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Running head: TRANSPERSONAL PSYCHOLOGY
Transpersonal Psychology
June Saxton
Kaplan University
HW420
Mark Maule
1/15/2013
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TRANSPERSONAL PSYCHOLOGY
Transpersonal Psychology
The 1970’s research was conducted in the field of psychoneuroimmunology
which is the field of research which examines the relationship between the mind and the
body’s immune system. Dr. Robert Ader was an early researcher in the field. He
conducted research on rats using saccharine-sweetened water and a nausea producing
drug and discovered that the rats had learned to associate the water with the nausea
because drinking the sweetened water produced nausea ever when the drug was not in
the water. Additional research was done using biofeedback at the Menninger Clinic by
Elmer and Alyce Green. They discovered that we can train our minds to control our
blood pressure, pulse, muscular tension, skin temperature, bowels etc. Candice Pert
discovered a series of body proteins called neuropeptides that carry messages throughout
the body from the brain. Through these the brain talks to the immune system, the heart to
the kidneys, the glands to our cells and create a fully interconnected system. All of this
is important in the field of health and wellness because a mental event can lead to a
physical event, so if we can control, transform or eliminate negative emotions we can
reverse their adverse effect on our body. Also we can transform our mind in the
direction of health, happiness and wholeness we can transform our body in the same
direction (Dacher, 2006).
Peter Schnall studied mid-level managers who suffered from job strain to
determine how this stress affected. The study showed that some of them developed
feeling of helplessness, powerlessness and mental stress, but some of them saw it as a
challenge and were able to cope with the situation. Those that weren’t able to cope
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ended up with chronic hypertension and an enlarged heart (Dacher, 2006). To me this
study emphasizes the need to develop inner resources that to permanently change our
minds and create a mind/body connection.
The five characteristics of Aesclepian Healing are:
1. Holistic – Aseclepian is truly holistic because it covers all aspects the human
experience: psychospiritual, biological, interpersonal and worldly (Dacher, 2006).
2. Evolutionary – Evolutionary development expands our minds to extend our
knowledge, resources and capacities. It is a progressive change that is self-generated and
self-cultivated and creates a thorough, permanent change in how we look at life and its
possibilities thus allowing one to ascend to a new level of existence (Dacher, 2006).
3. Intentional – Intention allows one to thoughtfully, carefully and proactively
look at our choices and carry them out. Intention helps us to learn how to place and hold
our attention on a chosen experience. We need to refine our attention, so that we do not
let it wonder to random thoughts, feeling and images. We need develop our intention and
attention through contemplative practice, so that we can carefully chose and attend to
our goals and priorities.
4. Person-Centered – Aesclepian healing allows individuals to explore many
approaches to the mind, body and spirit and trusts them to find what works best for
them. It is an individual approach which allows one to be seen as an individual who is
unique. The wise healer in us (Asclepius) helps us to see that healing and becoming
whole is person-centered and tailored to the individual (Dacher, 2006).
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5. Dynamic – Aescelpian healing shows us that healing must always be a dynamic
experience which allows each individual to explore diverse approach to the body, mind
and spirit thus helping them to feel alive and vital. It is ever-changing because life
changes and what is appropriate one day may not be on another day. It is not a one-size-
fits-all solution (Dacher, 2006).
Transpersonal Psychology transcends and looks beyond the personal. It is the
experiences that transcend the usual boundaries of one’s body and ego and is outside the
limits of space and time. The Western view of the human experience is more
materialistic and uses the medical model which treats symptoms and tends to look at
these experiences and dismiss them as irrelevant and products of fantasy and
imagination at best and deviant at worst. By recognizing that there are experiences
which go beyond the personal and realizing that human nature goes beyond what is
taught in Western universities and what our industrialized civilization believes it to be,
we can create a new scientific paradigm which includes non-ordinary states of
consciousness (Schlitz, Amorok & Micozzi, 2005).
The research related to the mind-body-spirit focus reveals that the condition of
our body is a reflection of the condition of our mind. This information is critical to
health and wellness professionals because a healthy and developed inner life is an
essential complement to other treatments. Things like psychotherapy, stress-reduction
strategies, relaxation techniques, drugs and other behavior techniques temporarily solve
the problem but unless our inner development is healthy the problems will most likely
reappear somewhere else in the body (Dacher, 2006).
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References
Dacher, E. S. (2006). Integral health: The path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach:
Basic Health Publications Inc.
Schlitz, M., Amorok, T., & Micozzi, M. S. (2005).Consciousness and healing. St Louis, MO:
Churchill Livingstone.
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