Magíster en Psicología Clínica de Adultos / El presente estudio tiene como objetivo conocer los significados que un grupo de pacientes y sus familiares han establecido en torno a las prestaciones recibidas por los servicios de salud mental y al proceso de sanación esotérica, frente a experiencias descritas como posesión espiritual. El enfoque predominantemente utilizado en la investigación, es el construccionismo social, integrando al mismo tiempo, algunos aspectos de la psiquiatría clínica y la psicología transpersonal, mientras tanto la estrategia metodológica utilizada fue la Grounded Theory. Respecto de la recolección de datos, se ha preferido la entrevista semiestructurada, la cual fue realizada a diez participantes de distinto género y edades (cinco pacientes y cinco familiares). Se ha concluido que los aspectos centrales que han emergido respecto de los significados que tanto pacientes como familiares han percibido luego de las prestaciones recibidas por parte de los servicios de salud mental a los cuales acudieron y, posterior al proceso de sanación esotérica experimentado, que la mejoría respecto de la sintomatología más aguda fue lograda con la sanación esotérica. Así mismo, las disciplinas de la salud mental, en especial la psiquiatría, son catalogadas como abordajes cuya validez se ampara en un poder fáctico. Relacionado a lo anterior, un tercer aspecto que unánimemente se desprende de lo expresado por los/as entrevistados/as es la experimentación de una gran cantidad de acontecimientos, cuya explicación comporta un desafío para los criterios científicos convencionales, adheridos a un discurso dominante coercitivo y limitado. Al finalizar, se plantean propuestas para la articulación de diálogos entre la salud mental, las ciencias sociales y los abordajes esotéricos y/o espirituales, sustentando aquella intención en lo que Foucault denominó la in-servidumbre voluntaria, o el “arte de la indocilidad reflexiva”, respecto de la mantención de una actitud personal crítica como una práctica de resistencia y de validación de los propios juegos de verdad frente a un sistema de vida dominado principalmente por el denominado “biopoder” que controla el imaginario colectivo y las prácticas sociales, imponiendo criterios de verdad reducidos y excluyentes, con la finalidad de la perpetuación de ciertos intereses creados

This thesis is grounded in the theoretical discourses of art therapy and transpersonal psychology. The focus is on a single session of claywork, where a sculpture was made and discussed, leading to an understanding of some of the sculptor's central psychological issues. The overall aim of the research was to examine different hermeneutic perspectives on art therapy with clay sculpture in terms of how well they open up and do justice to the experience of the sculptor and the nature of the overall process. Within this there are two particular goals: Firstly, to examine the extent to which the holographic paradigm in comparison to other perspectives, allows a deeper access to, and deeper understanding of, transpersonal themes and processes; and secondly, to examine the extent to which processes within claywork can be understood as ritual activities. The research was a phenomenological-hermeneutic case study. The session was reduced to a narrative synopsis, and then a hermeneutically grounded thematic analysis was carried out using the theory of Transpersonal Feminism (Knight, 1997) and Schema-Focused Cognitive Therapy (young, 1990, 1994). The principal conclusions reached were that the holographic paradigm does add to our understanding of the experiences (personal and transpersonal) of the claywork, often beyond the scope of other art therapy perspectives. The image of the shaman is used as a metaphor for understanding the process of healing described within the holographic paradigm. Within the healing process, ritual plays an important role in the meaningful therapeutic activity of art therapy. The claywork expresses that the transpersonal struggle with archetypal forces within the collective unconscious is reflected on a personal level through individual conflicts and dilemmas within the personal unconscious. Indeed, these difficulties are viewed on both levels as 'stepping stones' on the path of spiritual development described by Engler (1984) and Welwood (1986).

D.Litt. et Phil. (Psychology) / It is with the conclusion of the last century and the advent of this current one, that we see the previously private matters of spirituality brought out into open social life. The world, particularly the Western world, seems to be hungry for spirituality. The causes of this hunger for spirituality are numerous and beyond the scope of this study. Particular mention, however, needs to he made of the role played by the principles of modernism and patriarch in twentieth century western society in precipitating a spiritual deprivation.

The inquiry is a hermeneutic historical study of the historical factors in the life of Kazimierz Dabrowski which contributed to the shaping of his Theory of Positive Disintegration. Relatively little information has been written on the life and theory of Kazimierz Dabrowski. The researcher contends that knowledge of Dabrowski, the man, will aid in an understanding of his theory. The journey in which an individual "develops" to the level at which "the other" becomes a higher concern than the self, is the "stuff" of Kazimierz Dabrowski's Theory of Positive Disintegration. It is a paradoxical theory of human development, based on the premise that "good can follow from bad." Crisis and suffering act as the propellents into an internal as well as external battle with self and environment to move out of the "what is" and travel to the "what ought to be." Illuminated within this study, is how the life of Dabrowski demonstrates this moral and psychic struggle. Data collection for this qualitative study was accomplished over a four year period through a "deep" reading of the works of Dabrowski and a search for biographical material. The researcher was the first to utilize a ten volume file on Dabrowski housed in the National Archives of Ottawa in Canada which houses a plethora of Dabrowski's books and papers. The researcher, following a hermeneutic research approach, traveled to Poland to "walk in Dabrowski's footsteps." Within this journey, the researcher utilized the facilities of many archives in Poland - at libraries, and within prisons. Given the researcher's Polish heritage, a basic knowledge of the Polish language aided the researcher greatly in these endeavors. The journey served to deepen the researcher's understanding of Dabrowski, the man - his history and his country. Finally, the researcher interviewed several of Dabrowski's friends, co-authors, students and associates. This study serves as a baseline endeavor for additional research. The researcher's purpose was to aid in understanding Dabrowski - the man and his theory. The research journey was an attempt by the researcher to keep alive and renew interest in a theory of human development that is in danger of being forgotten. / Ph. D.

Spirituality is becoming an increasingly important dimension of Counselling Psychology. As multicultural communities become more inclusive and global, it is valuable for counsellors to become more familiar with the different types of spiritual experiences that individuals are having. By attending to such experiences, counsellors may address how current forms of spirituality encourage healing, growth, and development, thereby increasing our understanding of human potential. Furthermore, many cultures are emerging from a religious history that portrays a male god as supreme, and the predominant images of the Divine as masculine. This imbalance of the masculine and feminine in relation to spirituality has been associated with a profound disconnection from our bodies, the earth-body, and the split between spirit and matter. For this reason, relating to the Divine Feminine may hold an essential piece for many in to reconnect with earth, body, and soul. In this narrative inquiry, ten women are interviewed about their transpersonal experiences with the Divine Feminine. Their stories illuminate what the Divine Feminine is, the meaning attributed to Her, and the changes in their lives associated with their experiences. This study increases our understanding of the role that the Divine Feminine has in the lives of women, and represents some forms of spirituality emerging in the new global context. In turn, it widens our perspective on the therapeutic implications these and related phenomena could have on Counselling Psychology. The key findings of this research show that contemporary women are experiencing the Divine Feminine through: (a) Goddesses, (b) Shakti and Kundalini Shakti, (c) one’s Self (body, sexuality, women’s blood mysteries), (d) Nature and sacred plant medicine, (e) Mother, and (f) Spirit guides, visions, and past life experiences. This inquiry raises the awareness of the powerful healing, deep insight, and growth enhancing shifts that are attributed the Divine Feminine. The intention is that these stories will inspire counsellors to inquire into their clients’ transpersonal experiences with the Divine Feminine, as these experiences contain potent life-affirming and growth-enhancing resources. / Graduate / 0318 / 0453 / DawnRabey@live.ca

Sufism is a living mystical tradition with tools and a theoretical framework geared to facilitate the realization of one’s full potential. This thesis examines the nature of such a realization, which culminates in an experience of nondual Self-realization. Transpersonal psychology provided the conceptual framework for this study, as it attempts to document the role that altered states of consciousness play in facilitating health and wellbeing. This research also drew heavily from the methodology of phenomenological hermeneutics and transpersonal phenomenology, which supported the investigation into the lived experience of five Sufi practitioners. The guiding research question of this exploratory inquiry asks, What has been the lived experience of Sufi practitioners on their journey towards nondual Self-realization? The research findings consist of eight themes that emerged during the analysis of the textual data. The implications of these findings impact the health and counseling fields, as well as the environmental crisis. / viii, 253 leaves ; 29 cm

A phenomenological-hermeneutic method of research was employed to determine the nature of the lived experiences of adults as they transformed past-life trauma into wholeness in this life and the associated meanings attached to these experiences. Upon completion of the analysis, five distinct parts and 16 themes emerged. The themes illuminate the significance of childhood developmental trauma on the developing ego; the resulting splits of self; and the impact and manifestations of rejection, neglect, isolation, and abandonment within all life stages. Also illustrated is the journey through the healing of past-life and current-life trauma and the embracement of the non-dual path. The findings of this study appear to indicate that past-life regression and the non-dual perspective are beneficial healing paradigms for individuals who have experienced physical, sexual, and emotional trauma during childhood development. Keywords: healing, past-life, past life, regression, non-duality, nonduality / x, 217 leaves ; 29 cm

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 269-282).

Thesis (M.A.)--Humboldt State University, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 90-92). Also available via Humboldt Digital Scholar.

This longitudinal study addresses the interface between the emerging paradigm of Transpersonal Psychology, which recognizes the transbiographical domain of consciousness, and the clinical area of child abuse. By using the transpersonal concept of the karmic complex, which was developed in the discourse of Roger Woolger, it explores the clinical value of past-life regressions and other transpersonal phenomena in the therapeutic process. The study provides an in-depth phenomenological description and a theoreticalheuristic explication of the experience of a single subject who was an adult survivor of physical and sexual abuse as well as early emotional deprivation in childhood, and who, over a four-year period of intensive psychotherapy, experienced a wide spectrum of transpersonal phenomena which included 123 past-life regressions. The therapeutic process could be clearly delineated into a biographical phase, which was dominated by biographical traumas, and a subsequ~nt transpersonal phase, during which the focus was almost exclusively on transpersonal material. This provided the opportunity to explore the therapeutic impact of trans personal mechanisms" of healing on an interlocking constellation of complexes in terms of achieving an integration of archetypal opposites in the psyche. The study provides strong support for transpersonal concepts about the nature of consciousness, as developed by Grof and Woolger. It affirms spirituality as an intrinsic property of the psyche, and verifies that the healing of psychological trauma is on a continuum with the process of spiritual purification and growth. The ,study establishes support for the clinical value of the karmic complex as a conceptual tool and provides a systematic, extended analysis of the multi levelled processes involved in the breaking of the complex.