AKHTER AHSEN
A Beloved Mentor and Friend
ABOUT DR. AKHTER AHSEN
Dr. Akhter Ahsen was born in January 1933 in Sialkot, India to Zainab Noor and Sufi Mohammed Shafi.
Because he enjoyed reciting his work or singing his poetry, one of his fondest memories was his oral presentation to the Indian Congress at age 9, a poem set to music. He graduated from Government College in Lahore, Pakistan majoring in psychology for his undergraduate and Masters degrees, and later received his Ph.D. dissertation entitled, “The Nature and Behavior of Pure Eidetics”, in 1970.
He emigrated to the United States in 1965, living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with his wife, Anna T. Dolan, M.D. and daughter, Sophia, then moving to Yonkers, NY a few years later, where his son, Osman was born. He remained there until his death in 2018.
From 1965 through 2010, Dr. Ahsen wrote over forty books and numerous scientific articles spanning the disciplines: Psychology, sociology, philosophy, mythology and literature. His epic poem Manhunt in the Desert, was a study in consciousness that encompassed all these disciplines. Joseph Campbell said of the work,
“You did not write this, you received it.”
Akhter Ahsen co-founded the Journal of Mental Imagery and the International Imagery Association in 1977 with Dr. A. Sheik. He coined the term “Image Psychology” around 1980. In addition to his works in English, he wrote three poetry books: in Urdu, Punjabi and in Arabic. Dr. Akhter Ahsen died in December, 2018, leaving a massive contribution to the world, East and West. His work lifted consciousness, asking those who participated with him to go on a journey of mind with the ultimate goal of Freedom!
OUR TRIBUTE TO AKHTER AHSEN
