phd in transpersonal psychology

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PHD In Transpersonal Psychology

Sofia University has been at the forefront of scholarly research in the field of transpersonal psychology since the establishment as the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in 1975.

Course overview:

Program details:.

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Transpersonal Psychology builds upon your prior master’s degree through exploration and consideration of both classic and modern studies of transpersonal psychology. You will strengthen your research and analytic skills while simultaneously carving out a deep understanding of the multiple dimensions of our human experience.

Our PhD program is facilitated primarily online, and includes four residential seminars during the three-year program. These seminars are offered twice a year, either in person (*safety permitting) or through virtual teleconferencing, for 5 consecutive days each. You’ll experience an academic seminar that combines community building, mind-body practices, and deep reflection on key topics in the field.

Through the PhD program, we invite you to develop holistic, research-based applications to the challenges and opportunities that humans alone and in groups experience. The program applies transpersonal principles to help foster transformation individually, socially, and professionally.

To complete the doctorate in three years, you will engage in 9 units per quarter, moving through each of the core courses. You will complete your dissertation “Mini Proposal” by the middle of your second year, setting into motion your work on this major contribution to the scholarly literature. Throughout the dissertation process, you will register for a sequence of courses that support you through each research and writing phase, and that keep you in regular contact with your faculty committee.

The PhD journey takes 3 years to complete as a full-time member; part-time study can also be arranged.

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Course Information:

At-a-glance information about this course for your convenience:

Alumni Stories

My time at Sofia University–the course work, the opportunity to collaborate so closely with the faculty, and the commitment to whole-person education– allowed me to refine my vision for the Inner Explorer program, develop and pilot it in various iterations and finally to rigorously study the effects. These have all proven critical steps in my ability to co-found this nonprofit company, launch several programs, and most importantly, help children succeed in school and ultimately in life.

Lauren bakosh.

Alumna, PhD in Transpersonal Psychology

Class of 2013

Key Program Highlights:

Providing you the tools and curriculum to embrace the fullness of your human capacity to help solve the greatest challenges facing society today.

Transpersonal Inquiry

Intensive inquiry in transpersonal philosophy, theory, and research.

Methodological Prep

A research methods sequence that prepares students for dissertation work.

Applied Learning

Integrative and transformational educational experiences of community-building and applied learning.

Biannual Seminars

Twice yearly off-campus seminars in Northern California. To learn more, we invite you to visit our seminars page. 

Community Praxis

An optional community praxis sequence.

Learning Outcomes:

Here’s what you can expect to walk away from this program with…

1. Analysis

Analyze and explain human behavior in a variety of contexts and situations using theoretical models, empirically-supported methods, and research in the field of transpersonal psychology and the wider field of psychology.

2. Methodology

Employ best practices in social science and humanistic research methodology in the design and conduct of original psychological research.

3. Diversity

Integrate knowledge about and sensitivity to the experiences and perspectives of diverse populations, including but not limited to race, culture, socioeconomics, age, gender, sexual relation orientation, and disability, in research and applications of transpersonal psychology.

4. Communication

Communicate effectively using a variety of media and genres to meet the needs of the circumstances and intended audience across a range of personal and professional purposes and settings.

5. Reflection

Reflect upon their own whole-person development, including growth in mind, body, spirit, creativity, and community, and identify opportunities for continuing development.

Integrate relevant moral and ethical frameworks with key concepts and practices drawn from transpersonal psychology in the development of solutions to professional and community problems.

Career Paths:

Pick the path that speaks to your journey – both personally and professionally.

Applied transpersonal psychology in business and organizations.

Career outcomes include:

• Non-Profit Work
• Consultants
• Social Work

Consciousness and creativity studies.

• Social Advocate/Leader

Whole systems approach to health and well being.

Cognitive psychology and neuroscience..

• Psychotherapists

Our Community's Commitment To Diversity Is Echoed Through Our Students:

The following is a list of diverse essays published by our graduates.

Curriculum:

To receive a PhD in Transpersonal Psychology, students must successfully complete a minimum of 75 units. The following are specific degree requirements.

Core courses introduce students to foundational theories and research methods in transpersonal psychology. As part of the Core, students must attend and successfully complete four residential seminars (i.e., GPHD7000 taken four times) during their matriculation in the PhD program.)

Students deepen their knowledge of transpersonal theory, research and applications through the selection of elective courses; they may opt to pursue a concentration to fulfill a portion of the electives requirement. Concentrations are offered in four areas of study, contributing 15 of the 28 units for this area of study:

• Applied Transpersonal Psychology in Business and Organizations
• Whole Systems Approaches to Health and Well-Being
• Consciousness and Creativity Studies
• Cognitive Psychology and Neuroscience

The dissertation is structured as a sequence of six 3-unit courses. Each quarter’s course, students are expected to accomplish a specified number of activities related to dissertation planning, researching and writing. The courses guide students through the various steps in developing a faculty committee and research proposal, conducting research and analyzing data, and writing and defending a comprehensive report about the results.

The Advancement to Candidacy process is designed to enable students to demonstrate their attainment of academic writing and critical thinking skills at a level appropriate for the conduct of independent dissertation research. To complete the process, students must complete the following milestones:

• GPHD8997 – Introduction to Dissertation Proposal Writing (“Mini-Proposal”) (3)
• DOC9001-1 – Dissertation: Committee Formation and Final Proposal (3), during which a meeting with the Committee concerning the dissertation proposal is held and the proposal is approved.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

Below you’ll find some frequently asked questions about Sofia University’s PhD in Transpersonal Psychology program, providing additional details about the course structure, its timeline, and other key aspects.

The PhD in Transpersonal Psychology is primarily conducted online, with four residential seminars that occur over the course of the three-year program. These seminars may be held in-person or via virtual teleconferencing, and span five consecutive days each.

Yes, while the course is designed to be completed in three years as a full-time student, arrangements for part-time study can be made.

The “Mini Proposal” for your dissertation is due in the middle of your second year of the program. This initiates your work on the dissertation and keeps you engaged with your faculty committee.

The estimated total cost of the PhD in Transpersonal Psychology program is $71,450. It is also estimated that the total fees will be $3,575.

Speak with an Admissions Counselor today to apply.

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PhD in Integral, Transpersonal and Positive Psychology

Doctor of philosophy in psychology integral, transpersonal and positive psychology concentration.

Home » Degrees and Programs » PhD in Integral, Transpersonal and Positive Psychology

PhD in Psychology - Integral, Transpersonal, and Positive Psychology

Degree requirements.

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Learn more about taking the next step toward your dreams...

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BECOME AN AGENT OF POSITIVE CHANGE FOR TRANSFORMING PSYCHOLOGY AND THE WORLD

Have you ever pictured yourself as a person who helps build a new vision of humanity? You can play a part in developing a new and more powerful psychology that includes all aspects of who we are as whole persons.

As a student in the Doctor of Psychology — Integral, Transpersonal and Positive Psychology program you will move forward on a path of research and scholarship, based on whole person approaches that broaden the horizons of Western psychology to embrace mystical, spiritual and other exceptional human experiences as processes that can heal and transform human consciousness.

As you prepare to blaze your own new trails you will:

• Study the areas of psychology that embraces the whole person as well as the many different ways of being human
• Develop your own perspective that encompasses body, community, society, and world as aspects of a vibrant interwoven reality
• Learn how to integrate deep respect for traditional ways of knowing with rigorous scientific research
• Master the skills of scholarship necessary to publish your findings in peer-reviewed psychology journals
• Discover how to ask and answer new and compelling research questions that lie at the heart of what it is to be human
• Cultivate a mind-body intelligence that can embrace clear, critical thinking together with appreciation for tension between ideas

Together, the integral, transpersonal and positive areas represent the best of psychology’s future as a transformative and healing discipline:

• Transpersonal psychology respects all areas of behavioral science, as well as giving particular attention to lived experience, intuition, and those life-changing and life-shaping experiences that are often overlooked. It is a transformative psychology of the whole person embedded within a diverse, interconnected and evolving world.
• Integral psychology is a related approach that sees the typical human personality as fragmented and understands both personal evolution and healing as linked to the integration of these aspects into a more whole being. The integral tradition has roots in Indian spirituality through the writings of Indian philosopher and spiritual teacher Sri Aurobindo.
• Positive psychology is a dynamic area that focuses on human well-being, flourishing, and potential. The term positive psychology was developed by Abraham Maslow, one of the founders of humanistic and transpersonal psychology, and revitalized in 2000 by Martin Seligman—both of whom served as President of the American Psychological Association (APA). The area of Positive Psychology continues to represent the latest scientific research in these areas.

Who do you want to become in your life? This program is for you if you want to:

• Broaden your knowledge in order to work as a practitioner-scholar, teacher, consultant, or coach for individuals
• Serve in administration or leadership positions
• Enhance your current professional credentials in the social sciences, uncover deeper meaning in your work, sharpen your skills, and participate in building your area of specialization.
• Be a change agent at the forefront of psychology, doing research and publishing evidence that makes a difference in how psychology moves forward.

Our team is at the center of this movement. Join us.

Core Curriculum (28 units)

• Required Elective Courses (20 units)

Additional Example Electives (Your Choice) (24 units)

Dissertation Sequence (22 units)

Coursework (94 units)

• Scholarly Writing for Psychology (4 units)
• Foundations in Whole Person Psychology (4 units)
• Consciousness Studies for Psychology (4 units)
• Counseling & Communications Skills (4 units)
• Spiritual Education (Several options available) (4 units)
• Advanced Qualitative Research Methods (4 units)
• Advanced Quantitative Research Methods (4 units)

Concentration Elective Courses (20 units)

• Scholarly Writing for Psychology II (4 units)
• Critical Thinking (4 units)
• Foundations in Whole Person Psychology II (4 units)
• Research Design and Validation (4 units)
• Neuroscience of Consciousness (4 units)
• Psychological Energy (4 units)
• Transpersonal Sexuality (4 units)
• Psychedelic Culture and Social Transformation (4 units)
• Meditation and Personal Transformation (4 units)
• Introduction to Parapsychology (4 units)
• Anatomy of Presence (4 units)
• Dissertation Topic Research (5 units)
• Dissertation Methodology Review (5 units)
• Dissertation I (6 units)
• Dissertation II (6 units)

Program Learning Outcome

PLO 1: Examine people as ever evolving, multidimensional beings on a developmental journey toward wholeness, which encompasses the domains of mind, body, and spirit.

PLO 2: Apply multidisciplinary research, theory and praxis to aspects of psychology and/or psychotherapy.

PLO 3: Utilize holistic thought to psychology and/or psychotherapy in a way that includes consciousness and spirituality.

PLO 4: Evaluate and test elements of theory and/or application of psychological knowledge to human wellbeing.

PLO 5: Develop a personal framework for “self-as-healer” and/or “self-as-scholar” underscoring the notion that ongoing self-development is positively correlated with professional aptitude.

When you reach out for more information or to apply, you’ll immediately be connecting with one of the leaders in your field of study. Although today these individuals are distinguished professors, once upon a time they were in your shoes and they haven’t forgotten what it is like and what you need.

They are passionate about their area of study, and want to do everything they can to mentor the next generation of experts and leaders to rise up, and exceed what even they have accomplished. As true leaders they know that is the best way of ensuring that their their area of study continues to significantly advance. They want you to succeed succeed beyond your expectations and do everything they can to ensure that – right from the start.

During the application process these leaders will work hard to understand where you’re at and give you their best advice, even if that means not joining their program. All of our faculty and staff are devoted to what is best for you, and the profession they serve.

CIHS is a relatively small family of people who are having an outsized impact on the world. We involve everyone who could possibly be needed to ensure that it’s as easy as possible to join us, and that you thrive with us right from the start.

The admissions team is always ready and overjoyed to help you. The core team consists of the senior Professor for the program that we’ve just mentioned, also known as the Program Director, and the  Dean of Admissions. The extended team includes the Provost (the most senior academic leader at the university) and key administrative members of her team such as the Registrar, the Dean of Student Assessments and Outcomes, and the Dean of Student Success. 

The program may be completed in person or 100% at a distance. 

International students from all countries are welcome in person or online.

In person classes are held at our campus in beautiful Encinitas California.

U.S. Based distance students must reside in one of the following states: AZ, CA, CO, DE, FL, HI, ID, IL, IN, KY, ME, MI, MS, MO, NE, NH, NJ, NY, NC, NV, OH, OK, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, WA. 

You can apply and be admitted to the program 4 times a year, at the start of each quarter.

We recommend beginning your application as soon as possible if you want to join the next start date.

Just click the button below for more information, or to begin the process…

• Fully accredited by WSCUC & non-profit serving students since 1992
• Unique, highly customizable degree programs
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• World-class faculty and research programs
• Year round enrollment with frequent and convenient start dates
• Ability to complete your program in person, 100% online, or a hybrid between the two
• 10 week classes so you can start and finish faster
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• Holistic & integral approaches
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• Small class size with personalized attention
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• Access to CIHS’s Science of Consciousness and Subtle Energy Research Laboratories, and one of the largest Faraday cages in the region.
• Extensive networking and career preparation opportunities
• Diverse faculty and industry professionals from a variety of fields
• Located in the beautiful beach city of Encinitas in northern San Diego, 95 miles south of Los Angeles

The most important benefit of attending CIHS does comes down to what we do: we focus on consciousness and mind-body spirituality

We are the only learning center of our kind in the United States: a fully accredited consciousness-based university

This has been our exclusive focus since our founding in 1992.

From the start we’ve been a magnet for top faculty, researchers and students in this space.

You know that if you want to advance the future of media technology, and have an outsized impact on the world, you go to the MIT Media Lab. If you want to advance the understanding and applications of mind-body consciousness, and have an outsized impact, you come to CIHS.

No other fully accredited institution is dedicated to these visionary areas like we are. This is the place to be.

Glenn Hartelius, PhD

Concentration director program co-director lead faculty.

DR. ARTHUR SUN

“CIHS is the best graduate school. I love the emphasis on scientific rigor and spirituality, and the integration of personal growth in each class. The professors are amazing and the administration is committed to the success and growth of each student. CIHS is an integral school that encourages multiple perspectives. If you want to grow not just academically but personally and spiritually, as well, come check out CIHS.”

CHRIS ORREY

“Receiving higher education from an institute such as CIHS was the most transformative journey of my life. Academic rigor paired with spiritual awakening, psychological healing, and professional development put me through the wringer. I had never felt more complete, whole, and connected to the higher truths that I had never known I already knew. At the same time, my entire worldview was shaken and flipped upside down. I have come to see life, existence, and the perception of the physical world in an entirely new way. I have come to understand, witness and meet the force of nature that underlies human consciousness, that is to the extent of my own pscyho-spiritual evolution. ”

FRANCESCA PARETTA

“CIHS has provided me with opportunities to understand psychology in a grounded scientific way, simultaneously exploring life, healing, and consciousness. CIHS is an ideal setting for those who are motivated to contribute to the evolution and progression of academic engagement, experiential learning, and research, and an equally supportive environment for healing practitioners seeking to deepen their skills and add to their credentials, where a multitude of perspectives are accepted and integrated, from wisdom traditions, to clinical understandings, to transpersonal awareness and beyond.”

MICHAEL SCOTT

“CIHS has been an incredible experience so far, both academically and personally. I have found a “home” here where I can study consciousness and subtle energy in ways I couldn’t at previous graduate institutions. The students, faculty, and administration are amazing and have such diverse backgrounds and interests. I can’t wait to see how the school continues to evolve and grow!.”

LAUREN HICKEY

“I am so pleased with my recent PhD from CIHS. Nowhere else could I have achieved such a blended education of psychology, spirituality, and consciousness. The instructors were all well qualified and knowledgeable and assignments were reasonable. CIHS gave me the confidence I needed to expand my private practice. I also have now begun running international retreats. I feel well prepared to present myself as an expert in the field.”

MICHELLE LEUSCHEN

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Doctor of Philosophy in Transpersonal Psychology, Specialization in Tibetan Buddhist Psychology

This program was designed to give the student a sound base in traditional Western Psychology and Integrative Transpersonal Psychology. Students will have the opportunity to deepen their understanding of Transpersonal Psychology by exposure to Tibetan Buddhist concepts from a psychological perspective. This program is offered to provide health care providers and interested persons a basic understanding of Tibetan Buddhist concepts and how they can contribute to service for others.

PREREQUISITES: A Master of Arts in addition to specific prerequisite courses which must be completed in the first year of study.

REQUIREMENTS: The Doctor of Philosophy degree requires the completion of 95 quarter units at the graduate level. The student will develop an individualized program of study by completing the core Psychology requirements (40 units), the core Transpersonal Psychology requirements (30 units), and selecting 15 additional elective graduate level courses. Students are required to write and defend a Ph.D. Dissertation (10 units, including an Oral Qualifying Exam and Final Oral defense), and complete 60 hours of personal counseling with licensed professionals. Successful passage of the Doctoral Comprehensive Exam is also required.

Curriculum: Course titles that satisfy degree requirements:

Prerequisite Courses (25 units) Course Units CTR 600 Psychology Business Principles 5 CPS 605 Clinical Counseling Skills Training 5 CPS 610 Psychopharmacology 5 CPS 611 Advanced Clinical Skills Training 5 CPS 615 Cross-Cultural Counseling 5 Graduate Core Psychology Course Requirements (40 units) Course Units CPS 501 Writing Skills & Research 5 CPS 691 Behavioral Statistics I 5 CPS 693 Social Psychology 5 CPS 695 Selected Topics: Brief Therapy 5 & Crisis Intervention –or- Mediation CPS 702 Group Therapy: 5 Theory & Practice CPS 703 Understanding the Body: 5 East/West Perspectives CPS 704 Psychopharmacology 5 CPS 705 Advanced Research 5 Methods Graduate Transpersonal Core Requirements (30 units) Course Units CTR 670 Introduction to Tibetan 5 Buddhist Psychology CTR 671 Theories of Consciousness 5 CTR 672 East/West Psychology 5 CTR 673 Meditation & Mandalas 5 CTR 770 Birth, Death, and Intermediate States 5 CTR 778 Engaged Buddhism: Practicum in Buddhist Psychology 5 Graduate Transpersonal Psychology Elective Courses (15 units) Course Units

TRP 674 Traditions of 5 Transformational Arts TRP 675 Mind/Body Approaches 5 to Health TRP 676 Alternative 5 Healing Therapies TRP 678 Selected Topics in 5 Transpersonal Studies TRP 771 Foundations of 5 Contemplative Depth Psychotherapy TRP 774 Fundamentals of Energetic 5 & Somatic Therapies TRP 776 Contemplative, 5 Transpersonal Therapies Graduate Tibetan Buddhist Psychology Elective Courses Course Units TBP 779 Selected Topics in Tibetan 5 Buddhist Psychology TBP 790 Introduction to Tibetan 5 Healing Approaches TBP 791 East/West Medical Dialogue 5 TBP 794 Advanced Methods in 5 Tibetan Healing TBP 795 Independent Study in 5 Tibetan Buddhist Psychology Dissertation (10 units) Course Units TBP 800 Dissertation/Project 5 Writing I TBP 801 Dissertation/Project 5 Writing II

Students working on their Dissertation, Master’s Thesis, or Senior Project must be registered for the respective course every quarter until the project has been completed. The Dissertation, Master’s Thesis, or Senior Project is complete when the student has successfully passed the oral examination where applicable and the final approval

forms have been signed by the project chairperson and SDUIS Director of Research. Required Total Units: 95 INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS: 1) All residential courses, other than independent study, are taught in a classroom setting. Each instructor provides students with a syllabus that contains an outline of the course objectives, the course content, student performance expectations, textbooks and related study materials, and evaluation methods used for grading purposes. 2) Courses are traditionally taught in lecture style with group discussions, student presentations and written assignments. 3) Instructional methods also include research projects and experiential components such as internship and practicum requirements. Faculty provide individualized academic advising as needed and encourage ongoing student dialogue in class and online. Upon completion of the core curriculum, students become involved in their capstone research project, the Doctoral Dissertation. Students are required to complete sixty (60) clock hours of personal counseling provided by a licensed therapist approved by the University. Grading criteria are presented to students in the course syllabus provided at the beginning of class. The University’s grading policy is designed to meet the highest professional standards of objectivity, fairness, and accuracy. 4) Independent study courses are an in-depth study of a topic and directed by SDUIS faculty or an equally qualified mentor who is approved by the Chief Academic Officer. 5) Student learning performance outcome evaluations include essay and objective examinations, research, reports, and experimental activities.

INSTRUCTIONAL METHOD: Distance Education 1) The Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology with Specialization in Tibetan Buddhist Psychology program is also offered through distance education. Direct education is delivered to students via e-mail. Students submit their assignments to the instructor and class weekly. The instructor reviews the work and prepares a feedback to be sent to the students and class weekly. 2) Each student is provided with a syllabus that contains an outline of the course objectives, course content, weekly assignments and student performance expectations. 3) Instructors work closely with students to monitor their progress.

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This institution approved by the Bureau for Private Post-secondary Education to offer degree programs. To continue to offer degree programs, this institution must meet the following requirements: • Become institutionally accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education, with the scope of the accreditation covering at least one degree program.

• Achieve accreditation candidacy or pre-accreditation, as defined in regulations, by July 1, 2017, and full accreditation by July 1, 2020.

If this institution stops pursuing accreditation, it must:

• Stop all enrollment in its degree programs, and • Provide a teach-out to finish the educational program or provide a refund.

An institution that fails to comply with accreditation requirements by the required dates shall have its approval to offer degree programs automatically suspended. “

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Master of Arts in Transpersonal Psychology

The Transpersonal Psychology program is designed to be an innovative learning experience, transforming each student from the inside out. This program integrates the body/mind/spirit wisdom into every aspect of the curriculum. With this mosaic of academics, the student has the opportunity to not only embody personal transformation at a core level but also participate in positively impacting the holistic transformation in others.

Specializations offer a variety of options students may use to pursue their interests and educational goals. While each specialization has distinctive differences from the other, each can equip the student to make a profound global impact. The five specializations are:

• General Studies
• Applied Spirituality
• Consciousness
• Leadership and Conflict Transformation

*Only one specialization is allowed

Faculty member, Nick Atlas, PhD, talks about the human potential and interconnectedness associated with the teachings and philosophies of Transpersonal Psychology. 

The founding principle of the Master of Arts in Transpersonal Psychology* is the recognition of the existence of a dimension to human nature greater than the individual. The basic philosophy is that connecting with this larger part of oneself is instrumental in heightening and invigorating creativity, health, and full human potential. Therefore, the curriculum in the Master’s program focuses on the nature of humanity, the nature of the universe, the nature of reality, and holistic living. This principle is expressed through twin goals. The program encourages students to test personally and to apply these core concepts in order to grow toward integration of body, mind, and spirit. The program also encourages students to transform the growth they experience into profound service to others.

This unique experience is available to those seeking profound personal growth and enrichment through Master’s level instruction. The academic program is designed to be an innovative learning experience that will not only expand the student’s vocabulary and knowledge in this field of study but will also work to augment various professional career paths.

Course Delivery

Courses at Atlantic University are delivered in an asynchronous online environment . Asynchronous online learning allows students to view instructional materials each week at any time they choose. ​ Your online classroom will provide materials for reading, lectures for viewing, assignments for completing, and exams for evaluation. You can access and satisfy these requirements on your own schedule so long as you meet the expected deadlines.   Common methods of asynchronous online learning include self-guided lesson modules, pre-recorded video content, virtual libraries, lecture notes, and online discussion boards or social media platforms.

Program Overview

Upon successful completion of the Transpersonal Psychology degree program the student will be able to:

• Examine the major theories, research, and practices of transpersonal psychology, transpersonal studies and related disciplines and their impact on the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects of human consciousness; • Apply experiential modalities such as meditation, dreamwork and journaling in order to gain perspective on who they are and explore aspects of positive, personal and professional transformation; • Exercise critical, creative, and intuitive reasoning through a variety of holistic readings and research projects, as well-written and interactive assignments; • Communicate transpersonal awareness and experiences from a place of grounded and informed self-reflection, within the context of the course material; • Integrate what they have learned into their own lives to facilitate transformation of themselves, their community, and the world.

*The Master of Arts in Transpersonal Psychology program is intended for those who want to pursue a non-clinical degree in psychology. Students who complete this program are not certified to counsel patients and cannot qualify for clinical licensure.

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Transpersonal Psychology (Doctoral)

Degrees and certificates.

Doctor of Philosophy in Transpersonal Psychology (PhD), Doctor of Philosophy

GPHD5130: Positive Psychology–Gratitude, Compassion, and Forgiveness

Gphd6101: foundations of transpersonal psychology.

This course examines the transpersonal psychology’s historical influences at its founding in the 1960s, all the way up to the present day. Psychoanalytic, Jungian, behavioral, existential, cognitive, and humanistic schools of thought will be examined in order to trace their initial and ongoing influences in the field. The course also examines the theories and applications of transpersonal psychology, especially how nonduality, integral holism, and transformational studies have influenced human developmental ideas that utilize the spiritual dimensions of the self to catalyze and quicken the process towards optimal mental health in ways that have proven to benefit individuals, societies, and the environment.

GPHD6103: Qualitative Research Methods

Gphd6104: quantitative research methods and basic statistics, gphd6203: introduction to transpersonal therapies, gphd6205: critical thinking and scholarly writing, gphd6206: transpersonal finance, gphd6207: psychology of cognition and emotion, gphd6210: the entrepreneurial mind and transpersonal psychology, gphd6214*: anomalous states of consciousness, gphd6216: psychology of meditation & mindfulness, gphd6218: advanced symposium in transpersonal psychology.

This symposium provides an overview of the major theoretical underpinnings of the field of transpersonal psychology. It focuses on the participatory turn in spirituality, mysticism, and religious studies in Transpersonal Theory.

GPHD6304: Topics in Consciousness Studies

Gphd6305: critical hermeneutical thinking, gphd6310: consciousness and healing: integral perspectives, gphd6411*: psychology of extraordinary dreams, gphd6415: death and the afterlife: comparative epistemologies, gphd6865: parapsychology, gphd7000: intensive transpersonal practices retreat seminar, gphd7203: history and systems of psychology, gphd7210: transpersonal leadership, gphd7215: aging, individuation, & wholeness across the lifespan, gphd7216: social psychology: transpersonal bases of behavior, gphd7219: psychology of organizational change, gphd7222: lucid dreaming and waking life, gphd7223: somatic psychology and mind-body healing, gphd7224: stages and applications of integral transpersonal psychology and psychotherapy, gphd7225: personality theory and transpersonal studies, gphd7226: transformative learning theory, gphd7228: psychedelics: transpersonal and clinical applications, gphd7229: spiritual competencies, gphd7330*: archetypes, myths, & symbols, gphd7402: contemplative practices: paths toward conscious evolution, gphd7506: creativity studies and the imagination, gphd7510: case study method, gphd7513: hermeneutic phenomenological research methods, gphd7518: research of religious and spiritual experience, gphd7519: mixed methods research, gphd7527: philosophy of mind, gphd7530: brain, complexity, and transpersonal experience, gphd7543: meditation in light of neuroscience, gphd7615: advanced research in ecopsychology, gphd7803: emerging worldviews: the art and science of transformation, gphd7804: psychology of cognition, affect, and consciousness, gphd7805*: eco-spirituality: our spiritual connection to gaia, gphd8202*: transpersonal approaches to dreams and dreaming, gphd8206*: ecopsychology—remembering our place in the natural world, gphd8207*: sustainability, culture, and sacred ecology, gphd8208*: nature-based programs and wholeness, gphd8209: dreams, dreaming, and dreamwork.

Although dream science can explain many important aspects of dreams and dreaming, experiencing dreamwork and dream-arts are helpful doorways to individual and group creativity, which leads to healing and personal growth. This course offers various methods of dreamwork and creative dream expression for both individual and group work. Lectures and discussions will lead to experiential group and individual activities. Over the term we will cultivate a respectful, ethical space for creative dream exploration, and you will gain valuable new tools for dreamwork. Background for this course includes an overview of dream studies drawing upon the International Association for the Study of Dreams, Kilton Stewart’s contributions and Senoi-inspired dreamwork, Montague Ullman’s  Appreciating Dreams  group method (aka The Ullman Method), Fritz Perls’ Gestalt Dreamwork, Gayle Delaney’s Dream Interview Method, Wilma Scategni’s Dream Psychodrama, and Angel Morgan’s Dream-Bridging Method with Dream-Arts.

GPHD8210: Psychology of Learning

Gphd8211: ethics and multicultural issues in psychology, gphd8216: transpersonal perspectives on eros and gender, gphd8222: psychology of religion and spirituality, gphd8299*: certificate integration/artistic presentation.

To conclude the Dream Studies certificate, students will write an integration paper and give an artistic presentation in this course. One Zoom session will be scheduled at the beginning of the course where students will have the opportunity to share their insights and experiences in the Dream Studies Certificate program and discuss their ideas for artistic presentations. Students will work on their integration papers and artistic presentations independently during the term. At the end of the term the final Zoom gathering will include all DSC students sharing their artistic presentations. The integration papers and artistic presentations will uniquely express what the students have learned about studying dreams throughout this certificate program at Sofia.  

GPHD8452: PTSD, Psychology and Healing Methods

Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and experience. Psychological trauma can lead to a constellation of persistent disorders including anxiety, depression, and recurring nightmares. This constellation, labeled Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) by the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM), is a condition that follows experiencing or witnessing life- threatening events that exceed one’s coping capacity, emotional resources, and/or existential worldviews. Western mental health workers apply this socially constructed label to noticeable changes in someone’s behavior, attitudes, and/or values after an accident, natural disaster, armed combat, rape, torture, abuse, or a variety of other assaults. When the person who suffered the trauma has not been able to recover, gain equilibrium, and “get on with life,” this dysfunction is typically attributed to the traumatic experience. The problem of PTSD has increased, as an increasing number of combat veterans return to the United States in need of healing and re-integration with society. However, PTSD survivors extend well beyond combat veterans. The phenomena of cultural PTSD and intergenerational PTSD persist around the globe accompanied by a great need for transpersonal healing. There are many effective treatments for PTSD survivors, ranging from conventional to transpersonal and various combinations. This course will emphasize both the current scientific “evidence based” treatments for PTSD, and other healing methods for PTSD including alternative, holistic, cross-cultural, creative, arts-based, humanistic, existential, and transpersonal approaches.

GPHD8600: Neuropsychology of Consciousness

Gphd8990: advanced topics in research: grounded theory, gphd8996: neurobiological foundations of psychology, gphd8997: introduction to dissertation proposal writing (“mini-proposal”), gphd9600: advanced topics in transpersonal theory and research, gphd9610: integral research skills: advanced topics in transpersonal psychology, gphd9825: research practicum i.

Part I of this two-quarter Research Practicum involves faculty and student collaboration in an original research project on a topic of transpersonal interest. Students actively participate in every phase of the research project, beginning with research design and carrying through with recruiting participants, conducting interviews, administering surveys, analyzing textual data through a thematic content analysis, conduct statistical analyses using SPSS, determine findings from research data and convey them in a scholarly article.

GPHD9827: Research Practicum II

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Jonathan Erickson

• Ph.D., Depth Psychology: Somatics Studies Specialization, Pacifica Graduate Institute
• M.F.A., Creative Writing, Antioch University Los Angeles
• B.A., English and Interdisciplinary Studies, UC Berkeley
• Professional Certified Coach, International Coaching Federation

Jonathan Erickson is core faculty in the Integral & Transpersonal Psychology PhD program at California Institute of Integral Studies.  He holds a Ph.D. in depth psychology with emphasis in somatic studies from Pacifica, an MFA in creative writing from Antioch University Los Angeles, and a BA in English literature and interdisciplinary field studies from the University of California at Berkeley. He is the author of the book  Imagination in the Western Psyche: From Ancient Greece to Modern Neuroscience from Routledge, as well as a variety of papers exploring creativity, imagination, neuroscience, consciousness, and ecopsychology.  Outside of academe, Jonathan maintains a small private practice as a professional certified coach, focusing on communication and personal narrative coaching.  He previously worked as a somatic yoga teacher and holistic bodyworker trained at the Esalen Institute.

Pacifica Graduate Institute is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), 985 Atlantic Avenue, Suite 100, Alameda, CA 94501, 510.748.9001, and is approved by the State of California Board of Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE) and the U. S. Department of Education.

Lambert Campus 249 Lambert Road, Carpinteria, CA 93013

Ladera Campus 801 Ladera Lane, Santa Barbara, CA 93108

805.969.3626

Course details

Transpersonal psychology: an introduction.

This is an In-person course which requires your attendance to the weekly meetings which take place in Oxford.

This course on transpersonal psychology explores the spiritual dimensions of human experience, intertwining psychology with spirituality. The curriculum covers theoretical foundations, spiritual development, and practical applications in therapy and healthcare. Learning is immersive and experiential, employing a mix of seminars, discussions, guided meditations, and practical skills sessions. Participants will be encouraged to keep a reflective journal throughout. The course aims to equip you with both a deep theoretical understanding and practical skills, preparing you for the thoughtful integration of transpersonal concepts in various professional settings, especially counselling, leadership, and work in well-being.

Programme details

Course starts: 20th Jan 2025

Week 1: Introduction to Transpersonal Psychology.

Week 2: Theoretical Foundations.

Week 3: States of Consciousness.

Week 4: Spiritual Development and Life Cycles.

Week 5: Transpersonal Experiences and Phenomena.

Week 6: Methods of Transpersonal Practice.

Week 7: Psychological and Spiritual Well-Being.

Week 8: Transpersonal Psychology in Practice.

Week 9: Criticisms and Controversies.

Week 10: The Future of Transpersonal Psychology.

Recommended reading

All weekly class students may become borrowing members of the Rewley House Continuing Education Library for the duration of their course. Prospective students whose courses have not yet started are welcome to use the Library for reference. More information can be found on the Library website.

There is a Guide for Weekly Class students which will give you further information.

Certification

To complete the course and receive a certificate, you will be required to attend at least 80% of the classes on the course and pass your final assignment. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so.

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:

Concessionary fees for short courses

Dr Graham Wilson

My PhD in behavioural science led to an initial career in organisation and leadership development, however, for the last decade I’ve taught psychology, counselling, and photography at Oxford and elsewhere. A BACP Registered Counsellor, I have diplomas in psychodynamic and spiritual counselling, and recently retired as Coordinator of HE Counselling Courses at Guildford College. In Oxfordshire, I lead government-funded therapeutic photography programmes. 

Course aims

To provide students with a comprehensive understanding of transpersonal psychology, exploring its theories, practices, and applications in enhancing spiritual and psychological well-being.

Course objectives:

• To examine the theoretical underpinnings of transpersonal psychology, including its history, key concepts, and influential figures.
• To develop practical skills in applying transpersonal psychology techniques within therapeutic, healthcare, and personal development contexts.

Teaching methods

Using a virtual learning environment (Canvas), background notes will be provided shortly before each session so that you can read up on the week's theme in advance if you wish. Sessions are interactive and dynamic. Classroom activities will be varied and involve a range of discussions and creative tasks, in both the full group and small groups. While the course is not exclusively focused on transpersonal counselling, individuals will take part in one-to-one conversations aimed at supporting each other as part of the course. 

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will be expected to: 

• be able to articulate the key theories and historical development of transpersonal psychology, recognizing its role in modern psychological practice;
• demonstrate the ability to apply various transpersonal techniques, such as guided meditation and breathwork, in practical settings;
• develop greater self-awareness and spiritual insight through reflective exercises and experiential learning activities focused on personal growth.

Assessment methods

Participants will be encouraged to complete a 1500-word written assignment on their own interpretation of transpersonal psychology and how they would (or would not) wish to engage with it in their lives. They will present an overview of this to a small group of peers around week 7 or 8 of the course.

Coursework is an integral part of all weekly classes and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework in order to benefit fully from the course. Only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work to the required standard.

Students must submit a completed Declaration of Authorship form at the end of term when submitting your final piece of work. CATS points cannot be awarded without the aforementioned form - Declaration of Authorship form

Application

To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.

Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an Enrolment Form (Word) or Enrolment Form (Pdf)

Level and demands

The course is NOT a substitute for emotional well-being support - if you feel that it might provoke personal distress, then you should delay enrolling and seek support from a suitable counsellor.

The Department's Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, i.e. first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.

Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS)

To earn credit (CATS points) you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. Students who register for CATS points will receive a Record of CATS points on successful completion of their course assessment.

Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process can either register for CATS points prior to the start of their course or retrospectively from the January 1st after the current full academic year has been completed. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support

Transpersonal Psychology

Concentration.

Concentration Description

The Transpersonal Psychology concentration emphasizes coursework aligned with professional practice in contexts such as psychotherapy, coaching, consultation to organizations, career counseling, teaching.

Practices, methods, ideas, and topics engaged within this concentration’s courses, by way of example, include: Spiritual practice and development, altered states, mystical, religious, and anomalous experience. 

Walt Whitman

Sample Courses

• Psychology of Mystical Experience
• Modern Consciousness and Indigenous Wisdom
• Transformative Power of Ritual
• States and Structures of Consciousness
• Meditation and Spiritual Development
• The Shadow and Development

— Jean Houston Chancellor, Meridian University

Academic Structure

Meridian’s academic structure gives students the flexibility to navigate the University’s curricular architecture in ways that match their passions, professional goals, and other life commitments.

The structure is designed to serve a diverse student body, who live around the globe, have varied cultural and clinical visions for their careers, and are at different stages in their professional journey.

Students enroll in a degree program, can elect a concentration, and register for one or multiple courses each quarter. In addition to core courses for the specific degree program and anchor courses that represent the Transformative Learning intent of Meridian’s curriculum, students select elective courses that align with their Meridian concentration, background, and career path.

Learning Formats

Meridian's graduate degree programs are offered in two formats, Hybrid and Online. Each quarter, students take one or multiple seven-week online courses. This schedule provides students with time between quarters to rest, engage, and prepare.

The University's multiple format options are designed to enable students to pursue their graduate education at a flexible pace, combining asynchronous coursework via the University's custom social learning platform, live course video calls with faculty, synchronous student community engagement, and optional onsite or online Transformative Learning Labs in-person.

Students can optionally select Transformative Learning Lab dates, locations, and formats based on their learning style, personal interests, and professional aspirations, if they choose to, based on availability of offerings.

Online Format

In Meridian's online learning format, students can complete 100% of their coursework degree requirements online, via Meridian’s unique online learning platform and faculty-led learning model. Meridian’s online format is designed to be highly engaging and deeply human . Students build connections with faculty and fellow graduate students while taking advantage of the flexibility built-in to the University’s online courses model.

Online Transformative Learning Labs are also optionally available (often multiple times a year), sometimes as a 3+ hour live class, and sometimes over multiple days.

Hybrid Format

Meridian’s hybrid learning format combines online courses with optional onsite Transformative Learning Labs which are one-week or less. By combining Meridian’s innovative online education methodologies with rich video calls and deep onsite connections, the hybrid format enables students to contribute locally and perceive globally.

When offered, Onsite Labs take place at Meridian’s San Francisco Bay Area Center and other University Centers, based on student interest and availability.

Introducing Unique Impact Scholarships

Available to Meridian University students worldwide, Meridian University's Impact Scholarships represent the University's commitment to supporting graduates to take transformative action in the fields of Business, Education, Leadership, and Psychology.

• The Meridian Social Entrepreneurship Scholarship
• The Meridian Developmental Coaching Scholarship
• The Meridian Collective Trauma Transformation Scholarship

Degrees Available

• MA in Psychology
• MA in Counseling Psychology
• PsyD in Clinical Psychology
• PhD in Psychology

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Ph.D. in Transpersonal Psychology

RP 400 Essentials of Distance Education

This course is often the student’s first opportunity to try a distance learning format. It is designed to aid the student through his or her distance education journey. It will help the student know what is expected for distance learning and aid the student in finding the answers needed to accomplish this goal. Finally, this course will prepare the student on how to begin college writing.

TP 600 Transpersonal Psychology: A Survey of History and Contemporary Practices

This course will examine the creators and founders of Transpersonal Psychology and review contemporary contributions to the discipline.

TP 601 Transpersonal Philosophy

Students will study the works of Ken Wilber, the seminal philosopher of the Transpersonal movement.

TP 602 Transpersonal Psychotherapy

Human development and ego transcendence as presented in Eastern and Western approaches are integrated into a comprehensive psychotherapeutic approach in this course which draws on the brilliant scholarly work of Michael Washburn.

PT 601 Psychopathology and Psychological Appraisal

The student will work with Theodore Millon’s masterwork on Psychopathology and the DSM-IV. The student will present clinical formulations based on case studies from the student’s actual practice. These formulations are developed into Theory Base Exposition Essays which demonstrate the application of personal, and professional expertise in the clinical setting.

PY 604 Psychology of Love, Traditional Values, and Spiritual Growth

This course will demonstrate ways in which you can reach a higher level of self-understanding, thus a greater capacity for empathy, by confronting and solving your problems. The student will find valuable insight into the nature of relationships, how to recognize true compatibility, and how to distinguish dependency from love.

PY 605 Dream Therapy

This course will examine the academic and scholarly history of Dream Therapy, and review the latest scientific and psychological theories of the universe of dreams. The majority of the course is devoted to the development of techniques for lucid dreaming through experiential exercises. The student will gain a mastery of academic, scientific, and psychological concepts of dreaming.

PY 606 Practical Approaches to Common Mental Disorders

The student will learn how to recognize and treat the mental disorders most often encountered in daily clinical work. This course attempts to bridge the gap between cognitive behavioral approaches and ego psychological interpretations. Disorders are seen as emerging out of the individual’s struggle with self and environment. These techniques are not mutually exclusive but are interactive and geared toward creative change and alternatives. The specific disorders covered include depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, eating disorders, substance abuse, post-traumatic stress syndrome, sexual dysfunction, and schizophrenia.

PY 608 Death, Dying and Bereavement

One of the most difficult times in an individual’s life is the time of death. This course explores surviving the death of a loved one. It is about understanding and coping with loss. This course is both for the bereaved and the helping professional and it combines supportive personal case histories with step-by-step approaches to recovery.

PY 609 A Developmental Approach to Divorce Therapy

Divorce is a painful event under the best of circumstances: it is the end of a dream and a time of grief and loss. This course is aimed at current and future psychotherapists, and those working with divorcing families. This course will focus on divorce therapy with the most complicated issues such as ongoing disputes between parents who enlist the children on one side or the other, family violence, court battles over custody or child support, the decline of inadequate parenting, and the blending of two families. It will demonstrate principles and techniques through many live transcripts presented in the course text.

PY 611 Creating Love

This course provides a new way to understand our most crucial relationships: with parents and children, with friends and coworkers, with ourselves, and with God. This course shows us how we have been literally entranced by past experiences of counterfeit love, how we can break these destructive patterns, and how we can open ourselves to the soul-building work of real love. Practical exercises are interwoven throughout the course that becomes the teaching tool necessary to make these healthy changes.

PY 612 Course in Miracles

This course makes a fundamental distinction between the real and the unreal, between knowledge and perception. This course is arranged as a teaching device and deals with universal spiritual themes.

RP 600 Data Gathering and Analysis

This course focuses on data collection from the standpoint of knowledge dissemination and utilization. This focus requires students to understand the process of data gathering from the perspectives of research and development, social science, and problem formation and solution. This course also reviews statistical inference and description. These competencies are addressed by topic in the course presentation.

RP 601 Research Methods

This is a survey course on research in the managerial, natural, and social sciences. It focuses on the whys and hows of doing research including the areas of experimental design, data collection, types of data analysis, and presentation of results. While we explore the kinds of analysis data are subjected to and when each kind is most useful for enabling us to draw reliable conclusions, there is no actual statistical analysis in this course.

RP 602 Professional Publishing Methods

Publishing one’s work in books, journals, or magazines can boost one’s career, but having an advanced degree does not guarantee that a person will be published. In this course, the student will learn how to develop ideas for publication in books, and professional and popular journals, how to sell those ideas to editors, and how to write books and articles in plain and understandable English.

RP 605 Research Project

The Ph.D. candidate will demonstrate, using standard research methods, new knowledge in a field of study that represents his/her degree path. A Précis, outlining the topic and a specific problem to be solved, must be submitted to the candidate’s committee for pre-approval. Depending on the nature of the research, the candidate will be required to prove or disprove a stated solution or theory through documented research, data gathering, and data analysis. A summation of the findings must be submitted in written form. The written research project will be included in the candidate’s dissertation as an appendix, with its own bibliography.

PT 615 Clinical Training – 1,000 Hour Externship

The student will be required to document 1,000 hours of applied clinical training. The student will demonstrate the knowledge acquired in the field of psychology and apply it to the clinical setting. The student’s preceptor will assess the student’s educational and professional knowledge, including client interaction, recorded keeping, client assessments, and treatment plans.

TH 610 Ph.D. Dissertation – 25,000 word minimum

Upon completion of the required credits of core curriculum courses at the 600 level, the student will prepare a 25,000-word dissertation in a publishable format following Westbrook University’s published guidelines. The dissertation will reflect the student’s theoretical and practical understanding necessary for their field of concentration. The dissertation will reflect the student’s newly acquired direction in his / her techniques and a presentation of a preferred approach in the field. Findings will be based upon the core curriculum of the course, however, the student will have ample latitude in using other sources as well. The goal of the dissertation will be for the student to bring in his contributions to the field of their concentration. The required research project will be an addendum to the dissertation.

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What Is Transpersonal Psychology? 9 Examples and Theories

Transpersonal psychology investigates experiences that extend our awareness beyond ( trans ) our individual sense of embodied identity ( personal ). Such experiences can cause perceptual shifts in our worldview accompanied by emotions like awe, wonder, joy, and peace.

While positive psychology investigates the psychology of wellbeing, flourishing, and optimal experience (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000), transpersonal psychology seeks to better understand non-ordinary states of consciousness and their role in psychological transformation, healing, and integration (Hartelius et al., 2013).

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive Psychology Exercises for free . These science-based exercises explore fundamental aspects of positive psychology, including strengths, values, and self-compassion, and will give you the tools to enhance the wellbeing of your clients, students, or employees.

This Article Contains

What is transpersonal psychology, 5 examples of transpersonal psychology, is transpersonal psychology legitimate, how does it work 4 theories, 3 fascinating books on the topic, resources from positivepsychology.com, a take-home message.

Transpersonal psychology investigates non-ordinary states of consciousness , such as those experienced during meditation, after ingesting psychedelics, or during peak performance such as optimal flow, as well as spiritual or religious experiences and mystical states (Hartelius, et al., 2013).

Transpersonal experiences are often characterized by a profound sense of interconnectedness with the world around us and sometimes a oneness with all beings. Most non-Western psychologies can be considered transpersonal, as their psychological healing practices involve the community, the natural environment, and appeals to the sacred (PsychiatryLectures, 2011).

Examples of non-Western psychologies with ancient roots include shamanic psychology (Hayden, 2003), Sri Lankan Buddhist Tovils or healing rites (Kapferer, 2005), and traditional Chinese medicine (Law, 2022).

In the West, transpersonal psychology emerged from developments in humanistic psychology and the human potential movement during the 1960s and 70s (Grof, 2013).

Contemporary Western transpersonal psychology seeks an understanding of the human mind in terms that complement the dynamic web of energy that characterizes the cosmological reality described in high-energy physics (PsychiatryLectures, 2011; Grof, 2013).

This might sound a bit whacky and even grandiose, so to put this into perspective, let’s look at the history of transpersonal psychology in the West.

A brief history

Western transpersonal psychology has historical roots in the work of William James (1902/1985) on the psychology of religious experience, Carl Jung’s (1959/1991) work on archetypes and the collective unconscious, and Abraham Maslow’s (1954) work on self-actualization and peak experiences, among others.

However, transpersonal psychology as a specific discipline took shape during the heady quest for personal liberation that characterized the late 1960s.

In 1967, a small working group including Abraham Maslow , Anthony Sutich, and Stanislav Grof met in Menlo Park, California, to discuss how psychology could meet the challenge of honoring the entire spectrum of human experience, including what Grof (2013) termed “non-ordinary states of consciousness.”

Grof suggested the term transpersonal psychology for this new school of thought. The radical Scottish psychiatrist and psychoanalyst R. D. Laing had coined the term “transpersonal” in some papers he published in 1966, which were republished in his bestselling book The Politics of Experience (Laing, 1967).

Both Grof and Laing were psychiatrists and psychoanalysts who experimented with LSD during the early 1960s before psychedelics became fashionable recreational drugs. Their LSD experiences resulted in deep perceptual shifts and a radical questioning of conventional psychiatry and psychology (Grof, 2013; Laing, 1997).

While Laing was deemed controversial by the conservative academic culture in the United Kingdom, Maslow, Sutich, and Grof were well received when they launched the Association of Transpersonal Psychology and the Journal of Transpersonal Psychology in the free-thinking Californian culture of 1969.

As Grof wrote (2008, p. 47):

“Transpersonal psychology, or the Fourth Force, addressed some major misconceptions of mainstream psychiatry and psychology concerning spirituality and religion. It also responded to important observations from modern consciousness research and several other fields for which the existing scientific paradigm had no adequate explanations.”

For a fascinating look at how transpersonal psychology emerged from the cross-fertilization of Eastern spirituality, indigenous medicine, Western psychology, and high-energy physics, watch this video: The Story of Transpersonal Psychology: Science of the Soul . Many of the cofounders are interviewed and describe how and why they got involved.

Transpersonal psychology has no defined conceptual framework but combines spiritual and holistic perspectives with a range of experiential techniques. Transpersonal psychotherapy positions the therapist as a facilitator of the client’s self-healing process. The transpersonal therapist uses a range of interventions to support a client’s attunement to their inner wisdom in support of their psychological healing and integration.

In this section, we will look at five examples of transpersonal psychology interventions before examining criticisms of the approach.

1. Social prescribing

Social prescribing is a growing trend in mental health care, community psychology , and psychotherapy. It involves referring individual clients or patients to a range of community resources that contribute to mental health, “in accordance with an ethno biopsychosocial human rights model for educating community psychologists and psychotherapists” (Law, 2022, p. 5).

Law (2022) argues that social prescribing that seeks to reconnect socially isolated, marginalized individuals with their ethnic, religious, and other social identities is transpersonal, in the sense that the client’s mental health needs are considered holistically in a context that includes their cultural background, environment, spiritual values, and community.

2. Psychedelic assisted psychotherapy (PAP)

Schenberg (2018) detailed developments in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy that use psychoactive substances like ketamine, MDMA, ayahuasca, psilocybin, and LSD to induce non-ordinary states of consciousness (NSCs).

These approaches are used to assist in the holistic treatment of psychological injuries caused by trauma and adverse childhood experiences that are at the root of many mental health problems, such as addiction, chronic post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic anxiety, and treatment-resistant depression.

PAP was originally informed by the early research experiments of psychiatrists Stanislav Grof (1971) and Sidney Cohen (1972) into the therapeutic benefits of LSD.

Today, PAP is offered by a qualified practitioner in a set of stages, including preparatory psychotherapy, followed by therapeutic sessions using psychedelic substances, then integrative psychotherapy sessions after the psychedelic experience.

Advocates of these approaches argue that the experience of NSCs can result in a deeper sense of meaning that fosters greater resilience in the face of life challenges (Grof, 2013).

They also argue that PAP can help integrate previous adverse experiences into a wider, transpersonal frame of reference (Schenberg, 2018) that facilitates healing without years of dependence on medication or other services.

3. Buddhist psychotherapy

Simply put, Buddhist psychotherapy is offered from an explicitly Buddhist perspective that conceptualizes mental health in terms of a transpersonal Buddhist cosmology.

Examples include Core Process Psychotherapy , Other-Centered Therapy , and a wide range of mindfulness and compassion-based interventions with roots in the Buddhist philosophy of mind (Kabat-Zinn, 2013).

4. Soul midwifery and end-of-life care

Soul midwives are nonmedical holistic companions who assist clients and their families during the dying process using a range of interventions to alleviate suffering and ensure a peaceful death.

Interventions include using sacred oils in massage and aromatherapy, music therapy, prayer and meditation, and therapeutic touch. The soul midwife’s work is transpersonal because it involves working with a client’s spiritual beliefs and values during the dying process (Warner, 2013). It can also include psychopomp work to assist the soul to make a peaceful transition to the afterlife if the client requests it (Warner, 2013).

5. Expressive arts

Transpersonal therapists often use expressive arts to facilitate therapeutic attunement and assist a client’s alignment with an inner creative impulse using paint, clay, dance, photography, poetry, or music.

This inner creativity is often understood as the source of inner wisdom, God, or guidance from a higher self, which is accessed through what Jung called active imagination (Kossak, 2009).

Kossak (2009, p. 17) explains, “this tuning-in process can prove useful for new growth and change to occur.”

This is a tiny sample of many transpersonal psychology interventions available. Given that they are mostly experiential, this has posed problems with establishing their scientific legitimacy.

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Transpersonal interventions often deal with areas of inner experience that cannot be studied objectively using conventional scientific methods. This problem is due to what is termed “the hard problem” in consciousness studies (Nash, 2002) because consciousness cannot be observed objectively like matter can.

However, transpersonal theorists like Harald Walach (2013) have argued for an expansion and updating of the scientific model that could be used to establish a science and culture of consciousness.

Walach (2013) suggests a model of complementarity based on the quantum theory of Niels Bohr (1937), which positions consciousness as complementary to matter and dynamically “entangled” with it. This could help explain how meditation as a conscious activity changes the structure of the brain, for example.

However, the truth is that the scientific validity of transpersonal psychology remains difficult to establish given NSCs are not objectively observable.

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There are many theoretical perspectives in transpersonal psychology. I have chosen four perspectives that are frequently referenced.

Given the brevity of this article, these are only snapshots, but there are linked talks for you to dive deeper if you want to.

1. Carl Jung’s depth psychology

Jung’s (1959/1991) depth psychology rests on his theory of the collective unconscious, based on his cross-cultural studies of myths, spiritual and religious practices, the arts, and the language of dreams. Jung’s analytic approach distilled the symbolism behind these human creations into psychic energy patterns he called archetypes.

While archetypes are expressed differently in different cultures at different points in history, they remain fairly constant in terms of collective unconscious meaning-making over time.

Each conscious archetype also has an unconscious shadow polarity, which can be a source of inner and outer conflict that is both creative and destructive. For Jungians, shadow work is key to psychological healing and integration at both an individual and societal level (Vaughan, 2013).

Below is a video explaining Jung’s theory from the Archetypes of Awakening series, which applies a Jungian perspective to understanding our collective shadow polarities, evidenced by unprecedented levels of mental health crises, among other social problems.

2. Roberto Assagioli’s psychosynthesis

The founder of psychosynthesis, Dr. Roberto Assagioli, was a contemporary of Freud and Jung and a trained psychoanalyst. He described psychosynthesis as a psychology of the self in its most holistic transpersonal sense.

Psychosynthesis aims at the full integration of the human being in line with their personal values, including spiritual matters of soul and spirit, alongside physical and emotional experiences, thoughts, and mental processes.

According to the Institute of Psychosynthesis (2020, para. 2), “it is the action of attending to this more integral sense of self – that includes both the uniquely personal and the transpersonal – that lies at the heart of psychosynthesis practice.”

This short video by the founder of the institute explains the approach in a nutshell.

3. Stan Grof’s holotropic theory

We have already mentioned Stan Grof above. Following his early research experiments using LSD, Grof (2013) developed a new theory of human development that focused on an important subgroup of NSCs he called holotropic experiences, meaning experiences that move us toward wholeness.

Grof proposed that each of us struggles to integrate the trauma of the birth process, which although isn’t remembered consciously, is imprinted in our nervous system unconsciously. He discovered these experiences during his LSD research, and following the drug scheduling laws of the 1960s, developed a method for accessing them drug-free using holotropic breathwork.

His approach has ancient roots in Vedic self-inquiry, shamanic healing, and traditional Chinese energy medicine. He calls these “technologies of the sacred” that induce a psychospiritual death and rebirth (Grof, 2000) during holotropic breathwork sessions.

Grof (2000) proposed that studying holotropic experiences systematically could provide us with a new map of the human psyche that would radically shift our understanding of consciousness to complement the cosmological theory of high-energy physics.

You can find out more in this video of his 50-minute lecture on the subject delivered at the Science and Nonduality Conference in 2013.

4. Ken Wilber’s integral theory

Ken Wilber is a controversial philosopher who spent years laboring alone outside academia to produce his integral theory: a historically grounded, evolutionary, grand theory of everything that has as many passionate adherents as it has rigorous critics (Cortright, 2013).

Wilber proposes we are on the edge of the next revolution in human consciousness and moving toward an integral society that includes all previous forms of human organization, from the mythic/religious to the agrarian, scientific, and postmodern, respecting each yet superseding them all (Combs, 2013).

Transpersonal psychology aligns with this view. For example, many transpersonal psychologists train in ancient healing modalities characteristic of mythic/religious societies (e.g., meditation), while also embracing modern science (e.g., neuroscientific research investigating meditation) and postmodern values (teaching meditation techniques across national and ethnic divides using mobile phone apps).

Wilber’s (1997) integral theory of consciousness is structured by four quadrants of reality constructed from “holons,” a series of levels, lines of development, and states of consciousness. His ideas draw heavily on the work of Arthur Koestler and Abraham Maslow’s work on self-actualization.

If you want to delve deeper, check out this video, which explains Wilber’s theory of integral reality.

There is a vast literature available, so I have chosen three of the most comprehensive and scientifically grounded books in the area for further reading.

1. Introduction to Transpersonal Psychology – Paul F. Cunningham

Paul F. Cunningham, PhD, is Emeritus Professor of Psychology at Rivier University in Nashua, New Hampshire, and he has produced the first textbook in the area aimed primarily at psychology students.

For those who wish to delve deeper into this rapidly evolving area of psychological research, this book provides an accessible yet scientifically rigorous introduction to the field.

Find the book on Amazon .

2. The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Transpersonal Psychology – Harris L. Friedman and Glenn Hartelius

This is the most comprehensive collection of research papers and essays in the area.

It is a weighty tome of 686 pages divided into sections on transpersonal theory, research methods, experiences, healing modalities, and education.

It is essential reading for serious practitioners and researchers.

3. Psychology of the Future: Lessons From Modern Consciousness Research – Stanislav Grof

This textbook is an introduction and summary of Grof’s work in transpersonal psychology and consciousness studies.

It proposes a radical new cartography of the human psyche that complements the shift in worldview based on the findings of high-energy physics.

Grof proposes the integration of “technologies of the sacred” as transpersonal healing modalities into contemporary mental health care.

Many articles from our blog touch on transpersonal psychology, including:

• Expressive Arts Therapies: 15 Creative Activities and Techniques
• Maranasati Meditation: How to Practice Mindfulness of Death
• 22 Self-Actualization Tests & Tools to Apply Maslow’s Theory

You can also download these three free worksheets to help cultivate an expanded sense of being and connection characteristic of transpersonal experiences.

Silent Connections worksheet

Silent Connections is a group exercise building nonverbal silent connections by exercising mindful awareness. This simple exercise demonstrates how to cultivate a transpersonal awareness of our environment and others without recourse to thought and language.

Nature Play worksheet

The Nature Play worksheet invites you to take a mindful walk in nature to cultivate a deeper sense of connection to the natural environment.

Loving Others, Better worksheet

Loving Others, Better helps build more positive relationships with others using appreciation, integrity, and forgiveness based on an expanded sense of self as deeply interconnected with the other.

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Transpersonal psychology researchers continue to investigate non-ordinary human experiences in an effort to expand our understanding of human consciousness and the healing potential of meditation, psychedelic-assisted therapy, expressive arts therapies, dream work, and breathwork.

Given that experiential therapies are difficult to operationalize for rigorous scientific testing, transpersonal psychology is often deemed an eccentric fringe activity by more scientific psychologists.

However, developments in neuroscience that can measure changes in brain waves and other neuro-physiological indicators have provided evidence that activities like meditation create changes in brain structure and in other vital signs. The problem is that the mechanisms behind these changes remain a mystery. We can see something happening, but we don’t know how it happens.

Research in consciousness studies continues, and transpersonal approaches remain popular, perhaps because they help us make meaning out of difficult life experiences, which is a vital component of psychological healing.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Positive Psychology Exercises for free .

• Bohr, N. (1937). Causality and complementarity. Philosophy of Science , 4 , 289–298.
• Cohen, S. (1972). Beyond within: The LSD story . Encore Editions.
• Combs, A. (2013). Transcend and include: Ken Wilber’s contribution to transpersonal psychology. In H. L. Friedman & G. Hartelius (Eds.). The Wiley-Blackwell handbook of transpersonal psychology (pp. 166–186). Wiley Blackwell.
• Cortright, B. (2013). Integral psychology. In H. L. Friedman & G. Hartelius (Eds.). The Wiley-Blackwell handbook of transpersonal psychology (pp. 155–165). Wiley Blackwell.
• Grof, S. (1971). Varieties of transpersonal experiences: Observations from LSD psychotherapy. Journal of Transpersonal Psychology , 4 , 1–45.
• Grof, S. (2000). Psychology of the future: Lessons from modern consciousness research . SUNY.
• Grof, S. (2008). Brief history of transpersonal psychology. International Journal of Transpersonal Studies , 27 , 46–54.
• Grof, S. (2013). Revision and re-enchantment of psychology: Legacy from half a century of consciousness research. In H. L. Friedman & G. Hartelius (Eds.). The Wiley-Blackwell handbook of transpersonal psychology (pp. 89–120). Wiley Blackwell.
• Hartelius, G., Rothe, G., & Roy, P. J. (2013). A brand from the burning: Defining transpersonal psychology. In H. L. Friedman & G. Hartelius (Eds.). The Wiley-Blackwell handbook of transpersonal psychology (pp. 1–22). Wiley Blackwell.
• Hayden, B. (2003). Shamans, sorcerers, and saints . Smithsonian Institution Books.
• Institute of Psychosynthesis. (2020). What is psychosynthesis? Retrieved June 7, 2023, from https://www.psychosynthesis.org/about/what-is-psychosynthesis/.
• James, W. (1985). The varieties of religious experience: A study in human nature . Penguin. Original work published 1902
• Jung, C. G. (1991). The archetypes and the collective unconscious . Routledge. Original work published 1959
• Kabat-Zinn, J. (2013). Full catastrophe living: How to cope with stress, pain and illness using mindfulness meditation . Piatkus.
• Kapferer, B. (2005). Tovil: Exorcism & healing rites . Viator.
• Kossak, M. S. (2009). Therapeutic attunement: A transpersonal view of expressive arts therapy. The Arts in Psychotherapy , 36 , 13–18.
• Laing, A. C. (1997). R. D. Laing: A life . HarperCollins.
• Laing, R. D. (1967). The politics of experience and the bird of paradise . Penguin.
• Law, H. C. (2022). Social prescribing across cultures, places and time – from 1150 BCE to 2022. Transpersonal Psychology Review , 24 (2), 5–19.
• Maslow, A. (1954). Motivation and personality . Harper and Row.
• Nash, J. (2002). Book review: Cognitive models and spiritual maps: Interdisciplinary explorations of religious experience. Edited by Jensine Andersen and Robert K. C. Forman. Imprint Academic, 2000. Human Nature Review , 2 , 503–506.
• PsychiatryLectures. (2011, September 21). Classic: Ronald D Laing and Leo Matos: Transpersonal psychology [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiCOazoizjU
• Schenberg, E. E. (2018). Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy: A paradigm shift in psychiatric research and development. Frontiers in Pharmacology , 9 .
• Seligman, M. E. P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction.  American Psychologist, 55 (1), 5–14.
• Vaughan, A. G. (2013). Jung, analytical psychology, and transpersonal psychology. In H. L. Friedman & G. Hartelius (Eds.). The Wiley-Blackwell handbook of transpersonal psychology (pp. 141–154). Wiley Blackwell.
• Walach, H. (2013). Criticisms of transpersonal psychology and beyond—the future of transpersonal psychology: A science and culture of consciousness. In H. L. Friedman & G. Hartelius (Eds.). The Wiley-Blackwell handbook of transpersonal psychology (pp. 62–87). Wiley Blackwell.
• Warner, F. (2013). The soul midwives’ handbook: The holistic and spiritual care of the dying . Hay House.
• Wilber, K. (1997). An integral theory of consciousness. Journal of Consciousness Studies , 4 (1), 71–92.

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I am still at a loss for a definition of what transpersonal psychology is. Perhaps it is just experiences? How does it differ from the third force? Or, does it just build on the third force?

Transpersonal psychology is a branch of psychology that integrates the spiritual and transcendent aspects of the human experience with the framework of modern psychology. It is not limited to experiences alone but includes theories, practices, and research on the potentialities and experiences of human consciousness. Transpersonal psychology differs from the third force, which is typically associated with humanistic psychology, by its emphasis on spiritual aspects of the human experience.

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At Alef Trust, we strive to cultivate a dynamic international learning community, in which mind, body and spirit are equally honoured.

In all our programmes we encourage personal and professional development through multiple ways of knowing, embracing creative, spiritual and somatic practices alongside intellectual study .

Our goal is not merely that you should acquire intellectual knowledge and excel in academic terms – important as that is.

In the spirit of the great spiritual traditions, we aim to support you on your journey, enabling you to integrate new knowledge and practices into your personal and professional life .

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Curriculum: year One

• Core modules
• Specialist options

Offers you a broad introduction to consciousness studies, cognitive neuroscience of consciousness, consciousness and spiritual traditions.

Find our more:  Approaches to consciousness

An 8-month experiential immersion in a personal programme of integrative practice, with the aim to foster whole-person development.

Individual needs and aspirations are considered in the development of the practice plan, and critical engagement with the practices is encouraged through regular webinars and reflective sessions.

Find out more:  Learning Through Integrative Practice

Module leader:  Dr. Ellis Linders

This module explores the changing meaning of spirituality in contemporary secular culture. Moreover, it identifies and examines the relationship between psychology and spirituality as a change in psycho-spiritual paradigm. The module is titled ‘spiritual psychology’ to reflect this relationship. Although there are many correspondences, spiritual psychology differs from transpersonal psychology in that it specifically draws on spiritual traditions and new or ‘neo’ spiritual expressions. 

As a student, you will choose two specialist options (see SPECIALIST OPTIONS tab for all courses) to explore which each reflect an expression of contemporary spiritual engagement. They also exemplify approaches in which spiritual traditions and their practices are viewed through the lens of contemporary psychology. The psychological lens allows issues of definition, measurement, and frameworks concerning spiritual experience to be critically evaluated according to scientific principles.

Tutor:  Dr. Tamara Russell

The migration of mindfulness from monastic to mainstream settings has exposed both pitfalls and opportunities. Informed by neuroscience, cognitive psychology and martial arts perspectives, this module option encourages students to drill down to the core of mindfulness to support the wise implementation of this ancient practice in our complex modern environments.

Find out more:  Contemporary Mindfulness

Tutor:  Dr. David Luke

Taking a cross-disciplinary and multi-cultural approach, this module option explores transpersonal and transformative qualities of the psychedelic experience, illuminating its meanings and implications for individuals and communities.

Find out more:  Entheogens and Psychedelics

Tutor:  Dr. Kendra Ford

Feminine Spiritualities refers to a spectrum of perspectives, practices, histories, and cultures that balance on the fine edges of feminism, contemporary spirituality, psychological theory, and mystical traditions. This option is an embodied and critical exploration of the feminine principle within psychological, religious and spiritual contexts.

Tutor:  Dr. Steven Schmitz

Shamanism is the oldest spiritual tradition known to humankind and continues to be relevant in our contemporary world. For tens of thousands of years shamans have developed and used their technologies (knowledge, tools, skills) for shifting consciousness and for accessing the spirit realms for guidance, healing, and transformation.

Find out more:  Shamanistic Psychology

Tutor:  Dr. Lila Moore

This module option explores the imaginal as an evolving phenomenon that has shaped the human spiritual experience: from Paleolithic cave art, altered states, and mythic rituals to the intersection of modern esoteric and spiritual movements, the creative arts and healing arts.

Find out more:  Spirituality and the Imaginal

Tutor  Dr. Tadas Stumbrys

In this module option, we study transpersonal dimensions of dreaming, drawing on scientific research and historical/spiritual traditions. We will explore the world of lucid dreaming and its potentials for growth and transformation.

Find out more:  Transpersonal Dreaming

Curriculum: year two

Transpersonal psychology (TP) studies phenomena beyond the ego and their transformative and healing potential. Adopting the perspective that the human being is intimately interconnected to the cosmos in many ways, TP acknowledges the relevance and value of spiritual, mystical, and other exceptional human experiences.

The course covers the major theoretical orientations within TP, and the models they propose to understand these experiences and situate them in the larger context of human transformation and spiritual development.

The course also covers other complementary topics which reflect the growing edges of TP as a vibrant and multifaceted field.

Find out more:  Transpersonal Psychology

Our Research Design module provides a grounding in qualitative research methods.

Students venture into transpersonal approaches to research, offering you an introduction to methods which embrace embodied, intuitive and creative ways of expanding the human knowledge base.

Research Design allows students to work with these methods in a research project, tackling the philosophical and ethical issues surrounding transpersonal psychology methods.

• The centrality of transformation for both researcher and participants
• Issues that arise when participants’ most meaningful experiences may be scrutinised
• Issues where practices may be evaluated for efficacy, and ideas concerning changing paradigms in psychological science

Find out more:  Research Design

Module leader:  Dr. Jessica Bockler

Applied transformative psychology focuses on the ways in which transpersonal, integrative, and spiritual perspectives can be applied in practice, considering personal and professional pathways and ethics of transformation. The concept of inner development is examined in the context of evolving ideas and theories exploring personal and systemic/collective change; and questions of ethical engagement in contemporary contexts are considered in the light of the evolving meta-crises of our times. 

Students are encouraged to explore their own professional practice in relation to two of the specialist options (see SPECIALIST OPTIONS tab for all courses).

Tutor:  Dr. Jessica Bockler

In this option we explore the nature of creativity and its relationship to human development and growth, as well as its relevance for social change. The evolving crises of our time call for inner and outer changes in our ways of being and doing. In Together, we consider how we can draw on our creativity to enable and support generative change processes in ourselves and in those we work with.

Find out more:  Creativity and Transformation

Tutor:  Dr. Hennie Geldenhuys

This option explores the mind-body-spirit paradigm and its implications for an integrative and holistic approach to wellness and healthcare. Health, disease, healing and the psychosomatic are viewed through a transpersonal but pragmatic lens.

Find out more:  Integrative Medicine

Tutor:  Dr. Regina U. Hess

We will explore multidimensional applications for the transformation of individual, transgenerational, and ecological trauma drawing on clinical, transpersonal, indigenous, and psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy approaches and research. The goal is to support the person’s innate capacity to restore the mind-body-spirit-balance and eventually wholeness, including such dimensions as interpersonal relationships and relationships with nature, the cosmos, culture, and the community.

Find out more:  Multidimensional Trauma & Transformation

Tutor:  Jevon Dängeli

Transpersonal Coaching Psychology (TCP) can be described as the theory and practice of coaching that takes a holistic and integrative approach to support client growth and transformation. In this option we explore the basis and value of a transpersonal approach to coaching.

Find out more:  Transpersonal Coaching Psychology

Tutor:  Paul Maiteny

We are living in extremely destabilised times. We humans are undermining life-support ecosystems essential to life itself, ecological, social and personal. It is a tragic irony that we have been doing so with the aim of making our lives better. We have now reached the threshold point where the destructive results of our priorities and action is confronting us full-on. Yet, we are continuing to seek technological ‘solutions and fixes’ using the same motivations and types of thinking as have caused the devastation in the first place. 

Transpersonal Ecopsychology provides a new way of thinking about and understanding human meaning and purpose as embedded participants in the ecosystem, rather than in the binary way of thinking of ourselves as ‘other’ to ‘nature’ and ‘the environment’. 

Find our more:  Transpersonal Ecopsychology: Knowing your role in a conscious Earth

Tutor:  Dr. Gabriel Fernandez Borsot

Transpersonal approaches to psychotherapy situate the process of psychological healing and maturation in the wider context of spiritual development. This option explores the main features of these approaches, and their associated techniques and models.

Find out more:  Transpersonal Counselling and Psychotherapy

Curriculum: year THREE

• Research dissertation

The curriculum in the first two years of study provides students with the necessary skills to conduct a research project in their third year of study. Under the supervision of a faculty member, students choose an area of interest to explore in depth through an original study.

Research projects often adopt experiential and introspective approaches as well as traditional scientific approaches while exploring topics that emphasise the interrelationships between the somatic, psychological, social and spiritual levels of explanation.

WEBINAR SCHEDULE

A main feature of our online teaching environment is that required webinars are taught live and also recorded, which allows for synchronous involvement in content and lively discussions during the question-and-answer portions of webinars for those in attendance.

Webinars are generally scheduled well in advance, and are held on a varied schedule between 9:00-21:00 UK time.

Although we cannot commit to accommodate all time zones for all webinars, we hope for students in our global community to have the opportunity for synchronous participation throughout the programme. When live attendance is not possible, recordings of webinars are available almost immediately and can be viewed at a convenient time, making the programme accessible regardless of location in the world. 

One-to-one and group meetings with personal tutors are scheduled at mutually convenient times.

Please note that whilst we do our utmost to give you advance notice, some flexibility in accommodating schedule changes and additional dates may be needed as and when they become available. This programme weaves a complex tapestry of asynchronous and live events befitting Master’s level study with a wide range of teachers. We therefore advise you that some flexibility will be needed on your part to join this programme and make the most of what it has to offer.

LEARNING APPROACHES

Our students enjoy a rich and interactive learning experience. Transformative learning methods are utilised in all our modules, which support a deep level of self-inquiry while fostering connection with experiential learning of programme content, research skills, and academic, professional and personal growth. 

INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCES

• Live teaching webinars
• Live sessions involving experiential practices
• Student presentations

A SHARED LEARNING JOURNEY 

• Reflective group meetings
• Peer group work
• Individual and group supervision

STUDY AT YOUR OWN PACE

• Written discussion forums
• Study of course materials
• Personal practice and projects

WHOLE-PERSON SUPPORT

• Personal tutor support
• Academic skills support
• Wellbeing support

CONTENT DELIVERY The programme is 100% online and presented via synchronous and asynchronous webinars where students engage with faculty and each other. All coursework is taught on our learning management system, Canvas.

ONBOARDING To support students in gaining foundational skills for MSc study, the Alef trust offers an introductory online course in APA referencing and academic writing skills, which incoming students are invited and in some cases required to take prior to the start of term. This enables those who are unfamiliar with APA formatting, as well as those who have been out of education for some time, to feel more prepared for embarking on their MSc.

Course assessments are mainly in the form of written essays and reports. Several assignments encourage use of creative media to express the learning journeys, and students can choose to do this in ways that meet their creative skills and interests. Examples include visual art, music, creative writing, and videos. A number of modules include asynchronous forum participation. Some modules also include group project assessments which involve live presentations and attendance at presentations by peers.

Your schedule will require some flexibility to accommodate these in all three years of the programme.

In the final year, you conduct your own research project under supervision. Assessment of this final-year module involves a research dissertation, online presentation, and a blog-style post.

Depending on the nature and weighting of the assignment, these are either 2,000, 3,000 or 4,500 words in required length, and the final dissertation is 10,000-12,000 words, depending on the methodology used.

LIBRARY ACCESS

As a student enrolled on a collaborative programme with Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) you have access to a range of LJMU’s electronic library resources.

This includes an extensive selection of relevant books and journals, as well as academic learning resources oriented towards the ongoing development of skills such as scholarly writing.

Visual Map of the MSc PROGRAMME

Alternative track: 1-year Postgraduate Certificate

Students wishing to gain a Postgraduate Certificate can enrol on the MSc route and complete their studies after gaining 60 credits in year 1.

Alternative track: 2-year Postgraduate Diploma

Students wishing to gain a Postgraduate Diploma can enrol on the MSc route and complete their studies after gaining 120 credits by the end of year 2.

Alternative track: 2-year MSc

The Alef Trust MSc in Consciousness, Spirituality and Transpersonal Psychology is validated by Liverpool John Moores University in two programme formats. Students normally take the three-year part-time programme, although a two-year part-time programme is also available. Obviously, the primary difference between these programmes concerns the duration of study. However, there are additional considerations that applicants must take into account when deciding on their preferred programme of study:

Your qualifications: In order to be considered for the two-year programme, you must have a degree in psychology or a cognate science discipline, with a minimum grade of 2:1 (UK university system) or equivalent (non-UK universities).

Time availability: In order to be considered for the two-year programme, you must clearly demonstrate that you are able to commit to studying for approximately 25-35 hours per week.

Maturity: Our MSc is not simply an exercise in academic learning. The ethos underpinning the programme – confirmed by reflections from graduates – is one of students embarking on a developmental journey that entails deep maturation of their aspirations, relationships, and inner quests. In the experience of both staff and graduates this journey is most effective when taken over three years. In evaluating applications for the two-year programme, the admissions team will explore with the applicant their readiness to achieve the programme goals in only two years.

Shared experience: The journey is one in which forming bonds with those in your cohort can be highly beneficial. A student on the two-year pathway will straddle two cohorts, which may make this aspect of the experience more difficult. Again, the applicant’s resilience in this regard will be considered by the admissions team. Structurally, the arrangement of modules is broadly similar across the two pathways in years 1 and 2. The critical difference for those on the two-year pathway is that the Research Design module comes in year 1, and the Research Dissertation in Year 2.

Readiness to undertake research: The deeply reflective experiential, whole-person, learning which is at the core of this programme takes time to gestate during the first two years for most students, and culminates with the research dissertation in the third year. Applicants for the two-year programme will be expected to demonstrate to the admissions team that they have a preliminary plan about their potential research. If you wish to be considered for the two-year pathway, please indicate this in the application form. Our admissions team will contact you to arrange an interview to discuss whether this could be a suitable option for you.

If you wish to be considered for the two-year pathway, please indicate this in the application form. Our admissions team will contact you to arrange an interview to discuss whether this could be an appropriate option for you.

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Clinical Mental Health Counseling MA

Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal Counseling Concentration

Gain clinical counseling skills through the lens of world wisdom traditions at a Buddhist-inspired university with on-campus and low-residency options.

About this Concentration

The mindfulness-based transpersonal counseling concentration is designed for individuals who want an overall orientation to the field of Clinical Mental Health Counseling from a transpersonal and humanistic orientation.

The program emphasizes experiential learning with a strong focus on presence in the here and now. This focal point of study is grounded in the counseling relationship, meditation practice, and Gestalt principles. Theory is integrated in classes that emphasize direct learning through personal growth and the guided development of interpersonal skills. A nonviolent approach to communication is part of our fundamental approach.

Whether you choose the on-campus or low-residency program, you’ll experience firsthand the profound effects of interpersonal connection and mindfulness practice. Then, you’ll apply those transformative techniques during comprehensive clinical training.  

Mindfulness Focus

This master’s degree program is an opportunity for deep personal reflection and intensive clinical experience. We support your dedication to mindfulness with on-campus meditation halls, group meditation retreats, body awareness work, and more.

Diverse & Intimate Learning Environment

A selective admissions process admits up to fifty students into the Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal Counseling concentration every year. Students share a core set of courses with Transpersonal Contemplative Art–Based Counseling and Nature-Based Transpersonal Counseling students. The mix provides contact with a diverse group of students and a healthy environment for developing friendship and collegiality. Each semester of study involves concentrated learning experiences with small groups of no more than ten to twelve students.

Elective Offerings & Specialized Studies

The program offers a range of electives that complement required studies and meet a variety of interests in counseling and transpersonal studies. Coursework is designed to enhance personal and professional awareness and knowledge. Electives include specialized transpersonal approaches, meditation, couples and family therapy, Jungian psychology, body awareness, and Gestalt therapy.

Quick Facts

• 700+ clinical internship hours
• Unique Mindfulness Focus
• 3-year Degree
• 66 Credit Hours
• Scholarship Opportunities

Licensure Support

• Applications open for 2025
• Flexible Starting Dates
• Experiential Learning Retreats (Intensives)
• 700+ Clinical Internship Hours
• Applications open for January, May, August 2025

Program Format

We offer learning paths suited to your Personal Journey. The MTC Concentration is one program with two pathways toward degree completion:

• The MTC Residential Program is designed for students who thrive in a more traditional in-person learning environment and has a weekly meeting cadence. Classes are held on our Nalanda campus in Boulder, Colorado, with students taking a schedule that typically requires three or four days on campus each week.

In addition, the low-residency program offers three different start dates: January, May, and August.

Read About the Low-Residency Program

Course Spotlight

The mindful counselor: applying mindfulness in the therapeutic context, degree requirements.

Naropa’s Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal Counseling Program is a 66-credit, three-year concentration. The program consists of regular academic coursework complemented by a counseling practicum during the second year and a 700-hour fieldwork placement during the third year at a partnering community agency with on-site consultation supervision.

Counseling Experiential Requirement : 

Each student must participate in a counseling/therapy relationship with a qualified psychotherapist of their choice. A minimum of fifteen 50-minute face-to-face sessions (via telehealth or in person) within the first two years of the program is required. (The term “ psychotherapist ” is used to be inclusive of licensed providers from a variety of professional mental health backgrounds. The Student Guidebook outlines specific parameters of a qualified psychotherapist.) 

On-campus Course Schedule​

Semester 1, Fall Year 1 (11 credits)

• CMHC 600, Foundations and Orientation of Clinical Mental Health Counseling (3)
• CMHC 603, Counseling and Helping Relationships I (3)
• CNST Elective (3)
• CNST 622, Foundations of Mindfulness (2)

Semester 2, Spring Year 2 (11 credits)

• CMHC 604, Counseling and Helping Relationships II (3)
• CMHC 601, Social/Multicultural Foundations (3)
• CMHC 606, Legal and Ethical Aspects of Counseling (3)
• CNST 721, Cultivating Mindful Presence (2)

Summer Year 1 (Off, 0 credits)

Semester 3, Fall Year 2 (9 credits)

• CNST 671, Mindful Counselor (2)
• CMHC 605, Group Counseling (3)
• CMHC 602, Human Growth and Development (3)
• CNST 770, Compassion Training for Counselors (1)

Semester 4, Spring Year 2 (11 credits)

• CMHC 607, Diagnosis and Treatment Planning (3)
• CNSM 602, Gestalt I (2)
• CNST 670, Transpersonal Counseling (3)
• CMHC 620, Counseling Practicum (3)

Semester 5, Summer Year 2 (8 credits)

• CMHC 608, Assessment (3)
• CMHC 621, Initial Internship (2)
• CNSM 651, Gestalt II (3)

Semester 6, Fall Year 3(8 credits)

• CMHC 622, Internship I (3)
• CMHC 609, Research & Program Evaluation (3)
• CNST 810, Mindfulness-Based Counseling (2)

Winter Intercession (0 credits)

• CMHC 623, Winter Intercession Internship (0)

Semester 7, Spring Year 3 (8 credits)

• CMHC 624, Internship II (3)
• CMHC 617, Capstone I & II (2)
• CMHC 610, Career Development (3) 

Low-residency Course Schedule​

The Low-Residency MTC program provides a curriculum similar to the on-campus program but with courses disbursed to be more of a part-time program.  It is a three-year program like the on-campus program but provides a unique delivery format that makes it a great fit for those with busy lives or who cannot relocate to Boulder.

• Three semesters per year rather than two
• The program can be completed from anywhere in the United States
• Five or six visits to Colorado
• Two intensives per semester
• Each semester begins with a 2 or 3-day-long online intensive
• A five-day intensive during the second half of each semester

For details on the delivery format, and to learn more about intensive dates, credit hours, and courses for the low-residency program, take a look at our comprehensive courses & requirements page. 

Why Choose Naropa?

Flexible delivery options.

Students interested in Mindfulness-based transpersonal counseling can choose between pursuing an on-campus degree or a hybrid, low-residency degree. Our low-residency program offers three starting dates (January, May, and August) to better accommodate student’s busy schedules.

Partner Agencies

Naropa has a broad network of community agencies where students can carry out their practicum and field placements with on-site supervision and according to their interests. Low-residency students have the option to complete their internship in agencies located in their state of residency.

Graduates of Naropa’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling MA can obtain licensure in Colorado and throughout the United States. We offer Credentialing and Licensure support for our students, even post-graduation.

How this Program Prepares You

Clinical experience.

In the final year of your graduate degree program, you will serve as a supervised intern in a community agency, gaining crucial experience in a specialty area such as addiction counseling or crisis intervention. Throughout the internship, you’ll be supported by on-site supervision, faculty mentorship, and career development counseling.

Developing Personal & Professional Identity

Students are encouraged to develop a therapeutic approach that matches each individual’s interests, abilities, and talents. Learning to “know thyself” is a tenet of transpersonal psychology. Students are encouraged to listen within to discover the unique gift each has to offer others. Feedback from faculty and peers enhances growth and personal discovery. 

Application of Contemplative Practice in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

A strong understanding of contemplative practice in clinical mental health counseling is explored through multiple lenses that include meditation, human development, family systems, body awareness, and the interactive field of healing relationships. Students learn to sit with whatever arises as they are exposed to a broad spectrum of problems, emotions, and situations that may be encountered in actual counseling settings.

Learning Outcomes

Students demonstrate mindfulness skills in the context of counseling including present moment awareness, non-judgment and compassionate interest in details of physical sensations, emotions and thoughts., students demonstrate familiarity with several models of transpersonal psychology and their applications to counseling, including multicultural considerations., students demonstrate increased knowledge, presence, warmth, and skill regarding their utilization of awareness, choice, contact, and authenticity in the gestalt approach to mindfulness-based transpersonal counseling., career opportunitites for mindfulness-based transpersonal counselors.

Whether you aim to open your own private practice, become a mindfulness teacher, or gain the skills to become a clinical mental health counselor , Naropa can help you get there. Through deep introspection and interpersonal connection with faculty and fellow students, you’ll find your unique path within mindfulness counseling.

Career opportunities for mindfulness-based transpersonal counseling graduates include: 

• Mental Health Counselor: offer therapy to improve well-being.
• Counselor Educator: teach counseling at the postsecondary level following advanced training.
• Compliance Managers: ensure organizations adhere to laws and regulations.
• Substance Abuse Counselor: aid recovery from substance abuse.
• Healthcare Professional Counselor: assist communities with medical support and resources.

Discover Career Pathways for Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal Counselors

Hear from a graduate, audrey godell, discover career pathways for low-residency mindfulness-based transpersonal counseling graduates, faqs about mindfulness-based transpersonal counseling, what is the transpersonal approach in counseling, what makes naropa’s mindfulness-based transpersonal counseling unique.

As the country’s first Buddhist-inspired university, Naropa has a long tradition of teaching, researching, and experimenting with mindfulness practices. Our campus and resources support students pursuing a contemplative education. Our mindfulness-based transpersonal counseling program is informed by our deep and thorough knowledge of the field, both academic and experiential.

Learn more about mindfulness-based transpersonal counseling in our suggested reading list for this concentration.

What is the Intensive Component in the Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal Counseling Program?

What are the different types of transpersonal therapy, what is the difference between transpersonal therapy and other forms of psychotherapy, learn more about the program.

Connect with your counselor

Matt powers.

Assistant Director of Graduate Admissions

• [email protected]
• Attend An Info Session

Ready to Apply?

Admission requirements.

Naropa University’s admission process follows our contemplative education principles. We value academic excellence as well as the commitment to introspective work.

Applicants participate in group interview sessions at either virtual or in-person Interview Days scheduled throughout the year, in addition to providing undergraduate transcripts, two letters of recommendations, an essay, and a copy of their resume. 

Graduate Students

To apply to the Mindfulness-based Transpersonal Counseling program, students must submit the following documentation as part of their online application:

• Transcript of all post-secondary, undergraduate and graduate (if applicable) coursework
• Statement of Interest
• Two letters of Recommendation

The application concludes with individual and group interviews. Students also have the opportunity to apply for financial aid when submitting their initial application. Discover all admission requirements. 

International Students

Students with undergraduate degrees from foreign universities are required to provide additional documentation as part of their application process. Discover admission requirements for international students. 

Costs and Financial Aid

Naropa students may be eligible for several forms of federal or financial aid to help cover the costs of their education. Over 75% of graduate students are recipients of some form of financial aid.

You can learn about costs and financing options at our costs & aids page, which breaks down direct and indirect costs, such as tuition, housing, materials, transportation, and more. Use our cost calculator to estimate your total costs at Naropa. 

Graduate Scholarship Opportunities

Scholarships are a great way to help with the costs of going to school. Naropa University offers an array of scholarship opportunities to graduate students. Students may be eligible to receive scholarships through their admissions application, by applying for scholarships, or by being nominated for a scholarship. For more detailed information about the different scholarships available and how to receive them, please review our graduate scholarship page. 

Interested in Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal Content?

Read our blog or listen to our podcast, heartfire festival returns to naropa university, episode 28. deborah bowman: transpersonal therapy program, episode 54. diane israel: healing from body image & eating issues, episode 70. rick snyder: gut instincts in business, student support and resources, academic support, online student support, career & life development, financial aid, accessibility, other clinical mental health counseling concentrations, somatic counseling, somatic counseling: dance/movement theories & practice, nature-based transpersonal counseling, transpersonal contemplative art–based counseling, buddhism-informed contemplative counseling, request information, plan a visit, about naropa, events & community, user information, support naropa.

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Naropa campuses closed on friday, march 15, 2024.

Due to adverse weather conditions, all Naropa campuses will be closed Friday, March 15, 2024.  All classes that require a physical presence on campus will be canceled. All online and low-residency programs are to meet as scheduled.

Based on the current weather forecast, the Healing with the Ancestors Talk & Breeze of Simplicity program scheduled for Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday will be held as planned.

Staff that do not work remotely or are scheduled to work on campus, can work remotely. Staff that routinely work remotely are expected to continue to do so.

As a reminder, notifications will be sent by e-mail and the LiveSafe app.  

Regardless of Naropa University’s decision, if you ever believe the weather conditions are unsafe, please contact your supervisor and professors.  Naropa University trusts you to make thoughtful and wise decisions based on the conditions and situation in which you find yourself in.

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Doctor of Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness

In this section, program overview, 4 - 7 years, 42.2 - 43.5, spring/fall, our approach.

CIIS’ Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness Ph.D. program has been designed to help shape the intellectual, moral, and spiritual leadership necessary for meeting historic global challenges. The crisis of late modernity calls for a fundamental reorientation of our civilization, including a transformation of both our institutions and our own consciousness. 

Drawing upon some of the most powerful ideas and impulses of our philosophical, scientific, and religious traditions, the Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness Ph.D. is constructed with an intensive multidisciplinary course of study to help accelerate students' journeys into their leadership roles.

Career Paths

The Ph.D. in Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness is a research doctorate designed to prepare candidates to take leadership roles in addressing key philosophical challenges, questions, and issues of our time. As a transdisciplinary program, our graduates pursue a wide variety of philosophical, ecological, and humanitarian paths, projects, and vocations. Alumni of the program are actively involved in diverse professional areas, such as:

• Teaching, writing, and scholarly publication
• Leading and facilitating programs for cultural, spiritual, and personal transformation
• Creating, producing, and developing new media and engaged arts projects
• Organizing, advocacy, and policy advancement
• Reimagining and renewing a variety of professional fields (e.g., education, religion, medicine, technology, the arts, finance)

The curriculum is offered in both online and in person formats and students may select from the Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness track or the Integral Ecology track. Coursework is customizable with a wide variety of electives available. Upon taking and passing their comprehensive exams, students begin the process of writing their dissertation beginning with the dissertation proposal. After completion, candidates must defend their dissertation before a committee of faculty members.

Online students are highly encouraged, but not required, to participate in the annual residential retreat, intensive courses, and other program-associated events held in and around the San Francisco Bay Area.

Curriculum Highlights

PARP 7400 Psyche and Spirit: From the Psychology of Religion to Transpersonal Theory (3 units) This course explores the relation of psyche to “spirit”—that is, to religion, spirituality, and spiritual philosophies and worldviews—through a consideration of the development that leads from classic representatives of the psychology of religion to the principal paradigms of contemporary transpersonal psychology. Readings include primary texts—set in their appropriate contexts—by William James, C.G. Jung, Stanislav Grof, Ken Wilber, Jorge Ferrer, Jenny Wade, and others. Major themes include the evolution of consciousness; connections between main elements of Western spiritual and intellectual traditions and analogues from Asian traditions; and contributions of esotericism, new paradigm science, and non-ordinary experiences to transpersonal theory.

PAR 6079 Ecology in a Time of Planetary Crisis (3 units) Ecology is the study of oikos, Greek for “household” or “home.” What does it mean, existentially, to find that our home, Earth, is under threat as a result of human actions? This course provides a broad overview of the human imbrication in planetary systems. We examine critical planetary issues, including climate change, biodiversity loss, deforestation, freshwater depletion, agriculture, fisheries collapse, and globalization, from a holistic perspective. Framing of ecological issues are placed in dialogue with religious and spiritual views, allowing students to discuss the complex interconnected ways that worldviews, biophysical science, institutions, ethics, and justice have shaped the current state of the Earth.

PAR 6472 The Colors of American Philosophy: Pluralism, Pragmatism, and Political Transformation (3 units) This course introduces core thinkers and themes in the American philosophical tradition and emphasizes the importance of pluralism, pragmatism, and political transformation. In line with this emphasis, course readings emphasize the influence of Native American, African American, female American, and Latinx thinkers. Course participants will be invited to situate themselves in relation to the themes explored and to present on a relevant text of their choosing that is reflective of their own background. The aim of the course is to provide participants with a conceptual grounding in the diverse histories of American thought in the hope that this grounding is of service to social and political transformation in the present.

Minimum 42.2 units of coursework including a dissertation.

I. Required Introduction Course (3 units)

PARP 6060 Introduction to Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness.

( Not required for graduates of the master’s program, who should fulfill this unit requirement with an alternative course.)

II. Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness Electives (18 units)

The following are representative courses. Course options will vary year to year.

PARP 6110 Cosmological Powers

PARP 6120 Cosmology of Literature

PARP 6131 Speculation and Adoration: Introduction to the Study of Medieval Christian Mysticism

PARP 6133 Whitehead’s Adventure in Cosmology: Toward a Physics of the World-Soul

PARP 6134 Process Approaches to Consciousness

PARP 6135 Process and Difference in the Pluriverse

PARP 6142 Archetypal Research: Writing and Methods for the Archetypal Biographer and Historian

PARP 6143 The Red Books of C.G. Jung and J.R.R. Tolkien: An Archetypal Perspective

PARP 6144 Jung on Astrology

PARP 6145 The Way of the Archetypes or Archetypal Astrology and Individuation

PARP 6249 Romanticism and Philosophy

PARP 6275 Plato and Platonism

PARP 6278 Integral Ecologies

PARP 6315 Epic of the Universe

PARP 6393 Mind and Nature in German Idealism

PARP 6403 Spirit and Nature

PARP 6407 Biography and Karma

PARP 6422 Aurobindo, Steiner, and Teilhard

PARP 6431 Martin Luther King Jr.: Justice, Cosmology, and Interconnection

PARP 6506 The Great Turning

PARP 6517 History of Western Thought and Culture: An Archetypal Perspective

PARP 6522 Science, Ecology, and Contested Knowledge(s)

PARP 6525 Toward an Integral Ecological Consciousness

PARP 6532 Christianity and Ecology

PARP 6533 Touch the Earth: Integral Ecology Practicum

PARP 6538 Krishna, Buddha, and Christ

PARP 6563 Buddhism and Ecology

PARP 6650 Advanced Seminar: A.N. Whitehead’s Process and Reality

PARP 6667 Radical Mythospeculation: Cosmic Evolution and Deep History

PARP 6743 Cosmology of Food I

PARP 6744 Cosmology of Food II

PARP 6746 The Earth Journey

PARP 6748 Nature and Eros

PARP 6762 Steiner and Jung

PARP 6822 Hegel, Wilber, and Morin: Foundations of Integral Theory

PARP 6829 Integral T’ai Chi

PARP 6833 The Evolution of Religious Consciousness: From the Paleolithic to the Axial Age

PARP 6834 The Evolution of the Modern Self: From Axial Roots to Postmodern Threshold

PARP 6842 Cosmological Epics

PARP 7001 Psyche and Cosmos I: Transpersonal Psychology and Archetypal Astrology

PARP 7002 Psyche and Cosmos II: Transits in Depth (Practicum)

PARP 7007 American Philosophy

PARP 7008 James Hillman and Archetypal Psychology: An Introduction

PARP 7105 Archetypes, Art, and Culture PARP

7400 Psyche and Spirit: From the Psychology of Religion to Transpersonal Theory

III. General Electives (15 units)

Students choose 15 units from any CIIS program.

IV. Comprehensive Exams (6 units)

PARP 9600 Comprehensive Exam

PARP 9601 Comprehensive Exam

V. Dissertation (0.2 units)

PARP 9800 Dissertation Proposal Completion (three times maximum)

PARP 9900 Dissertation Seminar

I. Required Courses (3 units)

PARP 6060 Introduction to Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness (3 units)

(Not required for graduates of the master’s program.)

Students choose 18 units from the Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness Elective elective list.

III. Integral Ecology Electives (9 units)

PAR 6078 Theory and Method in the Integrative Study of Religion and Ecology

PAR 6079 Ecology in a Time of Planetary Crisis

PAR 6292 Next of Kin

PARP 6150 The Book of Nature

PARP 6159 Plants and People: Understanding the Plant World Through Relationships

PARP 6743 Cosmology of Food

IV. General Electives (6 units)

Students choose 6 units from any CIIS program.

V. Comprehensive Exams (6 units)

VI. Dissertation (0.2 units)

Entry Requirements

Students admitted into the doctoral concentration who do not have a master’s from CIIS in Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness may be required to complete up to an additional 18 units of coursework (minus equivalencies) from the core section of the master’s curriculum.

Online Admissions Application: Begin the application process by submitting an online application and paying the non-refundable $68 application fee.

Degree Requirement: A bachelor's and master's degree (or the equivalent) from a regionally accredited institution. 

Minimum GPA: A GPA of 3.0 or higher in previous coursework is required. However, a GPA below 3.0 does not automatically disqualify an applicant and CIIS will consider a prospective student whose GPA is between 2.0 and 3.0. These individuals are required to submit a GPA Statement and are encouraged to contact our Admissions Team to discuss their options. 

Transcripts: Official transcripts from all accredited academic institutions attended where 7 or more credits have been earned. If transcripts are being mailed to CIIS, they must arrive in their official, sealed envelopes. Transcripts from institutions outside the U.S. or Canada require a foreign credit evaluation through World Education Services (WES) or CIIS will also accept foreign credential evaluations that are in a comprehensive course-by-course format from the current members of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES).

Two Letters of Recommendation: Recommenders should use standard business format and include full contact information-name, email, phone number, and mailing address. 

Autobiographical Statement: A four-to-six page (typed, double-spaced) introspective autobiographical statement discussing your values, emotional and spiritual insights, aspirations, and life experiences that have led to your decision to apply. The autobiographical statement should describe some themes or significant life events that have a direct bearing on your decision to apply to this program. 

Goal Statement: A two-to-four page statement of your educational and professional objectives and demonstrating familiarity and alignment with at least one core faculty member's area of expertise. Explain your motivation for specialization in this area. The goal statement should articulate what you hope to gain from your time in the program and, if appropriate, how your time in the program relates to your long-term personal and professional aspirations.

Research Proposal:  In 300-900 words please propose the research project you hope to work on in your doctoral studies. (We understand that your research project might change as you pursue your degree with us.) In addition, identify at least one Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness core faculty member who would be appropriate to serve as a mentor and faculty advisor. Show close familiarity with that faculty member's particular area of expertise. Demonstrate the necessary preparation and motivation for specializing in that area (or areas), especially with respect to research leading to the dissertation.

Academic Writing Sample: A writing sample of eight-to-ten pages (typed, double-spaced) that demonstrates your capacity to think critically and reflectively and demonstrates graduate level writing abilities. A sample that uses outside sources must include proper citations. You may submit copies of previous work, such as a recent academic paper, article, or report that reflects scholarly abilities.

Our Department in Action

Admissions Office Hour

Online with Dennis Spears. Focus Programs: Community Mental Health (M.A.-C.P.), Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness (M.A. and Ph.D.), and Ecology, Spirituality, and Religion (M.A. and Ph.D.)

Fall Open House

Attend the Fall Open House on September 21, 2024 to get to know your admissions counselors and learn more about CIIS' bachelor's, master's, and Ph.D. programs.

Take the Next Step

For over 50 years, CIIS has been at the forefront of education that integrates rigorous science, innovative scholarship, and social justice. You will learn from faculty at the forefront of their fields, local artists and activists, and a community of peers as passionate and dedicated as you. There’s never been a better time to be here – let’s build a healthier and more equitable world.