PSYCHOLOGICA

reflect ionrenewal

resilience The OACCPP Magazine

SUMMER | FALL 2017, VOL 42.2

Table of Contents

Psychologica is the off icial magazine of the Ontar io Associat ion of Consultants, Counsellors, Psychometr ists and Psychotherapists. Volume 42, Issue 2 Summer | Fall 20 17

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGEby Sue Tassé

LETTER FROM THE EDITORby Stephen Douglas

EARLY RECOLLECTIONS A Direct Pathway Beyond the Looking Glassby Susan Prosser

MIRROR MIRROR OF MY MIND...You are Naturally So Kindby J ames McDonald

THROUGH THE WORKPLACE LOOKING GLASS Psycho-Social Factors Necessary for Psychologically Safe Workplaces by Laura Liebrock

APPLICATIONS OF ARGENTINE TANGO IN RELATIONAL SKILL-BUILDING by Carolyn Dallman Downes

LYMELAND: A CAUTIONARY TALEWhen Allopathic Medicine Fails, and Implicat ions for Mental Health Professionals by Lor i Dennis

CULTURAL SENSITIVITY, AWARENESS, SAFETY, COMPETENCE AND HUMILITY IN HEALTH CARE PRACTICES WITH INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN CANADAby Ed Connors

THROUGH THE SOLUTION-FOCUSED LOOKING GLASSIntroducing InnerView Guidance by Cedr ic M. Speyer

TRANSPERSONAL METHODS OF SELF-DEVELOPMENT Discover ing our Highest Potent ialby Gabr iele M. Craig

reviews

PRESENTATION REVIEWResilience-Focused Marr iage and Family Counsellingby Stephen Douglas

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OACCPPBoard of Directors2017Sue TasséPresident,Chair of Communicat ions

James WhetstonePast President,Chair of Nominat ions

Jane AlwayVice-President,Chair of Governance & Risk Management

Suzanne DennisonVice-President,Chair of Public Policy

Holly KretschmerT reasurer

Mary-Ann SaltstoneChair of Ethics & Professional Conduct

Anne Marie BourgeoisChair of Professional Development

Liana Palmerio-McIvorChair of Cert ificat ion

Sakina QasimHelen I liosLaura L iebrockAlina RepedeDirectors at Large

PsychologicaStephen DouglasEditor

Chelsea BarnettMaryann Ist ilogluSue Tassé (ex-officio)Editor ial Committee

OfficeMaryann Ist ilogluExecut ive Director

Ruth TaylorOperat ions Manager

Chelsea BarnettCommunicat ions & Professional Development Coordinator

Kamil DevonishMembership Coordinator

DISCLAIMER

The Ontar io Associat ion of Consultants, Counsellors, Psychometr ists and Psychotherapists (OACCPP) does not support , endorse or recommend any method, product , clinic, program or person ment ioned within it s magazine, newsletter, or website. It provides these vehicles as a service for your informat ion only. The reader is responsib le for confirming details and ver ifying accuracy of claims. List ings do not imply endorsement or recommendat ion of any service on the par t of the OACCPP. Neither does the OACCPP endorse any claims, ideas, alleged factual informat ion, or theoret ical posit ions provided by contr ibutors to Psychologica.

Copyr ight : The Editor ial Board of Psychologica welcomes and encourages authors to resubmit ar t icles published in our journal for publicat ion elsewhere or for duplicat ion for teaching purposes. Authors, however, must seek the approval of the Editor ial Board beforehand. If approval is granted, the author should contact the Editor of Psychologica for a copy of the off icial and final version of the ar t icle.

The thought of death does not in the least d isturb me, because I am firmly convinced that our spir it is indestruct ib le and thus cont inues from eternity to eternity. It is like the sun, which to our eyes seems to d isappear beyond the hor izon, while in actual fact it goes on shining cont inuously.

? LETTER FROM GOETHE TO ECKERMAN, MAY 2, 1824

TRANSPERSONAL METHODS OF SELF-DEVELOPMENT

Discover ing our Highest Potent ial by Gabriele M. Craig | DTAT I

PSY 42.2 | 34

T ranspersonal Psychology (T PP) is a term used to encompass a wide range of alternat ive approaches that recognize the connect ion and importance of mind, consciousness, and spir ituality in healing. I t is a relat ively new branch of psychology concerned with transpersonal exper iences and related phenomena, including the cause and effects of such experiences. In this short summary, I hope to offer a basic introduct ion of T PP, a glimpse T hrough the Looking Glass into the deeper spir itual wor ld of our clients and the transcendent potent ial for healing that therapy offers.

THE ROOTS OF TPP

T PP is sometimes referred to as the ?fourth force? in psychology, emerging out ear lier psychoanalysis, behaviour ism and humanist ic psychology. According to Maslow, the fourth wave force of psychology transcends the self-actualizat ion of Humanist ic psychology, unlike the previous three that exclude the transcended part of the soul. T PP integrates the whole spectrum of human development from pre-personal to t rans-personal.

T PP recognizes and works with the powers of love, compassion, and fellowship that br ing about change. I t accompanies the realizat ion that when we die, our most essent ial Self survives. In order to know and accept this idea, we have to exper ience it . T his creates a paradox, of course; how can one experience death and come out knowing that the Self survived? T ransformation and healing can grow out of such experience. T his requires cur iosity, openness, the courage to explore, and the sense something greater and incomprehensible exists. Dr. Amy Mindell, who pract ices and teaches in Port land, Oregon with her husband Arnold Mindell, wrote ?unlearning? takes us further than ?learning more?. Psychotherapy can offer a spir itual path to allow underlying beliefs to surface. T his is not so much a quest ion of doctr inal belief but rather openness to the divine or universal being and let t ing go of assumptions.

PSY 42.2 | 35

If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything. In the beginner ?s mind, there may be many possib ilit ies; in the expert?s mind there are but a few.? SHUNRYU SUZUKI

All work on a transpersonal level requires the ability to be fully present, but, as Mindell suggests, it is the ability of the therapist to pract ice ?controlled abandon? that is essent ial. T he degree to which the therapist is actually capable of doing so may depend ent irely on the quality of the work they have done on their own consciousness. T his is subt le work, requir ing an intuit ive mode of thinking. Rather than reaching into one?s toolkit , it is t rust ing oneself to go into a place of un-knowing and wait ing for what may present itself. T he transpersonal therapist must give up their assumptions in order to encourage and enable their client to quest ion their own. Any ?conceptual? interpretat ion of a client?s exper ient ial process? including defense mechanisms that manifest as patterns of response? may cloud our percept ion and compassion, and block appropr iate, effect ive and spontaneous involvement. Jung, Hillman, Rogers, and von Franz were pioneers of such soulful explorat ion within therapy.

NOTABLE CONTRIBUTIONS T imothy Leary formulated an ?Eight Circuit

Model of Consciousness,? suggest ing that eight circuits operate within the human nervous system, each corresponding to its own experience of reality. T he circuits start with those related to life on earth

and survival, and end with post- terrestr ial and evolut ion- focused awareness. Ken Wilber suggested that consciousness can be broken down into three main categor ies: pre-personal or pre-egoic, personal or egoic, and the transpersonal or t rans-egoic.

Both of these models are considered hierarchical in that human development progresses from matter to body to mind to spir it , though progress and matur ity through the developmental stages (e.g. morality, cognit ion, emotion, self-sense, etc.) follow a circular and uneven path. Developmental stages may not develop in a linear fashion, and as such, progress can involve circling back to pick up the process.

In contrast to the above, Michael Washburn presented a T PP model of human development that is neither hierarchical nor linear. Informed by the Jungian perspect ive, he suggested the ego init ially arose out of a ?source? or ?ground? and that our spir it requires a return to this or igin, before it can move on.

T PP has also brought clinical at tent ion to the topic of spir itual cr isis. Many of the psychological difficult ies associated with a spir itual cr isis are not ordinar ily discussed by mainstream psychology. Among these may be near-death exper iences or terminal illnesses.

Jeffrey Rubin suggested that psychoanalysis neglected the resources spir ituality provides to a client. From a Buddhist perspect ive, he advocated that meditat ion could enr ich psychoanalyt ic t reatment. T hrough meditat ion one can develop the ability to open up with less at tachment and aversion, which aids the explorat ion of the client?s emotional being, thus leading to a reduct ion in self-cr it icism and an increase in self-acceptance. From this perspect ive, Rubin proposed a ?Seven Factors of Enlightenment? path of t ransformation, involving:

1. Mindfulness, or awareness without judgment, at tachment or aversion to what is happening in the present moment;

2. Energy, that is the effort to be attent ive and awake and to see clear ly;

3. Invest igat ion, or act ively probing, explor ing, and analyzing the nature of things and the var ious dimensions of exper ience;

4. Rapture, or the cur iosity about and delight in each moment of exper ience;

5. T ranquility or calm, that is ?quietness of mind? an inner kind of silence, a silent invest igat ion rather than thought filled?;

6. Concentrat ion, a state in which the mind is st ill, focused and deeply immersed with laser- like ?one-pointedness? on whatever it exper iences; and

7. Equanimity, or a balance and evenness of mind in which one is recept ive and impart ial toward whatever is occurr ing.

While Buddhist pract ices of mindfulness and unattachment strengthen one?s concentrat ion and equanimity, Rubin suggests, psychoanalysis further supports a path toward Enlightenment by cult ivat ing act ive qualit ies like invest igat ion of mind and conduct. French philosopher Paul Ricoeur once remarked that psychoanalysis embodies a ?pessimism of the intellect? whereas Buddhism exemplifies ?opt imism of the will?. Both are needed, the tragic reality and the romant ic possibility.

A PLACE FOR MYSTICISM Myst icism is aimed at changing automatic

patterns of thoughts and percept ions (what we think or perceive) that are at the bottom of most human suffer ing. Consequent ly, it can play an important role

in psychotherapy.

Vedanta, the Vedic literature of India, is regarded by many as the beginning of myst icism. Four sect ions? Rig Veda, the Brahmana, the Aranyaka, and the Upanishads? were composed from 900 B.C. onwards. From the Upanishads we learn that the way to relieve the pain and suffer ing of life is to go beyond thought and instead experience the reality that underlies everything, the Real Self of each person.

T he basic myst ical exper ience is that of connect ing with an undifferent iated unity. T he Upanishad interprets that this unity is the Real Self of the individual and that the Real Self is the Ult imate that lies beyond and within all reality, whether mental or physical. According to the myst ics, dur ing such an experience the unusual and illusionary division between self and the world of objects ceases to exist . T his exper ience is considered supreme bliss, of the ult imate fulfillment. T he person is no longer separated from the experience, the person becomes the experience; most important ly, such an experience is reached intuit ively. Although this pure state is temporary, one who has known it is able to expand their comprehension of life and undergo a personal t ransformation. T he reality intuited by the myst ic is convincing only when it is exper ienced.

Sometime between the 6th and 4th century BCE lived Gautama Buddha? also known as Siddh?rtha Gautama, or simply the Buddha? who was a pr ince- turned-ascet ic on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. T he son of a king, he abandoned all wor ldly t radit ions and attained the realizat ion of the Ult imate, or Enlightenment. Buddha taught non- injury, forgiveness of enemies, and fr iendliness. T hese same beliefs were embraced by the Greek philosophers of the same per iod, as well in the Taoist wr it ings of Lao T zu.

CO N T

PSY 42.2 | 36

If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything. In the beginner ?s mind, there may be many possib ilit ies; in the expert?s mind there are but a few.? SHUNRYU SUZUKI

All work on a transpersonal level requires the ability to be fully present, but, as Mindell suggests, it is the ability of the therapist to pract ice ?controlled abandon? that is essent ial. T he degree to which the therapist is actually capable of doing so may depend ent irely on the quality of the work they have done on their own consciousness. T his is subt le work, requir ing an intuit ive mode of thinking. Rather than reaching into one?s toolkit , it is t rust ing oneself to go into a place of un-knowing and wait ing for what may present itself. T he transpersonal therapist must give up their assumptions in order to encourage and enable their client to quest ion their own. Any ?conceptual? interpretat ion of a client?s exper ient ial process? including defense mechanisms that manifest as patterns of response? may cloud our percept ion and compassion, and block appropr iate, effect ive and spontaneous involvement. Jung, Hillman, Rogers, and von Franz were pioneers of such soulful explorat ion within therapy.

NOTABLE CONTRIBUTIONS T imothy Leary formulated an ?Eight Circuit

Model of Consciousness,? suggest ing that eight circuits operate within the human nervous system, each corresponding to its own experience of reality. T he circuits start with those related to life on earth

and survival, and end with post- terrestr ial and evolut ion- focused awareness. Ken Wilber suggested that consciousness can be broken down into three main categor ies: pre-personal or pre-egoic, personal or egoic, and the transpersonal or t rans-egoic.

Both of these models are considered hierarchical in that human development progresses from matter to body to mind to spir it , though progress and matur ity through the developmental stages (e.g. morality, cognit ion, emotion, self-sense, etc.) follow a circular and uneven path. Developmental stages may not develop in a linear fashion, and as such, progress can involve circling back to pick up the process.

In contrast to the above, Michael Washburn presented a T PP model of human development that is neither hierarchical nor linear. Informed by the Jungian perspect ive, he suggested the ego init ially arose out of a ?source? or ?ground? and that our spir it requires a return to this or igin, before it can move on.

T PP has also brought clinical at tent ion to the topic of spir itual cr isis. Many of the psychological difficult ies associated with a spir itual cr isis are not ordinar ily discussed by mainstream psychology. Among these may be near-death exper iences or terminal illnesses.

Jeffrey Rubin suggested that psychoanalysis neglected the resources spir ituality provides to a client. From a Buddhist perspect ive, he advocated that meditat ion could enr ich psychoanalyt ic t reatment. T hrough meditat ion one can develop the ability to open up with less at tachment and aversion, which aids the explorat ion of the client?s emotional being, thus leading to a reduct ion in self-cr it icism and an increase in self-acceptance. From this perspect ive, Rubin proposed a ?Seven Factors of Enlightenment? path of t ransformation, involving:

1. Mindfulness, or awareness without judgment, at tachment or aversion to what is happening in the present moment;

2. Energy, that is the effort to be attent ive and awake and to see clear ly;

3. Invest igat ion, or act ively probing, explor ing, and analyzing the nature of things and the var ious dimensions of exper ience;

4. Rapture, or the cur iosity about and delight in each moment of exper ience;

5. T ranquility or calm, that is ?quietness of mind? an inner kind of silence, a silent invest igat ion rather than thought filled?;

6. Concentrat ion, a state in which the mind is st ill, focused and deeply immersed with laser- like ?one-pointedness? on whatever it exper iences; and

7. Equanimity, or a balance and evenness of mind in which one is recept ive and impart ial toward whatever is occurr ing.

While Buddhist pract ices of mindfulness and unattachment strengthen one?s concentrat ion and equanimity, Rubin suggests, psychoanalysis further supports a path toward Enlightenment by cult ivat ing act ive qualit ies like invest igat ion of mind and conduct. French philosopher Paul Ricoeur once remarked that psychoanalysis embodies a ?pessimism of the intellect? whereas Buddhism exemplifies ?opt imism of the will?. Both are needed, the tragic reality and the romant ic possibility.

A PLACE FOR MYSTICISM Myst icism is aimed at changing automatic

patterns of thoughts and percept ions (what we think or perceive) that are at the bottom of most human suffer ing. Consequent ly, it can play an important role

in psychotherapy.

Vedanta, the Vedic literature of India, is regarded by many as the beginning of myst icism. Four sect ions? Rig Veda, the Brahmana, the Aranyaka, and the Upanishads? were composed from 900 B.C. onwards. From the Upanishads we learn that the way to relieve the pain and suffer ing of life is to go beyond thought and instead experience the reality that underlies everything, the Real Self of each person.

T he basic myst ical exper ience is that of connect ing with an undifferent iated unity. T he Upanishad interprets that this unity is the Real Self of the individual and that the Real Self is the Ult imate that lies beyond and within all reality, whether mental or physical. According to the myst ics, dur ing such an experience the unusual and illusionary division between self and the world of objects ceases to exist . T his exper ience is considered supreme bliss, of the ult imate fulfillment. T he person is no longer separated from the experience, the person becomes the experience; most important ly, such an experience is reached intuit ively. Although this pure state is temporary, one who has known it is able to expand their comprehension of life and undergo a personal t ransformation. T he reality intuited by the myst ic is convincing only when it is exper ienced.

Sometime between the 6th and 4th century BCE lived Gautama Buddha? also known as Siddh?rtha Gautama, or simply the Buddha? who was a pr ince- turned-ascet ic on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. T he son of a king, he abandoned all wor ldly t radit ions and attained the realizat ion of the Ult imate, or Enlightenment. Buddha taught non- injury, forgiveness of enemies, and fr iendliness. T hese same beliefs were embraced by the Greek philosophers of the same per iod, as well in the Taoist wr it ings of Lao T zu.

PSY 42.2 | 37

Sufism developed in the Middle East and dur ing the Middle Ages. T he Sufis believe that a supra-sensory reality exists and can be known by all human beings. I t was the Sufis who said that most people are ?asleep?, because their consciousness is taken up with automatic responses in the service of greed and fear. According to the Sufis, ?awakening? is the pr imary task of human life, it is our evolut ionary dest iny.

How Far You Have Come! Or ig inally you were clay. From being mineral, you became vegetable, you became animal, and from animal, man. Dur ing these per iods man did not know where he was going, but he was being taken on a long journey nonetheless. And we have to go through a hundred different wor lds yet .? RUMI (13TH-CENTURY A.D.)

Spir itual growth as defined by the Sufis is the development of a latent intuit ive capacity present in all human beings. Sufis? emphasis on evolut ion, on the problem of condit ioned thinking, and on the subt let ies of behaviour and motivat ion makes their wr it ings part icular ly interest ing to students of T PP. With this in mind, we can think of the ent ire history of myst icism as the history of a science of intuit ive development. Where the physical sciences rely pr imarily on rat ionale and reason, myst icism turns to intuit ive percept ion.

CONTEMPORARY USE OF ART AND OTHER PROJECTIVE TECHNIQUES IN TRANSPERSONAL PSYCHOTHERAPY

Art and music therapies offer the opportunity for clients to explore a broader understanding of our human existence through project ive techniques. In my own work as an Art T herapist , I observe the integrat ion of t ranspersonal insight dur ing the

art-making process. Based on the understanding that the reality the is accessible through therapy is inherent ly subject ive, expressive therapies take into account a client?s exper ience at the subconscious level.

In art therapy, such subconscious streams become the art itself, produced through mind and body, which then fosters consciousness. T his may lead to a higher spir itual level or t ranspersonal integrat ion, and ult imately offer profound healing and acceptance of self.  

CRITICISM

T PP is not without its detractors. One of the ear liest cr it icisms was issued by the Humanist ic psychologist Rollo May who disputed the conceptual foundat ions of T PP. Others have cr it icized the field of T ranspersonal psychology for being underdeveloped as a field of science.

Indeed, T PP is situated where the broader domain of inquiry known as transpersonal studies (including a number of unscient ific approaches) intersects with the scient ific discipline of psychology. Consequent ly, allying the goals of T PP within an integrated psychotherapeut ic approach such as art therapy can be empowering.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE & TRANSFORMATION

Ten years of the study of philosophy provided an excellent t raining ground for me to become a (transpersonal) psychotherapist . Although I searched for many years for an understanding of the spir itual side of life and death, it was through meditat ion, reflect ion, observat ion and discussions that I came to understand the phenomenon of being. Meditat ion pract ice can enhance self-exper ience by facilitat ing greater freedom, flexibility, and inclusiveness of self-structures. I learned to let go of judgment and of cr it icism. In other words, I learned to let go of ego.

Using Wilbert?s terms, t ransit ioning from personal egoic to t ranspersonal egoic, I became an observer, although a ?part icipat ing? observer of myself and ult imately, of the client.

I exper ienced first hand the healing of my soul and the shift to Wilber?s transpersonal levels of awareness, the opening up and widening of the inner space, where acceptance of all that is takes place; where experience of becoming one in the universal takes place; and life and death are one. And, I st ill consider myself in process, a never-ending, always changing process.

T he fundamental reality underlying appearances is not accessible through the senses, according to the myst ics, but is instead accessible through myst ical intuit ion. I t is that ?freed? intuit ion that gives meaning to the individual existence and does away with the fear of death. T he intuit ion of the nature of reality marks the transit ion to the next stage of evolut ionary development, which is the dest iny of the human race.

CONCLUSION

Someone who is at tached only to reason, depending only on observable facts and unable to look beyond is stuck in Plato?s ?cave?, believing in the shadows without knowing where the light is coming from. Myst ical intuit ion requires nurture and is a process, not a dest inat ion.

?A unified world is a prerequisite for intuit ion. To clar ify, myst ics descr ibe their knowledge by ident ity: the knower becomes one with the known rather than observing it . Such knowledge requires a metaphysic in which each person is connected in some way with everything else; it implies a field theory in which no absolute barr iers exist between ent it ies, but all ent it ies respond and are unified within the field? I f

we can partake of a consciousness that is not bound by the physical brain but extends throughout existence, then subject and object are one, and we can know by being the object.? ? Arthur Deikman

T PP attempts to integrate t imeless wisdom with modern Western psychology, to t ranslate spir itual pr inciples into contemporary and scient ifically acceptable language. T PP encompasses the full spectrum of human psycho-spir itual development, from the deepest needs to the existent ial cr isis of the human being to the most t ranscendent capacit ies of our consciousness. I t is considered to be an integrated and ?complete? psychology. Our knowledge of psychological development is not only helpful, but necessary to understand the purpose and logic behind the methods of myst ical science.

In my personal exper ience, meditat ion illustrates well the paradox of the fullness emptiness provides. As John Rowan suggests, the therapist should approach their client ?emptily perfect and perfect ly empty.? Following the ?Seven Factors of Enlightenment? the client can discover their human ent it lement, meaning, awakening consciousness and an awareness of knowledge that exists in all human beings. T he therapist remains fully present and available, providing ?scaffolding? for the client dur ing their t ransformation towards the healing stage and transformational level of t ranspersonal development.

?Quantum theory forces us to see the universe not as a collect ion of physical objects, but rather as a complicated web of relat ions between the var ious par ts of a

CO N T

PSY 42.2 | 38

Sufism developed in the Middle East and dur ing the Middle Ages. T he Sufis believe that a supra-sensory reality exists and can be known by all human beings. I t was the Sufis who said that most people are ?asleep?, because their consciousness is taken up with automatic responses in the service of greed and fear. According to the Sufis, ?awakening? is the pr imary task of human life, it is our evolut ionary dest iny.

How Far You Have Come! Or ig inally you were clay. From being mineral, you became vegetable, you became animal, and from animal, man. Dur ing these per iods man did not know where he was going, but he was being taken on a long journey nonetheless. And we have to go through a hundred different wor lds yet .? RUMI (13TH-CENTURY A.D.)

Spir itual growth as defined by the Sufis is the development of a latent intuit ive capacity present in all human beings. Sufis? emphasis on evolut ion, on the problem of condit ioned thinking, and on the subt let ies of behaviour and motivat ion makes their wr it ings part icular ly interest ing to students of T PP. With this in mind, we can think of the ent ire history of myst icism as the history of a science of intuit ive development. Where the physical sciences rely pr imarily on rat ionale and reason, myst icism turns to intuit ive percept ion.

CONTEMPORARY USE OF ART AND OTHER PROJECTIVE TECHNIQUES IN TRANSPERSONAL PSYCHOTHERAPY

Art and music therapies offer the opportunity for clients to explore a broader understanding of our human existence through project ive techniques. In my own work as an Art T herapist , I observe the integrat ion of t ranspersonal insight dur ing the

art-making process. Based on the understanding that the reality the is accessible through therapy is inherent ly subject ive, expressive therapies take into account a client?s exper ience at the subconscious level.

In art therapy, such subconscious streams become the art itself, produced through mind and body, which then fosters consciousness. T his may lead to a higher spir itual level or t ranspersonal integrat ion, and ult imately offer profound healing and acceptance of self.  

CRITICISM

T PP is not without its detractors. One of the ear liest cr it icisms was issued by the Humanist ic psychologist Rollo May who disputed the conceptual foundat ions of T PP. Others have cr it icized the field of T ranspersonal psychology for being underdeveloped as a field of science.

Indeed, T PP is situated where the broader domain of inquiry known as transpersonal studies (including a number of unscient ific approaches) intersects with the scient ific discipline of psychology. Consequent ly, allying the goals of T PP within an integrated psychotherapeut ic approach such as art therapy can be empowering.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE & TRANSFORMATION

Ten years of the study of philosophy provided an excellent t raining ground for me to become a (transpersonal) psychotherapist . Although I searched for many years for an understanding of the spir itual side of life and death, it was through meditat ion, reflect ion, observat ion and discussions that I came to understand the phenomenon of being. Meditat ion pract ice can enhance self-exper ience by facilitat ing greater freedom, flexibility, and inclusiveness of self-structures. I learned to let go of judgment and of cr it icism. In other words, I learned to let go of ego.

Using Wilbert?s terms, t ransit ioning from personal egoic to t ranspersonal egoic, I became an observer, although a ?part icipat ing? observer of myself and ult imately, of the client.

I exper ienced first hand the healing of my soul and the shift to Wilber?s transpersonal levels of awareness, the opening up and widening of the inner space, where acceptance of all that is takes place; where experience of becoming one in the universal takes place; and life and death are one. And, I st ill consider myself in process, a never-ending, always changing process.

T he fundamental reality underlying appearances is not accessible through the senses, according to the myst ics, but is instead accessible through myst ical intuit ion. I t is that ?freed? intuit ion that gives meaning to the individual existence and does away with the fear of death. T he intuit ion of the nature of reality marks the transit ion to the next stage of evolut ionary development, which is the dest iny of the human race.

CONCLUSION

Someone who is at tached only to reason, depending only on observable facts and unable to look beyond is stuck in Plato?s ?cave?, believing in the shadows without knowing where the light is coming from. Myst ical intuit ion requires nurture and is a process, not a dest inat ion.

?A unified world is a prerequisite for intuit ion. To clar ify, myst ics descr ibe their knowledge by ident ity: the knower becomes one with the known rather than observing it . Such knowledge requires a metaphysic in which each person is connected in some way with everything else; it implies a field theory in which no absolute barr iers exist between ent it ies, but all ent it ies respond and are unified within the field? I f

we can partake of a consciousness that is not bound by the physical brain but extends throughout existence, then subject and object are one, and we can know by being the object.? ? Arthur Deikman

T PP attempts to integrate t imeless wisdom with modern Western psychology, to t ranslate spir itual pr inciples into contemporary and scient ifically acceptable language. T PP encompasses the full spectrum of human psycho-spir itual development, from the deepest needs to the existent ial cr isis of the human being to the most t ranscendent capacit ies of our consciousness. I t is considered to be an integrated and ?complete? psychology. Our knowledge of psychological development is not only helpful, but necessary to understand the purpose and logic behind the methods of myst ical science.

In my personal exper ience, meditat ion illustrates well the paradox of the fullness emptiness provides. As John Rowan suggests, the therapist should approach their client ?emptily perfect and perfect ly empty.? Following the ?Seven Factors of Enlightenment? the client can discover their human ent it lement, meaning, awakening consciousness and an awareness of knowledge that exists in all human beings. T he therapist remains fully present and available, providing ?scaffolding? for the client dur ing their t ransformation towards the healing stage and transformational level of t ranspersonal development.

?Quantum theory forces us to see the universe not as a collect ion of physical objects, but rather as a complicated web of relat ions between the var ious par ts of a

PSY 42.2 | 39

unif ied whole.? ? ARTHUR DEIKMAN

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY Craig, Gabriele. (2009) Intersubject ivity, Phenomenology and Mult iple Disabilit ies, Internat ional Journal of Art T herapy, Dec 2009; 14(2)64-73, Rout ledge Taylor & Francis Group, London and New York.

Deikman, Arthur. MD, (1982) T he Observing Self, Myst icism and Psychotherapy, Beacon Press, Boston.

G. Frank Lawlis. PhD. (1996) T ranspersonal Medicine, A New Approach to Healing Body-Mind-Sprit , Shambala, Boston and London. Mindell, Amy (1995). Metaskills: T he Spir itual Art of T herapy. New Falcon Publicat ions, Las Vegas, NV.

Rama, Swami. (2004) Perennial Psychology Of T he Bhagavad Gita, Himalayan Inst itute Press, Honesdale, Pennsylvania.

Rowan, John. (2005) T he Future of T raining in Psychotherapy and Counselling, Instrumental, Relat ional and T ranspersonal Perspect ives, Rout ledge Taylor & Francis Group, London and New York.

Rowan, John. (2005) T he T ranspersonal: Spir ituality, Psychotherapy and Counselling, Rout ledge, London.

Rubin, Jeffrey. B. (1996) Psychotherapy And Buddhism, Toward an Integrat ion, Plenum Press, New York.

Tart , Charles. (1975) T ranspersonal Psychologies, Harper & Row, New York.

Gabr iele Craig is a graduate of the Toronto Ar t Therapy Inst itute and maintains a pr ivate Ar t Psychotherapy pract ice. In 20 15 she added Equine Assisted Therapy to her services working with children, adolescents and adults, Trauma vict ims, Learning Disabilit ies, ADHD and Aut ism. Her work about Ar t Therapy and the Deaf has been published in the Br it ish Ar t Therapy Journal in Dec.20 0 9. Gabr iele has been an act ive ar t ist throughout her life and has been an Art Instructor for many years at var ious Inst itutes and Colleges.

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