In this moving and profound program, Colin Wilson shares his personal struggle in dealing with states of panic and depression. His attempt to cope with these difficult experiences has led him to explore states of extreme lucidity and self-control.

In Part II, he elaborates on his "Laurel and Hardy" theory of consciousness as a model for attaining optimal mental functioning. Crisis situations often thrust us into higher states of consciousness by forcing us to gain a psychological grip on ourselves. Imagination, he says, can lead us to states of alienation and depression. He presents his model of seven levels of consciousness ranging from extreme depression to the transcendence of space and time.

Colin Wilson is one of the most prolific writers in the English language. His novels include The Mind Parasites, The Philosopher's Stone and Sex Diary of a Metaphysician. Other major works include A Criminal History of Mankind, The Occult, Mysteries, Religion and the Rebel, The New Existentialism, New Pathways in Psychology and The Outsider--his first and most famous book.