ECSTASIES: States beyond the Self

Our day and age is embracing rapture: psychedelic retreats and shamanism, ecstatic dancing, ketamine use in Silicon Valley, new spiritualities and ancient rites such as solstice celebrations. For centuries, the quest for boundlessness was suppressed in Western societies;nowadays, we are surprisingly encountering ecstasy—intense concentration on the present moment—not just at raves or during animist rituals, but also in yoga classes, mindfulness seminars and workshops aimed at boosting workplace performance. Why is this happening right now, and which traditions is it connected to? This book is nothing less than a narrative of human history through self-transcendence techniques. Though cultivated over thousands of years, these practices long remained invisible under the glaring light of reason. Now they are resurging with real power. The book’s authors explain why this is both a symptom of a crisis and yet something to be welcomed. And they explore what a contemporary ethics of ecstasy might look like.