<p> Archetypal psychology relativized the notion of ego and brought the notion of psyche as soul to the fore by highlighting Soul&rsquo;s distinction from Spirit. Psychotherapy became a soul-making process, but Soul&rsquo;s longing for union with Spirit and the ego&rsquo;s longing for relationship with the Self was neglected. Using alchemical hermeneutics, this thesis investigates the bringing into consciousness of the repressed Spirit in depth psychology by reviewing literature in the broader field of psychotherapy and the personal experience of the writer that points to a love relationship between the opposites of Soul and Spirit, ego and Self. This thesis also puts forth a call for action within post-Jungian thinking toward an awareness of the dynamically poetic tension of opposites, and posits that the divine archetype of the Opposites is the primary animator of the production of the human mind, reintroducing Jung&rsquo;s archetype of the transpersonal Self in a more relational manner. </p>

<p> Every summer, hundreds of college athletes attend The Ultimate Training Camp (UTC), at which Athletes in Action offers a curriculum entitled, <i> The Principles of Competition</i> (aka <i>Five Principles</i>). The intent is to teach a Christian perspective of sports so that athletes would learn both the philosophy and the skill of competing <i>Christianly. </i> Both the <i>Principles</i> and the camp pedagogy have been refined over several decades to become what seems to be an effective methodology, but refinement has been based on informal evaluation without access to more empirical data. The purpose of this study is to observe, measure, and evaluate the level of learning acquired by camp participants&mdash; including consideration and application of Dallas Willard&rsquo;s learning framework of <i>vision, intention,</i> and <i>means</i> (VIM)&mdash;in order to better understand how the <i>Principles</i> are perceived, and to establish a model for future studies. An evaluative survey was developed, administered online, and responded to by over forty UTC alumni. Results revealed that certain Principles were remembered to a much greater degree than others, but overall response to the VIM model was favorable, and factored into the students&rsquo; continued Christian growth. Further evaluation led to some suggestions for possible changes in UTC methodology, and more complete data collection. Further studies in this vein are recommended.</p><p>

<p> The aim of this research was to investigate the transformational experience of teachers who had training and experience with traditional education and then moved to an experiential teaching method as found in the One Earth School, Bali, Indonesia. The researcher conducted interviews with eight teachers and made observations of the teachers&rsquo; practices in the One Earth School. This study sought to answer the main research question: What was the transformative experience of teachers who moved from traditional to experiential forms of education? This primary research question was expanded to include sub-research questions that explored: How did an experiential educational method influence teacher practice, what were the barriers in transitioning to an education in experiential learning, how did the teachers address those barriers? The primary researcher used a multiple case study method. Six key themes emerged from this analysis, which were a sense of purpose, transformation of educational beliefs, experiences of transformative learning, sense of community, sense of intimacy, and self-transformation. The findings of this study provided data to support the theories and practices of transformative experiences for teachers who converted to this method. The experiences of teaching in the OES provided teachers impactful learning experiences that facilitated their transformation. The findings will provide a model for articulating and disseminating the transformative practices of educators as co-learners.</p><p>

<p> The aim of this study was is to uncover the interdependence between self-transformation and community participation through analyzing the self-reports of participants in a 30-day community-based transformative educational program called the True School, organized by the Konohana Family in Fujinomiya, Japan. This research explored the question: What conscious phenomena, in terms of self-awareness, were experienced through participating in a 30-day community-based transformative educational program called the True School? The Konohana Family is an intentional community located in Fujinomiya, Japan, whose cultural belief system is based on transcending ego. Daily journals and a critical hermeneutic conversation were used to explicate the conscious phenomena experienced. Some experiences that the participants aspired for were later felt, and some experiences that participants felt were later aspired for. The researcher found that, prior to the True School, participants experienced emotional conflicts and repressed their personal desires. They desired acceptance, personal ownership, transformation, and wisdom. They aspired to feel autonomy, confidence, creative expression, fulfillment, and vulnerability. During the True School, participants wanted to feel confidence, creative expression, and vulnerability. They experienced compassion, embodiment, empowerment, gratitude, intuition, joy, vulnerability, will, and wisdom. After the True School, participants felt acceptance, faith, joy, non-attachment, and wisdom. More so, locus of control (LoC), the belief in a source of control as internal or external, was found to modulate self-construal and worldview. LoC was considered to be synonymous with ego, as the belief in a separate self. When ego is intended to be acknowledged and suspended or transcended, harmony is experienced and community forms. This research addresses the significance for further applications of community-based learning environments, specifically with the intention of transcending ego. </p><p>

<p> The purpose of writing <i>An Evaluation of the Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Course at Community Alliance Church, Butler, Pennsylvania</i> was to measure the efficacy of the course to improve emotional maturity on participants.</p><p>

<p> Through a mixed methodology of hermeneutic and heuristic inquiry, this thesis examines the influence of early childhood numinous, or profound spiritual, experience on the developing psyche and its relationship to repetitive compulsion over the lifespan. A dual lens of depth psychology and neuroscience is employed to explore the interstitial spaces between theories on the numen, early psychological development, and the repetition compulsion, comparing the literature with personal and clinical examples. Findings illustrated that numinous experiences are intimately connected with repetitive symptomology and that certain individuals are genetically predisposed to numinous experience. The hypothesis was proposed that repetition compulsion engendered by early numinous experiences, and perhaps all repetition phenomena, might reflect an unconscious <i> telos</i>, or the aim of an integral part of one&rsquo;s psyche seeking expression, integration, and relationship in the world.</p><p>

<p> This dissertation aims to fulfill two objectives. First, to establish a critical perspective of analysis based on the construct of otherness. I term this perspective the &ldquo;Lens of Otherness&rdquo; (LoO) and it consists in analyzing the ways otherness is integrated in a theory. A significant part of this work is devoted to substantiate it and provide a theoretical and methodological foundation for it. The second goal is to apply the LoO to two major transpersonal theories, integral theory and the participatory paradigm. The application of the LoO to these two transpersonal theories brings their problematic aspects to the fore. </p><p> The overall argument is broken down into several steps. The first step consists of compiling a significant number of critiques of transpersonalism that point to a common problem: an inadequate treatment of otherness. Next, the study shows that otherness is a fundamental aspect for both the human being and the universe at large. In order to demonstrate this, a model for otherness in transpersonal studies is created. This model contains five modalities of otherness with increasing significance. Once having shown the relevance of otherness, a critical perspective of analysis based on otherness, the LoO, is formed. A method to guide the application of this critical perspective to transpersonal theories is provided as well. </p><p> Then the LoO is applied to exemplars of the two major orientations in transpersonal theories, integral theory and the participatory paradigm. The main conclusion of this analysis is that while integral theory presents many flaws from the perspective of otherness, otherness is a foundational constituent of the participatory paradigm. Many other critiques are developed that are of paramount relevance for transpersonal studies. </p><p> This work will be of interest to all scholars interested in transpersonal studies, and more generally to spiritual seekers who are attracted to the ideas and principles of transpersonal theories.</p><p>

<p> Childhood sexual assault impacts individuals in the most intimate of ways and is considered one of the most destructive forms of trauma an individual can endure. Clinicians and researchers alike have acknowledged a range of physical, psychobiological, and spiritual outcomes related to childhood sexual abuse. Spiritually, sexual abuse can be so annihilating it has been referred to as soul murder. Because the abuse assails the victim&rsquo;s spirit, sense of self, and value, the healing process is essentially a spiritual one. This narrative, phenomenological study takes place where deeply painful experiences of childhood sexual abuse meet with profound spiritual experiences. Eight participants share their stories of this convergence in their lives and what it has come to mean for them. This research aspired to explore the phenomenon of affirmative religious/spiritual or grace-filled experiences through narratives of adults who suffered childhood sexual abuse. This research was guided by the following questions: How do moments of grace (spiritual/religious experiences) impact the healing of trauma for survivors of childhood sexual abuse? How is the impact of such trauma mediated or attenuated by these grace-filled experiences, both through human relational contact as horizontal grace, as well as that beyond the scope of humanity&mdash;vertical grace? Keywords: childhood sexual abuse, trauma, spirituality, grace, narrative, healing</p><p>

This thesis explores the perceived relationship between spirituality and psychiatric medication use in individuals living with severe mental health problems. The biological approach to mental health treatment is the dominant paradigm of care across the Western world, which justifies the use of psychopharmacology as a first-line therapy. In the last 30 years, the steady rise in the use of prescription medications has generated much debate and controversy. Historically, much of what we know about psychiatric medication comes from professionals and experts. Comparatively little is known about the perspectives of service users. There is also strong evidence to suggest that religion and spirituality are playing a growing role in addressing mental health problems. Both spirituality and psychiatric medication are known to mediate the processes of wellness and recovery, yet it is not well understood how their interactions may impact upon recovery. The intention of this thesis was to explore this unknown area. The methodology used in this thesis was hermeneutic phenomenology. A purposive sample of twenty people who self-identified as spiritual and/or religious, and were or had in the past taken psychiatric medication participated. Data were collected via in-depth, unstructured interviews, and analysed using a modified approach, based on the works of other researchers. The key finding in this study is that people experienced a multiplicity of interactions between spirituality and psychiatric medication which significantly impacted treatment outcomes, in both positive and negative ways. The overall findings of this research highlights the need for greater awareness of spirituality as a nonpharmacological factor which can impact upon drug treatment outcomes.

After the death of his father, Joshua Klein drops out of college and moves to Chicago. Alone in the city and with nothing of consequence to do, he attempts to justify to himself the ways of God, the sense of an early death and what is the good to do in life. In this excerpt of Time Spent Away, Joshua seeks out the hidden aspects of the city and his spirit. Guided by his father's Bible and the formative texts of his undergraduate coursework, he sets out to complete his own education. During a tour of The Auditorium Building Joshua meets Felix Servo, a preserver of historic landmarks and an architectural enthusiast, who will show Joshua the city heights in a new way. When he explores the depths, Joshua meets Roland Charles, a self-proclaimed actor whose true use of time eludes Joshua and will jeopardize his peaceful search for meaning. Told from the perspective of a timid though curious young man, Time Spent Away engages with architecture, literature and love; Louis Sullivan, the Western Cannon and the person of Jesus Christ; preservation, destruction and the fine line between both to present a heart-felt account of self-discovery.