What is Transpsersonal Pyschology?

Final Self-Reflection Paper
Closing Seminar


When I began my studies at ITP, I truly had no real idea what Transpersonal Psychology was. I only knew that the material in the information package I received from the Institute resonated within me at an intuitive level that I was hard-pressed to explain to others, and defining transpersonal psychology for those unfamiliar with the field is difficult even now. However, the module work has increased my understanding of transpersonal psychology dramatically. The experiential nature of much of the work involved in each course allows us to incorporate the knowledge more deeply into our beings; this has been my experience, at least.
In reviewing my past work, I found some reflections that still accurately, although admittedly far from completely knowledgably, explain my understanding of what this mysterious and wonderful field of study is. The field of transpersonal psychology seems to be a fluid, evolving area of study which embraces both traditional and non-traditional healing modalities in the pursuit of human and planetary health and wholeness. Transpersonal psychology, by its ever-changing nature, is actually rather difficult to define, let alone describe to others. It is mysterious, scholarly, and esoteric. Because nothing is considered unworthy of study, the potential for discovery is great. While the field has rigorous academic and research standards, the boundaries are less rigid—it is acknowledged that many things are connected at most levels; one can specialize but can also stay open to new ideas from many different aspects of the field.



Because of the fluid nature of the field of transpersonal psychology, this openness to possibilities for learning is what attracts most students to the field. Personally, the intuitive sense that there is more to myself and this world is what brought me to this area of study without really knowing much about it. I simply had an impression of being able to learn through the vast work of others, which did not dismiss the mystery and beauty of all aspects of humanity, both the light and darker sides to us all. I was most pleasantly (although why I cannot now imagine) surprised at the study and dedication to ecology.
In addition to the wide-open possibilities for academic study, is the possibility for personal growth and healing that the study of transpersonal psychology may bring. I must acknowledge that was an impetus for me. Having had the opportunity to speak with others about this subject, I feel safe in asserting that many people are attracted to both of these possibilities. Because I believe that most people, in various ways, are only seeking wholeness, the study of transpersonal psychology seems to be offering me ways to facilitate that for first myself and then others.
While I wrote some of these reflections earlier in the year, I am still of the same opinion. I believe that this course of study does indeed facilitate the journey toward personal integration and wholeness. I know that I have grown tremendously throughout this first year of study. Many of my long-held negative beliefs about myself have been, and continue to be, challenged.
Indeed, one important area of growth toward a healthy sense of self and wholeness this past year for me has been around my attitude toward my body image.
Many of the activities have challenged me to accept and love my body as it is and realize that it is only one small aspect of who I truly am. I have learned to revere my body as the sturdy vehicle for my spirit that it is and not worry so much about how society-at-large perceives it.
For me, the meditation and body awareness practices have been invaluable. Before practicing activities such as standing meditation, body check ins, and learning to appreciate my body through them, I “beat myself up” and devalued myself often because of faults that I believed that I had based on our media-driven societal standards. Before this course of study, I used to stuff everything that hurt me down, and feel smaller and uglier and absolutely “own” it all—without learning any useful lessons. However, I realized while practicing that I was still basing my sense of self-worth on other’s reactions to me. While I have not entirely lost the socialization of my local culture and the religion of my childhood, I have achieved a sense of embodied worth and acceptance of myself—body included. Do I feel completely strong, beautiful, and “above” the hurt because of the epiphany? No, I do not—yet. With the many small “aha” moments though, I have learned that I have to work on finding my own value, based on what I think is important—not the unrealistic expectations of amorphous “others.” This acceptance and love of my physical self has been a theme that has resurfaced for me throughout my year of study.
A second theme, closely related to the above body acceptance issue, has been learning to accept and embrace the aging process. While this may seem superficial and unrelated to spirituality at first glance, it is very much tied into my ability to embrace the divine within me. Through some of the module work specifically tied into spiritual perspectives and later, the introduction to theory modules, I came to re-engage my love of and exploration of Goddess spirituality, which I plan to continue—as time permits at present. There is much work done around the goddess trilogy, and I was particularly taken with the crone aspect—both taken with it and resistant to it.
However, during an exploration of my rather narrow vision of what “being crone” has to offer I realized that embracing such a path is perhaps what is needed as an alternative viewpoint: a vision that women can embrace and use as a means of transcending the cultural imperative of youthful beauty. For some women, exploring the goddess mythologies and most particularly the crone aspect can supply a different, more powerful meaning to being a “middle-aged” woman. The goddess mythologies provide a more in-depth and comprehensive view of femininity in all stages; the crone phase of the life of a woman does not have to be one of fading beauty, sexuality, or power. This was a very powerful exercise for me and impacted me deeply enough that I have made the decision to study these areas as my electives in my second year at ITP. Additionally, this avenue is one that I hope to incorporate into my future professional life and utilize to help other women embrace themselves joyfully at any stage of life. This work has helped me begin the journey to solidifying my professional direction.
This year of study has helped me cultivate a more positive and embodied sense of physical self, which in turn has helped me grow emotionally. I have become increasingly cognizant of how thoroughly I believed that my happiness depended on how other people viewed me. As I have moved from focusing on the exterior to looking within not only myself but others, my ability to know joy has increased tremendously. I have learned (and this is a continuing process) to honor the beauty of spirit. I find that relating to other people in this manner is much more satisfying and creates meaningful interactions.
I do not believe that interactions with my family, friends, co-workers, and acquaintances have had the depth they could have in past years because of the superficial level that I often functioned at. It is never pleasant to admit such things but as I have grown in mind/body/spirit it becomes easier. In fact, looking at oneself with courage and honesty seems to be a natural outcome of working through the material in the modules, at least it is for me.
As the courage to look honestly and deeply at my limitations and challenge my pre-conceived ideas about myself and subsequent misconceptions about others has grown, I have become increasingly cognizant of a narrowness of vision regarding acceptance and spirituality in general. Two themes have emerged in this area of my life and studies: First, I have had to work through my distaste for mainstream Christianity and my crippling intolerance toward it, and second; my own growing awareness of my sense of the spiritual in connection to nature and the environment.
I have come to realize that my childhood religious experiences have created prejudices that color my ability to truly embrace tolerance. Many of the articles in the modules helped me work through any lingering anger and intolerance. My introduction to the Christian mystics was an eye-opening and lovely surprise. I was amazed at how fresh the thinking seemed. My world view has expanded, and I have new avenues of spirituality to explore; the material resonated deeply. Interestingly, I learned of the mystics at precisely the right time to help one of my students at work who was struggling with spiritual confusion. It was a moment of wonderful serendipity!
The second theme regarding my emerging spirituality was my connection to the natural world. While I most certainly am learning to embrace all manifestations of the divine, the natural world is still what thrills me most and where I feel most at peace. However, during an exploration of nature and my ability to stay centered and connected to spirit, I had to look at just why I needed external stimuli to access my most essential self. This thought process was prompted by an email conversation with a former professor which took my thoughts to environmentalism and spirituality. We were discussing construction dumping in environments that are considered “disposable environments” (my term) such as the desert which is thought to have little intrinsic or aesthetic value; I began to feel a real sense of panic about the disappearing landscape. If my spirituality is tied to the environment so firmly, what happens to my sense of the sacred if the symbols start becoming less accessible? Do I stop feeling spiritual? Do I somehow just shift my focus? Can that even be done easily?
These questions gave me serious pause. I had to reassess whether my spirituality was coming from my interior self or induced by outside stimuli. The more I thought about it the more I became convinced that I could feel a sense of connectedness regardless of where I am—inside or outside. Do I feel the same sense of wonder that sun shining on green grass can create within me in my office? Not as viscerally but the memory can bring a semblance of it to my day. I still believe that some places can facilitate a sense of the sacred more readily than others, but this is likely to be different for everyone. For me, it is necessary to have the splendor of beautiful natural settings to feel fully connected the universe, my fellow beings, and myself. I also believe that there are natural settings in which the veil between the sacred or universe and humans is thinner or more permeable.
However, I am finding that as I explore my most essential energy and work toward integration of mind/body/spirit that I can maintain my center more readily wherever I am. This has been a journey that has been difficult and joyful—sometimes at the same time! One very important lesson I have learned over this past year is to be gentle with myself regarding my spirituality and practices. I am still in the process of learning how to simply “be” with my sense of the divine and not perceive it as “work” to be done. For me, an overall acceptance of myself and learning to embrace my emerging spiritual nature with tenderness has been one of the most personally fulfilling aspects of this educational journey.
Another wonderful and terrifying aspect of the journey has been an opening of my heart. As I have progressed through the module work and creative exercises, I have felt my ability to open to and trust in others increase. This hard shell of self-protection has long been in place within my being and has impacted my emotional well-being. I fear that many of my relationships have suffered because of such a closed off heart. I mentioned that I have found it terrifying to feel so vulnerable and open but it has been worth confronting. My personal and professional relationships are more satisfying. My interactions with significant others are much healthier. For the first time in my life, I am in a healthy, loving relationship with honest, tender person; I do not think I would have recognized the inner-beauty of spirit and integrity that this person embodies before undergoing such personal growth.
Not only has my heart and spirit evolved but also my intellectual understanding of transpersonal psychology. The theory class gave me a basic understanding of the various veins of traditional psychology that underpin the more expansive field of transpersonal psychology. It was in this module that I became aware that there were so many diverse directions that the transpersonal can take. I was particularly taken with Buddhist psychology and the emphasis on wholeness rather than psychosis, which is quite different from mainstream psychology. I have only recently become interested in Hakomi therapy and would like an opportunity to learn more about this modality in the future. The emphasis on the whole person and focus on wellness resonates with me as I must be honest: I have no desire to sort out deeply entrenched issues in the psyche of others. While this may seem uncaring, it is honest, and I find that I am defining my goals more clearly and with greater courage.
Another theory or element of personality that particularly resonated within me is Sufi psychology. There is a beauty and elegance in the teaching stories and in the exercises that appeals to the aesthetic in me. Additionally, most of the dynamics of growth make not only intuitive sense but psychological sense as well. The practicality of Sufism combined with the beauty of it aligns so well with the aspect of my personality that loves order. For me, the idea of Nafs or ego selves makes perfect sense and also fits neatly with what I know of present psychology. I have been thinking a great deal about the Key and the Light exercise I was introduced to in the theory module. It made me think of being fearful of looking deeply into oneself and how often that is the case for me; I find it beautiful and useful—and I simply love stories!
Learning about theory was truly a great deal of fun for me! I enjoyed the academic pursuit of studying mainstream theorists and applying the concepts transpersonally. I have become particularly interested in further study of Adler, Maslow, and especially William James; I find many aspects of their theories of personality and life stages relevant to my personal and professional life. By gaining a rudimentary knowledge of these theorists, I have been able to better engage with my psychologist colleagues at work. I have had excellent and informative conversations with the therapists at the residential treatment center where I am currently employed. I also have an opportunity to work with one of the psychologists on her second thesis and what I have learned is already proving useful. Combining the spiritual and the theoretical has been a professionally sound decision although I do have to be cautious when discussing religions/spiritual topics at work.
This has been a rewarding, joyful, and enlightening year for me—and long, difficult, and soul-searing as well. I have run the gamut of emotional states! When I began this course of study, I was unsure of whether I was even capable of engaging my heart in the process let alone developing a true connection to spirit. I was very critical and hard on myself and viewed many of the early exercises as work to be gotten through. As I navigated the unfamiliar territory of my own connection to my most essential self and to spirit through reading, creative expression, and experiential activities, I have begun to trust the process and myself. This is powerful stuff indeed! I am well aware that this is a life-long process and journey, which I now know I am equipped to take!
Throughout this sometimes painful journey, my mentor has been invaluable to my process. She has helped me to clarify my sometimes jumbled and confused thinking by pointing out other view points and additional material to read. I learned a great deal from her about how to be gentle with myself as I learn to practice. It has been an instructive and pleasurable experience working with her. While the learning has been my own, I have had an excellent guide throughout the rough patches—and there have been many of those. I have had many dark moments of self-doubt and angst during a number of the exercises and some of the readings left me breathless after contemplating them. My mentor has given me excellent feedback (and yes, had me rewrite several confused papers!) and I am indebted to her.