Nick Atlas, PhD, is the Chair of the Department of Transpersonal Psychology and Faculty Chair at Atlantic University, having been with AU since 2017. He has explored consciousness, psychospirituality, and the healing arts for over 25 years, and is widely regarded by his colleagues as among the most experienced psychedelic, yoga nidra and lucid dreaming guides in the US. He is the author of “The Light Travelers,” a memoir detailing his own spiritual awakening and subsequent, world travels.
Nick’s approach to pedagogy leans heavily on the importance of direct experience and embodied approaches to learning and healing. He is especially interested in the intersection of deep ecology and non-duality, or the relationship between ourselves and the natural world. He has also spent many years researching non-ordinary states of consciousness such as dreams, psychedelic experiences, and flow states brought music, dance, and various forms of meditation. He hopes to infuse the spirit of creativity, curiosity, and camaraderie into everyone he meets and works with.
PUBLICATIONS
- Atlas, N. (2020). Exploring consciousness: Old habits and new horizons. In R. Beshara (ed.), A critical introduction to psychology. Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers.
- Atlas, N. (2020). Yoga nidra: The art of relaxation. In C. Fracasso S. Krippner (eds.), A mental health practitioner’s guide to holistic treatments. Jefferson, NC: McFarland.
- Atlas, N. (2019). The light travelers: A mystical journey. Villa Rica, GA: Evolutionary Education, LLC.
- Stumbrys, T. & Atlas, N. (in press). Lucid dreaming. In H. L. Friedman & G. Hartelius (eds.), The Wiley-Blackwell handbook of transpersonal psychology, 2nd ed. Malden, MA: John Wiley & Sons.
- Trevathan-Minnis, M., Bloom, T., Atlas, N., MacDonald, D. A., & Friedman, H. L. (2021). Black Dog Syndrome: Using dog facial-emotion recognizability to explore this putative phenomenon. The Humanistic Psychologist, 49(4), 616-629.
- Bloom, T., Trevathan-Minnis, M., Atlas, N., MacDonald, D., & Friedman, H. (2021). Identifying facial expressions in dogs. A replication and extension study. Behavioral Processes, 186, 104371.
- Atlas, N. (2016). Book Review: The Wiley-Blackwell handbook of transpersonal psychology, by Harris L. Friedman & Glenn Hartelius (eds.). International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, 35(2).
- Atlas, N. (2019). How the legalization of magic mushrooms just might save the world. Elephant Journal.
- Atlas, N. (2019). Tourist or traveler: 4 tips to deepen your relationship to place. Elephant Journal.
- Atlas, N. (2015). The second trick every lucid dreamer should know. Elephant Journal.
- Atlas, N. (2014). The one trick every lucid dreamer should know. Elephant Journal.
- Atlas, N. (2014). Shopping for a guru: How to find a spiritual teacher that fits. Elephant Journal.
