When the Soul Heals – Explorations in Spiritual Psychology by Pulkit Sharma Book Review

Genre: Non-Fiction
Publisher: AuroPublications
Pages: 208
Published: July 2019
Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary:

The self-help book amalgamates thoughts in contemporary psychology with simple spiritual wisdom. It helps you understand and heal common psychological problems by tapping your own spiritual force. There are step-by-step strategies, guided meditations, contemplation exercises and real-life inspirational case studies in this book to overcome — stress, anger, grief, depression, anxiety, beauty obsessions, addictions and caregiver burden.

The author presents an eclectic and integrative spiritual psychology bringing together insights from 10 major religions of the world — Hinduism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Bahai Faith, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism and Zoroastrianism along with the timeless teachings of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother and revelations of other great spiritual masters.

Review:

Human psychology has always intrigued me. When I was offered When the Soul Heals – Explorations in Spiritual Psychology by Pulkit Sharma for review, I was keen to pick it up. I was particularly interested in reading about the amalgamation of clinical psychology and spirituality. Something that is not as common in self-help books. The basis of the book draws on the fact that contemporary psychology is not always successful in treating disorders.

The book begins with the history of psychology that I found fascinating. Over the years, the scope of psychology has widened and moved closer to spirituality. Did you know that 20-70% of the people who seek professional help discontinue after the first session? And the fact that 60% of psychologists have reported that they had suffered from clinical depression.

I liked the structure of the book. It is divided into chapters based on common psychological issues. Each chapter includes a case study with a before and an after, the physiological understanding of the issue/disorder, and the spiritual pathways. It also includes a set of practices from meditation to introspection that I found useful.

The book is peppered with insights from major religions of the world. This is not the kind of book to read in one sitting, but one that you return to when you are looking for answers. Although it includes a lot of statistics, it is easy to read without the usual medical jargon.

I am more spiritual than religious. As someone who is still struggling with grief, the book resonated with me. I particularly liked the sections on grief, stress, and anger. I hope the author plans to make it into a series by delving into more psychological issues.

I would recommend picking up the book. I have read quite a few self-help books but this is one I would be returning to often.

Contemporary psychology is not always successful in treating disorders. When the Soul Heals – Explorations in Spiritual Psychology by @pulkitsharma82 Book Review #BohoPonderings Share on X

When the Soul Heals – Explorations in Spiritual Psychology is available for purchase at Amazon India

This review has been written as part of the Blogchatter Book Review Program. I received the review copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

---

About the author

Pulkit Sharma is a clinical psychologist and spiritual counsellor. He has worked as a mental health consultant and research head with several organizations. His inspirational and philosophical writings have been published in acclaimed journals, newspapers and magazines. This book is based on his unique technique that combines psychology and spirituality to help people reclaim their lives. He lives in Puducherry, India, with his wife and daughter.