The Mystical Imagination

Editor's Desk, *Imagination and Sufism research* - Sufi News and Sufism World Report - Athens, GA, USA
Wednesday, April 7, 2010

We are publishing below a call for interviews from Mr. Jacob Kaminker, a doctoral candidate at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in the US.

Mr. Kaminker's faculty advisor is Dr. Robert Frager, or Shaykh Ragip (who is an orthodox Muslim and long-time representative in California of the orthodox Halveti shaykh Muzaffer Efendi and his successors).

Hello, I am Jacob Kaminker, a doctoral candidate at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology and I am writing my dissertation on the Phenomenology of the Mystical Imagination.

I am looking to interview Sufis, among others, who use mystical practices that utilize imaginal techniques. Novice practitioners needed.

You are invited to participate in a dissertation research project on the mystical imagination.

I’ll be interviewing people who use imaginal practices, or practices that use mental imagery, for psychospiritual growth or to gain insight into themselves or their spirituality. This research will help to understand the nature of perception during these states of consciousness and in normal waking consciousness.

Your participation could provide insights into the potential uses of the imagination for psychospiritual growth and clinical interventions. Through your participation, you may learn more about your own practices and may also experience psychospiritual growth.

In order to participate, you must:

· Be comfortable and experienced in using imaginal processes, or those usingvisualization for psychospiritual growth or insight.

· be able to fluently communicate your experience in the English language

· be over the age 18

· not be currently using or abusing any substances that could contribute to increased mental imagery

· not been diagnosed with sensory or cognitive impairments

· have no history of drug abuse within the past year

· not have psychotic symptoms within the past five years.

If you meet the above requirements, I deeply appreciate your considering participation. Also, please feel free to pass this information along to anyone who you think might be interested and qualified.

Your identity will be kept anonymous from everyone except the researcher.
Please email me at jacobkaminker@gmail.com or call me at + 001 (732) 599-7052.

Thanks again for your interest.

Warmly,
Jacob Kaminker

-- Jacob Kaminker
PhD Candidate
Institute of Transpersonal Psychology
1069 E Meadow Cir
Palo Alto, CA, USA

Click on the title of this article to the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in Palo Alto, CA

Click here for Dr. Robert Frager bio

Click here to the Halveti-Jerrahi Tariqa