I really enjoyed reading Jimmy’s book. It’s written with a combination of humility, humor, and wisdom based on a life of seeking one’s higher self and evolving in a step by step manner towards that goal. I especially liked how he challenged himself to find inner freedom and peace in every possible direction. HIs life has consisted of relentless ecclectic exploration, experiencing deep silence during his daily practice of Transcendental Meditation, and in between meditations exploring other healing modalities including his music, EST, David Deida, John Gray, and past life regression, just to name a few. So much of his book reminded me of my own evolutionary path, practicing TM daily, and also pursuing creative outlets and discovering many other modalities like Shadow Work (transforming our dark shadows into golden ones), Couples Workshops (learning practical tools to get through the rough times), Chinese Medicine, etc, etc, etc. My strong identificatiion with Jimmy’s path created a deep kinship with him, a soul bond, even though we don’t (as of yet) know each other on a personal level. Thanks, Jimmy, for sharing your heartfelt life story which is both very personal, and yet far out and Cosmic, all at the same time!
— Jim Brooks MD
If you’re a seeker, this story of one man’s journey is for you. It begins in the 1950s with the “daily poison sandwiches” of Catholic dogma being forced down a six-year-old’s throat. It ends with a temporary visit to the afterlife seventy years on. In between these two, we make many colorful stops including Primal Therapy, made famous by John and Yoko. We then accompany the author through the ego-demolishing trainings of the 1970s and 80s, EST and Lifespring. Tried-and-true methods for growth, like marriage, TM and Tai Chi round out the experiences of the author’s twenties and thirties. Along the way we meet his psychics and gurus and hear described in hair raising detail his encounter with a dark, disembodied entity. Not left out of his experience are ancient religions and philosophies like Hinduism and the Tao, and his ultimate recognition of the fact that our consciousness doesn’t necessarily require a physical body.
An Amazing Journey of self-discovery from a famous musician.
Jimmy Ryan’s thoroughly engaging and insightful first book, The Superstar Chronicles, described his life’s journey as a professional musician and the famous pop heroes he supported with his powerful musical contributions. His second book, California Dreaming and Primal Screaming, is the thrilling, intimate, personal side of the author’s journey to find the person he has been struggling to become. He hints at this struggle in The Superstar Chronicles, but California Dreaming and Primal Screaming take the reader on a roller coaster experience of his many explorations of popular and often unusual self-help strategies that became hallmarks of his generation’s efforts to find self-awareness and happiness and became so dominant throughout the 60s and 70s. Some of these therapies continue to have supporters to this day, or have been replaced by newer approaches.
Drowning out Catholic guilt and depression with rock and roll music as a member of The Critters in the ‘60s and Carly Simon’s band in the ‘70s wasn’t enough for Jimmy Ryan, in the “quieter moments when the fun and excitement ebbed.” To fill that uncomfortable void, he ventured into a multitude of self-help and group therapies. In this eye-opening memoir, he shares his psychological experiences, some beneficial, some unnerving, much like the backstage view of the music world he revealed in his previous book, The Superstar Chronicles. His stories are engaging, enlightening, and witty, walking the reader through the wild depths of his exploration into mental health. Enjoy, as the author unravels his journeys ranging from thought-provoking to preternatural. His chapter on his experience with a Pentagon-level psychic is truly astonishing.
— Warren Kurtz / Goldmine Magazine
Just finished reading it. Engaging and full of insights from cosmic to hilarious. Well written and nicely laid out. Good job!
— Billy Hunter, Certified LBL Therapist