Roger N. Walsh is an Australian professor of Psychiatry, Philosophy and Anthropology at the University of California, Irvine

University of California, Irvine

The University of California, Irvine , founded in 1965, is one of the ten campuses of the University of California, located in Irvine, California, USA...

, in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, within UCI's College of Medicine. Walsh is respected for his views on psychoactive drug

Psychoactive drug

A psychoactive drug, psychopharmaceutical, or psychotropic is a chemical substance that crosses the blood–brain barrier and acts primarily upon the central nervous system where it affects brain function, resulting in changes in perception, mood, consciousness, cognition, and behavior...

s and altered states of consciousness in relation with the religious

Religion

Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...

/spiritual

Spirituality

Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...

 experience, and has been quoted in the media regarding psychology

Psychology

Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...

, spirituality, and the medical effects of meditation

Meditation

Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....

.

According to his profile, Dr. Walsh received his degrees from the University of Queensland

University of Queensland

The University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation...

 and is involved in six ongoing research areas: 1) comparison of different schools of psychology and psychotherapy, 2) studies of Asian psychologies and philosophies, 3) the effects of meditation, 4) transpersonal psychology, 5) the psychology of religion, and 6) the psychology of human survival (exploring the psychological causes and consequences of the current global crises).

Selected bibliography

• The World of Shamanism: New Views of an Ancient Tradition (Llewellyn, 2007) ISBN 0-7387-0575-6
• A Sociable God: Toward a New Understanding of Religion --with Ken Wilber
  Ken Wilber
  Kenneth Earl Wilber II is an American author who has written about mysticism, philosophy, ecology, and developmental psychology. His work formulates what he calls Integral Theory. In 1998, he founded the Integral Institute, for teaching and applications of Integral theory.-Biography:Ken Wilber was...
  
  -- (Shambhala, 2005)
• Essential Spirituality: The 7 Central Practices to Awaken Heart and Mind (Wiley, 2000) ISBN 0-471-39216-2
• Paths Beyond Ego: The Transpersonal Vision --ed., with Frances Vaughan-- (J.P. Tarcher, 1993) ISBN 0-874-77678-3
• Shapiro, Deane H.; Roger N. Walsh, editors (1984; 2008). Meditation, classic and contemporary perspectives. New York: Aldine. ISBN 0202251365. ISBN 9780202362441 (2008 edition)

External links

• Personal web site
• Staying Alive: The psychology of Human Survival. Transcript of an interview with Walsh on the television series Thinking Allowed, Conversations On the Leading Edge of Knowledge and Discovery.
• UCI Faculty Profile for Roger Walsh
• Audio Interview Series on Buddhist Geeks