Transpersonal Psychology Research Articles

Frame-Conceptual Composition and Speech Impact Means of the American Popular Psychology Discourse

Introduction. The article analyzes the frame-conceptual structure of the American popularpsychological discourse and touches upon the means of speech influence used in it. This discourse is a set of semiotic works aimed at popularizing and introducing ideas/concepts related to issues of practical psychology. The purpose of the article is to describe in general terms the frame-conceptual composition of American popular psychological texts.Methodology and sources. Methods of thematic and genre selection of texts are used, content analysis. The main method is interpretive: the gist of each text is reproduced, its meanings are extracted, frames and concepts are singled out. Materials range from popular science and scientific publications to popular psychological talks, TED talks, coaching, therapy lectures. In general, popular psychology in the United States comes from several sources, the most influential among which are the philosophy of “self-help”; psychotherapeutic/psychiatric models of humanistic psychology; transpersonal psychology, including mysticism, paranormal and religious experiences, practices of Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Kabbalah, Theosophy, etc.Results and discussion. it is found that the basic conceptual units of the American popularpsychological discourse are the conceptual frame PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING with the subconcept PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH and the subsubconcepts MINDFULNESS and EMOTIONAL HYGIENE; the conceptual frame ACTIVITY/WORK/STUDY with its subframes CORPORATE/OFFICE WORK (with the subsubframe WORK ORGANIZATION), INDIVIDUAL WORK/STUDY and subconcepts ATTITUDE TO WORK, RESULT/PERFORMANCE/ACHIEVEMENT; the concept of SUCCESS with different script-producing subconcepts; the concept OVERCOMING ADVERSE CIRCUMSTANCES with the script-producing subconcept TURNING OBSTACLES INTO OPPORTUNITIES. Popular psychological discourse is characterized by a mixture of styles, multiple addressees, publicity, narrativity, quasi-dialogue form, empirical exemplifications, and applicability to everyday life.Conclusion. This discourse develops its own concepts and conceptual frames, has the potential for reframing the semantic constructs of recipients. It also generates scripts, for example, the concept of MINDFULNESS becomes the basis of modern American psychological and psychotherapeutic practices. This discourse demonstrates informative, argumentative, persuasive, illustrative (or allegorical) types of speech; it is logical, idiomatic, expressive which contributes to speech impact.

The Taos and Trait Meta-mood on Transpersonal Gratitude: Tracing Their Influences.

The mainstream empirical research has always viewed gratitude in its triadic form involving a typical human giver, gift, and receiver. But it is not the same in the case of transpersonal gratitude. Instead, it is directed towards abstract entities beyond self like God, their own state of being, or the cosmos. The previous literature had affirmed that a selfless attitude and better mood could determine overall gratitude. But this relation is not mainly known in the context of this newer form of gratitude. Indian young adults (N = 456) completed scales on transpersonal gratitude, trait meta-mood, and ego-grasping orientation-a Taoist concept. The preliminary analysis revealed that the selfless nature was unrelated to transpersonal gratitude. Subsequently, the predictive effect of trait meta-mood on transpersonal gratitude is quantified. The findings explain the distinguishable features of the young adults' populace and positive transpersonal experiences. The need to identify groups, cultural differences, and the utility of interventions on transpersonal gratitude in the future gratitude research is emphasised.

Guest Editorial: Mythical Identities, Scientific Realities, and Search for Transpersonal Meaning

Myths weave in and out of historical context, even as dreams do relative to daily life, functioning in the modern world much as they did in earlier times, operating at both the personal and cultural levels. This essay discusses three special difficulties in appreciating the power of myth and understanding its reasons for being: (a) the nearly universal tendency to situate myth as the opposite of fact and truth, (b) the problem of identifying prevailing myths in culture and private life, and (c) the challenge of acknowledging myth as more than a personal intellectual construct or a cultural construction. Transpersonal theory offers a way forward in addressing these difficulties by placing personal and cultural myths and their relationship to historic–scientific fact in a greater context that endows them with greater meaning and reason for being than ordinarily appreciated by orthodox, mainstream Western psychology. Let us explore this premise detail.

Transcendent indebtedness to God: A new construct in the psychology of religion and spirituality.

Transcendent indebtedness to God: A new construct in the psychology of religion and spirituality.

Velmans and the Transpersonal: Reflexivity at the Core

In assessing the relevance of Velmans' work for transpersonal psychology, two major features of his reflexive monism are explored. The first is the notion that consciousness is embedded in the external world and in the body, the second is the principle of reflexivity itself. The embeddedness of consciousness in the world underpins transpersonal notions of consciousness as a primary reality of the universe. Consciousness as embodied is a critical component for therapies and psychospiritual practices that focus on somatic awareness, both central to transpersonal psychology's objectives. The reflexivity at the core of Velmans' theory is identified as a principle that recurs at different scales (the brain, cognition, and the universe), thus relating to esoteric ideas of correspondence across microcosmic and macrocosmic levels of being. For transpersonal psychology, this recognition that 'ancient' esoteric ideas can be substantiated and updated through contemporary research into consciousness opens further avenues of enquiry.

Detecting anomalous experiences in the community: The Transpersonal Experiences Questionnaire (TEQ).

There is growing recognition of the value of researching anomalous experiences in the general population to aid our understanding of the psychosis continuum. There are key differences in aims, foci and epistemologies of existing measures, with varying utility for specific research designs. This study addresses gaps in the literature by developing a measure of anomalous experiences with utility for longitudinal (time-sensitive) research, and with particular reliability for people towards the upper (high scoring) end of the continuum. An online sample was recruited from the general population to provide questionnaire data for two study parts: (A) item selection and (B) psychometric evaluation. For Part A, both classical test theory and item response theory methods were used to select which items to be included from an initial pool of 57, generated from individuals with persistent anomalous experiences. For Part B, psychometric properties of the resulting measure were evaluated using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and tests of reliability and validity. Scores were provided by 532 participants, from which a 19-item scale, the Transpersonal Experiences Questionnaire (TEQ), was developed. The TEQ was found to be a unidimensional scale, with satisfactory internal consistency (0.85), good test-retest reliability and convergent validity. The TEQ can be used as a unidimensional scale to detect anomalous experiences in the general population, with particular reliability for people with higher incidence of these experiences.

GAZING INTO THE ABYSS: TOWARD A PHILOSOPHICAL UNDERSTANDING OF ANXIETY AND FEAR.

The aim: This paper deals with anxiety or fear-related disorders and philosophical interpretations of the phenomena of fear and anxiety. Materials and methods: The authors used integrative anthropological approach, interpretive research paradigm, hermeneutical approach. The data collec¬tion was carried out using Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, Google Scholar databases. Research papers were identified according to search terms: "anxiety or fear-related disorders", "fear", "anxiety", "phobia", "psychology", "psychotherapy", "mental health", "philosophy", "being-in-the-world", "human existence". Conclusion: It is obvious that philosophical interpretations of the phenomena of fear and anxiety cannot be defined in clinical terms, especially given the fact that modern psychology, psychotherapy, and psychiatry are shifting towards evidence-based practices. Furthermore, there are significant differences in determining the causes that provoke mental health disorders (nature, nurture, their interaction or something else) and accordingly in choosing treatment methods. Apparently, the position of the researchers/practitioners will be determined by their understanding of the root cause. However, more and more researchers are coming to the conclusion that the contemporary world demonstrates the urgent need for an integral, holistic paradigm of a human as an undivided, alive and organic, ideal and material being that should be understood in the context, taking into account the socio-cultural, biological, narrative, self-relational dimensions and his/her ability to transcend them. That is why the most effective way to help people with anxiety or fear-related disorders is to develop "the optimal combination of social assistance, psychological therapy, transpersonal experience, and medical treatment. It should be based on a new transdisciplinary paradigm and implemented by an interdisciplinary team of specialists". In this process, a special role should be assigned to philosophy, which is able to expand horizons and find an approach to the core of a human being.

Awakening: The main road to integral healing

A condition of awakening consciousness seems to be characterised as one of the most significant aspects in achieving integral healing, i.e., psycho-spiritual, organismic and social. There are different types of awakening to be considered from contextual to structural, from vertical to horizontal to distal or proximal. The new paradigm of the science of consciousness and the approach of transpersonal psychology provide maps and methods for mastering the inner experience, fostering the conditions for awakening and realization of the Self. The purpose of that article is to focus on the importance of considering awakening of consciousness among the landscape of psychological development both for individual and society. Through a phenomenological approach we’ll describe the awakening process, Thanks the result of two inventories we’ll focus on characteristics of awakening and we’ll suggest the Integral Transpersonal Vision as an approach to the experiences of awakening.

Spiritual Bypassing: How to Diagnose and Attend to Various Forms of Spiritual Immaturity in Pastoral Work

For centuries, spiritual growth has been one of the major topics in theology. In this context, spiritual guides have attempted to help people discern between true and false paths towards God. Today, we are again witnessing a growing interest in spirituality itself and in finding means to develop the spiritual potential in human life. Because of the increasing number of people venturing into more advanced spiritual practices, spiritual bypass is appearing more frequently. Recently, this topic has become a study subject of the psychology of spirituality and religion. This article presents major findings from this research and discusses their validity for pastoral work.

Духовная психология С. Л. Франка в контексте современных задач развития российской социальной психологии

The introduction highlights the points of contact between the ideas of S.L. Frank’s spiritual psychology and the theme of “generational survival”, developed within the framework of metamodernism and metapsychology, and the relevance of spiritual psychology for solving the problems facing modern Russian social psychology. The theoretical analysis is devoted to understanding the essence of the phenomenon of spirituality, the connection of the spiritual and socio-psychological in the works of S. L. Frank, the development of S. L. Frank’s ideas in the order approach to the socio-psychological study of culture, the essence of metamodern psychology and its socio-psychological aspects. The correspondence of the ideas of metamodernism and metapsychology to the ideas of spiritual psychology of S. L. Frank is considered. It is shown that the basis for independent development at the present stage are the realities of Russian social reality and the experience of predecessors (in particular, S. L. Frank), the restoration of the intellectual tradition of studying the spiritual experience of the “survival” of generations and overcoming difficulties as a theoretical and methodological basis. In conclusion conclusions are drawn about the relevance of Frank spiritual psychology for solving the problems of the development of Russian social psychology in the context of a metamodern worldview; that modern Russian social psychology faces the need to determine its own development paths without relying on Western social psychology. The analysis of the spiritual aspects of social phenomena and the experience of “survival”, the oscillation method brings metamodern psychology and methodology closer to Frank’s spiritual psychology, despite semantic discrepancies.

Women without children

Heuristic methodology (Moustakas, 1990) was employed to explore the experiences and identities of women without children in relation to predominant discourses around womanhood and motherhood. Seven co-researchers participated in the study, a mix of intentionally and involuntarily childless women aged between 50 and 75. Individual depictions were created through a narrational technique of empathic explication, based on data produced from conversational interviews and historical material. A composite depiction was then created, illustrating an archetypal experiential journey unfolding from the position of being female and conveying key aspects of experience and processes of identity formation. Research findings reveal that embodied experiences of womanhood from the position of a woman without children demonstrate complex, diverse, and transpersonal experiences that challenge and surpass the boundaries of predominant conceptions of womanhood. The study’s findings support the development of a feminist participatory perspective in working to destabilise and reconceptualise essentialist conceptions pertaining to womanhood, and effectively challenge the widespread conflation of ‘woman’ with ‘mother’ in predominant discourses.

Effects and potentials of self-created, heartfelt embodied prayers in times of uncertainty

Can prayer offer a tool to enhance life-circumstances? This paper investigates different creative ways to develop prayer, as well as prayer's potential for psychological well-being, embodiment, transpersonal states and inner transformation. An experiential pilot study on self-created heartfelt embodied (SCHE) prayer was conceptualized and conducted with eight research participants over the course of six weeks during the uncertain times of COVID-19. Participants enacted four prayer cycles with the support of optional guidelines and two group prayer webinars. Their experience was documented with a prayer workbook and qualitative questionnaires. The present study applied a heuristic inquiry methodology beneficial for the investigation of unexplored territory. The article includes a descriptive analysis of three participants' lived experiences and insight into three types of group composite depictions. Significant findings are revealed via various creative and statistical representations of data. The results of this research suggest eight themes and processes, and identify connection as the core theme. Further highlighted themes include: relationship to self, depth and feeling, transformation, heartfelt experience, discovery and insight, finding my way/style, and transpersonal experiences (divine/source and nature/planet). The findings, which suggest a number of benefits, are discussed, and considered alongside other prayer approaches and contemporary evidence-based studies.

UNDERSTANDING YŪNUS EMRE IN THE CONTEXT OF TRANSPERSONAL PSYCHOLOGY

As a poet-hero who was raised by Turkish culture and left his mark on centuries, every step taken to fully grasp Yūnus Emre is an effort to understand people. The aim of the study is to analyse the psychological dynamics and experiences of Yūnus Emre and to reveal a "special" human model. In this direction, the peak experiences in Yūnus Emre's poetry are discussed in the context of the theories of Abraham Maslow, who is accepted as the founder of the transpersonal psychology school. The reason why Maslow is suitable for the subject is that he is one of the founders of "modern health psychology" developed in the West. In relation to this, when evaluating a ṣūfī-poet like Yūnus Emre who left his mark on the ages, it was deemed appropriate to choose a psychology school that focuses on the potential of human, not on the weaknesses. In the study, it has been determined that the moods described by Maslow are very similar to the “states” that Yūnus lived in depending on ṣūfism. These links are grouped under two main headings. In the first part of the study, the motivations needed to reach the transcendent or peak experiences and their equivalents in Yūnus Emre's poems were evaluated. It has been observed that deep feelings such as love, pain, devotion and anxiety have turned into purposeful motivational tools in Yūnus’s poetry. In the second part, the appearance of certain characteristics of transcendental experiences in Yūnus Emre's poems is given. The basic features of these transcendent experiences have been identified as unity of consciousness, self-cognition and admiration. As a result of the study, it has been seen that a new breath can be brought to the analysis of Yūnus Emre's poems by utilizing the accumulation of different disciplines. However, it was seen that although Maslow discovered the subject of peak experience and meta-motivations with his own efforts, he could not put forward a systematic definition, and ṣūfism is at a much more advanced point in this regard. Keywords: Trans-personal Psychology, Yūnus Emre, Abraham Maslow, Peak Experience.

Feminizing the Paranormal

This paper discusses how the discipline of parapsychology should acknowledge and integrate attributes from its shadow in order to grow. More women and feminine scholars should be encouraged into the field, and feminine approaches should be integrated with traditional masculine approaches in a both/and approach which draws from transpersonal psychology. This perspective is informed by the observation that psi phenomena are relational, embodied, meaningful, and participatory and rest on healthy connections that can be nurtured by integrating multiple perspectives, methodologies, and ways of knowing.

Rhythms of homecoming: A body–soul experience of dancing the traditional rhythms of my native land, as an exiled, non-traditional southern Italian woman

The experience presented here draws on my MA Dance and Somatic Wellbeing final study. Due to global pandemic restrictions, this was a solo and single witnessed inquiry into the resonance, in my body–soul experience, of traditional dances from my native land, centred on deepening into a ‘return’ to the homeland within. This perspective hoped to contribute to the field of somatic movement practices in relation to traditional dances as embodied inter-, intra- and trans-personal experience and in contexts removed from their place of origin. Through the emerging themes, a story unfolded, of unanticipated archetypal and imaginal phenomena, a rich, embodied and spiritual experience encompassing individual and collective rooting and transpersonal significance. These are, therefore, central to this writing and presented with extracts from journaling, video recordings and drawings by both dancer and witness, as samples of the lived material from which they arose.

Underground ibogaine use for the treatment of substance use disorders: A qualitative analysis of subjective experiences.

Ibogaine is one of the alkaloids naturally found in plants such as Tabernanthe iboga, which has been traditionally used by members of the Bwiti culture. Since the discovery of its anti-addictive properties by Howard S. Lotsof in 1962, ibogaine has been used experimentally to treat substance use disorders (SUD), especially those involving opioids. We aim to provide a detailed understanding of the underlying psychological aspects of underground ibogaine use for the treatment of SUD. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 13 participants with SUD, which motivated their self-treatment with ibogaine. The data were analysed using the grounded theory approach and considered the context of the treatment, and the nature of the occurring hallucinogenic and cognitive phenomena during the treatment experience. We identified several psychological effects that the study respondents experienced, which seem to play a substantial role in the therapeutic process concerning SUD. The evoking of interpersonal and transpersonal experiences, autobiographical memories, and preparation, integration and motivation for a lifestyle change are important components that participants reported during and after ibogaine intake. Ibogaine is increasingly being used for the treatment of SUD, due in part to the limited treatment options currently available. Its beneficial effects seem to be related not only to its complex pharmacology but also to the subjective experience that ibogaine induces. The main aspects of this experience are related to autobiographical memories and valuable personal insights, which together appear to help individuals cope with their SUD.

Transpersonal Psychology and Maulawiyyah Sufi Dance in an Effort "Taqarrub" to Allah Swt


 This article tries to reveal and describe one of the many ways to get closer to Allah Swt., namely through a less common path; the art of dance. This way is considered unique because the combination of dance is accompanied by dhikr and beautiful things are heard in the ears of the salik when the ritual occurs, salik here is also a special dancer who has received a mandate from the mursyid. In addition, the "taqarrub" effort is collaborated with transpersonal psychology where the Sufi Maulawiyyah dance is considered a spiritual experience in order to gain His pleasure. The research method used in this article is to use the library research method or library research, whether it comes from books or scientific journals that have a relationship or relationship in the main discussion of this research, while the type or nature in writing this article is descriptive analysis with an analytical approach. theoretical normative. Based on the findings here, the results of the discussion are considered capable of accommodating the Sufis, especially those who are of the Maulawiyyah sect who came from Turkiye and then spread to various countries including Indonesia, besides that this also proves that in classical Islam they are able to adapt or integrate with the development of the times, especially the development of the art world so as to add and complete insight into intellectual property and social sciences.

Supplemental Material for Sixty Years of Studying the Sacred: Auditing and Advancing the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality

Supplemental Material for Sixty Years of Studying the Sacred: Auditing and Advancing the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality

The Origin (and Future) of Transpersonal Psychology in an Open Scientific Naturalism

A number of scholars well known within transpersonal psychology appear to be converging on open scientific naturalism as a philosophically and methodologically fruitful framework for transpersonal and related fields. This builds on the nascent open naturalism evidenced in the early years of transpersonal psychology, before it entered its metaphysical phase (ca. 1975 to 2000). Since it is necessary for science to assume some kind of world within which it is possible to do science, and not every aspect of that assumed world can be subjected to processes of empirical investigation, some of these necessary background assumptions are unavoidably metaphysical. However, the fact that these are unavoidable does not justify the insertion of foreground metaphysical explanations for psychological or spiritual phenomena. Rather than attempting to broaden psychology by adding metaphysics, an open scientific naturalism can make it more inclusive and more scientific by disputing metaphysically based disbeliefs based on specifically Western background reality assumptions.

A Consideration of Transpersonal Research Methods for Studying Yoga and Mindfulness in Schools

Over the past decade, interest in yoga and mindfulness in schools has grown tremendously, with preliminary research suggesting that these interventions may have a variety of positive effects on youth. However, some quantitative studies of school-based yoga and mindfulness have reported null and/or counterintuitive effects, such as increases in perceived stress, negative affect and psychological symptoms. In addition, some mixed-methods studies that combined quantitative and qualitative approaches have found inconsistent results, with the quantitative outcomes failing to show statistical significance, while students report benefits of yoga and mindfulness in qualitative interviews/focus groups. These inconsistent findings suggest that the field of school-based yoga and mindfulness may benefit from a consideration of additional research approaches, such as transpersonal research methods, to study the potential effects of these interventions. Transpersonal research methods were developed within the field of transpersonal psychology as an alternative approach to studying the nature of inner experiences, particularly transpersonal and spiritual experiences. The current paper re-envisions a previously published study of a school-based yoga intervention through the lens of transpersonal research methods, with the intention of providing researchers with examples and inspiration to enrich their studies of school-based yoga and mindfulness. By combining transpersonal research methods with traditional quantitative and qualitative approaches, scientists have the potential to provide a richer and more complex evaluation of yoga and mindfulness in schools.