What is transpersonal psychology?
Psychology, study of the psyche, originally meant a study of the soul. The term psyche in traditional psychology has replaced soul, as the link between spirit and matter. The word therapy derives from the Greek word meaning healing.

How does transpersonal psychology differ from traditional psychology?
Traditional psychoanalysis focuses on early childhood experiences and the emotional self. The various forms of traditional psychology include: Behavioral psychology, a technology developed for the measurement, control and prediction of behavior. Its focus is on learning. Humanistic psychology provides an impressive array of techniques for emotional development. Its focus is on personal growth and mind body connection. Cognitive psychology addresses the mental level and its focus is on learning. Existential psychotherapy deals with the problems of separate isolated existence. Its focus is on personal growth and mind-body integration. None of the above, however, deal with the spiritual aspect of the being.
Transpersonal psychology focuses on inner experience and spiritual development.
A transpersonal approach need not exclude the other types of work, but holds a broader perspective. In addition to the usual therapeutic techniques, this approach also questions beliefs about the nature of the self and reality, and thus establishes a favorable context for healing at any level. It enhances spiritual healing awareness.
Spiritual healing awareness is a part of transpersonal psychology.

What is Spiritual Healing Awareness?
Spiritual healing awareness facilitates letting go of constricting self concepts and attachments to what one thought one was supposed to be, in favor of becoming what one can be.
Healing awareness allows natural self-healing responses to take place, as the healing ultimately must come from within one self. At the physical level healing is facilitated by listening to the body and paying attention to physiological processes. At the emotional level it is recognizing and accepting both the negative and the positive feelings in one self. At this level it requires the willingness to face fear and confront the truth about oneself, just as it is. It is the truth that frees one from self imposed limitations and fearful fantasies.
Wholeness is based on a balance and integration of opposites; not on getting rid of or denying what we don’t like.
Healing the mind through healing awareness can heal the body but healing the body does not heal the mind.
Healthy transpersonal identity depends on self- knowledge, self-regulation and self-mastery. Turning inward discovers the transpersonal self, self-knowledge cannot be obtained by searching outside of oneself. The psyche has within it a powerful source of self-healing.
As C.G. Jung observed: The most important problems of life cannot be solved, but only outgrown and this outgrowing requires a new level of consciousness. An experienced therapist can be an important step in taking responsibility for self-healing and can facilitate a direct experience of healing awareness.
Transcendental knowledge of a higher order of reality is obtained by pure intuition, which requires training and contemplation and transcendental insight, into the nature of reality attained through contemplation. This cannot be fully comprehended without the adequate training and discipline.

What is Self Development?
We are what we think and our thoughts rule our behavior and actions and the course of our life.
Our behavior, our work, our actions, our relations with the outside world is dictated by how we think and what we think about. Unfortunately very few are aware of the fact that we can take control of and guide our thought dialogue. We can learn to change an internal negative dialogue to a positive, happy dialogue and with that we can control our feelings, our health and the quality of our life.
With training we can learn to break our conditioning that keeps us imprisoned, we can learn to open our mind to change, which in turn widens our horizon, enriching our lives and opening unlimited possibilities. The more we become aware of our shortcomings, the more we expand in consciousness, and the richer the quality of our life will be. Working on developing the self is similar to fine-tuning a musical instrument to get the perfect sound.

MARGO
August 2000