Presented By CJ Pickering Life Your Best Life

1. A Spiritual Journey:The Road Less Traveled Presented By CJ PickeringLife Your Best Life “Live to learn to love. Learn to love to live. Love to live to learn so that you may live the life that you yearn .”-Rico Dasheem

2. What is transpersonal psychology? • What does transpersonal psychology consider? • Steps to transpersonal psychology. • What is the Fourth Force? • Present day transpersonal psychology. • Practices of transpersonal psychology. • Benefits to society from transpersonalism. • Traditional versus forward thinkers. Agenda

3. Transpersonal – - study of psychological growth a person experiences - enhanced stages of consciousness; beyond reason - explores the mystical, the unexplainable • Transpersonal Psychology- -involves the study of the transpersonal and spiritual aspects of human beings What Is Transpersonal Psychology?

4. Spiritual Self-Development - belief that extraordinary potential lies deep within each of us; largely untapped in most people • Mystical Experiences- heightened states of conscious awareness; understanding of the true meaning of their “being” through direct experience, intuition, instinct or insight. • Systemic Trance - a state of ecstasy, any modalities and states of mind, which bring about awareness or consciousness; occurs involuntarily or voluntarily; associated with meditation, magic, and prayer Transpersonal Psychology Considers…

5. Peak Experiences – describes any transpersonal states one might experience; involve moments of euphoria, interconnectedness, and harmony; an awakening to the higher truth • “Self” beyond ego – a knowing of your true “Self”; ego is the perception of identity of oneself in the physical world; ego prohibits the actualization of true “Self” Transpersonal Psychology: Peak Experiences and the Self Beyond Ego

6. Psychoanalysis - is a psychological theory developed by Sigmund Freud -involves human behavior and thinking at irrational levels -attempts to bring behavioral drives into awareness - one's development is determined by events in early childhood -conflicts between conscious view of reality and unconscious material can result in mental disturbances -the freeing from mental disturbances is achieved by bringing the unconscious material into the consciousness Steps To Transpersonal Psychology…

7. Behaviorism- philosophy of psychology that believes acting, thinking and feeling are behaviors -also known as learning perspective , which considers any action to be behavior • Humanistic Psychology- is a psychological perspective focusing on the condition of human existence - involves an individual’s thoughts, feelings, emotions, and their purpose of life. - study of structures of consciousness perceived from the first-person point of view Steps To Transpersonal Psychology…

8. Transpersonal psychology was developed from the original three schools of psychology: psychoanalysis, behaviorism, and humanistic psychology to become the fourth wave force of psychology. • Transpersonal psychology incorporates all matters pertaining to human development. - is considered to be the most integrated psychology - covers everything from personality to transpersonality, mind to meditation, neuroscience to Nirvana The Fourth Force…

9. Transpersonal psychology now includes approaches to social sciences, health, and the practical arts. • Transpersonal ideas are being used in a wide-range of diverse fields, such as: pharmacology, psychiatry, psychology, sociology, and anthropology. • Transpersonal concepts are being integrated into many psychology departments in universities around the globe, including the United States and Europe. Present Day Transpersonal Psychology

10. Involves any practice that leads to an expanded awareness, a greater sense of purpose and presence, and a greater degree of self-transcendence • Core practices of transpersonal psychology include: - contemplative prayer (non-verbal, a form of mental prayer) - meditation (refers to an assortment of practices that are geared towards training the mind to be aware) - ritual (describes any set of actions performed for symbolic value) Practices of Transpersonal Psychology…

11. Developments in transpersonal psychology benefit both psychology and spiritual disciplines • Psychology benefits: - greater understanding of the human experience and it’s full potential - will help people to realize and development this “potential” • Spiritual Community benefits: - can gain insights into human development that will help people to overcome obstacles to spiritual enlightenment Benefits to Society from Transpersonalism

12. Path followers or “traditional thinkers” - do not believe nor recognize transpersonalism, which goes beyond psychoanalysis, behaviorism, and humanistic psychology • Road Less Travelers or “ forward thinkers” - believe in evolutionary nature of consciousness with its instinctive drive to self-transcendence - embraces other 3 forms of psychology as integral parts to the development of human awareness and potential The Path Followed or The Road Less Traveled

13. Cortright, Brant (1997, July). Psychotherapy and Spirit: Theory and Practice in Transpersonal Psychotherapy, State University of New York Press • Daniels, Michael (2005, August 25). Shadow, Self, Spirit, Imprint Academic Publisher • Walsh, Roger, Vaughn, Frances (1993, September 15). Paths Beyond Ego: The Transpersonal Vision, Tarcher Publishers References

14. References • Battista, John, Chinen, Allen, and Scotton, Bruce. (1996 May 17). Textbook of transpersonal psychiatry and psychology. Basic Books. • Cortwright, Brant. (1997 Jul). Psychotherapy and spirit: theory and practice in transpersonal psychotherapy (sucy series, philosophy of psychology). State University of New York Press. • Grof, Stanislov. (2000 July). Psychology of the future: lessons from the modern consciousness research (suny series, transpersonal and humanistic psychology. State University of New York Press.