Developmental Issues in Recovery
Jacqueline Wallen in Addiction in Human Development, 2014
"Transpersonal psychology" represents a further outgrowth of the "third force" in psychology, which explicitly focuses on spiritual development. It is interdisciplinary and integrates traditional spiritual teachings with modern psychology. In contrast to humanistic psychology, this perspective has not yet received official acknowledgement from the American Psychological Association. Transpersonal psychology is an approach to mental health that goes beyond what is commonly accepted as normal to stress the value of transcending the ego to develop higher levels of consciousness (such as "peak" or "plateau" experiences). In a sense, this can be seen as transcending the "social self," shaped through our social experiences, to experience reality as it really is, without imposing our own needs and cognitive categories on it. Some transpersonal psychologists refer to a "Higher Self," or an inner spiritual core, that can be tapped once the "social self" is transcended. The field of transpersonal psychology has special relevance to the field of substance abuse treatment because substance abuse treatment has traditionally stressed participation in Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous, programs that emphasize spirituality as an important element in the process of recovery from dependence on alcohol or drugs.
Management of the complex patien in the pain clinic
Peter Wemyss-Gorman, John D Loeser in Pain, Suffering and Healing, 2018
The French existential philosopher and psychotherapist Julia Kristeva coined the term intertextuality in response to her study of semiotics. She suggests that the meaning of a text is not a simple two-way process between the author and the reader, but that meaning derives from a multiplicity of other texts. Intertextuality has subsequently been used in much wider contexts, and the intertextual space could be considered analogous to the transpersonal space referred to by some psychotherapists. Transpersonal psychology takes into account not only that which is obvious in the here and now, but also that which lies within the realms of the spiritual or higher consciousness. ‘The transpersonal relationship is the timeless facet of the psychotherapeutic relationship, which is impossible to describe, but refers to the spiritual dimension of the healing relationship.’5 Both ‘intertextual’ and ‘transpersonal’ are attempts to define the indefinable, that which falls into the remit of the explanatory gap.
What is the self?
Tamara Ownsworth in Self-Identity after Brain Injury, 2014
Naturally, this book is based on the premise that the self does exist and is an integral part of our humanity. The predominantly Western views reflected in the literature reviewed and my own background is important to acknowledge because notions of self are culturally relative. In spite of this, cross-cultural perspectives recognise a universal tendency for people to seek to grow and fulfil their potential and that this may occur in diverse ways, including personal achievement and the betterment of one's community and culture (Miller, 2006). People's religious beliefs and spirituality are closely tied to their sense of self in this respect. Whilst religion relates to ‘a search for significance in ways related to the sacred’ (Pargament, 1997,p. 32), spirituality is a broader concept that entails fundamental questions about the meaning or purpose of life and ‘transcendence’ of self or one's place in the world (see Collicutt McGrath, 2011). Transpersonal psychology perspectives similarly adopt this view by seeking to understand how a deeper or wider sense of who we are and our humanity can be experienced through connecting with others, nature, spirituality and religion, which is consistent with insights from Eastern traditions (see Jennings, 1999). Research in the burgeoning field of social neuroscience highlights how culture and neurobiology interact to produce our experience of self in the world.
A Study to Assess Home Health Nurses from a Carative Perspective
Published in Hospital Topics, 2019
A caring relationship must be built on an openness to communicate all feelings, both positive and negative, between both parties, and transpersonal caring occurs only when both parties are committed to this openness (Watson 2008). Understanding oneself or being in tune with oneself as well as recognizing one’s impact on others are important aspects of building trust and establishing a caring relationship (Holopaninen, Kasén, and Nyström 2012). For a caring relationship to be achieved, both the patient and the nurse must possess a healthy respect and yearning for the mysteries of life, a desire for internal connection, and the ability to grow and change (Watson 2012). Further, a transpersonal relationship, one in which both parties must transcend their own phenomenological field, or personal experience, and create a union or new phenomenological field (joint experience), must exist for care to be enjoyed (Watson 2012). Such a relationship can occur only between humans who consider care as something that is to be treasured, as a coming together, a union of two people whose mind, soul, and body merge and work together to form a unique moment that is felt and honored by both (Watson 2012).
Does the Homo Hypnoticus Exist? Personality Styles of People Interested in Hypnosis
Published in International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 2020
Cardeña and Terhune (2014) had abandoned this “classic path” and investigated two “transpersonal” personality constructs related to absorption and hypnotizability by using the Boundary Questionnaire (Hartmann, 1991) and the Self-Transcendence Character Scale (Cloninger et al., 1991): In this case, hypnotizability and absorption correlated with “thin personal boundaries” in interpersonal relationships and in states of consciousness, as well as with self-transcendence. Higher scores were found in women both in self-transcendence and hypnotizability. Dasse et al. (2015) also used rather uncommon instruments such as the Magical Ideation Scale (Eckblad & Chapman, 1983) and the Creative Experiences Questionnaire (Merckelbach et al., 2001) and found that individuals with higher hypnotizability scored higher on these two scales. Fantasy proneness, magical thinking, and the ability to transcend personal space are thus obviously connected to hypnotizability but cannot or only partially be measured with the classic personality inventories.
Reflections on What “Art” Does in Art Therapy Practice and Research
Published in Art Therapy, 2019
Creating in community is another global feature of art healing. I have always chosen to work with groups because of the way they can establish a creative slipstream supporting and enhancing artistic expression. Groups also have the ability to cause considerable pain and offense and this negative force is connected to their positive potential when functioning in a life-affirming way. Just about every person that I have engaged has had discouraging past experiences with judgments being made about personal expressions, yet another transpersonal feature of artistic experience. These include limiting ideas about talent, questionable and authoritative attributions of meaning imposed on expressions as described earlier, vulnerability and real fear in relation to being seen as inadequate, and an overall difficulty in appreciating the value of one’s own authentic work. Therefore, the creation of an unconditionally supportive environment for authentic expression tends to be a new experience for most people. The community of creation that is established includes all of the artistic expressions that we make and the studio spaces that hold the work. Group leadership that combines the sanctity of these individual differences together with a common purpose is a proven and action-based model for realizing our contemporary commitment to creating more inclusive communities.
Related Knowledge Centers
- Humanistic Psychology
- Worldview
- Psychology
- Psyche
- Transpersonal Psychology
- Near-Death Studies
- Analytical Psychology