Beyond the Ego: Toward Transpersonal Models of the Person and Psychotherapy

Abstract

THE PERSON AND PSYCHOTHERAPY 1 ROGER N. WALSH first became interested in humanistic and transpersonal psychology as a result of his experience in therapy and meditation. His personal and research interests include the nature of psychological health, meditation, transpersonal psychology and psychotherapy, and environmental influences on brain development. He holds an MD and PhD, is on the faculty of the Psychiatry Department of the University of Callfornia Medical School at Irvine, and fonnerly held the position of trapeze artist in Wirth-Coles Circus. FRANCES VAUGHAN has been actively involved with humanistic and transpersonal psychology for the past fifteen years. SUMMARY All psychologies posit either explicit or implicit models of the person which shape perception, organize experience, and determine methods of inquiry.

Spirituality and Counselor Competence: A National Survey of American Counseling Association Members

“…With this approach, knowledge about spirituality and counseling is infused into the eight core CACREP curricular areas (human growth and development, social and cultural foundations, helping relationships, group work, career and lifestyle development, appraisal, research and program evaluation, and professional orientation), as suggested by Burke et al Second, there is a need for research that demonstrates how counselors can objectively evaluate the role of spirituality and/or religion in clients' issues as well as determine appropriate means for drawing on the existing spiritual assets of a particular client to facilitate therapeutic change. There are models that describe how spirituality fits with the overall psychological functioning of the individual, including Psychosynthesis (Firman & Vargiu, 1996), Wellness (Chandler, Holden, & Kolander, 1992), and Transpersonal (Walsh & Vaughn, 1996). However, there is a need for empirical research to substantiate these constructs.…”

Psychosis or Spiritual Emergency: The Potential of Developmental Psychopathology for Differential Diagnosis

“…Spiritual experiences are not rare, with five to forty percent of the general population reporting having had at least one spiritual or mystical experience (Allman et al, 1992;Davis & Smith, 1985;Greeley, 1974;Ring, 1985;Thomas & Cooper, 1978). Indeed, spiritual practices such as prayer, meditation, or entheogen use are associated with increased numbers of spiritual or mystical experiences (e.g., Lyvers & Meester, 2012;Walsh & Vaughan, 1991), and the occurrence of these experiences is correlated with wellbeing (e.g., Griffiths et al, 2011;Griffiths, Richards, Johnson, McCann, & Jesse, 2008;Griffiths, Richards, McCann, & Jesse, 2006;Hood, 1977;Maslow, 1994).…”

Awakening to the Transpersonal Paradigm: Discerning Transcendent Experiences From Pathology

“…Social workers who lack knowledge of the transpersonal paradigm may therefore interpret such experiences as mental dysfunction, confusing genuine experiences of self-transcendence with regressive pathology, to the detriment of the client (Walsh & Vaughan, 1980;Vaughan, 1991;Canda, 1988b;Cowley, 1993). Cowley (2001:81) noted that there is a "proclivity among mental health professionals to view mystical experience as psychotic episodes".…”

“…Transpersonal experiences that do not contain features of psychopathology therefore need to be seen in the context of the client's spiritual development journey and affirmed as such. There is evidence that recognising, owning, honouring and sharing exceptional human experiences are beneficial to an individual's health, psychological wellbeing, relationships, lifestyle and philosophy (Braud, 1998;White, 1998;Walsh & Vaughan, 1980;Driver, 1991).…”