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Avery explores the psychology of altered states among the early Sufis. It examines sama - 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 Sama 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. Sama' in Early Sufi Literature: An Overview 3. The Language of Sama' and Other Key Concepts 4. The Psychology of Sama' Part 1 5. The Psychology of Sama' Part 2 6. The Psychology of Sama' According to the Sufi Writers 7. The Sufis' Explanations of their Altered State Experiences 8. The Ritual Behaviour and Etiquette of Sama' 9. The Paradigmatic Experience of Two 'Ecstatics', Nuri and Shibli 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
