Transpersonal Psychology

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With transpersonal psychology a number of different content psychological approaches are referred to with the experience altered states of consciousness deal. It is about grasping psychological states outside of the usual "normal" waking consciousness. That is why ecstasy , spiritual experiences and borderline experiences are the focus of interest. The transpersonal psychology and the transpersonal psychotherapy based on it want to expand the classical approaches of psychology and psychotherapy to include philosophical, religious and spiritual aspects. To describe and explain changed states of consciousness and the corresponding experience, the various approaches of transpersonal psychology also refer to genuinely religious ideas, namely aspects of Zen Buddhism , Sufism and Hinduism . Western psychology approaches are also used.

Content

Transpersonal psychology developed in part from other psychological schools such as psychoanalysis , behaviorism , humanistic psychology , prenatal psychology and psychedelic research. Transpersonal psychology tries to describe spiritual experiences and to integrate them into existing, modern psychological theoretical approaches. Various conceptions within the transpersonal psychological approaches presuppose that a kind of soul exists that can store experiences materially and temporally independently of the body, even from the time before conception. This idea expresses the adjective "transpersonal". Trans-personal says v. a. also spaces of experience beyond the everyday self-awareness and the personal character structure.

According to its own self-image, transpersonal psychology is partly outside the canon of the classical sciences and thus also of psychology as an empirical science. She regards the scientific approach as one metaphysics among many and advocates a far-reaching methodological pluralism . She is also open to so-called paranormal phenomena, which are examined by parapsychology .

According to its own understanding, transpersonal psychology examines states of consciousness “beyond” ( trans ) personal experience. Such experiences are circumscribed using terms that emphasize the prominent experience. These conceptual fields come from the areas

John J. Miller assumes that Western psychology has a tendency to neglect the spiritual dimension of the human psyche, although, for example, in the work of Carl Jung, corresponding aspects are taken into account.

The image of man in transpersonal psychology is similar to that of humanistic psychology, which also puts holistic development at the center of its considerations. In the course of his research on self-actualized people and peak experiences, Maslow found that mentally particularly healthy people tend to have “mystical experiences”, which in turn expanded his hierarchy of needs and later led to a seminal meeting with Stanislav Grof. At the end of his life, Maslow realized that beyond the classic satisfaction of needs (cf., Plato / Lujo Brentano ) and self-realization, there was still another stage of development required: that of self-transcendence (and thus an opening of the heart of consciousness in the sense of all life). This transpersonal quality goes hand in hand with what Aldous Huxley called “ Philosophia perennis ” - the eternal essence of all wisdom teachings and spiritual traditions, which is identical to the highest reality of all being. In the “Psychology of Being” Maslow wrote of the recognition of true being, which is based on total attention - comparable to the present-focused perception of a meditator:

“Since the whole of being is perceived, all those laws apply that would be valid if the whole cosmos could be grasped at once. This perception is in sharp contrast to normal perception. Here you pay attention to the object at the same time as everything else that is relevant. "

Emergence

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The term was coined by representatives of humanistic psychology in the USA in the late 1960s . The term “transhumanist” was originally used, but was then discarded in favor of the term “transpersonal”. The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology first appeared in 1969 .

The main founders and theorists of transpersonal psychology were and are Stanislav Grof , Anthony Sutich , Frances Vaughan , Roger Walsh , Abraham Maslow , Ronald D. Laing , Charles Tart , Roberto Assagioli and Ken Wilber . In Europe, elements of the analytical psychology by Carl Gustav Jung , the logotherapy founded by Viktor Emil Frankl and the initiatic therapy founded by Karlfried Graf Dürckheim have been integrated into transpersonal psychology.

Therapeutic methods

In transpersonal psychotherapy , in addition to elements of various therapy methods, primarily meditative and hypnotic techniques as well as methods of body therapy , the initiatic therapy of Graf Dürckheim , holotropic breathing , psycholytic psychotherapy , shamanic techniques and other spiritual techniques are used. This should make consciousness-expanding experiences possible, which then have a lasting effect on people's lives. Furthermore, the transpersonal psychology - v. a. with the emergence of the so-called "Spiritual Emergence Network (SEN)" - used internationally for the accompaniment of so-called "spiritual crises" (after Stanislav Grof / Christina Grof). In Germany it has existed since 1993 as a registered non-profit association with a corresponding statute. In general, anyone interested can be a member and take part in self-help groups, projects, congresses and other activities of the association. The aim of the association is to accompany individual or small groups on the spiritual path and in case of any crises. Such spiritual crises can arise on the one hand in the spiritual practice itself (improper guidance or insufficient internal preparation and psychological stability of the person concerned), on the other hand they can also arise through spontaneous spiritual experiences (e.g. paranormal experiences, near death experiences or sudden awakening of the " Kundalini energy ", which those affected cannot classify in their worldview.). In addition, spiritual crises can arise in connection with almost any difficult situation (conflicts with or loss of work, life partner, health, dealing with one's own mortality, etc.). Theoretically, the association's activities relate to transpersonal psychology and therapy, a form of psychology that takes the religious dimension of the soul seriously again. Pioneers and classics of transpersonal psychology include CG Jung, R. Assagioli, Graf Dürckheim, S. Grof, K. Wilber.

criticism

On the part of scientific psychology, transpersonal psychology is either mostly ignored or viewed critically because of the combination of spiritual and psychological concepts. Its methodology, content and the therapies based on it are often rejected by therapists from other therapy schools, for example by the deceased cognitive therapist and founder of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REVT) Albert Ellis .

In particular, critics criticize a partial rejection of scientific methods of gaining knowledge, a naive romanticization of Eastern traditional psychology and some arguments by Ken Wilber.

literature

Web links

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  1. ^ Kriz, Jürgen, Transpersonal Psychology. In: Roland Asanger, Gerd Wenninger (Ed.) Handwortbuch Psychologie. Keyword transpersonal psychology (author Jürgen Kriz). Psychologie Verlag Union, pp. 797–802. 1992 (p. 797)
  2. ↑ Jörg Fuhrmann: Grofs Perinatal Matrices, Birth Trauma & Prenatal Psychology. In: freiraum-Institut. Retrieved March 3, 2020 .
  3. ↑ Jorge N. Ferrer: Transpersonal Psychology, Science, and the Supernatural. In: Journal of Transpersonal Psychology. 46 (2), 2014, pp. 152-186.
  4. ^ Douglas A. MacDonald, Harris L. Friedman, Transpersonal Psychology, Parapsychology, and Neurobiology: Clarifying their Relations. In: International Journal of Transpersonal Studies. 31 (1), 2012, pp. 49-60.
  5. ^ John J. Miller, Book Review: Textbook of Transpersonal Psychiatry and Psychology. In: Psychiatric Services. 49, April 1998, pp. 541-542.
  6. ^ Kriz, Jürgen, Transpersonal Psychology. In: Roland Asanger, Gerd Wenninger (Ed.) Handwortbuch Psychologie. Keyword transpersonal psychology (author Jürgen Kriz). Psychologie Verlag Union, pp. 797–802. 1992 (p. 797)
  7. ^ Jörg Fuhrmann: Background & Philosophy of Transpersonal Psychology. In: freiraum-Institut. Retrieved March 3, 2020 .
  8. ↑ a b c Harald Walach, Niko Kohls and Wilfried Belschner: Transpersonal Psychology - Psychology of Consciousness: Chances and Problems , (PDF file), Psychother Psych Med 2005; 55: 405 ± 415
  9. ^ Roger N. Walsh, Frances Vaugham: Psychology in the turn . Scherz, Munich 1985, ISBN 3-502-13818-4 , p. 12 ff.
  10. ^ Spiritual Emergence Network (SEN) Germany. SEN eV, accessed on March 3, 2020 .
  11. ^ Albert Ellis, Raymond J. Yeager: Why some therapies don't work: The dangers of transpersonal psychology. Prometheus Books, Amhearst, New York, USA 1989, ISBN 0-87975-471-0 .