Micro and small-scale digital startups face intense psychological and operational pressures that often result in burnout, chronic stress, and adjustment problems. Yet, mental health issues within startup ecosystems remain insufficiently addressed and lack structured intervention. This literature review synthesizes cross-disciplinary studies published between 2013 and 2025 to examine how workplace spirituality can be integrated into startup work culture and its potential application within community psychiatry. The review indicates that workplace spirituality enhances mental well-being, reduces stress symptoms, and strengthens resilience, functioning as a psychological buffer for entrepreneurs facing high uncertainty. Spirituality also provides a conceptual bridge between managerial and clinical perspectives, enabling more holistic and human-centered approaches to mental health in startup environments. Integrating spiritual values into entrepreneurial settings emerges as an effective non-clinical strategy to sustain founders' mental health and expand opportunities for contextual community psychiatry interventions. The novelty of this study lies in its cross-disciplinary mapping that links startup management, spiritual psychology, and community psychiatry into a practical and preventive intervention framework.

Serat Sastra Gendhing, a didactic Javanese literary source written by Sultan Agung Hanyakrakusuma, combines Sufi Islamic and indigenous Javanese spiritual thought. This research wishes to expose the psycho-sufistic values found in Serat Sastra Gendhing, and discuss their relation with transpersonal psychology. The research employs a qualitative method with an interpretive-hermeneutic approach through library research on three main manuscript versions. The analysis was conducted thematically on eight macapat poetic forms supported by psychological and Sufi theories. The results show that Serat Sastra Gendhing contains three central psycho-sufistic values: (1) existential awareness through sangkan paraning dumadi, which reflects the origin and purpose of human life; (2) self-control through aja dumeh and eling lan waspada; and (3) cosmic awareness through memayu hayuning bawana, which emphasizes harmony between humans, nature, and God. These three values represent the stages of spiritual consciousness development aligned with the concepts of self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence in transpersonal psychology. The study concludes that Serat Sastra Gendhing is a psycho-sufistic work that integratively unites Islamic spirituality, psychology, and Javanese culture.

ABSTRACT Initiated by a surprising encounter at my daughter’s bedside, this article traces my developing understanding and activity in the field of children’s spirituality over the past 30 years. It emphasises children’s innate spiritual potentials including transpersonal experience and identifies activities and some trends especially in the US in which I have been involved. The article describes the need for cultivating interior capacities related to psychospiritual development, emphasising the intertwined significance of the psychological and the spiritual. The role of contemplation and embodiment in education is specifically highlighted particularly as it relates to the urgency of countering potential effects of machine learning on human consciousness.

Until recently, mainstream psychiatry has eschewed the clinical consideration of spiritual matters. This article traces key historical influences leading to the inclusion of a ‘Religious or Spiritual Problem’ category (RoSPc) in the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). First, I discuss psychiatry’s ‘spiritual’ aversion issue and the 1994 RoSPc inclusion in DSM-IV. Second, I examine the humanistic and transpersonal psychology thinking from which the seed-idea for the RoSPc later emerged. This includes a philological exposition on initial uses of the term ‘transpersonal’. Third, I examine the transpersonal notion of ‘spiritual emergency’ and unpack related dynamics leading to the RoSPc creation. Fourth, I describe and critique RoSPc developments from DSM-IV to DSM-5-TR. This provides an unfolding historical depiction of factors preceding and influencing the DSM inclusion of spiritual considerations, and subsequent related issues beyond. Overall, my article demonstrates the apparent need for psychiatry to expand the RoSPc’s diagnostic scope to include the types of spiritual experiences originally intended by its transpersonal instigators. Finally, while this article was under consideration for publication, the RoSPc was suddenly updated to ‘Moral, Religious or Spiritual Problem’, so a subsequent Epilogue has been added to discuss and critique this change.

Enhancement of holistic brain health and human intelligence: 'Supermentia'.

This article explores the emergence of a new philosophical religion arising from the intersection of psychedelic ministry, transpersonal psychology, and participatory metaphysics. Framed within the evolution of Western consciousness and drawing from Friedrich Schelling’s participatory metaphysics, Stanislav Grof’s findings, and Jorge Ferrer’s participatory turn, this article joins the metaphysical and spiritual conversation rising within the psychedelic ecosystem. These needs include spiritual and metaphysical integration of some psychedelic phenomena as well as metaphysical foundations for a sacramental understanding of psychedelics. Arguing that psychedelics can function sacramentally and grant participatory access to the creative ground of reality, this article proposes transpersonal ministry as a framework that can meet the spiritual and metaphysical demands of psychedelics. In dialogue with Schelling’s vision of a philosophical religion and Ferrer’s participatory pluralism, transpersonal ministry offers churches, ministers, and congregants a shared language that unites experiential participation with metaphysical inquiry to provide a non-dogmatic framework for integrating transformative states.

Abstract With the prevalence of psychedelic use in both therapeutic and non-therapeutic settings, it is imperative for psychotherapists and counselors to have effective tools to support clients engaging with psychedelic substances. Depth Hypnosis Spiritual Counseling is a transpersonal counseling model which can be used to effectively support the preparation for and integration of psychedelic experience. Depth Hypnosis Spiritual Counseling integrates the wisdom and catalytic healing processes of the earth-based spiritual traditions that initially used psychedelic plant substances as medicine. Accessing these compassionate practices offers the ability to directly prepare for the healing potential of the psychedelic encounter and to integrate insight gained subsequently. Depth Hypnosis Spiritual Counseling principles are discussed here, including Transpersonal Psychology, Buddhist Psychology, hypnotherapy, Applied Shamanism, and Integrated Energy Medicine. Considerations for preparation for a psychedelic encounter are discussed including setting intention, expectations, set and setting, and regulation. Attention is also given to psychedelic integration, addressing challenges, peak experiences, and adverse experiences.

The article explores the mechanisms of inner calmness and psychotherapeutic recovery within the framework of neo-psychological thought. It emphasizes that neo-psychology interprets mental balance as a dynamic state achieved through the integration of emotional regulation, cognitive restructuring, and spiritual self-awareness. The study analyzes how contemporary therapeutic models—such as mindfulness-based therapy, existential analysis, and transpersonal psychology—contribute to restoring mental harmony and resilience. Special attention is given to the role of self-reflection, empathy, and value-based consciousness in achieving psychological homeostasis. The research concludes that inner tranquility serves as a core component of sustainable psychotherapeutic recovery, bridging traditional philosophical insights and modern neuropsychological findings.

Digital ethnography is proposed in this theoretical paper as a methodological innovation for investigating transpersonal care phenomena in contemporary public health contexts. The relevance of this research to public health is considered paramount, as the importance of holistic, spiritually integrated approaches to care that transcend traditional biomedical models is increasingly being recognized by healthcare systems globally. A new theoretical framework, termed the Digital Transpersonal Care Framework (DTCF), has been developed and is presented, which represents a significant departure from existing methodologies in public health research. The novelty of DTCF is found in its unique integration of three previously disconnected domains: transpersonal nursing theory, digital anthropological methods, and consciousness studies, through which an unprecedented approach to understanding spiritual dimensions of health in digital environments has been created. Unlike traditional ethnographic methods that are confined to physical spaces or existing digital health research that focuses primarily on technological functionality, the consciousness-based, spiritual aspects of healing relationships as they manifest in online environments are specifically addressed by DTCF. Building on Watson’s (2008) Transpersonal Caring Theory and recent developments in digital anthropology, it is argued that unique affordances for capturing the multidimensional nature of transpersonal experiences that are increasingly relevant to public health practice are offered by digital ethnography. Through systematic analysis of methodological literature and theoretical frameworks, a comprehensive approach has been developed that addresses three critical gaps in public health research. Firstly, the limitations of traditional ethnography in capturing transpersonal phenomena that are essential to holistic public health approaches are addressed. Secondly, the need for methodological tools that can investigate collective consciousness and spiritual dimensions of healing in digital spaces, which have become integral to modern healthcare delivery, is recognized. Thirdly, the absence of theoretical frameworks linking digital methods with transpersonal theory in ways that can inform public health policy and practice is identified. The theoretical contribution is found in the conceptualization of digital spaces as legitimate fields for transpersonal experiences and the proposal of specific methodological protocols for their investigation within public health contexts. Profound implications for public health practice are held by this framework, with new ways to understand and facilitate healing relationships in telehealth settings, online support communities, and digital mental health interventions being offered. The DTCF is found to be particularly useful for public health as evidence-based approaches to integrate spiritual care into digital health services are provided, the growing need for culturally sensitive healthcare delivery in diverse online populations is addressed, and methodological tools to evaluate the effectiveness of consciousness-based interventions in improving health outcomes across populations are offered.

Modern man is suffering from a severe psychological crisis characterized by anxiety, restlessness, and a sense of meaninglessness. The primary causes of this crisis lie in the dominance of materialistic thought, alienation from spirituality, and the reductionist approach of modern psychology which is primarily based on empirical and physical observations. This study presents an analytical examination of Metaphysical Psychology in the light of the Qur'an, aiming to reveal that the root causes of psychological disorders are not merely physical or neurological but are deeply connected to spiritual and metaphysical dimensions of the human self. The Qur'an describes the reality of the human being through concepts such as Nafs (Self), Ruh (Soul), and Qalb (Heart), which are not confined to biological or animalistic interpretations but represent higher metaphysical realities. This research demonstrates that the Qur'anic perspective identifies the spiritual causes of psychological issues such as anxiety, fear, despair, and existential emptiness, and offers remedies through Tawheed (Oneness of God), Dhikr (Remembrance of God), Sabr (Patience), Tawakkul (Reliance on God), and awareness of the Hereafter. Whereas Western materialistic psychology often confines human nature to brain chemistry, neural impulses, or unconscious drives, the Qur'an offers a spiritual psychology centered on restoring inner peace and existential meaning as part of the human being’s innate need. Within this framework, Islamic spirituality and Qur'anic teachings are presented as effective alternatives for addressing the modern psychological crisis. This paper concludes that Islamic spirituality not only provides healing from psychological disturbances but also guides man towards recognizing his purpose of existence, his cosmic connection, and his relationship with the Divine, leading to a balanced, peaceful, and spiritually resilient life.

The Spiritual Crisis Network (SCN) provides support to people experiencing a spiritual crisis. Spiritual crisis can be defined as any self-identified spiritual experience that causes concern or distress for the person who experiences it or others around them. If responded to appropriately, it can often lead to personal growth or even profound psychospiritual transformation. Spiritual crisis sometimes overlaps with mental health issues and is part of the wider discourse about spiritual emergency in the literature of transpersonal psychology. Feedback was gathered from people who had contacted the SCN between 2011 and 2019 via an online questionnaire survey. Participants rated the SCN services and provided further qualitative data that were analyzed using Thematic Analysis. The majority of respondents (74%) who contacted the SCN found it to be helpful, while 63% were satisfied with the response they received. However, it was also clear that the SCN approach does not necessarily work for everyone. Seventy-four percent of respondents reported that their spiritual crisis caused them great distress, but 75% felt that they had now integrated their experience. The role of the SCN volunteers was highlighted as an important factor in helping people feel less alone and that their experiences had been validated and normalized.

The aim of this study is to analyze the forms of instilling spiritual well-being values contained in Surah Luqman, verses 12–19, using John W. Fisher’s Spiritual Well-Being Theory. This theory highlights four main dimensions of spiritual well-being: the relationship with oneself (personal domain), with others (communal domain), with the environment (environmental domain), and with God (transcendental domain). This study focuses on how these four dimensions are reflected in the advice Luqman gave to his son, as recorded in the mentioned verses. The method used in this research is a qualitative approach with thematic content analysis techniques. The primary data source is the text of Surah Luqman verses 12–19, which is analyzed in depth and supported by relevant literature in Islamic exegesis and spiritual psychology. The results of the study reveal that these verses contain rich and applicable spiritual values for character development in children. The personal dimension is illustrated through the call to be grateful and to use wisdom; the communal dimension is reflected in the emphasis on doing good to parents and maintaining social relationships; the environmental dimension appears in the advice to walk humbly upon the earth; and the transcendental dimension is strongly conveyed in the call to worship Allah, establish prayer, and practice piety. These findings indicate that Surah Luqman is a strong source of spiritual education and can be integrated into early childhood education as a foundation for building holistic and sustainable spiritual well-being.

This paper examines the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) companions in supporting posttraumatic growth (PTG). Considering rising global trauma and the persistent limitations of traditional mental health care, such as high costs, limited access, and constrained human resources, AI emerges as a scalable, accessible, and nonjudgmental alternative for healing. Grounded in psychological science and informed by positive psychology, humanistic, and transpersonal theories, this study reframes AI not merely as a technological tool but as an expert companion capable of nurturing resilience, facilitating emotional processing, and guiding meaning-making and identity reconstruction. Using a qualitative case study approach, the paper analyses FASSLINGs key features, including adaptive empathy, narrative reframing, and culturally inclusive support, and evaluates their alignment with established PTG frameworks. The findings suggest that AI companions can serve as ethically grounded co-creators in trauma recovery, particularly in low-resource or marginalized settings. The paper concludes with a call for increased investment in compassionate AI, ethical development practices, and long-term research to deepen our understanding of AIs role in fostering human flourishing after trauma.

Awe-inspiring experiences and aesthetic rituals can induce profound epistemic transformations while also intersecting with structures of power. This review examines diverse case studies – from Amazonian shamanic rituals to ancient Egyptian temple arts, Surrealist dream experiments, transpersonal psychology, and science-fiction cyberculture – to understand how designed experiences of awe and immersion can transform or define knowledge and agency. Across these domains, we see a common thread: “politics of consciousness” – the way altered states and symbolic systems affect individual and collective worldviews – entwines with both spiritual mythos, realpolitik (the exercise of power), and sociotechnical imaginaries. We highlight examples of how sacred art-ritual ecologies and modern media techniques serve as architectures of transformation, allude to the distinctions of individual, community and corporate liminoid experiences, and then explore how technologically-mediated awe can both elevate and undermine human freedom. The goal is to elucidate how rituals of awe – including emerging immersive media – function as both tools of epistemic change and sites of political contestation over the human spirit.

This study explores the empowerment of persons with disabilities through guidance from Qur'anic verse Surah al-Nūr/24:61, offering ethical and spiritual frameworks to reduce discrimination and enhance well-being. The research emphasizes applying Qur'anic principles, including compassionate care, spiritual psychology, and ability-based empowerment, to the lives of persons with disabilities. Using an analytical exegesis method that incorporates historical, linguistic, and legal contexts, as well as literature reviews, the findings underscore the significance of eliminating stigma through empathy, enhancing mental well-being through spiritual connections, and empowering individuals according to their abilities. The verse directs able-bodied people to engage in inclusive social interactions, fostering acceptance and support for persons with disabilities. The study concludes that integrating Qur'anic values into social policies provides a comprehensive approach to creating inclusive and just societies, while offering insights for developing religiously informed, disability-inclusive policies that address the needs and dignity of all individuals.

This paper examines the issues raised in a recent round table on the future of research in scientific transpersonal psychology. It suggests ways in which transpersonal psychology might meet both the seemingly paradoxical goals of scientific rigour and transpersonal integrity. First, the paper posits that existing quantitative and qualitative research methods are likely sufficient to study transpersonal subject matter, provided the research questions utilised do not limit the scope of transpersonal inquiry. Secondly, the paper argues that the possibility of an ontology of consciousness beyond the brain-body paradigm is one of the distinguishing features of transpersonal psychology. Thus, it would appear counterproductive to remove ontological inquiry from transpersonal psychological research. Finally, the paper advocates for tightening our academic boundaries as a science, whilst building stronger, and better-defined interdisciplinary bridges with other researchers, philosophers, and transpersonal practitioners. It concludes that implementing these measures will likely increase our credibility and publication rate – empowering us to have a greater impact on the broader scientific discipline of psychology – without diluting, restricting, or misrepresenting the transpersonal phenomena we seek to explore.

In a previous article (Rush, 2016), I argued that Western Esotericism had contributed to the development of transpersonal psychology. In the present article, I continue this argument by focusing on Roberto Assagioli and comparing his work with that of his contemporary Walter Ernest Butler. Assagioli (1888–1974) was an Italian psychiatrist and the founder of psychosynthesis, whilst W.E. Butler (1898–1978) was a ritual magician and representative of the Western Mystery Tradition in the UK. I argue for ritual magic (as opposed to stage magic) as a form of spiritual practice, before highlighting some of the parallels in the psychological work of Assagioli and the magical work of Butler. This paper is based on an article originally submitted for the PGDip in Consciousness and Transpersonal Psychology at Liverpool John Moores University and was presented at the BPS Transpersonal Psychology Section conference at Cober Hill, Scarborough, UK, in 2023.

Integral Transpersonal Healing (ITH) represents a paradigm shift in understanding health, consciousness, and human development. Bridging ancient healing traditions with the latest insights from quantum physics, complexity theory, neurobiology, and transpersonal psychology, ITH recognizes the human being as a multidimensional entity consisting of physical, energetic, emotional, mental, and spiritual dimensions. True healing is not simply the elimination of symptoms but the dynamic harmonization of these interconnected layers, guided by expanded consciousness. This article explores historical foundations, theoretical frameworks, and practical applications such as the Ten Steps to Integral Well-Being and the Eight Pillars of Healing, proposed by the Biotransenergetics (BTE) methodology, offering a new vision for personal and collective transformation toward a unified science of life.

The decolonization of the feminine refers to the analysis and transformation of the hierarchies of power and knowledge that have historically marginalized and oppressed women. This process involves questioning the Eurocentric and patriarchal models that shape the conceptions of gender, body, sexuality, and identity, in addition to seeking alternatives that recognize and value the diversity of feminine experiences in different sociocultural contexts. This article adopts a qualitative approach, using bibliographic research as an analysis tool to shed light on the possibility of a society in which the feminine is recognized and respected in its essence. Based on Jungian and Transpersonal psychology, the potentialities and challenges of inhabiting a female body, regardless of biological gender, are explored. The article proposes a reflection on the characteristics of introspection, feeling, and creativity, understood as a power of transformation and self-regulation, accessible to all people who allow themselves to deepen their self-awareness. Authors such as Bolen (2003), Estes (1992), Jung (1964), Owen (1994), and Woolger (1994) will be presented, providing theoretical support for the proposal of this article to promote women's autonomy so that they can have a more balanced life, awakening feminine consciousness and contributing to a more just and happy society. The guiding question of the research is: but why expand feminine consciousness? In our culture, the masculine principle is often overvalued while the feminine is associated with sensitivity, love and childlikeness and is therefore underestimated. Expanding feminine consciousness is essential to recover the creative and creative potential that exists in all of us, and thus promote internal and collective balance.

The Solo-Founder AI-Driven Nonprofit Mode (SFADNM) represents a transformative governance model that integrates artificial intelligence (AI) with Daoist and Buddhist ethical principles to create a sustainable, financially independent, and mission-driven nonprofit structure. This study conceptualizes and designs SFADNM around five foundational principles: (a) AI as an ethical tool, (b) non-attachment to funding, (c) Wu Wei leadership, (d) decentralized decision-making, and (e) compassion as a commitment to universal service. Rooted in Daoism’s Wu Wei (无为, effortless action) and Yin-Yang (阴阳, dynamic balance), this framework fosters intuitive, adaptive, and noncoercive leadership while optimizing AI for efficiency without bureaucratic constraints. Simultaneously, Buddhist ethics of Metta (loving-kindness) and Karuna (compassionate action) ensure that AI-driven service delivery remains ethical, inclusive, and human-centered. This research employs a transdisciplinary qualitative approach combining hermeneutic analysis of classical Daoist and Buddhist texts, and conceptual synthesis of transpersonal psychology, business ethics, and nonprofit management theories. Data is analyzed through thematic coding, comparative analysis, and transdisciplinary integration, drawing from textual sources, case studies, and reflective founder narratives. Using For A Safer Space (FASS)’s FASSLING.AI platform as a case study, the findings demonstrate how SFADNM eliminates financial dependency, enhances accessibility, and redefines nonprofit governance through AI-driven automation guided by spiritual intelligence. This study contributes to nonprofit management, AI ethics, and transpersonal business leadership by offering a scalable, sustainable, and ethically grounded nonprofit model that challenges the constraints of the Nonprofit Industrial Complex (NPIC). It proposes that SFADNM serves as a replicable blueprint for AI-driven mission-driven organizations, where Taoist non-attachment, flow-based leadership, and Buddhist compassion guide automation, decision-making, and service delivery. The research ultimately positions SFADNM as an ethical, spiritually informed alternative to conventional nonprofit structures, offering a new paradigm for AI-enabled social impact dismantling the systematic barriers.