TRANSPERSONAL PERSPECTIVES

IN PSYCHOTHERAPY

FRANCES VAUGHAN CLARK, PhD,

is a clinical
psycholo-
gist in independent practice in Mill
Valley, California, Her in-
terest in humanistic and transpersonal
psychology was sparked
by a seminar at Esalen Institute in 1965, led by Anthony Sutich
Since that time she has been actively involved with both the
Association for Humanistic Psychology and the Association for
Transpersonal Psychology and is on the Board of Editors of the
Journal of Transpersonal Psychology She is currently president
of the Association for Transpersonal Psychology and a field
faculty member of the Humanistic Psychology Institute She is
also on the faculty of the California Institute of Transpersonal Psychology She has been
teaching transpersonal psychology since 1971 and has lectured and conducted workshops at
universities and growth centers throughout the United States and in Europe. She is the
author of several articles on transpersonal education and is currently interested in further
exploration of transpersonal psychotherapy

SUMMARY
Emerging paradigms m tran~per~ona1 psychotherapy are discussed m relation to values
and attitudes of the therapist and the place of transpersonal experience m the growth
process, which goes beyond self actuahzation to self-transcendence. When a therapist is
identified as havmg a transpersonal orientation, it may be assumed that he/she affirms
the validity and importance of the spiritual quest and supports the mtegration of spirit,
mmd, emotion, and body It is also assumed that the transpersonal therapist is on
his/her own path, and that he/she values and supports the process of transpersonal
realization
Transpersonal therapy is not identified with specific techniques, but three distmct

stages of therapy aredefined The first stage of identification is concerned with tasking
responsibility for oneself and owning one’s body, emotions, and thoughts The second
stage, paradoxically, is one of disidentification, m which consciousness is differentiated
from its contents The individual learns to disidentify from the ego and self-concepts
derived from roles, possessions, activities, and relationships The third stage is described
as self-transcendence, in which concern with self-improvement is
replaced by concern
with service and the quality of life The emergence of meanmg on a new level of
consciousness is characteristic of the third stage

This article does not attempt a definition of transpersonal psychotherapy It is a

discussion of current issues m an expanding field which hopefully will stimulate further
exploration

In attempting to formulate emerging paradigms of transpersonal psy-

chotherapy it is useful to remember that all statements in this field have to
date been considered process definitions (Sutich, 1975) and should not be
constituted as definitive in any limiting sense. This article presents one
J Humanistic Psychology, Vol 17, No 2, Spring 1977 69
70

way of viewing a rapidly growing field of interest which is continually

being formulated, redefined, and expanded.
One of the fundamental differences between transpersonal psycho-
therapy and other innovative western approaches to psychological health
and well-being pertain to the therapist’s values, attitudes, assumptions,
and beliefs, rather than to the techniques of therapy. Sutich (1973) has
defined transpersonal psychotherapy as therapy concerned with the rec-
ognition, acceptance, and realization of such states as illumination, mys-
tical union, transcendence, and cosmic unity. Some specific areas of con-
cern for the transpersonal therapist have been outlined by Weide (1973) as
the provision of theoretical frameworks for the explanation of unassimi-
lated transpersonal experience, the counseling of psychics and seekers
who are on a spiritual path, consideration of the relevance of meditation
and spiritual healing to psychotherapy, and the encouragement of basic
transpersonal practice in daily life. Wilbur (1975) has indicated that dif-
ferent types of therapy work at different levels of identity outlined in a
spectrum of consciousness. In this model, transpersonal therapy underlies
other forms of therapy, and it is at this level that the self/not self boun-
daries begin to break down.
One of the underlying assumptions of transpersonal psychotherapy is
that each human being has impulses toward spiritual growth, the capacity
for growing and learning throughout life, and that this process can be
facilitated and enhanced by psychotherapy. In this respect, it has much in
common with growth-oriented humanistic approaches such as client-cen-
tered therapy, but goes beyond them in affirming the potentiality for
self transcendence beyond self-actualization.
Like Jungian analysis, transpersonal psychotherapy is essentially non-
directive, based on the belief that the psyche itself has the capacity for
self-healing, and that impulses toward health and wholeness can be
nourished and developed by a process of integration of unconscious
aspects of the psyche. In 1954 Eric Neumann wrote:
The cardinal discovery of transpersonal psychology is that the collective
psyche, the deepest layer of the unconscious, is the living ground current from
which is derived everything to do with a particularized ego possessing con-
sciousness : Upon this it is based, by this it is nourished, and without this it
cannot exist.

The process of therapy may be defined in this frame of reference as one of

expanding consciousness, allowing the client to discover and integrate the
inner wellsprings of transpersonal experience. The principal focus is on
 71

the inner work which leads to self-realization and transcendence, rather

than on the solution of particular ego problems. This perspective was
clearly affirmed by Carl Jung in the statement that the main thrust of his
work was not the treatment of neuroses, but the approach to the numinous
or transpersonal dimensions of
experience: &dquo; ... the fact is that the
approach to the numinous is the real therapy and inasmuch as you attain
to the numinous experiences you are released from the curse of pathology
[Jung, 1973].&dquo;

THE TRANSPERSONAL EXPERIENCE

Today it is evident that the attainment of numinous or transpersonal

experience which is frequently reported as a result of the ingestion of
psychedelics or the practice of various disciplines of yoga is not necessarily
associated with psychological health. However, it is evident that psycho-
logical and religious analyses of the human condition are fundamentally
inextricable (Becker, 1974) and any holistic psychotherapy cannot disre-
gard the transpersonal dimensions of human potentiality. In his research
with LSD psychotherapy, Stanislav Grof (1975) observed that all of his
subjects transcended the psychodynamic framework and moved into
transpersonal realms. This observation implies that a therapist operating
in a theoretical context which does not include the transpersonal is nec-
essarily limiting the potential growth of the client.
Affirming the validity of transpersonal experience should not be con-
strued as an attempt to impose a specific goal on the process of therapy.
The fact that human beings have the capacity for transpersonal experience
does not imply that a therapist should attempt to induce it. The attainment
of any experience may be of only relative importance, and striving for any
particular goal is contrary to the basic assumption that, given the oppor-
tunity, the inner wisdom of the organism will emerge as an integrating,
healing force or energy which can be trusted. The problem of learning to
recognize and trust those inner impulses toward wholeness is central to
transpersonal psychotherapy. This task is popularly identified as getting in
touch with the inner guru, which may or may not lead into transpersonal
experience.
One of the hazards of attaining transpersonal experiences is the
tendency to value them too highly, and to devalue ordinary, everyday life
experience by comparison. Although a transpersonal experience may in-
volve a real transformation of the personality it can also become a trap
when sought after as an end in itself. When fully integrated, transpersonal
72

awareness is not separate from everyday experience. It is, rather, the

expanded appreciation of life itself.

VALUES AND CONSCIOUSNESS

In this context a holistic approach to psychological health means an
integration of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual dimensions of the
person. The spiritual quest is affirmed as a vital aspect of human potential,
and its validity is affirmed in both theory and practice. Thus a transper-
sonal therapist is necessarily on his/her own spiritual path, though this
need not imply formal affiliation with an organized group or particular
religious beliefs. On the contrary, it is important that the therapist not be
identified with a particular belief system in such a way as to mterfere with
the right and the responsibility of his/her clients to choose freely their own
paths to transpersonal development.
In the therapeutic relationship consciousness itself is both the object
and the instrument of change. The state of consciousness of the therapist is
therefore of crucial importance in determming the outcome of the work.
The therapist who arrives at a transpersonal orientation as a result of
personal searching and spiritual practice will undoubtedly notice the
effect of such practice on all his/her relationships. He/she will also be
relying heavily on personal experience in guiding a client through the
process of integrating transpersonal experience and practice in everyday
life. The change in attitude which occurs when a therapist moves toward a
transpersonal orientation has been described as a shift from working on
yourself to working with yourself. Also, the practice of meditation is
reported to increase the therapist’s capacity for empathy (Lesh, 1970).
This may be translated as an increased capacity for unconditional positive
regard in Rogerian terms, compassion in Buddhist terms, or agape in
Christian terms. As transpersonal work contmues, the recognition of the
oneness of consciousness behind all differences (Goleman, 1972) may also
lead to revision of traditional forms of evaluation and distinction. For
a

example, psychological problems which would be described in terms of

sickness in the medical model, may be described as an aspect of the human
condition of suffering in which we all participate. This awareness is not
something for which to strive. It is simply who we are when we are in touch
with the transpersonal dimensions of our own being. An important as-
sumption here is that who one is is more important in the process of
psychotherapy than what one does or what one says. Consciousness itself
becomes the instrument of work.
 73

There has been substantial speculation but little research on the effects
of the therapist’s state of consciousness on the therapeutic relationship.
Although Rogers has dealt with this question eloquently in humanistic
terms, he stops short of exploring the effects of spiritual disciplines and the
possibilities of energy transference and psychic healing inherent in the
process of psychotherapy. The work of LeShan (1974) and others who are
investigating psychic and spiritual healing is important for the psycho-
therapist who is open to the transpersonal dimensions of his/her work.
A holistic approach to psychological integration and well-being cannot
overlook the dynamic effects of belief systems on psychosomatic health or
the significance of spiritual development for the healthy person.
The therapist who values a state of consciousness in the process of
therapy and recognizes the transpersonal aspect of the interaction tends
to become increasingly detached from the outcome of therapy. Recogniz-
ing the finite nature of problem solving, the relative merits of ego ideals,
and the impermanence of existence itself, the results of therapy are not
regarded as personal successes or failures. Some therapists believe that
helping a client solve problems on the level of the empirical ego may
actually be doing a person a disservice, since it may prevent him/her from
attaining another kind of change leading to transcendence or liberation.
In other words, transpersonal psychotherapy may focus on disidentifica-
tion from roles and labels, rather than on improving personal perfor-
mance. William James (1890), who suggested that self-esteem could be
measured as success divided by pretensions, pointed out that giving up
pretensions is as much of a relief as gratifying them. The psychotherapist
may readily affirm the validity of this statement with respect to clients, but
being socially immersed in the western ethic of achievement, he/she can
easily lose sight of his/her own pretensions as a factor in determining the
success of therapy. The effectiveness of therapy cannot be evaluated apart
from the psychotherapist’s values and concepts of what constitutes psy-
chological health.
The effects of the therapist’s beliefs on what transpires in psychother-
apy goes far beyond determining a formal affiliation with a particular
therapeutic approach. It is commonly reported that people in Jungian
analysis have Jungian dreams, while those in Freudian analysis have
Freudian dreams. In addition to the self-selection process which occurs
when a client chooses a therapist, it is important to recognize that the
therapist is not only influencing the client by his/her expectations and
beliefs, but he/she is also shaping the nature of his/her own perceptions
by choosing to subscribe to one belief system rather than another. For
74

example, one therapist reports feeling much more respect for each person
as a result of his personal belief that each individual-himself included
-has a life path to work out, with certain obstacles to overcome and
lessons to learn. The belief in the underlying unity of life, the acknowl-
edgement of both the finite and the infinite aspects of our humanness,
and an affirmation of our connectedness as well as our separateness,
inevitably affect a therapist’s attitudes. Perceiving oneself and the client
as integral parts of a larger whole tends to reinforce the validity and

importance of being with, rather than acting upon, another person.

One way of defining transpersonal psychotherapy is to consider it as a
process of awakening. Arriving at a new state of consciousness as well as a
new self-image and world view is implied as a possibility, yet no goal is

specifically stated, since the specific level of awakening is determined by

the client’s needs and potential readiness. However, part of the process, as
in waking up from a dream, involves recognizing the illusory nature of
one’s limited perceptions of reality and the infinite possibilities of ex-
panding inner vision. Intensive exploration of the symbolic dimensions of
reality may also lead to the kind of dramatic awakening commonly re-
ferred to as a rebirth experience. This type of inner transformation has
been thoroughly investigated and documented by Stanislav Grof (1975)
in his research with LSD psychotherapy. It is important to note, however,
that the change process may be gradual rather than sudden, and may not
seem dramatic at all. Furthermore, seeds planted in psychotherapy may
not come to fruition until long after the termination of therapy. It there-
fore behooves the psychotherapist not to be attached to the results of the
endeavor, but to focus instead on his/her immediate participation in the
ongoing process.
IDENTIFICATION STAGE
Three distinct stages can be distinguished in the process of awakening
to one’s transpersonal identity. The first stage could be called the stage of
identification, characterized by the development of self-awareness. This is
comparable to what is termed the analytic stage in Jungian analysis,
involving primarily confession and elucidation of the confessional ma-
terial leading to increased understanding of psychic processes. The term
awakening, as used here, is not necessarily associated with formal psy-
chotherapy. The awakening to a deeper sense of oneself associated with
meditation may also involve painful awareness of neurotic patterns of
behavior and aloneness. The awakening, however, is also characterized
 75

by insight and a sense of newly awakened vision and understanding. This

stage often involves increased tension, discomfort, and distress, which
may be manifested in troublesome symptoms which lead the individual to
seek professional help. Although the client seeking therapy frequently
comes to therapy for the purpose of resolving a particular problem or
alleviating a particular symptom, the transpersonal therapist does not
treat the symptom or the problem out of context, but considers it as an
integral part of the person’s life, regarding it as one manifestation of the
client’s mode of being in the world. Discussion of any particular problem
inevitably gives some indication of the client’s self-image and life style. As
the client reveals him/herself to the therapist, the process of awakening is
accelerated. Often, it seems that when the therapist really listens, the
client begins to hear what he/she is really saying. The client may begin by
recognizing patterns in his/her behavior and become aware of unresolved
inner conflicts which contribute to the current impasse or feelings of
distress. The therapeutic relationship allows the client to engage in the
process of self-discovery within a safe and supportive context, and the
individual therapist may choose to work with any technique he/she
deems appropriate, such as dreamwork, gestalt awareness, imagery, con-
frontation, or unconditional positive regard.
In the first stage of awakening, or identification, the client may need to
get in touch with the body, with feelings, and with the deep intuitions
which influence his/her choices. The process is essentially one of be-
coming self-conscious, of owning one’s senses, emotions, and thoughts,
and taking responsibility for them. Initially it may be important to simply
tune in to the inner awareness of sensations, feelings, and conditioned
patterns of thought forms. At this stage the work may focus on self-
acceptance. Confession of negative feelings or socially unacceptable
impulses and desires as being an integral part of one’s totality requires
willingness to unmask, to discard the idealized self-image which is so
often based on self-deception and self-denial, and in Jungian terms, to
own the shadow.
At this stage the cultivation of a receptive attitude encourages free flow
of material, not only with regard to external awareness of self in relation
to others and the world, but also with regard to inner awareness of self in
relation to dreams, fantasies, and intuitions which appear to have an
independent origin. This receptive mode of consciousness, in contrast to
the active mode which is geared to manipulation of the environment, may
be cultivated by the practice of meditation. Esssentially, the state is one of
passive volition, characterized by a willingness to allow things to happen.
76

This does not preclude the use of therapeutic techniques by the therapist,
but the client is presumed to know best, at a deep level, what he/she
needs for further growth and self-healing and the therapist simply facili-
tates the process. In contrast to teaching in which the teacher may decide
what students need to learn and proceed to teach it, or certain forms of
psychotherapy which depend on a particular model of personality for
implementation, the transpersonal psychotherapist acts as a guide and
companion while the client assumes responsibility for his/her continuing
exploration and growth.
Helping the client to differentiate between the true inner teacher or
transpersonal self and the many distracting solicitations of false teachers,
both inner and outer, is one of the principal tasks of the therapist. This is
a twofold process: First the client learns to tune into him/herself and to

listen to his/her own inner truth. This may include learning to quiet the
mind, to give honest expression to real feelings, and to be assertive in
accordance with felt needs. The second step is one of learning to trust the
intuition or inner voice which determines choices and allows one to as-
sume responsibility for oneself. Here the task is a continuing one of being
alert to distractions and uncovering self-deceptions, insofar as possible.
The concept of the transpersonal self as that center of pure awareness
which simultaneously transcends and observes conflicts at the level of ego
and personality is useful here in giving a point of reference for the newly
awakened sense of self. The continuing search for inner truth requires a
sincere commitment to this transpersonal self and calls for the deepest
level of self-awareness that can be attained.
The specific content of the developing sense of self is, of course, specific
to the individual’s life circumstances. Whatever the contents of con-
sciousness, the process is essentially the same: Waking up to the fact that
change is not only possible but inevitable, and that, given the opportunity,
psychological and spiritual growth is continually unfolding. In transper-
sonal psychotherapy the basic concern goes beyond identifying and solv-
ing problems. The concern is rather with identifying the self as subject
rather than object, and acknowledging the experiencing person as a center
of consciousness capable of exercising choice and free will in the present,
thereby transcending limitations imposed by past conditioning.

DISIDENTIFICATION STAGE

The second stage of transpersonal awakening, in contrast to the first

stage of self-identification, is one of disidentification. The transpersonal
self is paradoxically experienced only as a result of disidentification with
 77

the ego or the self defined by one’s roles, possessions, activities, or rela-
tionships. At this stage the client in therapy begins to gain a new per-
spective on his/her problems and concerns. When he/she comes to the
basic experience of I Am, no longer deriving identity from the usual
definitions of the self as object, and recognizing the essential no-thing-
ness of the self as experiencer, there is no longer the same investment in

preserving self-image or problem solving in terms of ego gratification.

After the initial unmasking process of the first stage, the second stage
brings the inevitable confrontation with existential anxiety in facing
aloneness and death. Frequently an encounter with death results in the
opening up of the spiritual and religious dimensions of the personality.
Upon entering the stage of disidentification the therapist can no longer
function adequately as a teacher of self-awareness. He/she becomes for
the client a mediator of the overwhelming realities of existence which can
be both terrifying and liberating. The misconception that goals such as
self-knowledge and self-acceptance will adequately serve to reconcile the
existential human dilemma can, at this stage, interfere with the process of
deepening experience. This intensification or deepening of experience is
not a product of the therapeutic relationship defined in terms of tradi-
tional roles, but a continuing expansion of the experience of being who
we are. The focus on being, in contrast to doing, is an important step in

increasing detachment from the outcome of therapy or any other work.

Many Eastern philosophies teach that the basis of all problems and suf-
fering is clinging or attachment, and this viewpoint underscores the im-
portance of developing a capacity for disidentification and detachment.
This process may be facilitated by structured exercises for awakening the
sense of a continuing transpersonal self, independent of changing emo-

tions, thoughts, roles, attributes, or values.

SELF-TRANSCENDENCE
The third stage of transpersonal awakening is one of ~//~a~c~!-
dence. A holistic model of the healthy person must account for the
individual’s capacity for self-transcendence as an integral part of trans-
personal self-realization. At this stage even the existential dilemmas
assume less awesome proportions. Self-absorption and the desire for lib-
eration is replaced by an attitude of acceptance which is comparable to
faith in that it implies a willingness to live out one’s destiny and take
responsibility for the quality of one’s life. The underlying motivation is
concern for service rather than self-gratification. At this stage the concept
of a transpersonal self or witness may also be dropped. It is important to
78

recognize that concepts which are useful at one stage or in particular

circumstances, have only relative value and should not be considered as
defining absolute reality. This stage may be evidenced by the emergence
of wisdom, which has been defined by Assagioli (1973) as the capacity to
play with opposites. This implies increased tolerance for ambiguity and
an appreciation of the paradoxical nature of the therapeutic relationship.
In psychotherapy the wisdom of the therapist is called upon to
synthesize the opposites of detachment and involvement. In affirming the
essential unity of life, and thereby identifying with the essential being of
the client, the therapist can be totally involved in the sense of being fully
present, ideally with a clear mind, without becoming attached to any
particular outcome or resolution of conflict in which the client may en-
gage. The client is thus free to take full responsibility for his/her choices
and decisions.
Overall, the outcome of successful therapy indicates a continuing de-
velopment of inner resources and a harmonious integration of the inner
and outer life. Thus the actual content of transpersonal therapy may
include meditation, dreamwork, guided fantasy, art, music, or other
techniques which facilitate the emergence of the transpersonal self.
However, just as in meditation, the function of form is to carry the mind
beyond form, in psychotherapy the symbolization of experience becomes
a vehicle for intensifying direct experience of reality. The contents of
consciousness or the shape of the image should not be confused with
consciousness itself, or a particular state of consciousness. The central
experience of pure being or essence remains ineffable.
Transpersonal essence is given form in existence, and the contents of a
session in transpersonal psychotherapy are thus as varied as the forms of
existence. But once an individual has awakened to the transpersonal
dimensions of reality, life itself is seen in a different perspective.
The necessity of evolving from the second to the third stage of therapy
is evident in the affective tone which frequently accompanies the initial
stages of disidentification. Depression, apathy, disinterest, and a desire to
withdraw from the world and its activities are often associated with the
disidentification process which may occur with a breakdown of former
values and a loss of meaning. When that which was considered important
and meaningful no longer matters, the resulting void appears desolate if
not terrifying. The emergence of a new level of meaning which is some-
times described as rebirth on a new level of consciousness would indicate
completion of the third stage.
In transpersonal psychotherapy it is necessary for both the therapist
 79

and the client to deal with religious questions which may be repressed or
ignored in many other forms of therapy. The designation of religion as an
opiate of the people in psychoanalytic theory has had a powerful effect on
the practice of psychotherapy. Therapists are trained to handle repressed
negative emotions and repressed sexuality, but few are prepared to deal
with questions of spirituality, and many have themselves repressed their
natural religious impulses, along with the awareness of death. The full
acceptance of these aspects of the human condition involves a willingness
to deal with numinous or transcendent experiences. The third stage of
transpersonal psychotherapy is therefore more aptly described in terms of
personal transformation than personal change.
Each stage described above is not necessarily completed before the next
stage begins, but as work continues one may recognize a transition from
the first to the second stage, and subsequently the more subtle transition
from the second to the third stage. In Buddhist terms this could be the
realization that nirvana and samsara are one (Govinda, 1969). In psy-
chosynthesis terms, this stage would be characterized by an alignment of
the personal will with the universal transpersonal will. The idea of
alignment implies working with the forces of nature rather than seeking to
dominate or control them. The transpersonal will, then, is not to be
confused with ego-identified will power. It represents, rather, a perspec-
tive in which everything and everyone is seen as an integral part of a
larger whole. Questions pertaining to personal power are thus perceived
in a different perspective and may be transcended rather than bypassed.
The individual is thus willing to take full responsibility for the choices
he/she has made while, at the same time, accepting the conditions of any
given situation. Any description of stages of awakening should not be
construed as a linear model to be imposed on the growth process, but
rather as a conceptual framework which may be useful in understanding
human experience.

EXPANDING CONSCIOUSNESS

Transpersonal psychotherapy could also be described more simply as a

process of clearing the mind and expanding consciousness. It inevitably
involves grappling with self-deception, cutting thrugh illusions, and
learning to discern what is true for oneself. The sense of liberation which
is experienced as a result of working through sadness, anger, and fear can
be facilitated by an attitude of noninterference on the part of the thera-
pist. However, the capacity of the therapist for compassion, empathy,
80

love, and acceptance is of crucial importance in determining the level of

the final outcome. The client learns to respond as the therapist responds,
learns to listen to him/herself as the therapist listens. The more evolved
and aware and open the therapist is, the more space the client is given for
growth within the therapeutic relationship. This is just another way of
saying that any psychotherapy is only as high as the psychotherapist.
Jung (1973), Ram Dass (1974), and others have noted the fact that a
psychotherapist cannot take someone beyond where he/she has been.
However, it is possible for therapist and client to break new ground
together if both are willing to learn from each other as companions on
the journey of self-discovery. The therapist can also facilitate or impede
the client’s further growth by communicating attitudes or beliefs concern-
ing exploration beyond the range of his/her personal experience. For
example, a transpersonal therapist who follows a discipline which en-
hances inner awareness may find an increasing incidence of sponta-
neously occurring psychic phenomena in his/her life. The importance of
extrasensory perception and intuition in psychotherapy is frequently
acknowledged (Clark, 1973; Cohen, 1969), but in religious traditions ex-
trasensory powers are often considered dangerous and actively discour-
aged. Regardless of personal choice, the therapist who has a transpersonal
perspective can work with the client for the integration of such experience
without imposing a belief system on the client.
Just as a therapist has the responsibility for recognizing personal bias in
personality theory, it is important for the transpersonal therapist to be
aware of personal bias in metaphysical belief systems, since beliefs in-

evitably shape perceptions and are subtly communicated to the client. The
continuing task for the therapist is one of working on his/her attachment
to whatever beliefs may be limiting his/her own capacity for clarity and
transcendence.
When a therapist is identified as having a transpersonal orientation, we
would assume that he/she thereby affirms the validity and importance of
the spiritual quest, and supports the integration of spirit, mind, emotions,
and body. We would also assume that he/she has had some meaningful
transpersonal experience which has experientially validated a transper-
sonal viewpoint. The therapist may also be assumed to be on his/her own
path, regardless of whether he/she is formally identified with an organ-
ized religious group. A transpersonal orientation further implies a view of
essential human nature as basically divine or transcendent. Psychother-
apy can then be defined as the process whereby the client gets in touch
with his/her essential transpersonal nature.
 81

A word of caution, however, seems necessary at this time, as claiming

the label transpersonal therapist does not say anything about the per-
sonality, competence, or state of consciousness of the person claiming it. It
remains up to the discriminating client to determine whether a particular
therapist is someone he/she wants to work with in the continuing process
of transpersonal realization.

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BECKER, E. The denial .
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(2),
5 156-170.
COHEN, R. Training intuition. In H. Otto
(Ed.), Ways of growth. New York:
Viking, 1969.
GOLEMAN, D. The Buddha on meditation and states of consciousness. Part II.
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4
GOVINDA, L. A. Foundations of Tibetan mysticism. New York: Samuel Weiser,
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GROF, S. Realms of the human unconscious. New York: Viking, 1975.
JAMES, W. The principles ofpsychology. New York: Henry Holt, 1890. (Unaltered
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LESH, T. Zen meditation and the development of empathy in counselors. Journal
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LESHAN, L. The medium, the mystic and the physicist. New York: Viking, 1974.
NEUMANN, E. The origins and history of consciousness. New York: Pantheon, 1954.
RAM DASS, B. The only dance there is. New York: Doubleday, 1974.
SUTICH, A. Transpersonal therapy. Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 1973,
(1), 1-6.
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SUTICH, A. Transpersonal psychology. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 1975,
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WEIDE, T. Varieties oftranspersonal therapy. Journal of Transpersonal Psychology.
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WILBUR, K. Psychologia perennis: The spectrum of consciousness. Journal of
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5

Repnnt requests: Frances V. Clark, 10 Millwood Avenue, Mill Valley, California 94941.