kenneth Ring, Ph.D., professor emeritus of psychology, University of Connecticut, author of Heading Toward Omega and Lessons from the Light

Builds a bridge between the scientific and the spiritual, a bridge physicians will feel comfortable crossing.

Family Practice

Copyright Yvonne Kason, 2019.

This book is a new expanded edition of A Farther Shore, HarperCollins, 1994, and Farther Shores, HarperCollins, 2000, iUniverse 2008.

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