This text, The Commanding Self, is very clearly meant only to serve as a (preparatory) component for a later time when further integration/individuation (might) become possible (with the guidance of an authentic Sufi master).
Idries Shah is simply a voice (among countless other voices), and of a tradition (among so many other authentic traditions) that have tried to make one cognizant of one's commanding self -- in it's unparalleled complexity, machiavelli, dominating dynamic -- and how to co-exist with it objectively.
Reviewers should also be aware that much can be said about the commanding (egoic) self of those of us making estimations (whether positive or negative) about Shah (and his work), and that they should take this into context.
Idries Shah has a way of sounding reasonable, even brilliant, while he is discussing highly improbable and obscure notions of human development. This can lead one to believe there must be something of use, perhaps even something terribly important, in what he writes. However, the proof is in the pudding. If you actually study the people who have read his materials for any length of time, or other Sufi literature for that matter, you will probably not find the "enlightened humans" so often mentioned in Sufi teachings. So take this as a warning. You may very well be disappointed if you invest too much time in studying his books.
