Waking From Sleep: Why Awakening Experiences Occur and How to Make Them Permanent

by Steve Taylor

How much of your waking time are you fully awake? On the other hand, how often do you stumble through the day on autopilot, half-asleep and out of contact with yourself, instead of feeling connected and alive? In this astounding book, Steve Taylor suggests that our normal consciousness is really a kind of “sleep” from which we sometimes “wake up” into a more intense and complete reality. He provides what is perhaps the first-ever clear explanation of higher states of consciousness, or “awakening experiences.” This work delves the methods we human beings have used throughout history to induce awakening experiences, including meditation, sex, sports, psychedelic drugs, and sleep deprivation; how higher states of consciousness were normal and natural to some of the world’s peoples (and still are, in some cases); and how we can make “wakefulness” our normal state again. By fully explaining awakening experiences, the author makes them much more accessible, which may lead to a revolution in our psychological development as human beings!

Genres: Psychology, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Spirituality

296 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Steve Taylor is a senior lecturer in Psychology at Leeds Beckett University, UK. His latest books in the US are The Calm Center and Back to Sanity: Healing the Madness of the Human Mind. He is also the author of The Fall, Waking From Sleep, and Out Of The Darkness. His books have been published in 19 languages. His research has appeared in The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, The Journal of Consciousness Studies, The Transpersonal Psychology Review, The International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, as well as the popular media in the UK, including on BBC World TV, The Guardian, and The Independent.

Reviews

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Im really not sure what to give this book, there were a couple of things i had problems with 1st his need to create a division between science and what he was trying to say. During the 1st 35 pages or so he keeps referring to the universe being made of dead matter or inert matter and that materialistic science says the universe is a machine and nothing is connected in the view of science. He then does talk about Quantum Physics but then he states - "One of the many puzzling things about this is why these findings(Quantum Physics) had so little impact on the general worldview of modern science. Many scientists (particularly non-physicists) still hold to the strictly Newtonian view of reality, as if Quantum Physics never happened". Now this is completely incorrect, scientists views started to change dramatically the more we discovered the nature of Quantum Physics, and Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle put the death nail in the Newtonian view of reality. So i cant understand why Steve Taylor decided to write what he did unless he had alterier motives or he had a bad altercation with a scientist. Science shows us that the Universe is immensely beautiful and full of the most unimaginable wonder and that we are connected to everything. If Steve Taylor had discarded his false science bashing i might have enjoyed it more. Also his views that taking drugs and sleep deprivation are in some conducive to an awakening experience, what those experiences do is alter the chemical balance of the brain and nothing more.

On the whole what he is trying to say is that people should be more aware of the beauty around them and that we can have intense experiences whilst in nature or listening to music. The other sections on meditation and managing to tame our ego should be something that people do more of. The ego is powerful thing and can make people unhappy if we let it rule our lives, as Anthony Storr said in the previous book i read The Dynamics of Creation, which mainly comes from Jung's psychological discoveries.

[Juliet Platt · Rating 2 out of 5]

What I most enjoyed about this book were the distinctions Steve Taylor makes between physical, psychological and life energy, which in my own particular world view made a lot of sense. However I'm not sure of the science behind any of the claims about life-energy, so, whenever I read stuff like this, whilst I enjoy a bit of philosophical titillation, I don't ever forget to take it with a large pinch of salt.
I appreciate that Steve Taylor has an academic background, and there are lots of worthy references contained within this book, however I found the experiences shared by colleagues and acquaintances to be less than authentic. It wasn't plausible to me that an acquaintance of the author would divulge to him their most intimate spiritual experience, and this spoiled it for me. Nevertheless, I happened to watch the movie Avatar as I was reading the final few pages of the book, and there was great synergy between the themes of the film and this book. But if you're looking for an enlightening experience I would choose Avatar over reading this.

[G E · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book to a certain extent. It reminded me of the benefits of meditation, and encouraged me to pick it up again.

On the other hand, one thing I did not enjoy was the constant romatization of indigenous' people's "natural state" that is more in touch with nature and the oneness of the universe according to the author. I'm not sure about that.... I think by association it is true, but I would love to read an in depth story from the perspective of an indigenous tribe's leader. Often times I feel as though it is the understanding of the west through an indigenous person that is explained instead of a true discovery of it that is explored and described in these types of books.

In short: some good parts, some meh parts, the book could be a bit drawn out which made it difficult to finish. However, having it next to me for so long kept the thought alive to pick up mindfulness and meditation again.

[Geraldine Gomez Ruiz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book to a certain extent. It reminded me of the benefits of meditation, and encouraged me to pick it up again.

On the other hand, one thing I did not enjoy was the constant romatization of indigenous' people's "natural state" that is more in touch with nature and the oneness of the universe according to the author. I'm not sure about that....

In short: some good parts, some meh parts, the book could be a bit drawn out which made it difficult to finish. However, having it next to me for so long kept the thought alive to pick up mindfulness and meditation again.

[Nic Brisbourne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book helped me understand more of what has been happening on my own spiritual journey and how that might generalise to others. It's the first research based secular attempt to explain awakening experiences that I've found and Taylor's theories largely ring true to me.

The most important is that awakening occurs when we can quiet or transcend our egos and free up the life energy (or chi, or prana) that it consumes. Awakening can be mild or intense, temporary or permanent, depending on the extent to which our ego has been quitened.

[Jesus Christ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book on Awakenings and the different degrees of awakenings. Steven Taylor tells us how awakening makes many things in our life change and how reality change. The Different degree of Enlightenment and Awakenings, for short term to long term to permanent and what to expect when a awakening happened. AS FOR ME, I HAD A SPIRITUAL AWAKENING AND THIS BOOKS HELPS WHAT HAS OCCURRED IN MY LIFE AND WHAT TO EXPECT FOR THE FUTURE. GREAT BOOK FOR ALL SPIRIT SEEKERS.

[Ale. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ho apprezzato di più alcune parti, altre meno, soprattutto quelle che mi sono sembrate più mentali.

E' un libro di risveglio valido.

Verso la fine mi ha trasmesso più consapevolezza e lo ho apprezzato di più.

Nota. Chissà se è uno di quei libri che se lo rileggi dopo anni acquista una nuova luce...

In attesa di ulteriori considerazioni.

[Dimitris Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK I had high hopes for this one after reading Making Time. Expectations that weren't really met I'm afraid. This book roughly says everything Making Time does, but it feels as if it repeats itself too much, I found it pretty boring, the constant quotes are repeatative and I feel the book does not really touch on how to make awakening experiences permanent: it just goes on to show in how many different ways it's possible to actually awake (temporarily), mostly using personal accounts as case studies. Still, I guess that if I had not read Making Time, Waking From Sleep would have made a greater impression on me.

These said, Steve Taylor is an exceptional writer. Very knowledgeable, well-researched and taking a "serious", "scientific", kind of anthropological approach on the field of mysticism in which one so often can find worthless info just lying about.

[Alina Lazarescu - Abboud · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed readying this book. It presents a clear anatomy of the awakening process. I have watched the interview that Eckhart Tolle made with the author and I enjoyed his presence and energy and what he had to say. Steve Taylor comes up with this definition of the awakening experience that is any experience that intensifies and stills life energy and goes trough all the types of experiences that could cause that to happen to different degrees. I found that interesting. He also evokes the fact that as children we naturally have a lo-medium awaking state and he goes on describing different states of oneness that children and other people experienced. Quite nice to see awakening is not as rare as we believe. It also brought for me so many beautiful memories from my childhood.

[Martin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't take any stock in Taylor's New Age mumbo jumbo at all. This is not to say I do not believe in the beneficial aspects of meditation. This book unnecesarily complicates things by dressing very simple ideas in a wholly ineffective New Age jargon. It basically redecorates age-old teachings by the Eastern spiritual traditions without adding anything substantial. I would recommend this book to no one.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glad I found this book. Enjoyed it very much. It helped me identify a meaning for experiences I had a lot in my childhood, sadly less frequently since. Must work on that!