Transpersonal disciplines are academic fields of interest that study the

transpersonal The transpersonal is a term used by different schools of philosophy and psychology in order to describe experiences and worldviews that extend beyond the personal level of the psyche, and beyond mundane worldly events. Definition and context The t ...

Definition and context

According to Walsh & Vaughan,Walsh, R. & Vaughan, F. "On transpersonal definitions". ''Journal of Transpersonal Psychology'', 25 (2) 125-182, 1993 who conducted an extensive review on transpersonal definitions, transpersonal disciplines are ''those disciplines that focus on the study of transpersonal experiences and related phenomena. These phenomena include the causes, effects and correlates of transpersonal experiences and development, as well as the disciplines and practices inspired by them''.

Transpersonal disciplines

Among the disciplines that are considered to be transpersonal we find: *

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 a ...

; an area of psychology that studies

experiences and similar phenomena. Walsh, Roger. "The Transpersonal Movement: A History and State of the Art". ''Journal of Transpersonal Psychology'', 1993, Vol. 25, No.2 The field is supported by a membership organization, the

Association for Transpersonal Psychology The ''Journal of Transpersonal Psychology'' (JTP) is a semi-annual, peer-reviewed academic journal which is published by the Association for Transpersonal Psychology (ATP). The journal is a seminal publication in the field of transpersonal psycholo ...

, and an accompanying journal, the

Journal of Transpersonal Psychology The ''Journal of Transpersonal Psychology'' (JTP) is a semi-annual, peer-reviewed academic journal which is published by the Association for Transpersonal Psychology (ATP). The journal is a seminal publication in the field of transpersonal psycholo ...

. The field also includes the contributions of transpersonal psychotherapy.Matthews, C.O. Book review: Psychotherapy and Spirit: Theory and Practice in Transpersonal Psychotherapy by Brant Cortright. ''Counseling & Values'', 01607960, Oct99, Vol. 44, Issue 1 *

Transpersonal psychiatry 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 ...

; an area of psychiatry with a particular interest in the clinical and biomedical aspects of transpersonal phenomena. Transpersonal psychiatry grew out of transpersonal psychology and is similar to it. *

Transpersonal anthropology Transpersonal anthropology is a subdiscipline of cultural anthropology and transpersonal studies. It studies the relationship between altered states of consciousness and culture. Definition and context According to Walsh and Vaughan,Walsh, R. and ...

; a cross-cultural approach to transpersonal phenomena, associated with the work of

Charles Laughlin Charles D. Laughlin, Jr. (born 1938) is a neuroanthropologist known primarily for having co-founded a school of neuroanthropological theory called "biogenetic structuralism." Laughlin is an emeritus professor of anthropology and religion at Carl ...

. Hartelius, Glenn. The Imperative for Diversity in a Transpersonal Psychology of the Whole Person. ''International Journal of Transpersonal Studies'', 33(2), 2014, pp. iii-iv *Transpersonal sociology; the study of the social aspects of the transpersonal. Transpersonal sociology was an important discipline in the formative years of the transpersonal movement and is associated with the early work of

Ken Wilber Kenneth Earl Wilber II (born January 31, 1949) is an American philosopher and writer on transpersonal psychology and his own integral theory, a philosophy which suggests the synthesis of all human knowledge and experience. Life and career Wilber ...

, and the later contributions of Susan Greenwood. Rominger, R., & Friedman, H. L. (2013). Transpersonal sociology: Origins, development, and theory. ''International Journal of Transpersonal Studies'', 32(2), 17–33. *Transpersonal ecology; the study of the ecological aspects of the transpersonal. The field is associated with the work of

Warwick Fox Warwick Fox (born 1 March 1954) is an Australian-UK philosopher. He is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, University of Central Lancashire, and his books include ''Toward a Transpersonal Ecology: Developing New Foundations for Environmentalism;'' ...

. Walsh mention other areas of interest that could also be conceptualized as a transpersonal discipline, including exploration of clinical disorders (addiction and spiritual emergencies), and research in fields such as near-death experiences, psychedelics, somatics, philosophy, education and meditation.

Development of the term

In a commentary from 1978, Donald StoneStone, Donald. "The human potential movement". ''Society'', May 1978, Volume 15, Issue 4, pp 66–68 associated the term "transpersonal discipline" with the

Human Potential Movement The Human Potential Movement (HPM) arose out of the counterculture of the 1960s and formed around the concept of an extraordinary potential that its advocates believed to lie largely untapped in all people. The movement takes as its premise the be ...

, with its focus on encounter groups, body disciplines and personal growth programs. A few years later Valle and Harari Valle, Ronald S. & Harari, Carmi. "Current developments in...Transpersonal Psychology". ''The Humanistic Psychologist'' 11, Vol. 13, NO. 1, Winter 1985 described a number of psychological and philosophical traditions that might be considered to be transpersonal in their orientation, and related these disciplines to the concept of the

perennial philosophy The perennial philosophy ( la, philosophia perennis), also referred to as perennialism and perennial wisdom, is a perspective in philosophy and spirituality that views all of the world's religious traditions as sharing a single, metaphysical trut ...

. Discussing the dynamics between

Humanistic psychology Humanistic psychology is a psychological perspective that arose in the mid-20th century in answer to two theories: Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory and B. F. Skinner's behaviorism. Thus, Abraham Maslow established the need for a "third force ...

and the emerging field of

, the authors summed up the dynamic as the «birth of a transpersonal discipline from humanistic psychology». In 1993 Walsh and Vaughan provided a definition of the term while also relating it more closely to academic categories and disciplines. The question of whether

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 a ...

should be considered one of a number of transpersonal disciplines appears to be answered affirmatively by Boucouvalas.Boucouvalas, M. (1999). Following the movement: from transpersonal psychology to a multidisciplinary transpersonal orientation. ''Journal of Transpersonal Psychology'', ''31''(1), 27-39. Boucouvalas discusses how sociology, anthropology, business studies, law, art, acting and ecology may all gain benefits from a transpersonal focus. A 2005 edition of the ''

'' discussed transpersonal aspects of cinema, suggesting grounds for a merge between

media studies Media studies is a discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history, and effects of various media; in particular, the mass media. Media Studies may draw on traditions from both the social sciences and the humanities, but mostly ...

and transpersonal psychology. This journal includes a seminal paper by Gaylinn,Gaylinn, D. (2005). Reflections on transpersonal media: An emerging movement. ''Journal of Transpersonal Psychology'', ''37''(1) 1-8 arguing that the media is almost inherently transpersonal insofar as it involves addressing a wider community, therefore helping people to transcend their individuality. Gaylinn also discussed how aspects of films can be transpersonal.

References

{{reflist, 30em Transpersonal studies