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THE TRANSPERSONAL PERSPECTIVE By Franklin S. Takei, Ph.D. In recent years, the transpersonal perspective bas received considerable attention by scholars and thinkers inasmuch as some of the most fundamental questions of human existence are raised and answered by this perspective: I) what is the elationship of the personal to the transpersonal, 2) what is the relationship of self to spirit, and 3) what is the nature of this relationship. WORKING DEFINITION OF THE TRANSPERSONAL PERSPECTIVE The transpersonal perspective can be understood as the merging of the wisdom of the world's spiritual traditions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam and the Primal Religions), with some of the philosophical (Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, Kant, Hegel, Kierkegaard, Whitehead, Heidegger) and psychological (Jungian, Humanistic, Existential) schools of the West. In response to the question, "who am I?" the world's spiritual traditions look deep within and respond, "a spiritual being, a soul," and religious practices are the means by which the spiritual traditions seek to connect to this deeper identity within. On the other hand, the philosophical and psychological schools of the west have responded with diverse answers such as the "soul," "self," "ego," "authentic self," "personhood." While the philosophical schools have generally been content to present a cognitive articulation of this entity , the psychological schools have endeavored to connect with this entity by means of depth psychotherapy. The Transpersonal Perspective, thus, is the endeavor to put the responses of the spiritual traditions and the philosophical/psychological schools together by means of a new creative synthesis and connect it to "human consciousness"- a term which now embodies spiritual, philosophical and psychological significance. In moving beyond the confines of the self, "consciousness" is seen to open up into ranges of .experience which go far beyond Freud's initial formulations of id, ego and superego. "Consciousness" is seen to be a vast multi-dimensional existence wherever new aspects of Being are manifested. This collective wisdom speaks of all existence as one vast, spiritual reality. All human beings, as well as all other entities, partake of this spiritual reality. Our self, our philosophical/psychological existence, is described by these spiritual traditions as the most visible, surface expression of a fundamentally spiritual essence--the ground of our being. Any explanation, philosophical or psychological, that considers only the outward empirical appearance of things will inevitably fall short. Just as certain philosophical schools and depth psychology look past the surface to discover a dynamic reality of which people are generally unaware, so the teachings of the spiritual traditions point to a supreme and ultimately spiritual source of consciousness that supports this outer empirical existence we call our "self." Another approach to defining the transpersonal perspective takes us to the meaning of the word "transpersonal." According to Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, the prefix trans has two definitions: a) the first definition pertains to "above and beyond," as in transcendent God, a reality beyond the spatio-temporal reality .The second definition pertains to "across" or "to the other side of," as in a transcontinental flight. Both of these means of trans are appropriate in defining the transpersonal perspective. The definition of transpersonal as "beyond the personal" is the meaning which was initially emphasized during the formative years of the transpersonal perspective. Indeed, sometimes the transpersonal perspective is thought of exclusively in terms of what is beyond the personal, including such issues as mystical experience, altered states of consciousness, kundalini experiences, extra-sensory experiences, shamanic journeying, unitive states, near-death experiences, etc. While these phenomena form a significant part of the transpersonal perspective, they are becoming less of a focus as the transpersonal perspective has recently moved toward a more complete view that seeks to find the sacred in the daily, ordinary life and consciousness in which most people live. The definition of trans as "across" also applies, since the transpersonal perspective moves across the personal realm, acknowledging and continuing to explore all aspects of the self and endeavoring to place this personal realm in a larger framework. Thus, the self is still very much the focus in psychotherapy, but by moving across traditional and conventional parameters of the self, it is brought to the larger spiritual context. The individual self moves out of its existential vacuum and into a wider dimension to which the world's spiritual traditions point. So, taking these two meanings of "beyond" and "across," the literal meaning of transpersonal includes both the personal and what is beyond it. The transpersonal perspective studies how the spiritual is expressed in and through the personal, as a well as the transcendence of the self. THE THEORY OF THE TRANSPERSONAL PERSPECTIVE The transpersonal perspective received its initial articulation by thinkers and scholars in the field of psychology - Carl Jung, Robert Assagioli, Ken Wilber, Stansilav Grof - among others. They recognized the limitations of the field of psychology and sought insights and teachings from the spiritual traditions and certain philosophical schools of the west. The transpersonal perspective is not a unified system of thought. It is still quite new, with many different formulations and syntheses, and it has much unexplored territory .It is also important to recognize that the theory of the transpersonal perspective, like all theory, is but a way of organizing our experience of reality; it is not that reality itself. Despite the fact that the transpersonal perspective is still in its formative stages, it has nevertheless undergone a historical development. The first two decades of writings in the field were largely focused on what might be called the "high end" of human experiencing. An excerpt from the statement of purpose of the first Journal of Transpersonal Psychology serves to illustrate this: The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology is concerned with the publication of theoretical and applied research, original contributions, empirical papers, articles and studies in meta-needs, ultimate values, unitive consciousness, peak experience, ecstasy, mystical experience, B-values, essence, bliss, awe, wonder, self-actualization, ultimate meaning, transcendence of the self, spirit, sacralization of everyday life, oneness, cosmic awareness, cosmic play, individual and species-wide synergy , maximal interpersonal encounter, transcendental phenomenon, maximal sensory awareness, responsiveness and expression, and related concepts, experiences and activities (Sutich, 1969, p.16). By bringing attention to these experiences, the transpersonal perspective has helped to bring about a major paradigm shift away from the traditional scientific, naturalistic, Cartesian worldview toward a more holistic, spiritual perspective. It has also affirmed spiritual seeking as an essential aspect of human motivation. Seeking for the Divine, whether called God, Brahman, Buddha-nature, Reality, Being, Truth, Love, or anything else, has been a major aspiration and force in all " cultures and periods of history , yet it has been virtually ignored by traditional philosophy and psychology .The transpersonal perspective brought this central motivating force into the center of awareness. Religion may be viewed as the organized, established structures associated with organized religion which some people find great meaning, but which others do not. Spirituality is the soul's free quest for the divine and often is not affiliated with a traditional organized religion. More recently, there has been a shift in the transpersonal perspective as to how the spiritual is expressed in everyday life. It has become clear that the transpersonal, perspective must include the whole - not just the high end of human experience but the very personal realm of ordinary consciousness as well. With this larger viewpoint, we assume a different perspective even in the exploration of the "lower-end" of human functioning and psychopathology .Thus, psychosis can be seen to be more than just pathological. It can also be viewed as a psychic opening to vast cosmic forces and presents a possibility for spiritual emergence and psychological healing. The importance of theory is that it is the overarching framework that defines the transpersonal perspective. Transpersonal content often never arises in transpersonal education or therapy, yet the meaning-giving framework provides the transpersonal orientation. The transpersonal perspective lies not in what the teacher or the therapist says or does, but in that silent frame that operates behind the teacher's or the therapist's actions, however, informing and giving meaning to specific situations. UNDERLYING PRINCIPLES While there are many different perspectives within the transpersonal perspective, there are some underlying principles that unite these different perspectives: 1. Our essential nature is spiritual. The transpersonal perspective affirms that certain schools of philosophy and psychology in the West are correct about the nature of human existence: our being is both psychological, philosophical and spiritual in nature. The transpersonal perspective, however, gives primacy to the spiritual source which supports and upholds the psychological and philosophical structures of the self. 2. Consciousness is multi-dimensional. Within the traditional fields of psychology and to some degree of philosophy, individuals with experience other than the ordinary were viewed as "demon possessed," "mentally ill," or simply dismissed as "fantasies." Careful study of the spiritual traditions, researches into so-called "altered states" demonstrate that the normal, ordinary consciousness most people experience is but the outward tip of consciousness. Spiritual experiences often thrust the person into realms and states of expanded consciousness that reveal how limited and restricted normal consciousness is. Investigations show the truth of the wisdom traditions, the cosmic connectedness of all beings, the unity within outward diversity, the subtle realms and levels of consciousness which are more open to the clarity, peace, light, love, knowledge, and power behind this physical manifestation. To exclude any of these dimensions leads to an impoverished theory of consciousness. 3. Human beings have valid urges toward spiritual seeking, expressed as a search for wholeness through deepening individual, social, and transcendent awareness. The search for wholeness, which is one way of viewing Maslow' s research into the hierarchy of needs (Maslow, 1968, 1970, 1971), takes the individual into increasing levels of self-discovery , actualization, and seeking for transcendence. The transpersonal vision sees this entire drama in the context of a larger quest for spiritual union. Not only is spiritual seeking healthy, it is essential for full human health and fulfillment. 4. Contacting a deeper source of wisdom and guidance within is both possible and helpful to growth. Certain schools of philosophy and psychotherapy in the West seek to uncover a deeper source of guidance than the conscious ego or self. Different philosophers describe this in different terms. Socrates encouraged the citizens of from the inauthentic self." Different psychological systems describe this likewise in different terms. Gestalt therapy speaks of the "wisdom of the organism;" Jung appealed to the "Self;" Existential psychotherapy makes the "authentic self" the true guide rather than the compromised inauthentic self. The transpersonal perspective aims at assisting individuals in accessing this inner wisdom for greater emotional, psychological, philosophical integration but makes it clear that whatever any particular philosophical system or psychology calls it, it is a deeper, spiritual reality that is the source of the self's or the organism's wisdom. 5. Uniting a person's conscious will and aspiration with the spiritual impulse is a super ordinate health value. Affirming the infinite ways in which the spiritual impulse may express itself is a primary value in the transpersonal perspective. A particular spiritual path does not necessarily clear up all physical and psychological problems. Rather, a spiritual orientation puts one into greater alignment with the healing forces of the psyche and the universe, expressed variously as the Tao or the Mandate of Heaven, the Will of God, or Karma. This creates optimal conditions for physical, psychological, cognitive integration. Thus, the transpersonal perspective supports the spiritual urge. It is also alert for the ways in which individuals may misuse the spiritual impulse in order to avoid dealing with physical, emotional, psychological, social, intellectual problems. 6. Our life and actions are meaningful. Our actions and emotions have significance in our growth and development. They are not merely random, pointless events. Moving beyond a purely scientific, naturalistic perspective allows us to view life from a broader vantage point. The spiritual position is that health may come about as we uncover the meaning inherent in what is. A transpersonal perspective would see both our need to discover continually deeper meaning and acknowledge our contribution to constructing and interpreting continually this deeper meaning. The transpersonal perspective is that discovering this meaning is extremely therapeutic and accords with Victor Frankl's observations that a person can cope with anything if it is meaningful. 7. The transpersonal context shapes bow persons are viewed. Much of traditional education views students with minds described as "blank tablets," and it is the responsibility of the teacher who is the expert to fill these minds with "correct and relevant information." In the context of therapy, the client , is viewed as "other ." However, a transpersonal perspective views the student/client as an evolving being and fellow seeker, just like the teacher/therapist. This translates into a teaching/therapeutic stance of compassion toward the student/client, moving the teacher/therapist toward becoming more heart centered in his/her teaching/therapeutic practice, while walking that fine line of maintaining appropriate boundaries.* * I am deeply indebted to Brant Cortright, Psychotherapy and Spirit for the above discussion. (F. T.) . |