User Contributed Dictionary
Translations
transcends the personal
- Italian: transpersonale
Extensive Definition
The term Transpersonal is often used to refer to
psychological categories that transcend the normal features of
ordinary ego-functioning. That is, stages of psychological growth,
or stages of consciousness, that move
beyond the rational and
precedes the mystical.
The term is highly associated with the work of Abraham
Maslow and his understanding of "peak
experiences", and was first adapted by the human
potential movement in the 1960's.
Among the psychologial sciences that have studied
transpersonal phenomena we find the schools of Transpersonal
psychology, Humanistic
psychology and Near-Death
Studies. Among the forerunners to the development of
transpersonal theory we find, the school of Psychosynthesis
(founded by Roberto
Assagioli), and the Analytical
school of C.G Jung.
In integral
theory, transpersonal refers to stages of
human development through which a person's self-awareness
extends beyond the personal. Integral theorists
include Ken Wilber,
Michael
Murphy, Michael
Washburn, Allan Combs,
Jean
Gebser, Don Beck, and
Clare
Graves. The work of all of these theorists is inspired, in
varying degrees, by the writings of the Hindu philosopher Sri
Aurobindo.
Transpersonal Goals
As is embedded in the concept of personal
growth by the
transpersonal movement, personal goal
achievement will necessarily involve the possibility of an
arational mutation of the relationship between the subject and
his/her goal. That this may occur in the process of realisation. It
may also be embedded in the transpersonal
movement that such a mutation will cause a cultural
change that may be termed as an panepidemic memetic flu or a cultural and
rhizomatic virus project.
Transpersonal States
Transpersonal psychology considers the concept of
transpersonal states of awareness. Stanislav
Grof defines these: "The common denominator of this otherwise
rich and ramified group of phenomena is the feeling of the
individual that his consciousness expanded beyond the usual ego
boundaries and the limitations of time and space." [1] These
include mystical states
and near-death
experiences also subject to the psychology
of religion. The idea of altered 'states' of awareness is
pivotal to this research. The conceptualisation, and other
signifying processes of altered forms of awareness are studied in
transpersonal psychology. Transpersonal psychotherapy consists of
moving between these states,and learning techniques for
disassembling and reassembling on different states/situations of
altered realitymontage for the purpose of healing, which can be
brought about by transpersonal psychotechnologies. This clarifies
one of transpersonal psychology's roots in early psychedelic work,
some of these psychotechnologies include research with psychedelic
plants and chemicals such as LSD, ibogaine, ketamine, peyote, ayahuasca and the vast variety
of substances available to all human cultures throughout
history.[2] See: "Part III. Transpersonal Dimensions of Healing
with Psychedelic States" Vol. 2. It can also be said that the
attempts by transpersonal psychology is an intercultural approach to
medicine and etnobiology understood as a
discourse raised from the academic community of the globalised
university sector of
knowledge production encountering the so called herbalist shaman or alchemist.
References
1. Grof, Stanislav. (1975, 1993). Realms of the Human Unconscious: Observations from LSD Research. New York: Viking, London: Souvenir Press.2. Winkelman, Michael J, and Thomas B. Roberts
(editors) (2007). Psychedelic Medicine: New Evidence for
Hallucinogens as Treatments Westport, CT: Praeger/Greenwood.
See also
transpersonal in Spanish: Transpersonal
transpersonal in Russian:
Трансперсональное