Natalie Tobert, PhD, is a medical anthropologist who has done original research in India, Sudan and the UK. She has been leading workshops and training on different cultural understandings of health for the past twenty years. Natalie lives in London.

Foreword. Preface. Part 1: Introduction. 1. Consensual Reality, Spirituality and Religion. 2. Culture, Nationality and Ethnicity. 3. Cultural Beliefs about Health and Illness. 4. The Human Body. 5. Beliefs about Conception and Human Identity. 6. Women's Bodies and Human Behaviour. 7. Cultural U-turns and Changing Responses to Consensus. Part 2: 8. Cultural Knowledge on Death and Dying. 9. Cultural Beliefs about Survival Beyond Death. 10. Anomalous Experiences: A. Religious and Spiritual Experiences. 11. Anomalous Experiences: B. NDE, OBE, ELE. 12. Anomalous Experiences: C. Cultural Interpretations of Mental Health. 13. Anomalous Experiences: D. Popular Uprising and Spiritual Awakening. 14. Anomalous Experiences: E. Deliberate Shifts in Consciousness. 15. Why Address Cultural Understandings and Academic Fixity?. 16. Acknowledging Dissonance as a Way Forward. 17. Towards Positive Change. Bibliography.