“Soak in these words of wisdom and you may just find your “self” opening to the exciting liberation that emerges when inner and interconnected self are integrated into a coherent, flourishing whole.”
— Daniel J. Siegel, M.D. , Director, Mindsight Institute and Clinical Professor, UCLA School of Medicine, Author: Mindsight: The new science of personal transformation; Brainstorm: The power and purpose of the teenage brain
“Reading In Touch is a remarkable journey through the body into a wholeness of Being. A gifted clinician and dedicated spiritual practitioner, John Prendergast guides us in a powerful process of inner attunement, one that unfolds into deep realization and full, embodied aliveness.”
— Tara Brach, Ph.D. author of Radical Acceptance and True Refuge
“With many experiential practices, specific methods, and tools for working with others, In Touch is that rare book combining both profound understanding and practical, down-to-earth benefits. I’ve known John Prendergast for many years as his colleague, friend, and student. He is truly a master of his craft. Drawing upon neuroscience, clinical tools, nondual wisdom teachings, and his own genuine realization, he has pulled together the lessons of a lifetime in this extraordinary book. I commend it to your hands and to your heart.”
— Rick Hanson, Ph.D., author of Buddha’s Brain and Hardwiring Happiness
“John Prendergast is a master psychotherapist, teacher, spiritual guide, and author whose groundbreaking new work, In Touch, reveals the critical role our bodies play as a vital source of inner knowing and self trust. Drawing from decades of intimate work with clients and students, Dr. Prendergast clearly and, at times, poetically describes the art of tuning into the body’s wisdom as a guide to navigate daily life as well as to discover our deepest nature. Filled with keen insight, inspiring stories, and potent exercises, In Touch is a treasure and pleasure to read – a seminal work.”
— Richard Miller, Ph.D., clinical psychologist, researcher, yogic scholar, spiritual teacher and author of The iRest Program for Healing PTSD and Yoga Nidra: A Meditative Practice for Deep Relaxation and Healing
“While there are a number of books about tapping into our inner wisdom, In Touch offers a depth of exploration and clear practical guidance which makes it stand-out. In particular it helps us sort out the bodily promptings of the True-Self from the “noise” of our habitual emotions, our expectations and our fixed beliefs. It is a useful and powerful guide, both for beginners, and those already committed to a path of inner exploration.”
— Peter A. Levine, Ph.D., Best-selling author of Waking the Tiger, Healing Trauma and Healing Trauma, a Pioneering program for Restoring the Wisdom of Your Body
“A remarkable book: John Prendergast’s lifetime experience both as a psychotherapist and a spiritual practitioner gives us a much needed map to explore our inner experience through listening to the signals of the physical body; a map that can guide us to a profound intimacy with ourselves and our own deep knowing.”
— Roger Housden, author of Keeping the Faith Without a Religion
“A beautiful and undogmatic guide, rich and practical, to the ins and outs of waking up and waking down in the modern world. In a style that is scholarly yet deeply human and accessible, drawing from his many years of experience as a therapist and spiritual teacher, John Prendergast speaks of the deepest kind of healing: how a curious, self-shining awareness at the core of our experience is remembered and uncovered, then permeates through every layer of our body-minds, saturating every feeling and sensation, every crevice of our known world with light and understanding. This is an embodied awakening that leaves us not more detached from the world, but more intimate with the world than ever, more awake to the sacredness of every moment, to the gifts of being alive, to the preciousness of connection in all its forms. We wake up to unchanging awareness, and we wake down to the beauty and intelligence of our ever-changing bodies, and we finally discover how transparent we always were, how limitless, how vast, how free. This is an important book that will illuminate the way ahead for countless seekers of truth all over the world, and clear up many misunderstandings about the pathless path of awakening. With John, you are in safe hands. Highly recommended.”
— Jeff Foster, author of The Deepest Acceptance and Falling in Love with Where You Are
“This guide to the process of listening within is clear and practical, while also helping the reader plumb the multi-dimensional depths and nuances of the inner journey. Highly recommended.”
— John Welwood, Ph.D., author, Toward a Psychology of Awakening
“Psychotherapist and spiritual mentor John Prendergast has written a beautiful, inspiring book that helps us tune in to our deepest nature so that we can sense and decode subtle body-sensed information that enables us to ‘more gracefully navigate life and to awaken.’ Drawing from his extensive experience as spiritual practitioner, psychotherapist and teacher, John Prendergast integrates strands of contemporary psychological theory and esoteric spiritual teaching brilliantly, bringing depth and maturity to this work, yet making it accessible and easy to understand. Interwoven throughout are “experiments” that invite us to explore for ourselves the concepts so clearly described. I will recommend In Touch to my friends, colleagues and my EMDR students as a helpful guide for how to connect with their inner knowing and unfolding of True Self.”
— Laurel Parnell, Ph.D., author of Attachment-focused EMDR: Healing Relational Trauma, (2013), Tapping In (2008), A Therapist’s Guide to EMDR, (2006), EMDR in the Treatment of Adults Abused as Children, (1999), and Transforming Trauma: EMDR (1997)
“In this remarkable book, Dr. Prendergast opens up the enormous potential of subtle body awareness as a vital instrument in allowing us to feel into the innermost spiritual and psychological realities of our own and others’ existence. This book is essential reading for everyone who aspires to meet others in a spirit of loving care and boundless intimacy. It is stunning in the territory it covers in detailing a new cartography of embodied awareness. Dr. Prendergast shows how deep somatic sensitivity and empathic resonance ultimately rely on the clean-clear presencing of nondual awareness. This book is a must read.”
— Peter Fenner, Ph.D., author of Radiant Mind and Natural Awakening
“John Prendergast is a leading voice on the emerging interface between therapy and non-duality. His approach to therapy in general and the body in particular is deeply informed by his experiential understanding of non-duality, and his approach to non-duality is grounded in the felt and lived experience of the body and world. As such, In Touch is an insightful and heartfelt meditation for anyone who seeks not only to realize the essential, unconditioned nature of themselves but to live its implications fully in all realms of experience.”
— Rupert Spira, Non-Duality Teacher and Author of The Transparency of Things, Presence, The Ashes of Love and The Light of Pure Knowing
“In this lucid, comprehensive, ground-breaking book, master psychotherapist and spiritual teacher John Prendergast shows us how to listen to our elusive inner wisdom as a path not only to psychological healing but also to the realization of our nondual spiritual nature. Informed by the author’s 30 years of experience as a guide on the journey of greater authenticity and inner alignment, and illuminated by the teachings of Advaita Vedanta and by the latest neuroscience, In Touch is a must-read for everyone who aspires to realize and live from the truth of their being, beyond the mind.”
— Stephan Bodian, Author of Meditation for Dummies and Beyond Mindfulness
“Whether making important decisions or sensing what will best serve us, we have all the love and wisdom we need right inside of us. In Touch is the perfect guidebook to access this ‘inner knowing’ which will connect you to your deepest truth. John Prendergast’s beautiful book is insightful, practical and full of heart. I highly recommend it.”
— James Baraz, co-author of Awakening Joy: 10 Steps to Happiness and co-founding teacher of Spirit Rock Meditation Center.
“This is a beautifully written, accessible guide to deeper dimensions of self-knowledge and connection with other people. Supported by scientific research and decades of experience as a psychotherapist and spiritual teacher, John Prendergast shows us how listening to our body can increase our capacity for spaciousness, subtle attunement, love and clarity. This is an intelligent, compassionate contribution to the new frontier of embodied psychological healing and spiritual awakening.”
— Judith Blackstone, Ph.D., author of Belonging Here, The Intimate Life and The Enlightenment Process
“Dr. Prendergast walks us compassionately through the tricky terrain of the awakening process in this clear-eyed exploration of four somatic markers of an evolving consciousness. In Touch is an invaluable practical guide for those probing the depths and heights of what it means to be both truly divine and truly human.”
— Meg Lundstrom, author of What To Do When You Can’t Decide: Useful Tools for Finding the Answers Within (Sounds True) and co-author of The Power of Flow: Practical Ways to Transform Your Life with Meaningful Coincidence (Crown)
“In Touch synthesizes essential insights in the fields of spirituality, psychology, and embodiment, that could only be written by someone who walks their talk. John Prendergast’s lifetime of dedication to the spiritual path, and decades of dedicated work as a psychotherapist, shine through these pages, and offer a rare degree of both subtlety and accessibility. We are fortunate to have this book available to us!”
— Mariana Caplan, PhD, psychotherapist and author of six books in the field of psychology and spirituality, including Eyes Wide Open: Cultivating Discernment on the Spiritual Path and Halfway Up the Mountain: the Error of Premature Claims to Enlightenment
“Although it may seem a rare and elusive task at first, it is entirely possible to learn to relax the subtle contractions that disconnect us from our embodied awareness. John Prendergast has long studied the epic journey from abstracted head to wise, embodied heart. In this book, he is a compassionate friend to the reader, showing, step-by-step, what is possible and real. Each word is spoken authentically, and with care. This book will teach you how to drop in and to get “in actual touch” with your always already sanity and joy. What a gift!”
— Terry Patten, co-author with Ken Wilber of Integral Life Practice and creator and host of Beyond Awakening
“In Touch is a beautifully written book that navigates the reader through the inner multisensory world of all knowing. With grace and love, John Prendergast has created a masterpiece.”
— Marie Manuchehri, RN, author of Intuitive Self-Healing
“This book is a wonderful tool to navigate your way to your inner self. Full of research, stories, guidance, and techniques,it is a vital and important contribution to the journey of self-knowledge and self-discovery. What a treasure!”
— Ed & Deb Shapiro, authors Be The Change and The Bodymind Workbook