Psychology of Early Sufi Sama' - Listening and Altered States

Avery explores the psychology of altered states among the early Sufis. It examines samâ` - listening to ritual recitation, music and certain other aural phenomena - and its effect in inducing unusual states of consciousness and behaviours. The focus is on the earliest personalities of the Islamic mystical tradition, as mediated by texts from the tenth to the twelfth centuries C.E. These unusual states are interpreted in the light of current research in Western psychology, and also in terms of their integration into historical Islamic culture.

A Psychology of Early Sufi Samâ` provides new insights into the work of five Sufi authors, and a fresh approach to the relation between historical accounts of altered states and current psychological thinking.

List of contents

1. Introduction  2. Samâ` in Early Sufi Literature: An Overview  3. The Language of Samâ` and Other Key Concepts  4. The Psychology of Samâ`  Part 1  5. The Psychology of Samâ`  Part 2  6. The Psychology of Samâ` According to the Sufi Writers  7. The Sufis' Explanations of their Altered State Experiences  8. The Ritual Behaviour and Etiquette of Samâ`  9. The Paradigmatic Experience of Two 'Ecstatics', Nûrî and Shiblî  10. Conclusions

About the author

Kenneth S. Avery is a specialist in Sufi studies and Persian literature. He is a musician and a recent Ph.D. graduate in Islamic Studies from the University of Melbourne, Australia

Summary

This book provides new insights into the work of five Sufi authors, and a fresh approach to the relation between historical accounts of altered states and current psychological thinking.

Product details

• Authors: Kenneth S Avery, Kenneth S. Avery
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 08.05.2015
• EAN: 9780415754118
• ISBN: 978-0-415-75411-8
• No. of pages: 256
• Series: Routledge Sufi Series; Routledge Sufi; Routledge Sufi Series
• Subjects: Fiction > Gift books, albums, perpetual calendars, postcard booklets; Humanities, art, music > History > Regional and national histories; Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; Islam, Cultural Studies, RELIGION / Islam / General, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Islamic Studies, PSYCHOLOGY / Cognitive Psychology & Cognition, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Anthropology / Cultural & Social, RELIGION / Psychology of Religion, Islamic Studies, mysticism, Psychology: states of consciousness, States Of Consciousness, Relating to Islamic / Muslim people and groups, Social groups: religious groups and communities, Islamic groups: Sufis