Psychology Commons^™

A Love Letter, Kidder Smith

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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Synthesis And Plurality: Stories Of The Self, Jason Wright

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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Creativity Lies At The Edge Of Disintegration: Addressing The Shadow Of Power And Leadership Within Psychotherapy Training Organisations, Rupert K. Tower

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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We Were Made For These Times, Tanna Jakubowicz-Mount

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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The Sources Of Higher States Of Consciousness, Steve Taylor

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

In this paper, it is argued that “higher states of consciousness”–or mystical experiences–have two

main sources: they can be caused by a disruption of the normal homeostasis of the human organism

and also by an intensification of the “consciousness-energy” that constitutes our being.

(These are termed HD and ICE states). The author investigates examples of both types of experience,

and compares and contrasts them. It is concluded that the second type of experience is

the only one which is truly positive and which can become a fully integrated and permanent

higher state of consciousness.

Why Does The Universe Exist? An Advaita Vedantic Perspective, Adam J. Rock

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Debates concerning causal explanations of the universe tend to be based on a priori propositions (e.g., Edwards, 1973; Smith, 1995; Swinburne, 1978). The present paper, however, addresses the metaphysical question, “Why does the universe exist?” from the perspective of a school of Hindu philosophy referred to as advaita vedanta and two of its a posteriori derived creation theories: the theory of simultaneous creation (drishti-srishti vada) and the theory of non-causality (ajata vada). Objections to advaita vedanta are also discussed. It is concluded that advaita vedanta has the potential to make a significant contribution to contemporary metaphysical debate in general and …

Russian Soul: A Report From The European Transpersonal Association 2005 Conference In Moscow, Glenn Hartelius

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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A Revised Paranormal Belief Scale, Jerome J. Tobacyk

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

A 26-item Revised Paranormal Belief Scale is introduced which provides a measure of degree of

belief in each of seven dimensions: Traditional Religious Belief, Psi, Witchcraft, Superstition,

Spiritualism, Extraordinary Life Forms, and Precognition. Improvements from the original 25-

item Paranormal Belief Scale (Tobacyk & Milford, 1983) include adoption of a seven-point rating

scale as well as item changes for three subscales: Precognition, Witchcraft, and Extraordinary

Life Forms. These improvements provide greater reliability and validity, less restriction of range,

and greater cross-cultural validity.

Animal Mind As Approached By The Transpersonal: Notion Of Collective Conscious Experience, Axel A. Randrup

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

The discussion of animal mind in this paper is based on an idealist philosophy contending that

only conscious experience is real, based on the transpersonal notion of collective conscious experience.

The latter has earlier been explained by the author as experience referred to a group of

humans as the subject, the We. Here it is contended that also a group of humans and animals

can be seen as the subject of collective conscious experiences. The author argues that the notion

of collective conscious experience provides a possibility for studying the problems of animal mind

and the related human problem of …

Editors’ Introduction, Harris Friedman, Douglas A. Macdonald

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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“All Mind? No Matter”: The Self-Regulation Paradigm, Stanley Krippner

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

In this short article, the author discusses the conflict between materialistic and transcendental

paradigms in accounting for the nature of reality. After speculating on the meaning and implications

of an idealist perspective where consciousness is seen as the fundamental ground of all

phenomena, the author reframes the consciousness versus matter debate in terms of complex

systems theory. Such a reframing allows for the mutual coexistence of both matter and consciousness

in a manner which is nonreductive and inclusive of different epistemologies.

The Trans/Trans Fallacy And The Dichotomy Debate, Burton Daniels

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

This paper presents an integration of transpersonal structural theory. It is claimed that a

“dichotomy debate” is currently taking place within transpersonal psychology, which involves

what Wilber has called the “pre/trans fallacy” (1993) and the “ascender/descender debate”

(1995). The pre/trans fallacy states that early, prepersonal life experiences are confused for

transpersonal experiences of higher consciousness. Yet Grof (1985, 2000) and Washburn (1995)

contend that early, prenatal, life experiences are legitimate sources of transpersonal experience,

and can be thought of as the presence of deeper consciousness. Consequently, it is suggested that

confusing prepersonal life experiences for prenatal life experiences—as well as …

Images Of The Intrapersonal Organization: Soul Making At Work, Mary A. Hazen, Jo A. Isbey

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

In this paper, the authors use archetypal theory to explore the relationship between personal and

organizational development and the role of tacit knowledge and active imagination in such development.

The authors claim that organizational change occurs within each person as well as at the

more frequently studied levels of small group and large system; and that individuals and their relationship

with work and the organization as experienced develop concurrently. The authors’ position

is illustrated through a case taken from a larger qualitative study using methods of data collection

and analysis rooted in an interpretive framework.

Integral Psychology And Foreign Policy: Lessons From The Fulbright Scholars Program, Daniel Holland

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Humanistic, transpersonal, and integral psychological principles have many applications for social and foreign policy, but concrete examples are needed to illustrate this connection. The Fulbright Scholars Program represents one concrete example of an effort in U.S. foreign policy that closely reflects the values of humanistic, transpersonal, and integral psychology. The implications that such a program has for the purposeful involvement of humanistic, transpersonal, and integral psychologists in other social policy efforts is discussed. The need for integral psychologists to expand beyond the traditional boundaries of professional psychological practice into such realms as foreign policy is emphasized.

Reframing The Conflict In Fiji: Economic And Transpersonal Frameworks For Peace, Harris Friedman

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Reframing is presented as a psychological technique applicable to facilitating change leading to conflict resolution and the achievement of peace. The current conflict in Fiji is discussed as a case study of one such application. Fijian problems have been commonly attributed to racial and ethnic divides that are not easily amenable to change. An intervention providing an alternative understanding of these conflicts, namely that they are better seen as due to competing economic models, is described. The scientific transpersonal perspective is presented as another alternative framework, seen as especially applicable to religious conflicts, which potentially provides an inclusive way to …

Surfing The Absolute: Comments On Volume 22 Of The Ijts, Don Diespecker

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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Two Suitors: A Parable, Richard Tarnas

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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Natural Crazy Wisdom, Kidder Smith, Susan Burggraf

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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Cosmic Connectivity: Toward A Scientific Foundation For Transpersonal Consciousness, Ervin Laszlo

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

The principal aim of this paper is to overview some of the salient existing empirical data supporting

the possibility of an interconnectivity of consciousness that extends beyond the conventionally

recognized confines of body and mind. Thereafter, the article provides possible explanations

of this apparent interconnectivity drawn from the work of Jung and recent developments in

physics.

Art And Spirit: The Artistic Brain, The Navajo Concept Of Hozho, And Kandinsky’S “Inner Necessity”, Charles D. Laughlin

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Most traditional art forms around the planet are an expression of the spiritual dimension of a culture’s

cosmology and the spiritual experiences of individuals. Religious art and iconography often

reveal the hidden aspects of spirit as glimpsed through the filter of cultural significance. Moreover,

traditional art, although often highly abstract, may actually describe sensory experiences derived

in alternative states of consciousness (ASC). This article analyzes the often fuzzy concepts of “art”

and “spirit” and then operationalizes them in a way that makes them useful for cross-cultural

transpersonal research. The fact of the universally abstract nature of traditional art is analyzed …

Transpersonal Functions Of Masks In Nohkido, Sirkku M. Hiltunen

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

This article discusses the transpersonal functions of masks in ritual and in drama therapy as

expressed in the creative path of NohKiDo. NohKiDo, whose main components include the

Prism of Consciousness (Personal, Transpersonal, and Universal), the Rainbow Method, Action

Meditation techniques (masked meditation, etc.), and Therapeutic Noh Theater, is a therapeutic

system developed by the author through the redefinition and interpretation of a set of

transpersonal concepts based on Zeami’s (one of the founders of Noh) original Noh formulation

for Therapeutic Noh Theater. The most significant concepts of Ma (heightened energy through

stillness and silence), Mushin-no-kan (transpersonal projection), Ichu no …

A Secret Poem For You, Jorge N. Ferrer

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

In this paper, the author presents a poem entitled “Plenitude.” The poem, originally written by

the author’s father (José Antonio Noguera Gimenez) in Spanish, is offered by the author as a vehicle

for the exploration of self, life, spirit, and nature. Both the Spanish and English versions of the

poem are provided.

Metaphysical Tracking: The Oldest Ecopsychology, David Kowalewski

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Ecopsychology—the use of nature for understanding and healing the soul—has become accepted

as a legitimate tool by theorists and practitioners alike. Yet one important dimension of the

field has been ignored: metaphysical tracking. This article brings to light a number of mystical

phenomena that trackers, ancient and modern, have experienced, and suggests their common

root in the so-called energy body. The implications for psychospiritual growth are then

described. Finally, alternative explanations and new avenues for research are discussed.

Toward A Participative Integral Philosophy, Daryl S. Paulson

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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Entheogens: True Or False?, Roger Walsh

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Despite 40 years of dialogue, debate still continues over whether psychedelics are capable of

inducing genuine mystical experiences. This paper first reviews the arguments against this possibility

and shows that all of them contain shortcomings. One reason the debate still continues is

that there has been no adequate theory of mystical states and their relationship to the factors

which produce them. Consequently a theory of mystical states based on Charles Tart’s systems

model of consciousness is proposed. This theory suggests how identical states of consciousness can

be induced by very different means, including contemplative practices and chemical substances,

and yet …

Gnostic Dilemmas In Western Psychologies Of Spirituality1, Harry T. Hunt

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Early Gnosticism is identified as a form of Weber’s inner-worldly mysticism that, following the

critique of Plotinus, entailed spiritual metapathologies of inflated grandiosity, despair, and/or

social withdrawal. These vulnerabilities re-emerge in the naturalistic psychologies of spirituality

begun by Emerson, Nietzsche, Jung, and Maslow and more implicitly within contemporary personality

and neuropsychological research on numinous/transpersonal experience. An updated

version of Gnostic dilemma and its conflicted dualism may be endemic to any would-be science

of the spiritual and to much current transpersonal psychology as well.

Mysticism And Its Cultural Expression: An Inquiry Into The Description Of Mystical Experience And Its Ontological And Epistemological Nature, Evgeny Torchinov

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

The purpose of this paper is to critically explore the nature and ontological and epistemological

significance of differences observed in how various cultural traditions describe and explain such

experiences. After an initial consideration of definitional issues, the article focuses on the arguments

supporting and challenging the idea of mystical experience being a universal phenomenon

and a vehicle for true knowledge. The article also examines the problem of the unity of the mystical

experience as a definite state of consciousness and the multiplicity of its sociocultural and

civilizational expressions and descriptions conditioned by different cultural and historical factors.

An Integral Approach To Depression, Harris Friedman, Douglas A. Macdonald

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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Integral Approach In Transpersonal Psychotherapy, Laura B. Gilot

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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Clinical Depression: A Transpersonal Point Of View, Jaime L. Llabres

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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