A Chaotic Life: The Memoirs of Stanley Krippner, Pioneering Humanistic Psychologist (3 Volumes)

Product Description

I knew that Stan Krippner had made vast contributions to the fields of scientific dream research, shamanism, psychedelics, transpersonal psychology, and more and that he had traveled all over the world making friends at every stop, and that graduate students had come in droves to study with him. I knew him as a wise and generous faculty colleague and keen-eyed co-author. But I didn’t know he had hung out with rock musicians, played pranks, and organized amateur theatricals. This scholarly, artistic, and humorous autobiography offers proof that one may successfully combine rational thinking with openness to the beyond. His life’s work is a witness to the best of both worlds.

Linda Riebel, PhD, co-author of Understanding Suicide’s Allure and President of the Saybrook Chapter of the American Association of University Professors

---

Stanley Krippner’s memoir, A Chaotic Life, is a fascinating read. Stan is a major researcher and scholar, and the book is filled with fascinating behind-the-scenes anecdotes and groundbreaking findings of his professional work. Stan has contributed to a vast array of approaches to human potential: clinical psychology, dream research, hypnosis, cross-cultural studies, parapsychology, mythology, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicide prevention, to name but a few. The reader of this book is transported to the planet’s most exotic corners and introduced to noted friends of Stan’s—from Rational Emotive Therapy founder Albert Ellis to the band members of The Grateful Dead. He has lived an amazing life and has the story-telling skills to let you experience it.

Deirdre Barrett, PhD, Harvard University
Author of The Committee of Sleep

---

Stanley Krippner has lived one of the most fascinating lives imaginable. Shamans, psychics, and psychedelic pioneers … Stan has known most of them, been loved by many, and respected by all. Whether he was advising film directors, cavorting with rock stars, conducting solid research, or guiding students, Stan’s approach has always been sincere, kind, and playful. He tells his story with courage and candor. This is a lovely book about an extraordinary man’s life.

Christopher Ryan, PhD, Co-author of Sex at Dawn and
Civilized to Death (and former student of Stan’s)

---

Stanley Krippner is a true pioneer in not one discipline but several—psychology, anthropology, and parapsychology—all with a common thread of studying the nature of consciousness. His insights and mentorship have shaped at least two generations and this book recounting his personal path and life is one that I highly recommend.

Stephan A. Schwartz
Author of Opening to the Infinite and The 8 Laws of Change

---

Dr. Stanley Krippner is a giant in the field of humanistic psychology as well as personal and spiritual growth. Now in his elder years, he retains the acute memory, wit, and insight to share unique insights about the quest to understand ourselves and our world. As I read A Chaotic Life, I gained a passing acquaintance, through Stan’s eyes, with other psychological and spiritual icons of the past century to the present day.

Dan Millman, author of Way of the Peaceful Warrior

---

Dr. Stanley Krippner is many things besides a beloved and brilliant teacher, researcher, and mentor. His expertise covers shamanism, dreamwork, consciousness studies, creativity, and much more. In his work and in his stories, he has helped open our eyes to a larger reality than most people realize.  He delights in taking richness in the present moment.  Stan knows people around the world and across cultures, as well as colorful people at home.  Stan’s memoir opens doors, enlarges experience, reveals special moments, and always entertains. He has shown ingenuity, bravery, nonconformity, and brilliant creativity in his explorations and expositions of the phenomenal worlds and realms drawn from his multicultural perspective. While writing over 1,000 articles and books, he has made friends globally as well as at home, and can tell a story like no one else.  In these memoirs, he shares special moments from an extraordinary life well lived.

Ruth Richards, MD, PhD
Associated Distinguished Professor, California Institute of Integral Studies

---

In this memoir, the incomparable Dr. Stanley Krippner describes his life as “not too shabby.” As befits a phenomenologist, the description says more about the speaker than about the person being described. We begin our story with a portrait of a man of modesty and authenticity. Most of us know him, on the other hand, as a magician, a nurturer of many generations of students all over the world, and a consummate academic. This book will continue to reach generations of students and colleagues, continuing Stan’s legacy of humanistic education.

Ilene Serlin, PhD, Serlin Institute for the Healing Arts

---

In this majestic memoir, renowned consciousness researcher, psychospiritual explorer, and humanist Stanley Krippner takes us on a tour of his extraordinary life. This is the saga of a genuine pioneer that intersects with some of the key people, places, and ideas of the last 100 years. Krippner has incredible vivacity, boldness, and generosity of view, and his memoir beautifully illustrates his unique and brilliant journey.

Kirk Schneider, PhD
President of the Existential-Humanistic Institute
Author, The Polarized Mind, The Spirituality of Awe, and Life Enhancing Anxiety

---

Stan has masterfully chronicled his memoirs that, at times, read like vignettes from a novel, invoking brilliant images of his incredible adventures. From his groundbreaking work in PTSD, dream research, parapsychology, and more, to his deep friendships with the likes of Albert and Debbie Joffe Ellis, Laura Huxley, Timothy Leary, Ram Dass, and Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead, this amazing account documents, for the ages, a life truly well lived.

Rosemary Sword, PhD
Co-developer of Time Perspective Therapy

---

Stan has been a model for me, having one foot in the alternative transpersonal world and the other rooted deeply in mainstream psychological science. He has been a great influence on how I have approached my own career, emulating that quality of living in both worlds.

David Lukoff, PhD, Spiritual Competency Academy

---

A Chaotic Life is the astonishing—and I don’t use that word lightly—memoir by Dr. Stanley Krippner. The book tells of a recurring theme in Stan’s life, where apparently incidental or minor events resulted in major personal transformations that ultimately affected hundreds of others in positive ways. The word “chaos” in the title refers to subtle or hidden forms of order described by complex systems theory, and not to disorder or confusion. By magically surfing upon this orderly chaos, Stan transformed from a shy intellectual kid into a true force of nature, helping to shape the lives and careers of hundreds of scientists, scholars, and professionals across dozens of disciplines, some of which he co-founded. An enthusiastic world traveler into his late 80s, Stan’s circle of friends has included famous actors, artists, musicians, political activists, scientists, shamans, psychics, and beyond, and he has gathered dozens of accolades and significant awards from professional and lay societies. This is a fascinating life story, well worth reading.

Dean Radin PhD, Chief Scientist, Institute of Noetic Sciences,
Author of Real Magic

---

In these fascinating memoirs, Stan describes living his life like a blazing comet that has been wandering though the cosmos, dancing in Brazil, jogging in Spain, swimming in Hawaii, trucking with the Grateful Dead, and sweating and praying with Rolling Thunder in his sweat lodge. And the comet has yet to burn out!

Alberto Villoldo, PhD, author of Shaman, Healer, Sage

---

Stanley wrote one of the earliest and most profound reflections on creativity and altered states of consciousness. His presentations are always uplifting and encouraging, especially for the young and curious. Thank you, Stanley. We love you!

Alex Grey, co-founder, Chapel of Sacred Mirrors

---

Following along with the chaos-theory-butterfly-effect of Stanley Krippner’s memoirs, you will likely feel amazed and reminded of the potentially unknown impact of every person you will ever meet, work with, or befriend. His book reads like a metaphor for the fulfillment of various precognitive dreams (and some parts, literally). His book, centered around the people he recognizes to have changed his life, speaks volumes about his loving and compassionate nature. Simultaneously, he shares numerous “behind the scenes” glimpses into his professional experiences and the legacy he has built in the fields of dream studies, transpersonal psychology, parapsychology and more, for the rest of us to learn from and build upon. As did Shakespeare, Dr. Krippner frames the story of his life as a theater, with dramatic entrances and exits of the most memorable characters, great journeys, dreams, personal mythologies, collaborations, partnerships, love ties and friendships. Among a plethora of other great stories, he shares his early involvement with the International Association for the Study of Dreams, his past presidency, and how IASD has been “doing its best to combat dreamism.” His life theater consistently presents itself on these pages with “encores” of his world travels as well as reflections on the “encores” he would like to have fulfilled. Each chapter is an entire play.

Angel Morgan, PhD,
Past President, International Association for the Study of Dreams; Founder, Dreambridge
Professor, Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, Sofia University
Past President, DAC Chair
International Association for the Study of Dreams