The Transpersonal in Psychology, Psychotherapy and Counselling Andrew Shorrock October 4, 2007 14:24 MAC/TIPP Page-i 9780230_517769_01_previii The Transpersonal in Psychology, Psychotherapy and Counselling This page intentionally left blank October 4, 2007 14:24 MAC/TIPP Page-iii 9780230_517769_01_previii The Transpersonal in Psychology, Psychotherapy and Counselling Andrew Shorrock October 4, 2007 14:24 MAC/TIPP Page-iv 9780230_517769_01_previii © Andrew Shorrock 2008 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4LP. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published 2008 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 Companies and representatives throughout the world PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave Macmillan division of St. Martin’s Press, LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. Macmillan is a registered trademark in the United States, United Kingdom and other countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European Union and other countries. ISBN-13: 9780230517769 hardback ISBN-10: 0230517765 hardback This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. 10987654321 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 Printed and bound in Great Britain by Antony Rowe Ltd, Chippenham and Eastbourne October 4, 2007 14:24 MAC/TIPP Page-v 9780230_517769_01_previii With appreciation for all my friends, colleagues, and clients without whom this book would not have been possible. With deep love and gratitude to Antonella, whose tireless encouragement and expertise supported the project moving beyond the realm of ideas, and to Topaze and Virginia, constant reminders of the wonder of life. This page intentionally left blank October 4, 2007 14:24 MAC/TIPP Page-vii 9780230_517769_01_previii Contents 1 Introduction 1 What to expect from this book 3 2 Definitions and a Potted History of Transpersonal Psychology 6 The recognition of transpersonal psychology by the medical model 14 Transpersonal psychology: religion with a psychological spin? 20 An integrative/eclectic religious influence 20 Buddhism 21 The Jewish mystical tradition 23 Sufism 24 Spiritual counselling: religion through psychology? 25 Psychology critical of the transpersonal 27 Research and transpersonal psychology 34 3 The Philosophical Underpinnings of the Transpersonal 43 Introduction 43 The transpersonal viewpoint: is it psychology, philosophy or perhaps naivety and fancy let loose? 45 The four forces of psychology 49 The second force of psychology 50 Evolutionary psychology 64 The first force of psychology 67 Neurolinguistic programming and life coaching 71 The third force of psychology 75 Existential psychology 81 The psychology of religion 88 Widening the net, moving beyond psychology 92 Bringing together East and West 93 Mysticism’s contribution 94 Consciousness research 97 The new sciences 106 The quantum perspective 106 vii October 4, 2007 14:24 MAC/TIPP Page-viii 9780230_517769_01_previii viii Contents The quantum self 108 Jung, post-Jungians and quantum effects 109 The holographic model 112 Philosophy 117 Consciousness research method or madness 119 The philosophy of science 122 Social constructionism 128 Coming full circle: an ending at the beginning 130 A summation of the underpinnings of transpersonal psychology 130 4 Transpersonal Theories 144 Maurice Bucke 146 C. G. Jung 149 Alberto Assagioli and psychosynthesis 155 Functions of the personality 161 The will 162 Assagioli’s ten psychological laws 162 Sub-personalities 164 Psychosynthesis today 167 Victor Frankl 170 Ken Wilber and integral psychology 171 John Nelson 180 Michael Washburn 182 Stanislav Grof 187 Hameed Ali and the diamond approach 194 Isabel Clarke and the discontinuity model 200 Conclusions 206 5 The Application of Transpersonal Thinking 208 Introduction 208 Spiritual emergence and spiritual emergency 218 Conclusion 229 Bibliography 232 Author Index 246 Subject Index 250 October 4, 2007 14:29 MAC/TIPP Page-1 9780230_517769_02_cha01 1 Introduction In my professional life I have been asked many times the simple question: What is transpersonal psychology, counselling or psycho- therapy? The answer is straightforward: it is a broad transcultural theory of human nature that posits that human beings are more than physical and psychological beings, with some form of spirituality being a reasonable bet. Oh, and by the way, it is also a discrete field of study that could be conceived as having had about 40 years of academic recognition. Not surprisingly, this off-the-cuff response never seems to be enough, and commonly leads onto many more questions, ones that whilst seeking a deeper elaboration, reveal the questioners’ theoretical assumptions and their beliefs, not just about the helping professions, but also their under- standing of the world. These further questions may cover a wide range of topics and could include diverse areas such as spirituality, paranormal experience, religion in its many variants, cults, psychopathology and philosophy. These then lead onto even more questions, and for the polite or genuinely interested, they can take three different directions: a. The questioner wants to posit even more complex questions and possible answers from yet more diverse fields b. The questioner’s eyes glaze over with therapist’s hmm hmms c. The questioner suggests to go for a coffee or (hopefully) a beer as they want to tell me about an experience that they had when All of this may hint at the complex nature of the beast, as well as, I suspect, that spirituality is for many an area that brings strong feelings and associations. Moreover, to add further complexity for the clinician, as well as the interested layperson, the literature that explores the field 1 [...]... ambivalence; therefore, to aid the understanding of the field I found it necessary to look behind the theories to find those bodies of knowledge that underpin or inform their claims Having 4 Transpersonal in Psychology, Psychotherapy and Counselling done so this then makes it possible to gain a deeper understanding of the work of the thinkers who claim to be transpersonal theorists, which in turn allows... approach to understand what transpersonal psychotherapy is Instead of concentrating upon transpersonal as phenomena, he seeks 14 Transpersonal in Psychology, Psychotherapy and Counselling instead to reveal how transpersonal psychotherapists differ from other practitioners His findings reveal that transpersonally orientated therapists utilize all four forces of psychology to define themselves and tend to be... tradition, and an important aspect of which is the Kabala According to Jewish thinking, within the Kabala a map can be found that charts and gives terminology to inner states and transpersonal realms It is claimed that it can be used to help individuals towards the balance and integration of spiritual and everyday consciousness in all areas of their life 24 Transpersonal in Psychology, Psychotherapy and Counselling. .. phenomena are presented The final chapter naturally moves from the ‘what-is’ to the ‘how you apply the diverse theoretical models’; it moves from questions exploring what transpersonal psychology is and the field’s theoretical underpinnings to a portrayal of how the diverse theoretical models are applied in the clinical setting And once again, as in all things related to transpersonal psychology, no approach... potential for confusion and misunderstanding that can arise when examining the two fields, I wish to return to the psychological standpoint Psychology critical of the transpersonal Whilst many of the thinkers who are presented within this work support, or at the least are not antagonistic towards, the inclusion of the transpersonal in psychological thinking, there are some influential thinkers who see it... shaving your head begging for alms and wearing red robes is considered the norm in some neighbourhoods, and more than eccentric in others And making promises and begging for favour from an unseen super-being and regularly attending meetings in medieval buildings is also the norm in some parts of town With such a broad canvas this then gives me, as a clinician, great scope; yet, as a self-proclaimed transpersonal. .. Psychology, Psychotherapy and Counselling misunderstanding the relationship that transpersonal psychology has to counselling within religious framework I therefore place in context the essential differences between the two fields ‘Spiritual counselling has its own rich tradition and can be grouped into three distinct categories: • Spiritual direction, which is concerned with helping an individual work with the. .. Although they do equate spirituality with the definitions that I have 18 Transpersonal in Psychology, Psychotherapy and Counselling claimed for the transpersonal, examining their literature the influence of major religions, without taking centre stage, has a greater focus Regardless of semantic debate, within the medical profession it is not only bodies such as the American Psychiatric Association and the. .. emergencies’), psychedelic therapy, hypnosis, experiential psychotherapy, and near-death situations (NDE) (Boorstein, 1996, p 44) 10 Transpersonal in Psychology, Psychotherapy and Counselling Continuing and speaking of the legitimacy of transpersonal orientation he points out that many professionals refuse to accept that the transpersonal orientation represents a legitimate scientific endeavour They dismiss it... practice, and believe that such experiences are important They have had training in transpersonal psychology and believe that spiritual issues are relevant to psychotherapy (p 167) Having briefly related some of the many definitions of the field and identified key areas of interest cannot fully answer the question posed at the start of this book, as for many the ‘proof of the pudding is in the eating’ . 9780230_517769_02_cha01 4 Transpersonal in Psychology, Psychotherapy and Counselling done so this then makes it possible to gain a deeper understanding of the work of the thinkers. use the terms transpersonal psychotherapy and transpersonal psychology and transpersonal counselling interchangeably. I also in the same manner use clinician,