Chemical Imbalance

Understanding Chemical Imbalance.

What is a Chemical Imbalance?

We’ve heard a lot about “chemical imbalance” as the cause of emotional distress and disturbances. Researchers have spent decades trying to get to the bottom of what causes common disorders such as anxiety, depression and ADHD, and they believe that some form of chemical imbalance is involved in some way. While the exact link between chemical imbalance and emotional disorders has not been found, clinical studies and medical observations have been able to identify a number of chemical inconsistencies that occur in individuals who report experiencing symptoms related to these disorders.

Common chemical imbalances related to emotional disorders such as anxiety and depression include:

• Reduced availability of neurotransmitters like Serotonin, Dopamine, Norepinephrine, GABA and Acetylcholine.
• Increased levels of toxic neurochemicals such as Homocysteine
• Lower levels of serum Magnesium, Zinc or Potassium
• Unhealthy, or deficient levels of essential vitamins like B6, B9, B12 and Vitamin-C
• Undersupply of key cofactors like amino acids that are used to help transport neurotransmitter precursors into the blood-brain barrier.
• Increased cortisol stress hormone levels

What causes chemical imbalance?

If we take a look at the research and conclusions of clinical study after clinical study, not even doctors, scientists or clinical researchers know exactly what causes a chemical imbalance. In fact, it was virtually impossible to come up with conclusive evidence.
If you ask a medical professional the reasons and causes for anxiety or depression, their answer would most likely be “A chemical imbalance.” It is because of this “chemical imbalance that the first impulse for most medical professionals treating someone with anxiety or depression is to prescribe an SSRI, MAOI or similar “chemical balancer” to treat the condition.
But in the majority of cases, the most important question has not yet been addressed:

What’s causing the chemical imbalance?

Over the years, researchers have noted a handful of possible underlying reasons for a chemical imbalance, from genetic factors to irregular brain development.
The most promising is the theory that chemical imbalance actually stems from our own thoughts and actions.

Thoughts, behaviors and chemical imbalance

You might be asking yourself, “How can my own thoughts and behaviors affect the balance of brain chemicals?”
Everything we do and every thought that goes through our minds happens as a result of the production, release and absorption of naturally occurring chemicals in our brain like hormones, neurotransmitters and amino acids.
For example:

Imagine you are driving along the highway at 55 mph. The car in front of you slams on its brakes— as a result, your brain immediately responds with a command for your foot to hit the brake peddle too. At the same time, your brain may begin rapidly releasing neurotransmitters like norepinephrine, which, in this situation, may lead to the production of adrenaline. Your awareness immediately increases. And in what feels like a split-second, you feel nervous; an immediate tenseness falls across your entire body. Your eyes widen, your palms begin to sweat. Your heart is pounding.
Your car comes to a stop and you realize the accident has been avoided.
However, your body still feels a little tense, nervous of what could have happened. You take a deep breath, and then exhale. As traffic starts moving, the chemicals in your brain slowly begin to re-balance, and your thoughts and bodily responses eventually return to a normal state.

In this example, we were presented with a stressor. The body’s fight-or-flight response interpreted the brake lights ahead of us as imminent danger and responded by releasing neurotransmitters to tell the brain what actions to take. More often than not, our immediate interpretation of a stressor and the behaviors that follow as a result commonly stem from fear, which can be either rational or irrational.
The complex sets of chemicals in the brain are designed to process incoming information and create a response. All of these processes happen extremely quickly in the brain. And, though the effects of chemical imbalance may lead to undue stress, nervousness and worry, they are an important part of being human. Without an ‘imbalance’ of chemicals in the brain, we would never know laughter, sadness, worry, nervousness or love. Chemical imbalances, or fluctuations, cannot be avoided because we are supposed to interpret and react to situations, whether they are stressful or joyful; this is simply human nature.

Managing Chemical Imbalance

Prescription medication has been the main course of treatment for chemical imbalance tied to emotional disorders. Prescription drugs, however, have failed to be the silver bullet that the drug manufacturers have hoped they would be. Synthetic drugs have been reported to work only about 50% to 60% of the time, while individuals have reported negative side effects that far outweigh any benefit. Additionally, prescription drugs only target the chemical imbalance. Medication cannot treat the underlying cognitive and behavioral roots of the problem.
Though they are not approved to treat anxiety or depression, natural alternatives may provide some relief for chemical imbalance. Natural supplements like St. Johns Wort, 5-HTP and SAM-e are believed to directly affect the availability of neurotransmitters in the brain. Clinical studies have shown that, over periods of 7 days to 12 weeks, individuals taking natural reuptake inhibitors saw significant clinical benefit. Moreover, botanical sedatives like Valerian Root, Kava Kava, Passion Flower and Ashwagandha root have been shown to quickly act on and relax the central nervous system, helping to reduce stress and symptomatic anxiety.
Clinical research into other, non-synthetic methods of coping with chemical imbalance have come to light in recent years and have shown very positive responses from patients. The theory behind these coping techniques is that chemical fluctuations are actually caused by our own thoughts and behaviors. One such treatment, cognitive-behavior therapy, focuses on addressing the thinking patterns that we have when faced with stressful or depressing situations. CBT helps one to provide evidence for creating new thought patterns, and, when these new thought patterns are applied during certain situations, they help to trigger completely different behavioral responses to the stress.
In theory, cognitive-behavioral therapy actually targets the underlying causes of chemical imbalance. When we are able to control our thought patterns and understand why we feel the way we feel, our brain begins to respond differently when faced with anxious or depressive situations. Just as the anxiety and depression we may experience now took many months or years to develop, reversing the hard-wired thought patterns may take some time to take effect.
Learning about the specific thought patterns that trigger our stress, anxiety or depression is one of the most important steps for coping with chemical imbalance. Once we identify the negative interpretations and thoughts we have in these situations, we can begin to develop and apply positive thinking patterns and behaviors that can help us to manage chemical fluctuations.

Author: Nan Little

The Human Brain: How Brain Cells Communicate With Each Other

The Chemical Messaging System of the Human Brain.

Weighing in at only about three pounds, the brain is the most complicated part of the human body. As the organ responsible for intelligence, thoughts, sensations, memories, body movement, feelings and behavior, it has been studied and hypothesized for centuries. But, it is the last decade of research that has provided the most significant contributions to our understanding of how the brain functions. Even with these advancements, what we know so far is probably only a fraction of what we will, undoubtedly, discover in the future.

The human brain is believed to function in a complex chemical environment through various types of neurons and neurotransmitters. Neurons are brain cells, numbering in the billions, which are capable of instant communication with each other through chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. As we live our lives, brain cells are constantly receiving information about our environment. The brain then attempts to make an internal representation of our external world through complex chemical changes.

Neurons (Brain Cells)

To get a better idea of how the brain functions through chemical communication, let’s start by looking at figure 1.1, which shows a basic schematic of a single neuron.
The center of the neuron is called the cell body or soma. It contains the nucleus, which houses the cell’s deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) or genetic material. The cell’s DNA defines what type of cell it is and how it will function.
At one end of the cell body are the dendrites, which are receivers of information sent by other brain cells (neurons). The term dendrite, which comes from a Latin term for tree, is used because the dendrites of a neuron resemble tree branches.
At the other end of the cell body is the axon. The axon is a long tubular fiber that extends away from the cell body. The axon acts as a conductor of electrical signals.
At the base of the axon are the axon terminals. These terminals contain vesicles where chemical messengers, also known as neurotransmitters, are stored.

Neurotransmitters (Chemical Messengers)

It is believed that the brain contains several hundred different types of chemical messengers (neurotransmitters). Generally, these messengers are categorized as either excitatory or inhibitory. An excitatory messenger stimulates the electrical activity of the brain cell, whereas an inhibitory messenger calms this activity. The activity of a neuron (brain cell) -- or whether or not it continues to release, or pass on, chemical messages -- is largely determined by the balance of these excitatory and inhibitory mechanisms.
Scientists have identified specific neurotransmitters that are believed to be related to anxiety disorders. The chemical messengers that are typically targeted with medications commonly used to treat panic disorder include: Serotonin. This neurotransmitter plays a role in modulating a variety of body functions and feelings, including our mood. Low serotonin levels have been linked to depression and anxiety. The antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are considered to be the first-line agents in the treatment of panic disorder. SSRIs increase the level of serotonin in the brain, resulting in decreased anxiety and inhibition of panic attacks.
Norepinephrine is a neurotransmitter that is believed to be associated with the fight or flight stress response. It contributes to feelings of alertness, fear, anxiety and panic. Selective serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) and tricyclic antidepressants affect the serotonin and norepinephrine levels of the brain, resulting in an anti-panic effect.
Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that acts through a negative feedback system to block the transmission of a signal from one cell to another. It is important for balancing the excitation in the brain. Benzodiazepines (anti-anxiety drugs) work on the GABA receptors of the brain inducing a state of relaxation.

Neurons and Neurotransmitters Working Together

When a brain cell receives sensory information, it fires an electrical impulse that travels down the axon to the axon terminal where chemical messengers (neurotransmitters) are stored. This triggers the release of these chemical messengers into the synaptic cleft, which is a small space between the sending neuron and the receiving neuron.

As the messenger makes its journey across the synaptic cleft, several things may happen:

1. The messenger may be degraded and knocked out of the picture by an enzyme before it reaches its target receptor.
2. The messenger may be transported back into the axon terminal through a reuptake mechanism and be deactivated or recycled for future use.
3. The messenger may bind to a receptor (dendrite) on a neighboring cell and complete the delivery of its message. The message may then be forwarded to the dendrites of other neighboring cells. But, if the receiving cell determines that no more of the neurotransmitters are needed, it will not forward the message. The messenger will then continue to try to find another receiver of its message until it is deactivated or returned to the axon terminal by the reuptake mechanism.

For optimal brain function, neurotransmitters must be carefully balanced and orchestrated. They are often interconnected and rely on each other for proper function. For example, the neurotransmitter GABA, which induces relaxation, can only function properly with adequate amounts of serotonin. Many psychological disturbances, including panic disorder, may be the result of poor quality or low quantities of certain neurotransmitters or neuron receptor sites, the release of too much of a neurotransmitter or the malfunctioning of the reuptake mechanisms of the neuron.

Infactuation

Infatuation... we’re in love with it! Millions of men and women live in anxious hope of experiencing it as soon as possible... and over and over again... if necessary. Come to think of it, infatuation has become a popular model for love itself, and at this very moment, infatuation fever is directing the most critical intimate choices of an enormous sub-culture of singles.
But wait! Before you rush to your next rapture, consider some of the following viewpoints on this most popular of all feeling states. Think about what it really is to be infatuated.
Plainly, the word itself is officially defined as a kind of affliction. In common parlance, infatuation is known as "being a fool for love". Most of us recognize it as a state in which a person’s normal ability to think clearly and act rationally are flung aside with suspicious eagerness. Desire focuses on a particular someone and suddenly nothing matters but that compelling attraction. The dictionary strongly suggests that the overt result of infatuation is a reduction in mental capacity. A frequent synonym given for infatuation is "folly", predicting grave consequences to follow from stupidity resulting from fixated passion.
Sounds ominous. Nonetheless, there must be something about infatuation that accounts for the hold it has over our imaginations... and our choices. Most of us know the feelings of infatuation from direct personal experience. Certainly we’ve all been introduced to Love Fever through stories told in pajama party whispers, fairy tales, the anguished confidences of dear friends, through cartoons and fine literature, B-movies and cinematic art, TV sitcoms and soap operas, and romantic novels. Wherever and however reported, though, the sensate phenomenon are remarkably similar.

Infatuation Phase I: Stricken!

The first act in the life of an infatuation is that magic moment when someone suddenly takes on "special" meaning for us.
You hear a phrase or a particular inflection in someone’s voice that strikes a chord in your heart. You are struck by the exact tilt of his head. You are warmed by a gaze or an unexpected tenderness. An intriguing remark goes straight to your soul. Or, perhaps from a respectable distance, you notice legs or skin or hair (or a more private physical trait) to die for. Lightning has struck.

Infatuation Phase II: Intrusive Thinking

After the bolt of lightening comes a storm of intrusive thinking about the desired one.
Every experience you now have seems interwoven with their qualities, every shared moment weighted with new meaning. When apart from them, you review and relish each moment spent in their presence and ruminate on their flavor. In fact, many infatuation informants report spending 80 to 100 percent of their time compulsively trying to crystallize the vision of their new love, living in vigilant expectation of the next contact.

Infatuation Phase III: Idealization

Early in the intrusive thinking phase, idealization sets in. The erotic sizzle permeates everything and creates that famous halo with which we love to blind ourselves. For a while, the infatuee sees no flaws in the beloved and admits to no blocks to forward progress.

Infatuation Phase IV: The Emotional Rollercoaster

From this high intensity anticipation comes the primary emotional dynamic of infatuation: an exquisite combination of hope and uncertainty which has funded libraries of poetry.
At this point, life becomes that famous rollercoaster ride: precious moments of delightful reciprocity (real or imagined) followed by agonizing doubts of ultimate success. Infatuation is now more consciously driven by simple fear. In fact, The Nagging Fear of Not Getting What You Have Begun to Desire is the unique torment reserved for the infatuated elite.
This pattern of human experience is as well-documented as any emotional experience has ever been. You can find poignant elaborations on the process incised upon clay tablets, etched in marble, painted on papyrus, fixed in celluloid, playing on the radio, and filtering through the voices all around you. It is a famous and favorite form of anguish.
But how can something so uncomfortable be so irresistible?

Science Has An Answer For Infatuation!

Research has confirmed the existence of an amphetamine-like chemical which is rapidly activated (like lightning!) when we begin to feel attracted to someone. This chemical is called phenylethylamine (PEA), that famous substance that makes laboratory rats press levers until they drop dead from exhaustion.
Diane Ackerman, author of The Nature of Love and A Natural History of the Senses, describes PEA as a "molecule that speeds up the flow of information between nerve cells", whipping the brain into a frenzy of excitement, sending ordinary attraction into overdrive and providing the assertive oomph! needed to take social risks and overcome any obstacles to mating. We can consider this a well-designed molecule from the point of view of species survival.
But... some other researchers at the New York State Psychiatric Institute claim to have discovered that PEA has a tendency to pave the way for that peculiar contemporary disorder, The Relationship Addiction. They point out that this internally-generated infatuation drug acts a lot like speed. Some people (and a lot of rats) not used to the rush begin to crave it.
In other words, some people are always infatuated, but not necessarily with the same person, and not long enough to develop a relationship that makes them really happy or leads to lasting happiness.
Is this what it means to be A Fool For Love? A Fool for Phenylethylamine? By many indications, once we are pierced by the arrow of attraction, the biologically compelling quality of infatuation insures for many people a helpless emotional state.

Psychology Has An Answer for Infatuation!

Biological models explain a lot about the "how" of infatuation, the mechanism governing the actual phenomenology of love foolishness. The social sciences have a lot to tell us about the "why". Why this particular man, why that woman?
Naturally, Freud would have said that it is all in your head. What else? His most profound contribution to modern thought was to show us the extent to which our behavior, especially our love behavior, is guided by unconscious processes. He might further have emphasized that we are attracted (compelled?) to experience specific relationships in an attempt to meet intimacy needs shaped in our earliest years, with our first love objects: Mom and Dad. (Just the basic meat and potatoes of attraction dynamics, folks!)
Carl Jung popularized the idea that opposites attract, and for very good reasons. He theorized that we are unconsciously drawn to those who exhibit qualities we find lacking - or somehow undeveloped - in our own psyches and that we always seek to complete or balance ourselves somehow through intimate attachments. In the state of infatuation, then, we are pulled like a moth toward the flame we wish to acquire for our permanent warmth.

The Imago Model of Infatuation

Harville Hendrix, author of Keeping the Love You Find: A Guide For Singles, has one of the best explanations I’ve heard for why we tend to fall so heavily and helplessly, if sometimes so briefly, into the infatuated state.
He says we each have in our memory banks a highly individual imprint, a mental construct called an imago, in which the best and worst attributes of our earliest caretakers have been crystallized.
The imago we have of our dream lover is like an intimacy template. It influences and filters our perception so that we are particularly attentive and sensitized to those who match our private patterns. This then accounts for the highly specific nature of our infatuations.
Dr. Hendrix thinks we have something like psychic receptor-sites for certain people who evoke highly idiosyncratic responses in us. He argues - as do many others - that we are unconsciously attracted to people who help us recreate early relationship dynamics in the (also unconscious) hope that things will turn out better and we will have a lot more control this time around.
The perception of strong attraction then acts as an internal signal which flips the PEA switch (remember the infatuation drug?). Apparently, such attraction is relatively involuntary, primitively-driven, and seemingly beyond our control. Just like the drug itself.

Good News/Bad News

The deeper we go into this matter, the more infatuation seems to reflect its dictionary definition as the epitome of foolishness. The experience seems to take conscious choice right out of the picture. When we are infatuated with someone - or something - it is as though we become little love robots, biochemical puppets with no will of our own, without a rational thought in our heads! And what is the stupendous pay-off for what seems to be a love offering of mindless surrender?
Answer truthfully, now: How often have you experienced highly erotic and deeply gratifying love-making with someone with whom you were infatuated? How often has the object of your feverish desire turned out to be as you imagined him or her? How many smoldering, day-dreamed passions have actually burst into flame for you? How many times have you been a Fool For Love only to realize within weeks (if you are lucky) or months that there was no love there, only helpless yearning? How many sunny, companionable days have you actually spent with someone you worshipped and longed to possess? In short, how many times has infatuation worked for you?
The answers to these questions will tell you there is little happiness in infatuation itself, precious little daily satisfaction is possible while we are acting the Fool For Love. That is because the state of infatuation thrives on distance and frustration. It flourishes under difficult circumstances. It is not magnified by consummation and familiarity.
Please note: Infatuation cannot exceed its own expectations. It is the spark and the emotional kindling, not a steady, warming fire. It is an appetizer that makes you anticipate the full banquet. But it will not keep you warm and it will not fill you up.

Infatuation begins as an important emotional signal to point you in the direction of desire and get you moving. But it is not yet love and its impetus will never take the place of thinking about what you want and acting persistently on that intention. Still and all... there is no reason to throw the baby out with the bathwater!

Transcendental Infatuation

When all is said and done, we will always want to fall in love with the pull of a potent attraction. We will always want to love infatuation and we will always reserve our right to be a Fool For Love. And that is as it should be. Who does not want to feel moved by the thrill of a profound, mysterious attraction that is able to overpower our ego defenses and cause us to open our soul to another with the impetuosity of a child? The state of infatuation is so powerful that we want infatuation to have a meaning beyond that of a chemically-induced trance phenomenon. And that is possible, but with just one little catch.
In order to make certain that infatuation can fulfill its true role in the natural discovery and growth of love, we have to stay semi-conscious and aware of our choices. Only conscious surrender and sustained attachment can make the original spark of infatuation eventually work to our benefit.

Split personality Disorder

In todays world, there are number of dreadful diseases; one of them is the disease of human mind, called as split-personality. Many people around the world refuse to believe that this disease really exits. They often think that the person is acting.

Split-personality is a very rare dissociative sickness in which the regular integrity of the personality breaks down and two or more personalities emerge. These personalities control and dominate the behaviour of the person depending on his mental condition.
In psychaitry, there is no phenomenon or category called split personality.
Split personality disorder can be caused due to several reasons like over exposure to some kind of shocking incident, childhood abuse, problem in the brain functioning or social environment of the person can also cause this disorder. Basically conditions where mental pressure and stress are high leads a person to this disorder.
A person with a split personality, undergoes change in the personality in just a few seconds. He then acts as a completely different person. He starts to imitate behaviourial traits, characteristics, name etc of the person he thinks he is. At times the person undergoes a change where they have alters of sexual orientation, genders, nationalities and ages. It also happens at times that they convert to an animal, extra terrestrial life force or even some kind of spiritual force.
Two basic symptoms of split personality:

• The patient looses his memory. He doesn’t remember things happened in his life over a long period of time or between a certain period of time. It so happens that once the patient comes out from the false personality into his normal self, he doesn’t remember what had happened to him.
• Depersonalization is also a symptom people suffering from split personality experience. The patient feels that he is out of his body and is watching something happening to his own body but is not able to do anything. They feel that their body is not real and is changing in shape, size and colour.

Split personality is a very dangerous disorder, but we just cannot leave the effected person alone. You need to take special care, sensitivity and understanding to help such people because behaind this dangerous person, there is an innocent young child.

A Brief History of Transpersonal Psychology

In the middle of the twentieth century, American psychology was dominated by two major schools - behaviorism and Freudian psychology. Increasing dissatisfaction with these two

orientations as adequate approaches to the human psyche led to the development of humanistic

psychology. The main spokesman and most articulate representative of this new field was the well-

known American psychologist Abraham Maslow. He offered an incisive critique of the limitations

of behaviorism and psychoanalysis, or the First and the Second Force in psychology as he called

them, and formulated the principles of a new perspective in psychology (Maslow 1969).

Maslow's main objection against behaviorism was that the study of animals, such as rats

and pigeons, can only clarify those aspects of human functioning that we share with these animals.

It thus has no relevance for the understanding of higher, specifically human qualities that are unique

to human life, such as love, self-consciousness, self-determination, personal freedom, morality, art,

philosophy, religion, and science. It is also largely useless in regard to some specifically human

negative characteristics, such as greed, lust for power, cruelty, and tendency to "malignant

aggression," He also criticized the behaviorists' disregard for consciousness and introspection and

their exclusive focus on the study of behavior.

By contrast, the primary interest of humanistic psychology, Maslow's Third Force, was in

human subjects, and this discipline honored the interest in consciousness and introspection as

important complements to the objective approach to research. The behaviorists' exclusive emphasis

on determination by the environment, stimulus/response, and reward/punishment was replaced by

emphasis of the capacity of human beings to be internally directed and motivated to achieve self-

realization and fulfill their human potential.

In his criticism of psychoanalysis, Maslow pointed out that Freud and his followers drew

conclusions about the human psyche mainly from the study of psychopathology and he disagreed with their biological reductionism and their tendency to explain all psychological processes in terms of base instincts. By comparison, humanistic psychology focused on healthy populations, or even individuals who show supernormal functioning in various areas (Maslow's "growing tip of the population"), on human growth and potential, and on higher functions of the psyche. It also emphasized that psychology has to be sensitive to practical human needs and serve important interests and objectives of human society. Within a few years after Abraham Maslow and Anthony Sutich launched the Association for Humanistic Psychology (AHP) and its journal, the new movement became extremely popular among American mental health professionals and even in the general public. The multidimensional perspective of humanistic psychology and its emphasis on the whole person provided a broad umbrella for the development of a rich spectrum of new effective therapeutic approaches that greatly expanded the range of possibilities of dealing with emotional, psychosomatic, interpersonal, and psychosocial problems. Among the important characteristics of these new therapies was a decisive shift from the exclusively verbal strategies of traditional psychotherapy to direct expression of emotions and from exploration of individual history and of unconscious motivation to the feelings and thought processes of the clients in the here and now. Another important aspect of this therapeutic revolution was the emphasis on the interconnectedness of the psyche and the body and overcoming of the taboo against touching, previously dominating the field of psychotherapy. Various forms of bodywork thus formed an integral part of the new treatment strategies; Fritz Perls' Gestalt therapy, Alexander Lowen's bioenergetics and other neo-Reichian approaches, encounter groups, and marathon sessions can be mentioned here as salient examples of humanistic therapies. In spite of the popularity of humanistic psychology, its founders Maslow and Sutich themselves grew dissatisfied with the conceptual framework they had originally created. They became increasingly aware that they had left out an extremely important element -- the spiritual dimension of the human psyche (Sutich 1976). The renaissance of interest in Eastern spiritual philosophies, various mystical traditions, meditation, ancient and aboriginal wisdom, as well as the widespread psychedelic experimentation during the stormy 1960s made it absolutely clear that a comprehensive and cross-culturally valid psychology had to include observations from such areas as mystical states; cosmic consciousness; psychedelic experiences; trance phenomena; creativity; and religious, artistic, and scientific inspiration. In 1967, a small working group, including Abraham Maslow, Anthony Sutich, Stanislav Grof, James Fadiman, Miles Vich, and Sonya Margulies met in Menlo Park, California, with the purpose of creating a new psychology that would honor the entire spectrum of human experience, including various non-ordinary states of consciousness. During these discussions, Maslow and Sutich accepted Grof's suggestion and named the new discipline "transpersonal psychology." This term replaced their own original name "transhumanistic," or "reaching beyond humanistic concerns." Soon afterwards, they launched the Association of Transpersonal Psychology (ATP), and started the Journal of Transpersonal Psychology. Several years later, in 1975, Robert Frager founded the (California) Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in Palo Alto, which has remained at the cutting edge of transpersonal education, research and therapy for more than three decades. Transpersonal psychology, or the Fourth Force, addressed some major misconceptions of mainstream psychiatry and psychology concerning spirituality and religion. It also responded to important observations from modern consciousness research and several other fields for which the existing scientific paradigm had no adequate explanations. Michael Harner, American anthropologist with good academic credentials, who also experienced during his field work in the Amazon a powerful shamanic initiation, summed up the shortcomings of academic psychology very succinctly in the preface to his book The Way of the Shaman (Harner 1980). He suggested that the understanding of the psyche in the industrial civilization is seriously biased in two important ways: it is ethnocentric and cognicentric (a better term would probably be pragmacentric).