A Unified Theory of Religion, Hypnosis, PM TRUTHE CORRUPTION OF i This groundbreaking volume examines our sometimes strained grasp of reality and sheds new light on three subject areas that continue to fascinate re- searchers, namely, religion, hypnosis, and psychopathology. In The Corruption of Reality, noted psychologist John F. Schumaker argues that, despite their superficial differences, religion, hypnosis, and psychopathology are all expressions of the unique human ability to modify and regulate reality in ways that serve the individual and soci- ety. In turn, these same behaviors can be traced to the the brain’s remarkable capacity to process information along multiple pathways, thus allowing us to distort reality in strategic ways that enhance coping. This trance-related brain faculty, known as dissociation, is revealed as a crucial determinant of what we come to experience as human reality. Taking a broad multidisciplinary approach, Schumaker demonstrates that reality is usually orchestrated at the level of culture in the form of traditional reli- gion, with religion having been a total way of life in premodern times. In order to function optimally. religions (with the exception of most Western ones) employ dissociative trance-induction techniques that take advantage of drugs, music, dance, and other sources of repetitive monotony. Many of these closely resem- ble hypnotic induction techniques as they exist in Western culture. They also oper- ate similarly to the cognitive rituals that establish and maintain nonreligious abnormal behavior, better known as psy- chopathology or mental iliness. In this last area, special attention is given to drug abuse, eating disorders, phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorders, post- traumatic stress disorder, and responses to trauma. Many of these disorders, Schumaker argues, are the direct result of the inability of Western culture, with its severely eroded religious systems, to function adequately in its role as regula- tor of reality. Schumaker proposes ways to revitalize our sick Western culture, including the controversial prospect of constructing a new religion incorporating our current knowledge about our peculiar relationship to ourselves and the world. Along these lines, he offers innovative solutions to such pressing global problems as over- population and ecological destruction. Rigorously argued yet written in a style accessible to all readers, The Corruption of Reality challenges traditional ideas and paves the way for a far-reaching unified the- ory of conscious and unconscious behavior. JOHN F SCHUMAKER is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of New- castle, Australia. He is the author of many books, including Wings of Illusion: The Origin, Nature and Future of Paranormal Belief.THE CORRUPTION OF in of Rolgion, nana and Psychopatholo: JOHN F. SCHUMAKER @ Prometheus Books 39 Jobs in Gle: Amherst, NewYor a DS. 2197