Traditional therapeutic approaches (brief therapy, cognitive/behavioral, family systems, psychodynamic, etc.) have as some of their goals increased effectiveness of ego functioning, improvement in communication and interrelational skills, rewriting and reworking old family scripts and patterns, recovering from various addictive disorders, as well as healing past trauma and associated feelings of shame and guilt. These are all worthy objectives, and these approaches seek to address important issues for many clients. As a Transpersonal therapist, I assist my client in working through these and other issues of concern by utilizing a synthesis of different therapeutic styles that fit the client's particular situation and orientation.
As a Transpersonal therapist,
I have also noticed that even when operating with a relatively
healthy or functional ego, people often go through life, if not
experiencing acute suffering, then at least in a state of chronic
discontent. We believe inner peace is just around the corner,
in the form of more wealth or possessions, a more fulfilling career,
the perfect relationship, some sense of security (physical, financial,
or emotional), etc. We reach what it is we imagine will finally
bring us lasting contentment only to find that, if satisfaction
is attained, it is short-lived. We strive to achieve personal
happiness, but still find ourselves either vaguely or remarkably
unhappy. So we reevaluate our priorities, adjust our strategies,
and set our sights on the next goal.
Transpersonal Psychotherapy
holds as a basic premise that human existence, by its very nature,
is an experience that consists of varying degrees of dissatisfaction,
from vague discontent to intense suffering, when engaged from
the perspective of the individual ego, healthy or otherwise. A
true, lasting state of inner peace, unconditional love for self
and others, and genuine freedom from suffering are as elusive
as attempts to capture one's reflection in a pool of still water.
We have been striving to build the perfect ego, the perfect self,
but no one is truly content, and everywhere there is suffering.
Proof of this can be abundantly seen, from the confusion, pain,
and drama of one's own personal life, to the chaos, hatred, and
war that define the global condition. What is wrong with this
picture? Do we just need to work harder, develop a better therapeutic
approach, find the correct philosophy, or become more religiously
devoted ?
Transpersonal thought holds that true freedom from the inherent
discontent and suffering of human existence can only be tasted
when we directly experience the truth of who we
are. This occurs when the experience of one's self shifts from
the illusion of a separate, individual ego to the reality of the
Transpersonal (through and transcendent to the personality) Self
as one's true identity. Transpersonal therapy assists a client
in awakening to his/her true identity by facilitating recognition
of the habitual, chronically dysfunctional, inner mental commentary
that keeps this truth obscured from awareness. This opening can
happen in an instant, in this present moment, when one's mind
stops and becomes still. Awakening to one's true identity, or
True Nature, taps into the source of a deep, abiding peace, love,
and wisdom. Many sages, saints, and awakened beings throughout
the ages have pointed to this one reality. Now is a time when
the opportunity for human beings to not only experience, but live
as this truth, has never been greater, or more imperative.
