I will try not to gush.  I highly reccomended this excellent work to a friend of mine who was going through a crisis whith his wife.  He never followed up.  Not surprising though, Lynn Cowan explores one of the most profound expreinces in the human psyche and its relevance to religion and culture.  As pointed out in the forward to the new edition, “The religious connection to masochism has for too long been overlooked in discussions and psychological works on it”.   I found the book to be fascinating, revealing and very relevent in providing insights into the one of the most misunderstood, yet powerful motivators of the human psyche and the collective. 

Pentheus:  You say you saw the god. What form did he assume?

Dionysus:  Whatever form he wished.  The choice was his, not mine.