Transpersonal Perspectives in Psychotherapy

Abstract

Emerging paradigms m tran~per~ona1 psychotherapy are discussed m relation to values and attitudes of the therapist and the place of transpersonal experience m the growth process, which goes beyond self actuahzation to self-transcendence. When a therapist is identified as havmg a transpersonal orientation, it may be assumed that he/she affirms the validity and importance of the spiritual quest and supports the mtegration of spirit, mmd, emotion, and body It is also assumed that the transpersonal therapist is on his/her own path, and that he/she values and supports the process of transpersonal realization Transpersonal therapy is not identified with specific techniques, but three distmct stages of therapy are defined The first stage of identification is concerned with tasking responsibility for oneself and owning one's body, emotions, and thoughts The second stage, paradoxically, is one of disidentification, m which consciousness is differentiated from its contents The individual learns to disidentify from the ego and self-concepts derived from roles, possessions, activities, and relationships The third stage is described as self-transcendence, in which concern with self-improvement is replaced by concern with service and the quality of life The emergence of meanmg on a new level of consciousness is characteristic of the third stage This article does not attempt a definition of transpersonal psychotherapy It is a discussion of current issues m an expanding field which hopefully will stimulate further exploration