Transpersonal psychology: representatives and methods of direction

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

One well-known proverb says: "You can't jump above your head." It is difficult to argue with this, since it is physically impossible to implement this. But going beyond your "I" is quite real, at least that's what transpersonal psychology says.

Psychology beside myself

The word "transpersonal" means "transcending a particular person". We can say that this is a psychology that exists outside of reasonable experience, outside of man. The first mention of transpersonal psychology dates back to 1902. William James spoke about it in lectures. It is he who is considered by some researchers to be the founder of transpersonal psychology, although Carl Jung was the first to talk about the transpersonal unconscious. He used the term as a synonym for the collective unconscious.

In an independent science, this direction took shape in the late 60s of the last century as a direction of humanistic psychology. Abraham Maslow, Anthony Sutich, Stanislav Grof, Miles Wise, Alan Watts and others are considered representatives of transpersonal psychology.

Changedconsciousness

Transpersonal research studies states of altered consciousness when it goes beyond the usual "I". Most of the materials of transpersonal psychology are taken from the interpretation of dreams, the experience of meditation and the paranormal.

Representatives of this direction allow the existence of higher powers, but avoid attachment to any particular religion. Transpersonal psychology strives for freedom, love and universal brotherhood. The main task of this direction is to overcome personal isolation, self-sufficiency and centering. What did its representatives say about this science?

William James

In the Gifford lectures, which were called "The Varieties of Religious Experience", W. James focused on the fact that in order to understand spiritual experiences it is necessary to use empirical methods. Scientists make a mistake when they begin to divide reality into an object of observation and a subject, because everything depends on the external observer. How a person interprets the reality he sees should be the subject of research. As a result, it will be possible to explore what level of consciousness an individual has and how much spiritual transformation he needs.

Abraham Maslow

This scientist stood at the origins of humanistic psychology, the main focus of his activity is "peak experiences". These include insiders, peak moments of love, ecstasy, loss of the boundaries of one's own "I". The description of these moments has become the mainpretext for the development of transpersonal psychology.

During a lecture in San Francisco, Maslow spoke of the emergence of a "fourth force" that would study the experience that a person experiences when meditating or taking psychedelic drugs. At that time, there were only three branches of psychology: behaviorism, psychoanalysis, and humanistic psychology. But none of them was able to describe those phenomena that were intended for the "fourth force." Even humanistic psychology, referred to as the "third force", was limited in its methods. This served as a good help for the emergence of a new direction.

New School

A few months after Maslow announced the need to create a "fourth force", in the state of California, in Menlo Park, a meeting of scientists was held, which was attended by A. Maslow, E. Sutich, S. Grof, M. Wise, D. Feidiman and S. Margulis. The purpose of this meeting is to create a new school that could study the experience available to man, including altered states of consciousness. At first, this direction was called transhumanistic, but after scientists came to a common agreement and gave it a modern name.

To designate the subject of transpersonal psychology, scientists have deduced two aspects of study: subjective and objective. In the subjective aspect, scientists explore the experience of a person who managed to leave the limits of his own personality and connect with the cosmos and nature. In the segment of objective research, scientists study the factors thatthat influence human behavior and thinking.

Two years after the founding of this school, the Association for Transpersonal Psychology was established. After the death of A. Maslow and E. Sutich, the new trend was divided into three main directions. The first was based on the research of Stanislav Grof, the second was created on the basis of the teachings of Ken Wilber. The third direction did not have its own representative, it concentrated the main ambushes of the development and achievement of a new trend in psychology.

Features

Transpersonal psychology is a special section in psychology that not only explores altered states of consciousness, but also creates methods that will help a person solve his external and internal problems. This branch of psychology does not limit itself to any framework or conventions. Here, new theories, views and approaches are successfully combined with the Eastern worldview.

Psychologists of this scientific direction study the spiritual world of a person who was not previously given much importance.

Transpersonal psychology differs from other currents by a combination of different directions and sciences. There are also psychological directions, and philosophy, exact sciences and spiritual practices.

Main destinations

The most significant trends in transpersonal psychology include:

• Research on altered states of consciousness.
• The study of spiritual practices in the context of psychiatry and psychology.
• Parapsychology.
• Respiratoryexercises.
• Yoga and meditation.
• Pharmacological and psychedelic drugs.
• Healing practices.
• Spiritual growth and aging processes.
• Death and experiences associated with it.

Experiences

Personality in transpersonal psychology is sometimes subject to experiences. Transpersonal science divides them into two groups: experiences in expanded states of consciousness and beyond.

The first subgroup includes experience gained within the space-time continuum. For example, near-death states, birth, perinatal period, clairvoyance, return to past lives, telepathy, etc. As for the second subgroup, it includes spiritual and mediumistic experiences, during which a person comes into contact with highly developed beings or a merger occurs human consciousness with superplanetary.

Schools, referrals, rejection

Today, the following areas stand out in transpersonal science:

• Jungian psychology.
• Archetypic or depth psychology based on the teachings of D. Hillman.
• Psychosynthesis.
• Works by Maslow, Wilber, Tart, Washburn that stand out in one direction.
• Works by Stanislav Grof.
• Psychotherapy.

As unfortunate as it may sound, the American Psychological Association does not currently recognize transpersonal psychology as a full-fledged psychological direction. Scientists around the world believe that thispsychological flow is another phenomenon of pseudoscience.

Scientific communities do not recognize modern trends in transpersonal psychology. Humanistic ideas, on which the first approaches of the new psychological trend were previously based, are now being criticized by conservative scientists. Although this is not surprising, throughout the history of mankind, society has always been indignant at new, revolutionary views.

Ken Wilber's Theory

And despite all the obstacles and misunderstanding, the methods of transpersonal psychology continue to develop. At one time, K. Wilber was the founder of a separate approach in it, which was called integral. In his first scientific work, The Spectrum of Consciousness, he came to the conclusion that human consciousness consists of several levels (spectra) of self-consciousness. These spectra cover all possible levels of consciousness, from the boundless unity with the Universe to the level of the mask, where the individual identifies himself with something, suppressing his negative characteristics.

According to Ken Wilber there are 5 levels:

1. Spectrum mask. Being in a different social environment and falling under its influence, a person can suppress or even displace his negative qualities, memories, experiences, thereby limiting himself. As a result, a person loses the ability to fully realize himself.
2. The spectrum of body and ego. At this level, a person clearly understands what consists of a physical shell (body) and a soul. Although the concept of "soul" is still somethingthen abstract, not lived experience.
3. Existential spectrum. The individual begins to realize himself as a kind of psychophysical being that lives in space-time dimensions. A person realizes that there is he - a personality, and there is also the outside world.
4. Transpersonal spectrum. At this level comes the realization that human life is not limited to the physical body. The individual realizes that he is something more, but still does not feel oneness with the universe.
5. One consciousness. At this level, the final unity with everything that exists around is implied. A person becomes inseparable from existence, that is, he can be considered everything that exists.

Consciousness develops in a hierarchical sequence from the lowest levels to the highest.

Grof's Transpersonal Psychology

Stanislav Grof made a great contribution to the development of this trend by introducing the concept of holotropic therapy. This concept refers to the theory and practice of psychotherapy and self-knowledge in altered states of perception, which lead to the return of integrity. To develop this method, the scientist studied the state of altered consciousness for 30 years. Now holotropic therapy is used:

• To solve hopeless situations.
• Treatment for mental disorders.
• Treatment of psychosomatic diseases.
• Developing talents and abilities.

Essence of therapy

Groff's achievements in transpersonal psychology are more intendedfor practical use. The essence of holotropic therapy is based on the activation of the unconscious part of consciousness. For this, a special holotropic breathing technique and special pieces of music are used.

These techniques allow you to activate the internal energy flow, which turns a depressed state into a flow of experiences. Then a person only needs to follow this stream, wherever it leads him. Energy can find its own way to healing.

Holotropic breathing creates conditions under which all the garbage accumulated in the subconscious comes out in a completely natural way. Unfinished business is released through movement, unspoken words turn into various sounds, repressed emotions are released through facial expressions and posture. This work must continue until all that has been awakened by the breath has dried up and the body has completely relaxed.

Holotropic Therapy Sessions

Being in a state of altered consciousness, a person can go back in time and re-see or even re-experience the traumatic events of his life. Observing the events of the past, a person gets the opportunity to understand what happened, accept the current situation and free himself from the burden of the past. It is worth noting that the individual gets the opportunity to visit not only the events of his past, but also his past lives. And this is much more likely to change his views on the world. Seeing his past incarnations, a person will understand why he was born in this particular place and time. He himself cananswer the questions why he has such opportunities, understand what abilities he has and why these people surround him.

At the sessions of holotropic therapy, a person can feel like a plant or animal, can communicate with superhuman beings and experience the experience of unity with the Universe. Even today, holotropic therapy is considered one of the best achievements of transpersonal psychology. Having felt such experiences, a person will never become the same again, no, he will not lose himself, on the contrary, he will understand what his true destiny is, and look at the world in a new way.

Transpersonal psychology is a science that studies an altered state of consciousness. Despite the fact that it will never be recognized in the scientific community, it will exist, because a person is not just skin and bones, but also a soul seeking to connect with the Universe.