The Dark Face of Heaven: True Stories of Transcendence Through Trauma - Paperback

by Janet Elizabeth Colli (Author)

How do so many of us transcend trauma? Trauma can initiate transformation, and trigger a natural evolutionary dynamic. Trauma can transport us into otherworldly realms that help us heal. Yet while these revolutionary findings are often overlooked, transformative experience is a vital part of the psychology of the future. Dr. Janet Colli presents compelling stories of spiritual awakening, out-of-body experiences (OBEs), lucid dreams, and near-death experiences (NDEs)-revealed during trauma therapy.

Those who experience a dark night of the soul often develop special awareness or enhanced perceptual abilities. Trauma may be a portal to a biologically-based transformation of the human personality. Yet such growth or transformation is a natural evolutionary process anyone can access. Dr. Colli's transpersonal case stories chronicle the healing of cancer, panic attacks, eating disorders and sexual abuse. Consciousness transforms when our ego identity is threatened and our hearts are challenged to open.

"In my mid-thirties, dolphins entered my dreams. I was dying from cancer. My physical healing was extraordinary," states the author. "Moreover, I experienced a psycho-spiritual transformation." Janet's story ("Dolphin Dreams") is included in Bernie Siegel's, "A Book of Miracles." Now she shares her own story in depth because of its initiatory power.

The Dark Face of Heaven opens with the discovery of the transpersonal realm within the history of psychology and psychiatry. Its chapters reveal the transformative traumas of cultural icons: movie stars, rock stars and artists, such as Frida Kahlo, singer songwriter Joni Mitchell, and Jim Morrison of The Doors. The Dark Face of Heaven is based on 20 years of clinical experience with spiritual emergence. True stories of transcendence through trauma reveal the healing potential within us all.

Author Biography

Janet Elizabeth Colli, Ph.D. is a psychotherapist in the Pacific Northwest specializing in spiritual awakening. Dr. Colli earned her doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology from the Union Institute & University. With expertise in both Clinical and Transpersonal Psychology, she is uniquely able to bridge psychology with the extraordinary, the mystical-and healing. Author of the highly acclaimed book, Sacred Encounters: Spiritual Awakenings During Close Encounters, Janet lives on Whidbey Island, north of Seattle, and swims with wild dolphins in Hawaii.