Transpersonal psychotherapy
Alongside the main psychotherapy models, this is a therapy using the ideas stemming from religion and spirituality that the self grows as it experiences the vicissitudes of life and is part of something bigger than itself.
The work of the therapist is to engage with the client at the point where the latter has experienced the difficulties of life that challenge ‘the ego’ and to let go of certainties, be they from familial background or karmic propensities and be willing to reach for their full potential. The ‘meaning’ sought cannot be ascertained through the five senses, therefore may also be transcendental.
The difficulties the client experiences may be shocking not only to the person concerned but also to those around as their worldview may change dramatically which can lead to isolation and feeling scared and ‘irrationality’. Which in turn could be misdiagnosed as psychotic behaviour.
A spiritual awakening may occur due to a significant traumatic experience. Finding religion or spirituality may be as a result of:
- The natural environmental catastrophe eg a tsunami or earthquake.
- Burnout – when the person has no physical or emotional reserves left.
- Experiencing a deeply tragic event such as war or another man-made disaster.
This therapy is humanistic as it is client-centred, phenomenological and about each individual inner process as no two people experience or respond in the same way to any given situation.
The therapist will offer a genuineness, empathy, and a non-judgemental approach.
Psychosynthesis is another form of transpersonal therapy with an inclination towards the psychodynamic model.
This model is suitable for adults and children who are experiencing crisis and want to explore spiritual awakenings.