Biography
Randall Lehmann Sorenson, Ph.D. (1954–2005) was a Professor of Psychology at Rosemead School of Psychology in La Mirada, CA and Training and Supervising Analyst at the Institute of Contemporary Psychoanalysis in Los Angeles.
"Minding Spirituality is, in my view, the best book we are going to get on the vexed interplay of psychoanalysis, religion, and spirituality. Sorenson brings a wide and unique range of qualities to his task. Extremely well versed in the intricacies of contemporary psychoanalysis and modern theology, he is a sensitive clinician - as his case studies illustrate - and is also conversant with a range of empirical research, which he draws on to good effect. These several disciplinary perspectives come together in an accessible and readable style. I urge psychoanalysts, psychotherapists, and all others with an interest in the life of the mind and spirit to read this outstanding volume."
- Louis Breger, Ph.D., Author, Freud: Darkness in the Midst of Vision
"Sorenson asks starkly: Does it make any difference if the analyst believes in God? To this narrow question, he gives a wide answer: What matters is that the analyst is open to transcendence, the experience of the sacred, of being a 'soul donor.' Rich clinical and empirical data invigorate Sorenson's thesis."
- Victorial Hamilton, Ph.D., Author, The Analyst's Preconscious (Analytic Press, 1996)
"Randall Sorenson brings together his deep and abiding commitments to psychology, psychoanalysis, and a spiritual/religious life in this thought-provoking, scholarly, yet highly readable work in which he explores the intersection and potential for mutual enrichment inherent in these diverse and powerful avenues for personal growth and transformation. Sorenson's unusual ability to bring to bear on his topic a combination of first-rate scholarship, a sophisticated use of research methodologies, and wise and well-told clinical psychotherapeutic vignettes will make this work of great interest to a wide range of clinicians, helpers and healers of the mind and spirit."
- Anthony Bass, Ph.D., Editor, Psychoanalytic Dialogues
