Hand Book of Inkblot Technique: Rorschach, Holtzman and Somatic Inkblots Series

Bankey L. Dubey, Ph.D., D.M.S.P., D.P.M.

Adjunct, Dept of Psych, Univ. of Alaska, Anchorage

Former Prof. Punjab University, Chandigarh (India),

Former President Indian Assn. of Clinical Psychologists,

Editor Emeritus, SIS J. Proj. Psych & Mental Health,

President Somatic Inkblot Society & Director SIS Center,

4406 Forest Road, Anchorage, AK 99517

Email:bldubey@gmail.com

Wilfred A. Cassell, M.D., FAPA.

Director SIS Center, Anchorage, USA

Editor Emeritus, SIS J. of Proj. Psych & Mental Health,

Email: siswilfredacassell@yahoo.com

Anand Dubey, B.E., MBA, FSIS.

Managing Director, Dubey Business Services

Former Director Enterprise Tech. Services, State of Alaska,

Former Managing Director Right Systems,

Editor, SIS Journal Proj. Psych and Mental Health,

4406 Forest Road, Anchorage, AK 99517

Email: anand.dubey@gmail.com

CONTENTS

Foreword 4

Acknowledgments 18

List of Tables 19

CHAPTER 1: Hermann Rorschach an Introduction: 20-21

CHAPTER 2: Historical Development of Inkblots Techniques: 22-34

History of Inkblot Procedure

Features of Inkblot Tests:

Rorschach

Holtzman Inkblot Test

Somatic Inkblot Series

CHAPTER 3: Theoretical Postulates of Inkblot Tests: 35-45

The Theory of Percept Analysis:

Somatic Imagery Theory:

Theory of Body Symbolism:

The Inner Cry for Help:

CHAPTER 4: Studies on Rorschach/ Holtzman and SIS in India: 46-85

CHAPTER 5: Administration and Scoring of Rorschach: 86-104

Administration

Scoring Systems in India:

Klopfer’s Method:

Beck’s Method:

Exner’s Method

CHAPTER 7: Administration and Scoring of Somatic Inkblot Series: 114-128

Definitions of Scoring Indices

Total number of Responses

Human Responses

Animal Responses

Anatomical Responses

Sex Responses

Movement Responses

Most Typical Responses

Typical Responses

Atypical Responses

Typical and Atypical Responses (SIS II A)

Typical and Atypical Responses (SIS II B)

Rejection of Images

Pathological Scales

CHAPTER 8: Quantitative and Indices based Interpretation: 129-139

Klopfer’s Method

CHAPTER 9: Indian Norms and Diagnostic Indicators: 140-147

Indian Norms on Rorschach, SIS-I and SIS-II Clinical Indices

CHAPTER 10: Application of SIS in Business Organization: 148-151

CHAPTER 11: Interpretation: Clinical Applications of Content Analysis: 152-317

Stimulus Plate SIT-5: Butterfly / Contoured Bilateral Symmetry

Stimulus Plate SIT-1: Core Somatic Grief / Central Structural Focus

Stimulus Plate SIT-7: Exhibitionism / Body Boundary Perception

Stimulus Plate SIT-20: Vertebral Skeleton / Unmasking Skeletal Reality

Stimulus Plate SIT-12: Visceral Anxiety / Internal Organ Architecture

Stimulus Plate SIT-17: Pelvic & Anatomical Localization

Stimulus Plate SIT-24: Living Images / Female Somatic Dynamic

Stimulus Plate SIT-2: Trauma Processing / Motor Dynamic Plate

Stimulus Plate SIT-28: Combat PTSD / Intrusive Threat Matrix

Stimulus Plate SIT-20: Dangerous Impulses / Visceral Boundary Assessment

CHAPTER 12: Bibliography: 318-347

Foreword

The authors have compiled a comprehensive, up-to-date handbook on inkblot tests as the most important projective techniques for assessing personality. Three inkblot tests are featured, the Rorschach, the Holtzman Inkblot Technique, and the Somatic Inkblot Series. A novel highlight in the Preface is the imaginary conversation between Wilfred Cassell and Hermann Rorschach, a fantasy that ends with “assurances” from Rorschach that the current direction of studies by mostly Indian psychologists under the authors’ guidance are worthy advances Rorschach would like.

Part I in the book begins with an excellent, detailed history of Hermann Rorschach and his early experiments with inkblots in the diagnosis of mentally ill patients. The final set of ten inkblots has been used extensively throughout the world, resulting in thousands of publications that still continue to grow in number. Special attention is given to the administration and scoring of the Rorschach with special sections detailing with the systems developed by Klopfer and Exner.

The Holtzman Inkblot Technique (HIT) is reviewed in detail, emphasizing its excellent psychometric qualities resulting from two parallel forms, each containing 45 rich, colorful inkblots selected from thousands of inkblots originally produced by Holtzman and his colleagues. Unlike the Rorschach with only 10 inkblots, the HIT has 22 scores for which the reliability and validity for personality assessment have been more easily determined.

In addition to the HIT’s psychometric value when administered in a standard manner, a wealth of information is available on responses to each of the 90 inkblots from the original standardization on several thousand individuals. Special subsets of inkblots that elicit body image or sexual ideation can be assembled for experimental studies of a qualitative nature involving free associations much like those described in detail in the 31 case studies based mainly on the Rorschach and the Somatic Inkblot Series in Part II of this book. Future research involving the HIT inkblots will probably go in three directions: (1) computer-based testing and analysis using configural scoring for efficient, valid psychodiagnosis of mental disorders and personality, (2) special subsets of HIT inkblots for which two responses are requested rather than just one, and (3) qualitative use of selected subsets for free association and therapist-patient interaction much like the interesting and informative case studies presented in Chapter 11.

The Somatic Inkblot Series I and II are reviewed in great detail that will be of special interest to western clinicians who have not had a chance to learn much about the test. Many of the most recent SIS studies have been published in the SIS Journal of Projective Psychology and Mental Health or in Indian journals, neither of which has had wide circulation in western countries, unfortunately. The SIS deserves much greater attention from clinicians and researchers everywhere, and this handbook will help to acquaint them with the attractive features and both research and clinical possibilities of the Somatic Inkblot Series I and II.

I am greatly impressed by the extent to which psychology has matured in India during the past several decades, much of it under the leadership of Bankey Dubey and his colleagues in clinical psychology, with strong guidance from Wilfred Cassell. The current book is much overdue as a significant contribution to the study of personality, psychodiagnosis, and mental health. It certainly should stimulate new research throughout the world.

Wayne H. Holtzman, PhD

Hogg Professor Emeritus of Psychology

Past President, Hogg Foundation for Mental Health

The University of Texas, Austin

Preface:

I wish to express my appreciation to the inspirational spirits of Herman Rorschach and Wayne Holtzman for their original 20th century contributions to inkblot design and projective technique -theirs is a “hard act to follow.” As creator of the Somatic Inkblot Series (SIS), it is with humility that I accepted the invitation of my fellow authors to write this preface.

Prepare for an intellectual adventure into the methodologically illusive, inner realms of the “mind/body.” The authors challenge young people to pursue a career, involving fascinating inner world exploration. At this stage in the 21st century there are a vast number of scientific fields, undreamed of in the days of Rorschach. These provide advanced technology, facilitating the exploration of inner dimensions of body-mind-spiritual space.

Any prospective explorer, hoping to develop background introspective skills for eventual work in the field should consider first viewing the Rorschach, Holtzman and SIS-II inkblots procedures initially and documenting what is seen and felt in relation to each visual array. This is analogous to establishing a personal “diary” which can later serve as a baseline point of personal reference. In no other field of science is there such an intimate reliance on the interaction between the professional’s cultural/religious early memories and that of the client/patient’s background. Since there is a strong relationship between inkblot visual experiences and that of affect charged dream imagery, first complete this preliminary exercise while relaxed prior to bedtime. Consider first freeing your mind of stressful day residual by walking quietly in a beautiful garden, looking at calming nature pictures, or preferably a potent form of meditation, if so trained as for example yoga. This will set the perceptual stage for subsequent projection of deeply personal symbolic material.

This exercise establishes a “blank body-mind-spiritual screen” which historically documents in a phenonomenological scientific conceptual model your uncontaminated subjective inner world as physiologically based in your genetic colored “virgin brain”. This establishes a subjective scientific record which to subsequently compare your projective viewing experiences. Because of the limitations of written language, it is strongly recommended that you first free your cognitive inhibitions concerning “artistic ability” and spontaneously draw, (with colors if you are so inclined), upon completing each of the three test procedures always elaborate on the “three most liked” and the “three least liked” blots. Now record your visual stream of cognitions and label their associated emotions. This document serves as a base line with which to compare your personal experiences with the normative data presented in the later section of the book. This comparison may be considered as a new way of self examination to enhance your insight into the deeper aspect of your body–mind–spirit functioning. Readers trained in yoga, may use this as “virgin” brain based document as a blank page for self reflection and spiritual enhancement during meditation.

Eons ago, long before the modern era, master practitioners of Yoga, courageously explored intangible inner world seas, seeking as their mystical destination Brahman, the universal consciousness. Their courageous explorations of Nature’s secrets enabled them to expand volitional control over basic physiological functions. To their credit, they did so without the aid of inkblot projective procedures or modern neurophysiologic monitoring technology. The practice of SIS guided Yoga on a daily basis can nourish as yet, unknown underlying body-mind neural networks. Scientific research now indicates that the daily practice of Yoga improves brain function leading to improved overall health once this meditation training has begun, it will be necessary to adopt a “thick skin” mental attitude. Anyone planning to accept this challenge should be prepared for lifelong criticism.

The in-depth inkblot memory releasing approach which can bring to projective awareness, long forgotten memories has benefited from the rich intellectual history in India. By contrast, in many western countries there is a bias against the notion that childhood events, such as the unexpressed grief from death of a parent. Later in adulthood this needs to be therapeutically processed through exploring inkblot and dream imagery symbolically depicting age regressive nature. An example of the latter follows involving a highly intelligent professional American man who had been repeatedly subjected to ridicule for both daily practicing Yoga, as well as keeping a dream diary:

“I had a dream about my Dad dying. I did not see him or talk to him it was more about the fact that he was dead and I was grieving over it. Some family members were there. I turned to Grace and said- my dad died last night. She looked at me with a puzzled look on her face and I said – wait a minute, my dad died forty years ago. Then I started to cry. I cried so hard I fell on the ground and rolled on to my back and pulled my knees up toward my chest and screamed. I was crying and screaming as hard as I possibly could. Then some part of the dream involved someone finding my dream note book and was making fun of me because I wrote down my dreams and journals.

In the dream I felt grief…profound grief and loss… intense, profound grief nothing more. The symbolism in the dream was about grieving the death of my father. It was powerful but quite simple. I think Grace was there because she was part of our lives when Dad died. Maybe I wanted her to understand how profound my grief was after losing my Dad”.

Unfortunately, many of those trained in the basic physical sciences view Yoga, dream analysis and projective inkblot techniques with suspicion. It should be kept in mind that many such critics in the 20th century sold their souls by providing technology that underlies nuclear, biological and chemical modern warfare. Yet, to ignore the softer sciences (i.e. “softer” for its nonphysical objects and /or the indirect nature of its measures ) which underlie projective assessment, and its related psychotherapeutic treatments, is to stay only a little ahead of the higher primates. Moreover, it would enable the world’s bigoted cognitively restricted leaders to further undermine our human destiny, for exploring the mysterious Cosmos.

This book may serve to expand the consciousness of serious students. It presents otherwise illusive information on complex mental processes, including the ambiguous nature of symbol interpretation. All new to the field are advised supplement this work with reading from the modern literature in the health sciences of diet, exercise and the need for positive human relationships, etc. A holistic approach is recommended. Next, begin formal education in the basic sciences of medicine and psychology. This needs to be enriched by additional reading material in philosophy and religion. Finally, it is suggested to review recent studies indicating that regarding affective disorders, Yoga gets positive results-comparable to potent psychotropic medication (especially for women who may in particular benefit from its anti-anxiety effects).

Look forward to expanding your knowledge in the field of introspective projective technology. If you eventually become an administrator of projective procedure, you should gain understanding not only in to the inner world of a patient/client more intimately than but as well as to introspection. In this interactive subjective world, kindly feel empathetic humility to you inner self, as well as that of others. In this psychic journey into inner spiritual space, look forward to leaving behind the mundane modern world with all its “craziness”, inhumanity and unnecessary suffering. Fantasize for a few moments about entering into a wonderful “heavenly” mysterious uncharted world, not guided by the laws of present day science.

During such meditation, actively identify with the original consciousness of the blessed pioneers of Yoga. Subjectively sense the beauty and healing power of this ancient bridge to healing body-mind-spiritual streams. Realize that no human mind can ever ultimately understand itself, let alone, totally comprehend, scientifically, that of another. Consider, as well, reviewing, if you have not already, some basic information on the nature of primitive human spiritual symbols throughout various cultures, as reflected in 3200 year old cave drawings. Look forward to acquiring skills that should enable you to be more able to empathetically feel reverence for your own, as well as another person’s suffering soul. Perhaps, additional explanation is due any reader who might question the need to include religious training in this “soft” scientific field that extends into the spiritual realm.

Throughout the ages, this has been the domain of the world’s great religions. Their visionaries traditionally have claimed that “God” communicates through the mystical medium of their hallucinations and dreams. Unfortunately, many world religions have not updated and reality tested their historical foundation regarding guidelines for optimal body-mind-spiritual health, especially in regard to the role of dreams. Their authoritarian “brain dead” leaders rigorously deny the existential anxiety resulting from living with as yet the unknown. Most avoid incorporating scientific insights as reality testing principles into their archaic dogma and myths. While these may well provide cultural guidelines for “acceptable” behavior, in most countries their leaders have authoritarian economic/political power without scientific tests of validity. A major function of these is to reduce existential threat from pervasive death anxiety. To deny the time limits of our body, as well that of our solar system makes for human complacency. Moreover, their expanding, their population power base by encouraging rabbit like reproduction in an overcrowded small environmental fragile and resource economically limited planet constantly invites global military confrontations. A glaring example involves promising sexual rewards in the “afterlife” to testosterone driven male terrorists.

The authors adopt this religious hypothesis, as well as expanding on it. Dream-like imagery and visual hallucinations of a psychological origin when projected onto ambiguous inkblot stimuli, similarly mystically represent a psychic bridge of spiritual communication. Of course, this right brain thesis crosses the intellectual boundary from scientific based logic, to what critics would immediately call irrationality. While we do not understand the underlining mechanism, the authors are aware of many, many scientific studies that document the healing power of participation in religious activities and the emotional linkage to such symbols.

Consistent with such beliefs, the authors have a deep reverence for the spiritual nature in all higher life forms. This especially applies to those that evoke in us empathetic feelings, by directly responding in a comprehensive fashion to human language, as well as to a variety of written/auditory symbols. Moreover, many pets show empathetic behaviors, when they somehow sense an owner’s sad mood. As further background, consider reviewing the vast scientific literature on the complexities of animal behavior. Include studies monitoring EEG electronically recorded REM state sleep behaviors mimicking those in dreaming humans. Projected animal responses to inkblots can reflect a subject’s awareness of his/her own body’s animal nature as well as a genetic linkage to man’s evolutionary background as hunters.

Additionally, for modern subjects, viewing inkblots, their projective responses related to animal can also tap into deeper guilt and ambivalent repressed emotions of themselves, as killers of animals, when functioning as “carnivores”. Almost at the top of the food chain, our species has domesticated various living creatures that a person may positively interact with at one moment, and then eat at another. With the exception of vegans, most in western cultures deny or repress this conflict. They pay to have the murderers kill their innocent victims, often subjecting them to horrible factory like living conditions out of public view. Language defenses also serve the defensive mode, such as referring to the dead bodies as “pork,”, “veal” etc. In Alaska, Eskimos deal with this death dilemma by speaking in a prayer-like manner to the deceased. For example, they thank the spirit of a whale for giving itself up to them for food.

Apart from the above, in clinical situations, animal responses may assist in assessing a schizoid lack of empathy and interest as well as an element of disguised hostility and dangerousness. In regard to the latter, for example, a previous history of animal abuse can correlate with later life aggression. Such tendencies often hidden from traditional clinical interviews can be appraised by assessing projected animal responses and related symbols. Our understanding can be enhanced by projective technique involving greater degrees of human and animal structure. To provide additional test stimuli, an additional version of the electronic form of the SIS called “Living Images” was created solely by female artists. Not only does this subsequent series serve this function, it more directly taps into underlying streams of female spirituality.

More exploratory work needs to be envisioned to explore the relationship between dream imagery and that projected onto inkblots. One promising approach is to administer the inkblot series, prior to sleep, and then analyze the “Day residual” of this stimulation in dreams. Another is to administer the SIS soon after waking, prior to the natural fading of the dream imagery and linked affect.

This is a highly complex and sometimes illogical appearing homeostatic body-mind-spirit phenomenon. After a stressful event, “Mother Nature” activates a restorative healing process by replaying images of the external event, either in a real or disguised symbolic form with linked anxiety affect. This establishes a homeostatic type process, comparable to behavior therapy, due to the fact that initially the dreamer is in a relatively relaxed level of arousal. The repetition of this over days, weeks, months and even years removes some of the image bound anxiety affect. Separation in time from the original stressor in dreams (or inkblot triggered memories) enables the individual to rethink the stressful events and cognitively correct misperceptions of the past external reality.

Yet, because dream symbols are meant to protect sleep, due to psychological defense mechanisms most dreamers are partially blind to their meaning. Consequently, even professionals trained in dream interpretation may sometimes require assistance in interpreting their own symbolism. An interpreter with a religious background, trained within a specific culture to decode projected inkblot responses is most helpful, when dream imagery depicting deceased loved ones has documented spiritual connections.

Unfortunately, many present day clinicians and religious leaders fail to recognize the importance of such “Beacon” dreams. In America dogmatic, authoritarian clergy tend to reject such communication approaches, accusing projective practitioners and dream analysts of heresy. Similarly, many scientists either are atheists, or erroneously consider such image based inkblot techniques outmoded, archaic and without validity. With regard to the political economic fallout of this bias, obtaining grant money in many countries for legitimate projective scientific research is difficult, if not impossible.

As an illustration of this closed mental set, one of my introspectively ignorant, pharmacologically oriented, colleagues once told me derisively: “Using inkblots in psychiatry is as foolish as reading tealeaf patterns.” Another dismissed a detailed clinical SIS projective report that he failed to comprehend, describing the inner world of an abused, intensely suffering child: “It doesn’t relate to prescribing medication…I do not need all this information…reduce it to a few sentences!”

In general, expect such comments from critics untrained in Yoga depth psychology, symbolism and projective theory. In this clinical age, many modern psychiatrists are limited in such education. In western countries there are contaminating economic factors as well. Putting it succinctly in another way, the money is in drug prescriptions. Now, in America, psychologists are obtaining the legal right to prescribe medication and are less inclined to analyze the roots of mental disorder. Moreover, superficially trained counselors are replacing in-depth psychotherapists in the community because of the economic control of insurance companies. IN America, the majority of these are women who often rely primarily on their feminine empathetic communication skills and secondarily on religious scripture more than evidence based techniques.

A related resistance to projective testing concerns the facts that in the mental health field, a significant percentage of practitioners in western countries have their own unresolved psychological issues. These originally motivated them to enter the field. Such professionals hide their “inner cry” behind their professional persona. Many in their social life numb their own inner world suffering by self medicating with alcohol, prescription drugs, street drugs, etc. Neither of the above SIS critics had availed themselves of personal therapy. The first was severely obese and suffered from a stress triggered medical condition called “Irritable Bowel Syndrome”. The second was episodically struggling with addiction to cocaine.

No doubt it would have been threatening for either of them to have acknowledged that inkblot techniques can serve as a mirror of inner world imagery, including their own. Not being in introspective therapy, they were not prepared for the projective recall of the own early life stressful memories and childhood “nightmares.” Nor were they ready to introspectively face the additional burden of occupational secondary empathetic discomforting imagery superimposing itself on their early life memories.

Additionally, the embedded somatic structure suggestive of reproductive organs, while clearly not pornographic, sometimes makes prudish professionals reticent to use the SIS. Ironically in America, the media is flooded with highly suggestive and almost explicit sexual content, but government funding for scientific sexual image research is largely unfunded.

Fortunately the vast majorities of mental health professionals are relatively “normal” and are able to cope effectively with projective released stressful scenes. Yet, like most people, even for professionals, focusing of either the “Mind” or the “Body” may evoke some degree of anxiety. Later an example of an anxiety laden dream that Rorschach experienced will be analyzed.

Often in social situations many so-called normal people become defensive, when they meet a mental health professional. As an illustration of their anxiety, they may cover it with humorous comments such as “If I told you what is on my mind…you probably would think that I am crazy!” Most psychologically mature individuals are aware when introspecting, that they have some degree of hidden idiosyncratic anxieties, feelings of inadequacy, socially unacceptable basic sexual/aggressive impulses, body parts functioning like those of primates, guilt, jealousies, obsessive thoughts, complex moods, repulsive smelling body parts that function outside volition, and ultimately our bodies will stop functioning at death.

An individual’s relative awareness for such affect charged images fluctuates in the background of awareness, and at night rampant in dreams. Of course, such fluctuating imagery streams flow in the minds of all subjects during introspection into the inner world, including test administrators.

In spite of any previously acquired resistances to introspection and projective techniques, if this book enables readers to peer into the depths of human consciousness more clearly, then it will be worthwhile. If you then are able to apply what you see more effectively, in an educational or healing profession, then its goals will have been achieved. While there are secondary empathetic risks, expect to eventually acquire more understanding of yourself, as well as insight, with regard to minimizing counter transference issues.

If a reader’s work is outside of the health professions, what is presented may also be helpful. For example, if your occupational role involves selecting leaders for having introspective empathetic traits, a concern for others etc., you might also find the book worthwhile. In terms of the history of human knowledge, the physical scientists have far surpassed in measurement technology those trained in psychological assessment.

Yet, this is a world beset by evil. Physicists, chemists and biologists have provided weapons of mass destruction that may now be reaching the hands of deranged terrorists. Projective procedures can expose the hidden motives of these and present day advertising media, which often fraudulently present a political leader’s persona as positive. Now, rich political leaders, religious fanatics and their incredibly wealthy drug based criminal supporters can undermine honest candidates.

While the vast array of standardized psychological questionnaires and rating scales may be revealing, they have definite limitations. Consequently they may be considered primarily as instruments for initial enquiry of surface psychological phenomenon. Often responders tend only to reveal what they know about themselves, and then secondarily screen, on the basis of social acceptability, to share. When test administrators utilize fundamental principles of projection they more readily penetrate below surface or outer defensive social facades of the individual.

Moreover, when projective techniques are empowered with hypnotic trance, either with traditional induction procedures or the electronic mesmerizing floral scenes in the electronic forms of the SIS, then resistances tend to melt away. The reader will learn about how this second level of enquiry can technically facilitate the exploration of the depths of body-mind-spirit functioning to open innovative paths to treatment. Such new “Inkblot” therapies now demand more attention for less severe mental disorders. The emerging scientific literature indicates that side effect prone psychopharmacological interventions often are not much more efficacious that placebo.

Since the days of Herman Rorschach, remarkable technological advances have expanded knowledge in all major scientific disciplines. Several of these have indirectly impacted an introspective human’s perspectives. These sometimes show up during projective testing with the inkblot techniques under review. As mentioned earlier, advanced instrumentation has enabled astronomers to look back in a vast ever changing explosive cosmos to the origin of the universe at the time of the “Big Bang”.

In an analogous fashion, the imagery projected onto inkblots enables the examiner to view more clearly stressful events from the subject’s past life. The critical images that are projected may reflect, either directly or in disguised symbolic form, real life historical events. Interpreting these is a much more challenging task than faced by an astronomer whose concepts relate to time, space and energy. In addition to the above, the projected symbolism may be traceable to highly subjective phenomena such as inkblot responses, body imagery, dreams, visual hallucinations etc.

Just as it has taken modern telescopic technology to enable astronomers to conceptualize “Black hole” Cosmic conditions, there are instances of “Psychic blindness” or not seeing the obvious content in SIS inkblots. Moreover, their astronomical theories predict an ultimate dire ending to our planet. There is a general consensus that the source of energy in our solar system will ultimately blow up in a massive ball of fire. However, most astronomers are religiously “blind” since they cannot conceive cognitively bound scientists of what preceded this monumental event.

This philosophical void can trigger various mood disorders such as “existential anxiety.” Then in combination with real life socioeconomic stressors, genetically susceptible atheist individuals may experience stress triggered somatic symptoms such as, “chest pain,” “palpitations,” etc. Such susceptible people are more likely to project heart responses or perceptually inhibit cardiac -like inkblot structure. In seemingly irrational faith based spiritual psychotherapy, processing their death anxiety can be facilitated by certain of the SIS-II inkblots, such as B22 that depicts “a dying person’s spirit departing the body.”

Alternatively, like those mentally threatened by Darwinian evolution theory, Cosmic theory can cognitively force others into the comforting balm of explicit, yet irrational, primitive superstitious religious dogma. Characteristically, such uneducated individuals are open to exploitation by authoritarian leaders. Consequently, they regress in social judgment to intellectually restricted or “brain washed” victims. During much of their lives, mentally constricted individuals function in society in a trance like mental state.

One example involves those erroneously labeled by primitive religious authorities, such as shaman, witch doctors, etc., as “Satanic possessed”. Projective testing can aide in clinically uncovering their real psychological causations origins, psychological blindness and extreme somatic repression with severe concomitant sensory/motor inhibitions. Characteristically these “Dissociated” individuals have normal appearing lucid behavior, and then suddenly behave irrationally with another personality. Many have affect storms traceable to highly stressful childhood events for which they are amnesic.

Dictators, who repress the free flow of information in a culture, can seize upon the immaturity of such individuals to exert dictatorial mental control. To foster this, they can infect social systems and educational programs with a virus of repression. The repressed may come to erroneously believe that if an inflammatory issue is not presented in the media or talked about in private, then it somehow magically doesn‘t exist. For example, there are still physicians who fail to discus with a terminal patient their prognosis.

Universities may be administrated by “Mind police” such as retired military generals having connections to dogmatic religious groups, who spy on the social sciences professors for those who might dare to challenge their students to think realistically. Teachers, in school, may sense that children are being neglected or abused, but dare not ask about either their social environment of their inner world of fantasies and “nightmares.” Any professional who questioned the significance of real or symbolic traumatic inkblot responses living in such repressive environments would be similarly censored.

In such countries, there could never be an honest medical science of epidemiology regarding the prevalence of body-mind-spirit disorders. Nor could there be a comprehensive community mental health program blending introspective inkblot projective techniques, with Yoga based therapies supplemented by the use of closely monitored psychotropic medication (when clinically indicated). Unfortunately, this is idealistic, since most nations lack political leaders trained in public health systems, which require adequate taxation- based funding.

In Mexico, it is reported that the Italian Papal based religious authorities; financially linked to powerful warring drug traffickers have long repressed independent thinking in schools. Over the years this has produced a defeatist mentality, where thinking outside the “religious box” is limited and the public, seeking immediate gratification, alternatively turns to drugs and alcohol.

This virus is rapidly spreading north to the United States (and Canada) playing a major role in the ongoing serious economic downturn. This is especially evidenced by the gof unemployed “sorrowing number of people,” where a high percentage suffers from untreated mental illness. Lack of mental heath funding in the public sector is responsible for many of these ending up in America’s extensive prison industry. Part of this deficiency relates to the ever blurring of boundaries between religion and politics in western countries which has undermined economic government support for community mental health programs. Relative to the ever expanding tax free role of the Italian Papal government in Alaska, the Roman Catholic Church rapidly expanded from originally, being a small entity to now being the second largest employer of Alaskans. Moreover many other religious groups also exploit this tax loophole. For media manipulated voters, such economic seduction, now endemic in bankrupt America is facilitated by religious based mythology which simultaneously anesthetizes their existential “Body Image” death anxiety.

In spite of such problems, the beautiful state Alaska has provided a measure of real intellectual freedom and opportunity to use projective technique to explore the depths of human consciousness, not possible elsewhere in closed minded societies. As a dramatic example of repressive mind control, I recall in the early 1960’s attending at a meeting of the American Psychiatric in Chicago. There I had the opportunity to listen to a paper presented by a psychiatrist from China speaking on the prevalence of Schizophrenic Disorder. Afterwards as a follow-up, enquiry questions were raised by the audience about other mental conditions. When asked about Depressive Disorders, he claimed that the Chinese communistic society was functioning so well, that no one ever suffered from depression! It would be occupationally forbidden for an inkblot examiner to openly interpret projected symbolic responses such as “A broken heart,” “A sad heart,” etc.

Historically, this book is dedicated it all those departed souls, who when alive enhanced the quality of life on our planet. We especially recognize those early meditating Indian gurus, who contribution to mental science. Their introspective explorations within the inner world led to powerful Yoga techniques. Although often overlooked in the modern scientific literature, these provided one body-mind-spiritual historical root for depth studies involving inkblot projection.

Fortunately, after Rorschach a great number of psychologists took up the challenge. They have made extensive contributions not only in clinical diagnostic settings, but as well many other test assessment applications. Examples of widely used scoring systems that they developed are presented in this book. As compared to projective procedures, these may be conceptualized primarily as instruments for initial enquiry of surface phenomenon. Often responders tend only to reveal what they know about themselves and choose for reasons of social acceptability to share with a test administrator. In contrast, a deeper level of data is accessed when the test administrators utilize procedures based upon fundamental principles of projection. These more readily penetrate below surface outer defensive social facades of the individual’s “Persona,” and can symbolically open windows of the mind.

Moreover, when they are empowered with hypnotic trance, either with traditional induction procedures or the electronic mesmerizing floral scenes in the electronic forms of the SIS, then resistances tend to melt away. The reader will learn about how this second level of enquiry can technically facilitate exploring the depths of body-mind-spirit functioning to open innovative paths to treatment. Such new “Inkblot” therapies now demand more attention. In many clients/patients suffering from the less severe mental disorders, the emerging scientific literature indicates that side effect prone psychopharmacological interventions are not much better than placebo.

As an aide to psychotherapy, the imagery projected onto inkblots enable the examiner to view stressful events from the subject’s past life. The critical images that are projected may reflect, either directly or in disguised symbolic form, real life historical events. Interpreting these is much more challenging task, than faced by an astronomer whose concepts relate to time, space and energy. In addition to the above, the projected symbolism may be traceable to highly subjective body mind-spirit phenomena such as body imagery, dreams, visual hallucinations etc.

Just as it has taken modern telescopic technology to enable astronomers to conceptualize invisible “Black hole” cosmic conditions, there are instances of perceptual blindness, or not seeing the obvious suggestive structure in SIS inkblots. Their theories predict an ultimate dire ending. For example, they inform us that the source of energy in our solar system will ultimately blow up in a massive ball of fire, destroying all life on our planet. Yet there are unanswered philosophical/religious questions that go unanswered. One critical one is that astronomers cannot conceive of what preceded the “Big Bang” origin of the universe.

This philosophical void in introspective individuals can trigger various mood disorders such as “existential anxiety.” In combination with real life socioeconomic stressors, genetically susceptible individuals may experience stressful somatic symptoms such as, “chest pain”, palpitations” etc. Such susceptible people are more likely to project heart responses or perceptually inhibit cardiac like inkblot structure.

Alternatively, like those mentally threatened by Darwinian evolution theory, Cosmic theory can cognitively force others into the comforting balm of explicit, yet irrational, religious dogma and street drugs. Characteristically, such individuals are open to exploitation by authoritarian leaders, as intellectually restricted or “brain washed” victims. During much of their lives they function in society in a trance like mental state. Dictators who repress the free flow of information in a culture can seize upon such the immaturity of such individuals to exert dictatorial control.

Now in the 21st century many countries have societies that are not open to uncovering the depths of suffering and releasing the “inner cry.” In these, professionals tend to be restricted who utilize the mind-spirit enhancing aspects of poetry, dream analysis and projective testing. Fortunately this book was able to be published, since it emerged from the democratic aspects of Indian culture.

In general, political/religiously repressed people are unlikely to be open in psychometric testing - especially projective inkblot assessment. If they do participate, they will give responses denoting religious symbols (e.g. “angels,” the devil” etc.) Defensive symbolism may be projected onto SIS somatic structure suggesting sexuality, death, etc. Those preoccupied with modern warfare tend to project images depicting “nuclear destruction.” Likewise, those clinically obsessed with threatening astronomical theory are more likely to visualize space hazards (e.g. “planets colliding,” “dark hole phenomenon.” etc.

Inkblot evoked images can highlight otherwise hidden aspects of the inner emotional world of humans. These may reveal to the professional, past traumatic events and unexpressed distressing emotions which might, otherwise, only surface in disguised symbolic dreams. A clinically effective variation of the SIS procedures involves administering these, at bedtime, to stimulate dreams revealing material otherwise unreported in traditional clinical interviews. Other innovative approaches involve viewing inkblots during the memory enhancing aspect of hypnotic trance.

Such innovative work has flourished in India. This country has long been revered for its rich contributions to depth psychology, meditation and healing. People from around the world have traditionally traveled there to acquire skills as practitioners of Yoga. Image focusing exercises have long been effectively taught by the Indian experts. Practicing the traditional techniques eventually can lead to positive body-mind-spirit effects.

However, acquiring Yoga skills takes considerable time and mental discipline. Unfortunately, many succumb to the “easy road” in this is an age of widely available when mind altering chemical substances. Consequently many people mistakenly fail to choose the chemical free “road less traveled.”

Such addiction prone vulnerable citizens are easily manipulated by mesmerizing modern media technology and narcotized by drugs. Now, there is widespread financial linkage internationally between those in political/religious power and organized crime. It is incredibly tragic to think about the wasted lives, the international corruption involved and the never ending related wars fought.

In this connection, apparently “ethical” pharmaceutical companies have begun using their vast financial resources to directly advertise a class of drugs called “antidepressants.” Typically the advertisements tend to perpetually expand the clinical “indications” or clinical conditions that would justify administering potentially toxic chemicals. They do so without informing the public that the medication’s efficacy compared to placebo may be low.

In western countries in recent years, the sex roles of mental health professionals have changed dramatically. A fundamental one involves the transfer from the male care provider to the female. In addition, at least in America, psychiatrists are not trained in administering projective techniques and, in many cases, not in depth psychology, dream analysis, psychotherapy, etc. The financial supports from the pharmaceutical industry through grants to medical schools have tended to eliminate such training. In such educational settings, a medical model of etiology, diagnosis and treatment pervades. Many graduates primarily only practice what is called “Medication Management.”

In this book the reader will have an opportunity to learn about the extensive psychometric background work already completed by Bankey L. Dubey and his coworkers. The normative data and scales that they publish for SIS-I, SIS-II Booklet form and SIS-II Video represent important preliminary steps in mathematical quantification.

Similar psychometric studies are planned for “Living Images.” This is a video based on the art work of female artists designed to pull into projective awareness stressful issues of women. This technique has highlighted how a relatively common reproductive event such as miscarriage is underestimated by obstetrical care providers in regard to its consequent spiritual damage. If the resultant “inner cry” is unexpressed it tends to be stored in long term memory festering away as a source of otherwise inexplicable symptoms.

With the availability of standardized non-projective psychological tests, there has been a methodological move away from emphasizing the utility of the projective technique in 21st century psychopharmacologic based medical models of “Diagnosis.” Clinical plans now emphasize configuring technological modes for developing new psychological and behavioral -like conditioning treatment strategies. Those introspection based projective procedures under development readily lend themselves to electronic image stimulating procedures mediated through computer monitors and accessible internationally through the internet.

Rorschach’s Legacy:

While Herman Rorschach played a very important role in breaking from traditional interviews by designing a set of ten inkblots lots, frankly, he could not contribute much to the modern theory of inkblot projective technique. Nor did he have more than a rudimentary grasp of the mental disorders that he was attempting to diagnose. How could he with the paucity of diagnostic/treatment information available in the early stages of 20th century? While the early records suggest that he may have attempted to categorize inkblot responses, this assessment work ended prematurely by his untimely tragic death.

A Spiritual Conversation with Rorschach:

Now I invite you to share an imaginary conversation of Wilfred Cassell interviewing Rorschach’s soul involving a science fiction type of Cosmic time/space travel:

“Herman, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Wilfred Cassell, a fellow inkblot designer living in the early 21st century. I know that in your short, professional career, that you did not receive much support financially. It must have been humiliating that solely for economic reasons, your publisher omitted one third of your inkblots. I want to immediately share some good news from earth: your ten remaining inkblots ultimately turned out to be the basis for a highly valued projective technique!

Please rest assured that your legacy as an inkblot designer lives on in this 21st century, especially in modern day India. Perhaps you might be interested in some historical background regarding India’s rise to prominence. After the World War II that Hitler was planning at the time of your death, and thankfully lost, Indian citizens became free from British imperialism.

Now, India is rapidly emerging beyond its rich heritage of Yoga based, depth psychology and is becoming an international leader in projective inkblot techniques. Unlike the study of brain anatomy, the scientific exploration of central nervous system function can only be brought to full fruition in an open cultural atmosphere. In India, there is an optimal integration between enriching body-mind-spirit insights and modern projective electronic inkblot technology.

India now provides a secure democratic bastion in a world still beset by evil. Many countries still live in the dark intellectual ages blinded by Hitler- emulating, authoritarian, repressive political/religious leaders. Many would, if they could “burn” all projective literature, in order to destroy all such in-depth reality testing, honest enquiry. They capitalize on the immature desires of those who were neglected / abused in their early development years, who habitually seek authoritarian parental surrogates. They cling to leaders who facilitate the projection of their own hidden inner world erotic/aggressive, sadomasochistic impulses on victims just like the German prison guards did to the Jews and others during World War II.

At this point, I would like to give you a brief historical review of the evolution of your technique. You may recall attempting to develop a scoring method in order to appraise and quantify responses. Of course, your untimely death prevented any significant progress in the development of an assessment system. Fortunately, several insightful psychologists took up the development of meaningful analysis based upon an integration of both examination strategies.

Of course, when culturally normative data scores are ignored, this opens up the criticism that the data reflects more what is on the examiner’s mind than that of the responder. Yet after World War II, this did not deter psychoanalysts to clinically explore the treatment applications of Rorschach Content Analysis.” Unfortunately, their promising findings are now more a part of history of the inkblot technique, than modern clinical practice.

At this time, Herman, I would like to give you a brief historical review of your inkblot technique’s growth since your untimely death prevented any significant progress in developing a meaningful assessment system. Fortunately, many psychologists have made extensive contributions not only in clinical diagnostic settings, but, as well, many other test assessment applications. (Examples of widely used scoring systems that they developed are presented in this book).

Yet, while of considerable statistical merit, these sometimes fail to openly declare, that their particular scoring system did not rely on basic principles of projection. In their absence, it is a misnomer for the professional examiner to refer to the results as data fundamentally derived from a “Projective test“. This categorization is only accurate when the reviewer scores responses for either direct or symbolic meaning through content analysis. Typically, in clinical practice, the response review is not an “either or situation.” Most experienced psychometricians will provide a meaningful analysis based upon an integration of both assessment strategies.

Yet, the generally recognized value of your inkblots is a testimony of their “pulling power” to release in projective awareness diagnostically relevant imagery. While others have designed inkblots, in a book we are writing, we summarize the work of one leading psychologist, Wayne Holtzman along with a projective inkblot procedure that I developed called “Somatic Inkblot Series”. Like you he was originally a mentor for me.

He made an A and B series with 45 inkblots in each form, plus two practice blots common to both forms, a total of 92 different blots, some of which are not symmetrical. He advocated counting only one response per card.

My work with your ten inkblots began in 1959. I developed two scoring systems for assessing levels of focal body awareness associated with somatic symptoms. These are briefly outlined in our book in the section describing “the Somatic Inkblot Series (SIS)”. The objective of my original investigation was to study the relationship between a subject’s heart awareness and the sensory feedback of cardiovascular activity. However, as you know, in your ten inkblots there is only a little color-form structure suggestive of the heart. In pilot studies, I soon found it not methodologically worthwhile using them for such “psychosomatic” research. Consequently, I designed a set suggestive of the heart. After these were found to be useful, I applied the same projective principles in designing other inkblots with structure relative to a variety of somatic regions as well as common, clinical imagery themes.

Exploring Rorschach’s Occupational Secondary Empathetic Stress:

Now, I wish to speak more personally about your final professional years on planet earth. Your pioneering, projective studies in Switzerland demanded mental strength because of an ever menacing evil political climate. Your views, concerning the underlying nature of mental disorders, were conceived in the intellectually repressed period prior to World War II. In that simplistic era of mental science, the racist shadow of Hitler’s genetic biases was casting a dark shadow throughout Europe. In Germany, many psychiatric patients suffering from Schizophrenic Disorder were murdered by injection. Because of your humanistic inkblot projective studies, exploring the psychological distortions of the psychotic mind, no doubt you were indirectly pressured by Nazi, brain biased Swiss hospital authorities.

I empathetically understand your past suffering and the stressors preceding your untimely death at age thirty-seven. Prior to the introduction of antipsychotic medication in the second half of the 20th century, attempting to diagnose and treat catatonic, withdrawn or alternatively aggressive, delusional, hallucinating, psychotic patients, must have been highly stressful. Probably at times, like other psychiatrists working in such a psychologically toxic environment, you have suffered from what we now refer to as secondary, empathetic traumatic mental symptoms.

Unlike your psychiatric hospital colleagues, you were much more at risk for this occupational hazard. Ironically, this was likely partially traceable to the powerful projective technique that you yourself had designed. Your secondary empathetic exposure was greatly magnified when you peered into the psychotic inner world of such suffering souls, through the powerful projective lens of your inkblots. Fortunately, modern hospital psychiatrists have a variety of helpful antipsychotic drugs to reduce such disturbances. However, without the availabilities of these, no doubt their tormented projected imagery vividly exposed your own brain’s visual centers and emotion linked neural networks to their tormented pathologic “nightmares,” somatic delusions, hallucinations, affect storms etc.

Through the magical power of this spiritual cosmic connection, let me act for a few moments as your own personal psychotherapist. In my opinion, your professional life situation was comparable to that of the early 20th century radiologists. Many of them were largely naïve about their unprotected occupational exposure to cancer inducing radiation that could subject them to cancer. Prior to this knowledge, some died prematurely. Like them, you are an inspirational historical hero.

I would like to continue this brief therapeutic analysis by exploring the psychological significance of a stress triggered dream, which apparently you dreamt as a young medical student:

“In my first clinical semester, I was for the time at an autopsy and looked at it with the well known respectful eagerness of a young student. The dissecting of the brain interested me particularly, and I joined to it all kinds of reflex ions about the localization and the cutting up of the soul. The deceased had been an apoplectic; the brain was cut in transverse slices. The following night I had a dream in which I felt my own brain was being cut in transverse slices. One slice after another was cut off from the mass of the hemisphere and fell forward, exactly as it had happened at the autopsy. These bodily sensations (I lack a more precise designation) were very clear, and the memory of that dream is now fairly vivid”.

Perhaps, Herman you will still recall this body-mind-spirit, significant dream. Please understand that I have respect for your artistic creativity and courage to challenge the early 20th century clinicians, who solely relied on psychic surface phenomenon obtained from archaic, psychiatric interview techniques. So do not be offended if I attempt to assist you in bringing to your spirit’s attention its possible significance. My help is based upon the notion that no mortal can comprehensively interpret his /her personal dreams, and fully understand - no matter how symbolically sophisticated.

The fact that you remembered the details of the dream so accurately, many years later, suggests that it was originally linked with high anxiety. Next, I wish to draw attention to its possible meaning through Content Analysis. Notice that the projected imagery contains content referring to two dimensions: (1) the human brain, as a physical object of the body on the planet earth and (2) the “soul” as a spiritual dimension of Brahman consciousness connecting to the “Afterlife” in what astronomers refer to as “Pre Big Bang” cosmic existence.

My view is that it was probably the latter death related connotation that activated your threatening emotions. We now know that as a result of such an occupational environment, psychiatrists have traditionally had a relatively high rate of self-destructive behaviors, including suicide. May I ask you a personal question? Did this stress play a role in your neglecting to seek prompt treatment for your ruptured appendix?

Also, forgive me if I seem to insult you, but I am trying to assist you in discovering the dream’s significance. Did you have an interest in finding out if various predictions about the “Afterlife” made by the world’s major religions were valid? In neglecting your ruptured appendix were you depressed, or perhaps even suicidal, wishing to escape your emotionally painful professional life? Or alternatively, were you simply curious about what it would be like to prematurely pass through the spiritual door leading to “Pre Big Bang” existence?

In addition, I would like your impressions, regarding the nature of the “Afterlife.” Being seventy seven years old, I expect to be joining it soon. Many on earth anticipate that it really is a loving “Heavenly” spiritual dimension. Many believe that it is where; ultimately, after the soul exits the human body likes symbolized in one of my inkblots, it can reunite with deceased loved ones and other meaningful souls. Consistent with their beliefs, during grieving, some humans periodically experience the extrasensory mystical impression, that their deceased loved one is spiritually present. In addition, such visitations reassure in dreams, during which the visitor’s loving spirit appears to be free of human cares and worldly suffering.

Of course, many atheist skeptics consider such emotionally charged mystical experiences quite irrational. They critically focus on the manipulative aspects of religious dogma with sarcasm such as: “Pie in the sky when you die, it’s a lie ”, “Being next to the feet of God, with your sins forgiven - if you donate money to the religious group,” “Being sexually rewarded if you sacrifice your body in terrorist acts, ” etc. Herman, please clarify these issues for us.

Before ending Herman may I ask one more favor? Would you please consider helping me by providing a “Second opinion” regarding a man fifty years old? He has been in treatment with me and a female psychotherapist at intervals for several years. He suffers from Chronic Recurrent Major Depression and episodically has benefited from psychotherapy as well as antidepressant medication. Moreover the past year, he has actively engaged in Yoga for thirty minutes in the morning and ninety in the evening.

The onset of his Affective Disorder was in his childhood. It began when his father at thirty seven years old developed terminal cancer. As an eight year old boy, he had felt “incredible love” for his dad. After a long period of suffering, his father eventually died. Years later as an adult in therapy, he recalled that this had triggered “grief that was unbelievable…I still carry the grief today pretty buried inside…If I dream of him (He tended to experience such dreams around the anniversary date of his father’s death. An example follows: In my dream I wanted to visit his grave but I got lost driving…I felt sad and was crying… and had to stop to get directions but they didn’t match)…I’m able to cry…I still miss him terribly… the loss was tragic…the whole world came to an end…part of myself was torn open and left that way!”

When asked about his mother‘s reaction, he said that “She was devastated…she changed…she became distant and never came back emotionally.” (His mature female psychotherapist partially functions as a surrogate mother figure assisting him in resolving maternal emotional abandonment issues.)

While he was temporarily away working in a remote wilderness setting, in a follow-up telephone psychotherapy session, he was asked if he would give permission to share his clinical history. He e-mailed the following: “I typed up the dream that we talked about (in the office)…that was one of those tough ones where the grief comes out…it never is a very pleasant experience…but necessary…please feel free to use the information in any way that you would like to…if it could help anybody else going through hard times that would be great!”

His dream follows:

“I dreamed that I was in a room and my dad was there…he looked quite old…he was grey haired and had a lot of wrinkles…he did not say anything to me for a while…I was very excited and happy that he was there…he was moving around the room sitting on different pieces of furniture…I was just watching him…I thought that he was being kind of “stand-off-ish”…keeping to himself…then he got up and went into another room and I followed him…he set down on the couch and I walked up to him, stood in front of him and just looked at him for a second…then I said that I could use a hug…he smiled and looked at me and got up off the couch and gave me a big hug…when he hugged me, a warm peaceful feeling moved through my whole body…it started a the top and moved down to my feet…it felt wonderful!”

When asked in the office therapy session to say more about how he felt in the dream, he said: “I was very glad to see my dad…I couldn’t take my eyes off him…I wanted to talk to him and hug him…when he hugged me it felt incredible…like something good was poured into my body… it felt warm.”

Herman, soon after while I was personally in Yoga meditation I received clinically helpful answers that I plan to share in his next psychotherapy session. While meditating I sensed the presence of Herman’s supportive spirit. It caused my heart to race with great joy. Initially it was puzzling, but then creative thoughts involuntarily flashed into my mind. Apart from Herman’s clinical consultation, I realized the necessity for patience. My philosophical/religious questions could never be answered now. All mortals have to wait until death, when the soul leaves the body.

However, I did appreciate that during the above meditation a new Yoga imagining exercise entered my mind, as if programmed by Herman. I envisioned a futuristic image activating visual exercise for enhancing spiritual communication with those in the “Afterlife.” This involved supplementing the traditional mediator’s state of Brahman consciousness. The mental change prescribed, involved changing the direction of spatial focus from introspection, to the polar opposite direction, far beyond the body into cosmic space.

My dear Harman please forgive me if I have to now terminate our spiritual conversation. Let me end, by telling you how much I appreciate your contribution to depth psychology, while living on the planet earth. Like all senior citizens I sense the energy gradually leaving my body day by day. Although I will miss my loved ones and colleagues, and I know it is quite irrational, I feel excited by the possibility of future stimulating conversation with you in the afterlife.

Futuristic Planning:

In the future, the following psychic steps may be initiated, once Brahman consciousness is entered: Imagery is to be conjured up in conscious awareness, by recalling memories of modern mesmerizing, astronomical photographs of remote galaxies (such as taken by the Hubble telescope and available on internet). Once these mental pictures are recalled from memory storage, it becomes subjectively possible during Yoga, to fantasize traveling on a mystical space ship, to visit the deceased, located in the spiritual dimension of the “Afterlife.”

This destination can be realized by fantasizing one’s spirit first leaving the body(as portrayed in SIS-II B 22) and then traveling back in time to the beginning of the universe by passing through Cosmic space to ultimately arrive beyond the original site of the “Big Bang.” Such a psychic voyage could clear consciousness from negative existential personal loneliness/grief, and restore affect positive bonds. Simultaneously it could neutralize/heal extraneous contaminating stressful memories, as well as distressing input from the modern media. If accomplished through repeated daily Yoga exercises, this would enrich those having religious faith to grow in positive healing spirituality.

After sharing this positive meditation experience with my fellow authors, we decided that spiritually we had Herman’s spiritual support to publish this book.

Authors

Acknowledgement:

The Book is dedicated to the spirit of the Hermann Rorschach. We wish to acknowledge our great debt to Prof. Wayne Holtzman, whose interest, comments, and encouragement inspired us to complete the work.

We are grateful to Silvia Daini, M.D., Aggregate Professor of Psychiatry, Catholic University, Rome and Robert B. Williams, PhD, Dept. of Psychology, Crandall University, Moncton, NB, Canada for their valuable suggestions for adding intellectual directions to the expanding SIS stream of Body- Mind -Spirit knowledge.

We wish to express our gratitude to Rui C. Campos, Ph.D., Prof. Psychological Assessment, University of Évora, Portugal, Greesh C. Sharma, Ph. D., Director, Lower Bucks Institute of Behavior Modification, PA, (USA), George Savage, D.Tech, (South Africa) and Carina Coulacoglou, Ph.D. Director Fairy Tale Test, University of La Verne, Athens, for their critical suggestions.

We also express our thanks to Maj.Gen. K.R.Banerjee, Prof of Psychiatry and former Director RINPAS, Ranchi, Prof. Amool Ranjan Singh, RINPAS Ranchi, Prof. Rakesh Pandey, Banaras Hindu University, prof. Naveen Gupta, Hindustan Institute of Mgt. & Computer Studies, Prof. Umed Singh (Kurukshetra), Prof. LSS Sam Manickam (Mysore), Mrs. Padma Dwivedi, SIS Center, Prof. Nilanjana Sanyal, Jayanti Basu, and Manisha Dasgupta, University of Kolkata, for their valuable suggestions. We are also grateful to many more colleagues and friends, whose encouragement enriched the flow of concepts.

We are very thankful to the many clients who shared their pain and inner world with us. Finally a special thanks to all the unnamed clinicians and researchers in India and USA for their help and support.

Authors

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