Investigation into contemplating the Self in a spiritual and transpersonal psychological context

S D Edwards,D R Nzima,M M Hlongwane,S Govender

doi:10.4102/tv.v40i2.11

Abstract

This article is intended as an original contribution towards contemplation of the Self with special reference to a spiritual and transpersonal psychological context. An integral approach involving a heuristic phenomenological investigation of four participant researchers’ contemplation derived experiences is described. Individual and collective descriptions reveal immediate, direct, contact with the Self. This presence is indicated through universal, differential, unique, transpersonal, personal, spiritual, communal, applied psychological and relational descriptions. Findings support integral and other theoretical perspectives with special reference to ancestral consciousness and psychotherapeutic applications and implications of contemplation of the Self.

Highlights

As university psychology colleagues we were intrigued with questions as to what sourced existence, consciousness, strength, energy, creativity and our everyday working lives
This investigative sequence consists of three phases: (a) an intuitive apprehension, (b) direct experience or resultant data discovery and (c) communal confirmation or rejection of the data. This enables research investigations to integrate knowledge specific to various domains, such as matter, mind and spirit, as well as recognize logical category errors that occur if knowledge derived from one domain is confused with or substituted for knowledge from another domain. Contextualized within this theoretical, integral approach, the present study is heuristic and phenomenological in orientation, research methodology and practical investigation, with psychologists functioning as both researchers and participants, with special reference to their contemplation derived experience of the Self in a transpersonal psychological context (Moustakas, 1994)
As the reflected centre, which permeates all, the Self is a presence that can be felt but not seen. This Self presence is mediated through our ancestors, who are always with us wherever we go

Summary

Introduction

As university psychology colleagues we were intrigued with questions as to what sourced existence, consciousness, strength, energy, creativity and our everyday working lives. We eventually decided that “the Self” was the most appropriate term for this mystical source yet present reality that reflected our spiritual, Investigation into contemplating the self in a spiritual and transpersonal psychological context. A disclaimer is made that this writing intuitively recognizes the presence of the pre-existent Self and acknowledges that this and any other attempt to describe this reality is already a memory that will distort this presence. It is this here and ineffable Self who provides final motivation and direction for the writing

Methods

Results

Conclusion