A Meeting of Souls: A heuristic inquiry into transpersonal - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

A Meeting of Souls: A heuristic inquiry into transpersonal experience in therapeutic relationships Anissa Chung www.bacp.co.uk

What led me to this study? Clinical Practice Significant Change Personal Therapy

Three Key Themes Qualities in Significant Transpersonal therapeutic Personality Experience relationship Change

Transpersonal Self Self-transcendent Hierarchy of Emotional Transpersonal transcendence, Engagement self- actualisation Relational Depth intimacy, Authentic Self resonance, attunement, Intrapersonal & Interpersonal I-Thou soul to soul Secure Attachment openness, presence, valued, connectedness, authenticity, tenderness, love Nurturing Instrumental Self trust, care, understanding, support, comfort, acceptance, compassion, safety, containment I-It Psychological Contact non-possessive warmth, engagement, empathy, genuineness, unconditional positive regard, respect

Spirituality Common themes: • Meaning and purpose of life • beliefs, truths and ultimate values • connection – with self, others, God/higher power and nature • transcendence – expanding self-boundaries • becoming who one is. (Swinton: 2001, p.25; West 2000; West 2011, p.16-17)

Spirituality 3 dimensions: Intrapersonal Interpersonal Transpersonal • the quest for • deep • reaching inner relationships beyond self & connectivity with others others into the transcendent realms of experience (Hurding 1992; Johnson 2013; Jones and Butman 1991; Lines 2006; Pargament et al 2006; Swinton 2001)

Spirituality and the Transpersonal Beyond self- Peak Experience actualisation, there is a (Transcendence needs) need for transcendence, Self-actualisation for ‘we need something (Highest needs) bigger than we are to be awed by and to commit Mental/Emotional ourselves to’. (Higher needs) (Maslow 1976) Physiological (basic needs)

Spirituality and the Transpersonal What is the transpersonal? It ‘puts us in touch with the sacred, the numinous, the holy – the soul, the spirit, the divine’. (Rowan 2005, p.1) Grof (1975) succinctly defines transpersonal experience as an expansion or extension of consciousness beyond ego boundaries and beyond the limitation of time and/or space.

Definition of Transpersonal in this Research Spiritual Realm (religious/secular) Therapeutic Relationship Transpersonal  peak experience  client’s profound & transformational moments of connection with o self (intrapersonal) o an other (interpersonal) o the Great Other (transpersonal)

R • Heuristic Inquiry (Moustakas 1990) • Involves researcher & participants E Method • Immersion  construct new understanding S E A • Semi-structured Interviews • Involved 5 experienced therapists RC Design • Recorded data transcribed & analysed H

Participants Ella Ada Carol Doug Betty

Research Findings Therapeutic Relationship Awareness Relational Client of Experience Presentation Spirituality  in a state of  trust & safety  spiritually turmoil attuned  loved unconditionally  self-reliant  openness  everything a good  hard to trust  freedom ‘to mother should be others to go there’.  implicit unconscious meet their trust from day one needs.  responsiveness, care, deeply held.

Therapist’s use of self (Rowan & Jacobs 2002) Authentic Self – being Instrumental Self – doing Relational Essence Relational Depth I-Thou Presence (Rogers 1980) (Mearns & Cooper 2005) (Buber 1970)

Relational Depth soul to soul, Authentic Self intimacy, I-Thou resonance, attunement Intrapersonal & Interpersonal Secure Attachment connectedness, openness, valued, presence, authenticity, tenderness, love Nurturing trust, safety, care, understanding, Instrumental Self support, comfort, acceptance, compassion, containment I-It Psychological Contact non-possessive warmth, engagement, empathy, genuineness, unconditional positive regard, respect

Transpersonal Experiences What are the triggers? The triggers (Keutzer 1978) were often natural events: a dialogue a dream a drawing physical exercise body gestures. One was supernatural – in this case a religious vision.

Therapist’s use of self (Rowan & Jacobs 2002) Transpersonal Self – self transcendent Authentic Self – being A meeting of souls Instrumental Self – doing Wilber (1980) sees the transpersonal as the fine line between psychotherapy and the spiritual. For him, it functions like a springboard for individuals to move from psychotherapy into the spiritual realm.

Transpersonal Experiences Phenomena: Momentous • timeless, awe-inspiring, freeing, turning point, pivotal moment, sacred, profound depth of connection, beyond words Heightened Emotions • profound sense of loss & calm, release, grief & goodness, alive & bereft, intimately known, deeply moving Affirmation • this is real, confirming, permission giving

From Transpersonal to Transformation turmoil transcendence profound joy & wonder transpersonal growth & (ecstasy) experience healing surrender (Thorne 2012; West 2004) resolution Transpersonal Experience Existential Shift (Noble 1987) Self-transformation (Owens 1972)

Therapeutic Change ‘trust…everything…to be OK’ ‘starting the journey into forgiveness’ ‘I was believed…understood’ ‘[her] acceptance meant my experience was allowed to be normal’ ‘I…let go and…float’. It is heartening that each participant found resolution:

Implications to Clinical Practice Clinical Practice As a therapist: Significant ‘I am a secure base for my clients’ Change ‘able to give out…because [I] have received’ ‘something that could…be held and contained…that…couldn’t be done…in other ways’ Personal ‘equipped to take client to those places’ Therapy ‘I feel I’ve got the capacity…’ The participants have described a full circle: they now offer to their clients a depth of experience that they themselves have received.

Caveats • In my experience, not all therapeutic work needs to include a transpersonal experience in order to be effective. • Transpersonal experiences happen unexpectedly: they cannot be manufactured, manipulated or brought about at will. • Therapists need to be aware of the temptation to overemphasise the occurrence of transpersonal experiences and run the risk of searching for any trigger, which may derail the therapeutic work.

Hierarchy of Emotional Transpersonal Self Self-transcendent Transpersonal Engagement transcendence, self- actualisation Relational Depth intimacy, Authentic Self resonance, attunement, Intrapersonal & Interpersonal I-Thou soul to soul Secure Attachment openness, presence, valued, connectedness, authenticity, tenderness, love Nurturing Instrumental Self trust, care, understanding, support, comfort, acceptance, compassion, safety, containment I-It Psychological Contact non-possessive warmth, engagement, empathy, genuineness, unconditional positive regard, respect

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