Transpersonal Issues
Transpersonal psychology is the arena in which psychology and spiritual experience overlap. This is an area of particular interest to me as a psychologist and psychotherapist - my doctoral dissertation was on the topic of mystical experience and mental health.
Transpersonal psychology is concerned with spiritual practices and disciplines, mystical states of consciousness, mindfulness and meditative practices, shamanic states, ritual, nonordinary or paranormal experiences, the overlap of spiritual experience and distressed states such as depression or anxiety, and the transpersonal dimensions of relationships, service, or encounters with the natural world… as well as many other topics.
Transpersonal psychotherapy is the practical application of transpersonal psychology to help clients explore what supports or hinders the growth, healing, unfolding and evolution of consciousness. The transpersonal can be a part of psychotherapy as context (i.e., how therapy is approached), as content (i.e., transpersonal experiences are discussed during therapy), and as the process in therapy (i.e., the client moves beyond previous identifications in a way that can include them).
Clients who might benefit from a transpersonal emphasis would be those who are:
- Pursuing a spiritual discipline or a nontraditional spiritual path and are facing issues of how to integrate that practice into effective functioning in everyday life
- Not sure they can talk about their spiritual practice or nonordinary experiences in the context of a therapy relationship for concern their nontraditional approach or nonordinary experience won’t be validated or understood
- Facing issues of depression, anxiety, loss of meaning, or difficulties in career or relationships – issues that everyone faces – but need an environment where those issues can be dealt with in a transpersonal context
If a transpersonal approach to therapy is important to you, remember that in the proper practice of transpersonal disciplines and psychotherapy, the ego, the personality, one’s everyday life, work, relationships, body and sexuality, are seen as important aspects of one’s whole self. Transpersonal work treats these domains as integral aspects of the great work that embraces spiritual practice and everyday life.
For a longer exploration of this topic, visit the website section on
“Spirit” here.