1st Edition
Introduction to Transpersonal Psychology Bridging Spirit and Science
Introduction to Transpersonal Psychology: Bridging Spirit and Science provides an accessible and engaging introduction to this complex and evolving field. Adopting a modular approach, the book systematically relates key themes of Transpersonal Psychology to three major areas within psychology: general psychology, experimental psychology, and clinical psychology.
Covering a wide range of topics including transpersonal states of consciousness, biological foundations, research methods, and cognition, the book also features extensive discussion of transpersonal theorists and the impact of their work on our understanding of psychological concepts. The book also introduces contemporary developments in the field and anticipates future advances such as feminist perspectives and cross-cultural approaches alongside practical experiments designed to give transpersonal theories and concepts psychological roots. A critical evaluation of both mainstream and transpersonal theories and research is applied throughout to foster analytical skills and encourage critical and scientific thinking about humanity’s nature as spiritual creatures and ways to educate for personal and social transformation.
Accompanied by an online instructor’s manual, this book will be an essential companion for all students of Transpersonal or Humanistic Psychology, or those interested in applying transpersonal ideas to mainstream psychological research.
Introduction 1 Scope and Outline 18 Variety of Transpersonal Orientations 37 Contemporary Perspectives 54 Modern History and Future Challenges 73 Transpersonal Psychology as a Human Science 92 Knowing, Speaking, and Creating 112 Consciousness: States and Traits 131 Biological Foundations 151 Motivation and Emotion 170 Development 189 Personality 208 Psychological Disorders 226 Psychotherapy 245 The Transpersonal Vision 265
Biography
Paul F. Cunningham, PhD is Emeritus Professor of Psychology at Rivier University. His research interests include transpersonal studies, transpersonal education and spirituality in higher education, paranormal (psi) phenomena, and the experimental psychology of the subconscious. His research also encompasses student outcomes assessment and institutional effectiveness, the use of animals in research, and student choice policies in the psychology classroom.
"This book is a landmark event for transpersonal psychology. The field now has its own textbook, and a superb one at that. The book is clearly the culmination of a life’s work of exploration, contemplation, study, and teaching. The scholarship is prodigious, yet the style is lucid and readable. This is a magnificent contribution: an accessible text for students, a rich resource for the field, and a resource to keep returning to. If I could recommend only one transpersonal book for the library of transpersonal psychologists, it would probably be this one."
Roger Walsh, Professor of psychiatry, philosophy, and anthropology at the University of California at Irvine.
