Transpersonal Psychology: Cleansing and Purification - Research Paper Example

This concept is not new; philosophers such as Aristotle have explained this relation between man and the spiritual world, which they express as the “being” that strives for perfection in aspects that are beyond the egotistical nature of man. This being aims for perfection from within, and determines the full extent of the cosmos by his relation to it (Franz, 1911). This is as far as the philosophy of transpersonal study goes. The same concept when applied as a therapy or a purification process relates to transpersonal psychology.

Although we see roots of this kind of study as far back as in ancient Greek philosophy, the concept is pretty new to the Western world. The spiritual realm of the human existence has a huge part to play in Asian and Oriental mysticism and has always been relegated to religious and theological thinking. It was never ventured into as an approved form of healing. There is evidence of the concept of transpersonal healing in the writings of many scholarly journals as early as 1905 and 1906. However, the study of this kind of psychology did not gain prominence until the 1960s.

After a long struggle with recognition it has now developed into a branch of scientific Even though the study of contemporary psychology focuses on the study of mental behavior of living things and behavioral processes, the online etymology dictionary describes the literal meaning of the word “psychology” as the “Study of the soul” (Entymology Online, 2001). Grof Stanislov (1975, 1993) explains and equates the phenomena in his study of LSD as human’s quest for that world and the state of “being.

” “The common denominator of this otherwise rich and ramified group of phenomena is the feeling of the individual that his consciousness expanded beyond the usual ego boundaries and the limitations of time and space” (p.3-4). Many interpretations have developed behind this study of the human spirituality as the concept obtained more familiarity and began to be considered as a relevant form of study with relation to healing. As defined in the Journal of Transpersonal psychology by D.H. Lajoie and S.I. Shapiro, (1992) transpersonal psychology "is concerned with the study of humanity's highest potential, and with the recognition, understanding, and realization of unitive, spiritual, and transcendent states of consciousness" (p.2). In this essay, I will explore the field of transpersonal psychology in the concept of cleansing of the human body and the mind as a whole.

This study emerges from the belief that it is possible to clear the body of harmful toxins that are caused by manmade deterrents to human well being. Events and states of mind that are part and parcel of our development constantly influence us as human beings, and our physiological body undergoes many changes from the time of birth to our rise to adulthood with set ways of life and thinking. The Spanish clinical Psychologist, Marly Kuenerz explains this concept very simply (1991). He considers that transpersonal psychology is, “redirecting, transforming and getting rid of deformities and misunderstandings in our thoughts, emotions and actions.

These old crystallized ways of behaviour may develop into psychological and/or physical illnesses and the end result of these patterns is that we identify with our limitations, forgetting our true spiritual nature.” (para.2). It is the psychology of human spirituality far beyond the reach and realm of religious consciousness as preached by institutions of faith. As explained above, I will explore the various concepts of cleansing in the study of the psychology of the human mind