Page 52 - NAMAH-Apr-2023

Namah Vol. 31, Issue 1, 24th April 2023

“Psychology is the knowledge of consciousness and its operations. Complete psychology must be a
complex of the science of mind, its operations and its relations to life and body with intuitive and
experimental knowledge of the nature of mind and its relations to Supermind and spirit”.
CWSA: 12: 305

The authors have justified this definition of psychology amply in the chapters. We get
clarity on the nature of consciousness, and how it works. What are the instruments
through which it manifests or expresses itself? In human beings, this knowledge brings
into light the operation of consciousness in the body, vital, mind and soul. We find
separate chapters giving a detailed account of the operation of consciousness on mental,
vital, physical, and subconscious levels. Psychology as a branch of study was introduced
in the West in the 50s. Early psychologists focused on the nature and function of the
mind. There was a great influence of natural science in the structure and methodology of
the study of psychology. This limited view was later adopted in applied psychology and
psychotherapy, which completely neglected the different parts of human personality and
its effect on their lives.

This book highlights the ancient Indian thought-systems and connects them to the
main concept of consciousness-based psychology and the significant contribution of Sri
Aurobindo’s Integral Yoga philosophy that explores and explains psychology as a science
of consciousness. It is a must-read for academicians and practitioners of consciousness-
based psychology. A student of psychology would get valuable insights into the working
of the human personality, its present state of consciousness, and future possibilities; a
clinical psychologist will benefit from the case-studies narrated that gives valuable
guidelines on understanding the complex working of the various levels of consciousness.

Consciousness-based psychology gives a deeper insight into understanding and
integrating all three aspects (individual, universal and transcendent) of consciousness.
This approach has wider implications in the practical methods of treating the individual
with psychological issues/dilemmas. Most of the time, a lack of insight on the part of
the professionals dealing with mental health fails to do justice to individuals who cannot
integrate the experiences occurring on these different levels of consciousness. As pointed
out by the authors, Consciousness-based psychology provides a clear framework for
understanding para-normal states, trance, and occultism.

The chapter, ‘Ego and the Psychic Being’ provides a complete understanding of ego
from the metaphysical, evolutionary, and psychological perspective. We get a detailed
explanation of the structure of the ego and its relation to the soul. As we read further,
many fundamental questions get answered in the framework of consciousness-based
psychology (CBP) regarding the aim of life, the journey of the soul and rebirth. In the
chapter, ‘Disharmonies in Consciousness’, we learn the influence of the Inconscience
in our lives and, “as evolution progresses, higher planes of consciousness manifest that

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