What does the field of Transpersonal Psychology hope to accomplish? Why does it expand upon previous definitions of psychology as a whole?

-- Alex Durkin (adurkin@gonzaga.edu), January 12, 2000

Answers

My experience as a transpersonal psychotherapist has shown me that an "expanded" approach allows people to redefine and broaden their understandings of themselves. When we start to include "anomalous" experiences such as near-death, past-life, or mystical experiences, etc. we open ourselves to a much broader, richer and more mysterious reality than the physical and emotional. Recognizing such states as valuable forms of self-exploration and understanding, rather than dismissing them as hallucinations or delusions (as the more conventional forms of psych tend to do), can lead to a profound sense of connection and participation with all of creation. Such experience can remove much of the separateness, alienation and dissociation common in modern society. On a personal, pragmatic level, this type of realization often leads to profound improvements in perception and behavior. Transpersonal psychology serves as the structural framework by which such experience can be understood and interpreted.

-- Andre Virly (dancemtn@seanet.com), January 20, 2000.