Spiritual transformation involves a fundamental change in a person's
sacred
Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...
or
spiritual life.
Psychologist
A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how indi ...
s examine spiritual transformation within the context of an individual's
''meaning system'',
[
Israela Silberman (2005)]
Religion as a meaning system: Implications for the new millennium
''Journal of Social Issues'', v61 n4, pp641-663.
especially in relation to concepts of the sacred or of
ultimate concern.
[Robert A. Emmons (1999). ''The psychology of ultimate concerns: Motivation and spirituality in personality''. New York: Guilford.] Two of the fuller treatments of the concept in psychology come from
and from
Raymond Paloutzian.
Pargament holds that "at its heart, spiritual transformation refers to a fundamental change in the place of the sacred or the character of the sacred in the life of the individual. Spiritual transformation can be understood in terms of new configurations of strivings" (p. 18).
[
Kenneth I. Pargament. (2006). The meaning of spiritual transformation. In Joan D. Koss-Chioino & Philip Hefner (Eds.), ]
Spiritual transformation and healing: Anthropological, theological, neuroscientific, and clinical perspectives
' (pp. 10-39), Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press.
Paloutzian suggests that "spiritual transformation constitutes a change in the
meaning system that a person holds as a basis for
self
The self is an individual as the object of that individual’s own reflective consciousness. Since the ''self'' is a reference by a subject to the same subject, this reference is necessarily subjective. The sense of having a self—or ''selfhood ...
-definition, the
interpretation of life, and overarching purposes and ultimate concerns" (p. 334).
[
Raymond F. Paloutzian. (2005). Religious conversion and spiritual transformation: A meaning-system analysis. In: Raymond F. Paloutzian & Crystal L. Park (Eds.), ]
Handbook of the psychology of religion and spirituality
' (pp. 331-347), New York: Guilford.
One school of thought emphasises the importance of "rigorous self-discipline" in spiritual transformation.
Research
The
Metanexus Institute The Metanexus Institute is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1997 to explore scientific and philosophical questions. The institute has organized the exchange of ideas through conferences, and published books.
History
With the help of Peter ...
(founded 1997) in New York has sponsored scientific research on spiritual transformation.
[
Solomon Katz (2008)]
A brief history of the Spiritual Transformation Scientific Research Program
''The global spiral''. Metanexus Institute, Accessed 9 Nov., 2009.
Terminology
Occurrences of the phrase "spiritual transformation"
in Google Books suggest a surge in the popularity of the concept from the late-20th century.
Google Books Ngram Viewer statistical chart
See also
* Aurobindo
* Integral transformative practice
* Meditation
Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally cal ...
* Sivananda
Sivananda Saraswati (or Swami Sivananda; 8 September 1887 – 14 July 1963) was a yoga guru, a Hindu spiritual teacher, and a proponent of Vedanta. Sivananda was born Kuppuswami in Pattamadai, in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. He stu ...
* Spiritual evolution
Spiritual evolution, also called higher evolution, is the idea that the mind or spirit, in analogy to biological evolution, collectively evolves from a simple form dominated by nature, to a higher form dominated by the Spiritual or Divine. It is di ...
* Supermind
* Transpersonal psychology
Transpersonal psychology, or spiritual psychology, is a sub-field or school of psychology that integrates the spiritual and transcendent aspects of the human experience with the framework of modern psychology. The '' transpersonal'' is defined ...
* Shriram Sharma Acharya
* Mahdi
The Mahdi ( ar, ٱلْمَهْدِيّ, al-Mahdī, lit=the Guided) is a Messianism, messianic figure in Islamic eschatology who is believed to appear at the Eschatology, end of times to rid the world of evil and injustice. He is said to be a de ...
References
External links
The Spiritual Transformation Scientific Research Program
The University of Philosophical Research Transformational Psychology program
Article about Spiritual Transformation for ChristiansOn the Spiritual Path of The Fourth Way and Advaita: ''Teachers of No-Thing & Nothing''
Spirituality