ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
No man can write a book like this without standing on the shoulders of others much greater than he. The author particularly wishes to pay his respects and admit his indebtedness to four principals: Carl Jung, Lawrence Kubie, Rudolph Otto, and Thomas Troward, who were pioneers in formulating ideas about the nature of the numinous element. Also to be mentioned in this respect are Erik Erikson, Abraham Maslow, Jean Piaget, and Harry Stack Sullivan, whose ideas on developmental process were so germinal.
This book leans heavily on the scholarship of many individuals, and among these to be singled out for special excellence and the author's indebtedness are W. Abell (art), G. Collier (art), M. Eliade (shamanism), V. Gaddis (firewalking), F. Goodman (glossolalia), S. Krippner (dreams and creativity), M. Laski (mysticism), and E. Underhill (mysticism). Nearer at home, I wish to thank and acknowledge help from graduate students, Nancy Donaldson, Beverly Adams, Ellie Fishman, Debby Zeff and Bill Zika. Among my diligent manuscript readers are Doctors Sybil Richardson, Norma Jean Groth, Clifton Winn, and Stanley Krippner, all of whom deserve much thanks. Thanks also go to Doctors Anita Mitchell, Lois Swanson, Josephine Schultz, for many valuable suggestions.
Typing
was done by Lois Fraser, figures by Frances Caldwell, and bibliographic
back-up by Barbara Auch. I also wish to acknowledge with thanks the courtesy
of the various copyright holders for permission to reprint the many citations
herein, details of which are given on the copyright page. In this connection
I particularly wish to single out The American Psychological Association
and The Universities Press Group for their enlightened policy of "blanket"
permission for short selections, which is such a boon to serious scholarship.
Lastly, but most important, has been the love and support of my beloved
wife Jane, without whom there would have been no creativity in the first
place.
J. C.
G.
Northridge,
1974