Transpersonal Research and Future Directions

Integrating the Transpersonal Approach Into Counselling: A Semi-Structured Phenomenological Inquiry

“…They agreed that spirituality can be explored through various experientially conducted and mutually agreed upon spiritual activities to encourage development of internal contemplation (Richards & Worthington, 2010). Transpersonal methods uniquely blend with refined human qualities such as altruism and genuine compassion toward self and others (Anderson, 2015;Braud, 2004;Clements, 2011). In line with this, participants evaluated that the development in the knowledge of holistic self-care and use of self-regulating practices is essential in enhancing the progress of individual practices (Cortright, 1997).…”

“…Historically, the major theories in counselling and psychotherapy have focused on removal of pathology rather than on fostering of spirituality and development of the transpersonal aspect of being (Kaminker & Lukoff, 2015;Powers, 2005;Wilber, 2000). Despite growing empirical support for the inclusion of personal spirituality within practice, awareness of the benefits of the transpersonal approach is still developing (Anderson, 2015;Hartelius et al, 2007). Additionally, the subjective interpretation of spiritual components makes the transpersonal element easier to explore than to be objectively defined (Friedman, 2015;Rowan, 2015); therefore, knowledge about the transpersonal approach is rarely formally included as a core component of counsellors' practice (Rowan, 2014).…”

“…The inclusion of spirituality remains a valid component of an integrated counselling approach (Anderson & Braud, 2011;Braud, 2006;Davis, 2009;Grof, 2012;Richards & Worthington, 2010). The transpersonal approach operates on the integrated understanding that the person is a living system that can be described and defined (Hartelius, 2016), as the focus of inquiry moves onto a subjective spiritual experience (Anderson, 2015;Hartelius, 2007). The transpersonal approach respects the value of spiritual traditions (Davis, 2009) and initiates a process of exploration into unitive states of existence (Wilber, 2000), supporting expansions of consciousness beyond the usual limits of ego realisation (Strohl, 1998).…”

“…An integral element of conscious living is the endeavour towards the preliminary development of qualities such as a peaceful and equipoised attitude, kindness, and magnanimity (Anderson & Braud, 2011), as well as depth of understanding and a desire 2/16 for spiritual growth (Clements, 2011). Such character predispositions support identification with the spirit rather than that of matter, allowing for discussion of topics that hold heart and meaning (Anderson, 2015;Le Gacy, 1998). This paper reviews how transpersonal discussions could help the development of a spirit-guided, mutually trusting space towards acceptance of a process of holistic transformation in relation to both one's self and that of others.…”

Transpersonal psychology as a heterodox approach to psychological science: Focus on the construct of self-expansiveness and its measure.

“…Most of the research within transpersonal psychology uses qualitative approaches but these, despite the value they hold, make it difficult to build cumulative science in a way compatible with positivistic views of science. Although I have challenged claims that only qualitative research can do justice to the complexity of transpersonal phenomena (e.g., Friedman, 2015b) or, more broadly, humanistic phenomena (Franco, Friedman, & Arons, 2008), there are many innovative qualitative approaches that were pioneered within transpersonal psychology (Braud & Anderson, 2011;Anderson & Braud, 2015). These days, although I still mainly use quantitative methods in my research in the subdiscipline (e.g., MacDonald et al, 2015), increasingly I also do qualitative work, such as using interpretive phenomenological approaches (e.g., Bonner & Friedman, 2011), but I am becoming a champion of using mixed-methods (e.g., Friedman & Robbins, 2009) to get a fuller picture of elusive transpersonal phenomena than either qualitative or quantitative approaches alone can provide.…”