Transpersonal Psychology

Transpersonal Psychology is both new and old at the same time. It is relatively new as a school of psychology, but it is old in the sense that it looks to ancient World Wisdom traditions for spiritual knowledge. The central question that this course asks is, "What is Transpersonal Psychology, and what distinguishes it from the former psychological traditions?" In this investigation, we will use academic inquiry and meditative contemplation to determine what qualities and characteristics need to be present in order for something to be considered transpersonal, and why it is part of the human condition to look beyond the personal, individual dimensions of reality to transpersonal realms of existence. In this marriage of psychology and spirituality, students will be introduced to the fundamental concepts, approaches, practices and theories that have contributed to the maturation process of transpersonal psychology as a field of study. A few of the theorists in this tradition that we will study from are: John Welwood, A. H. Almaas, Michael Washburn, Ken Wilber, Stanislov Grof, and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. In this exploration, there will be an emphasis on the core principles of transpersonal psychology expressed as: the limitlessness of human potential, the innate desire for transformation, and the necessity for an embodied integration of psycho-spiritual experiences. Sally Johnson