Integral Psychology

Integral, or transpersonal, spiritual psychology recognizes not only the psyche, but also the spirit, and the manner in which the condition of the psyche and the body may affect the well-being of the spirit. In order for spiritual psychology to be effective, the inner journey must be valued, recognized, and honored just as much as the external, materialistic quest.

Integral Psychotherapy is very closely related to holistic therapy or transpersonal therapy, in that it looks at the entire human being. This entails examining not only what is going on emotionally, but also what is happening in the mind, the body, and the spirit.

A client who comes to my office may walk in expecting to discuss his or her lack of motivation. Or depression. Or anger. Or fear. Or obsessiveness. Or relationship problems. Or anything at all. But he or she will generally not expect the questions I will ask that deal with many factors beyond the mere outer appearance of the problem.

So it might be important for me to inquire about the daily routine. Or the eating habits. Or the support network. Or whether the job (even if the problem has to do with the primary relationship) offers any kind of intrinsic satisfaction. Or whether the chronic sore throat might have to do with never speaking one's truth. Or whether life no longer offers a sense of adventure.

Thus the whole human being comes in for therapy, and not just the part that is seemingly causing the current life problem. And precisely because the whole human being is being treated (if necessary, I will, of course, refer the client out to a medical doctor, or any other kind of therapist, and will then work together with that practitioner in order to bring about the desired results), the path towards resolution will automatically bring all parts of the individual together.

Ideally, a therapist is a healer, dedicated to the human being who is seeking to become more whole, seeking growth and personal development, and seeking to understand the life she or he is living.

Such a therapist works not only in bringing about greater consciousness and awareness about the mind and the emotions, but also about the body and the spirit, since when one of these is out of balance, the others must also be taken into consideration in order for the whole human being to become well. Please also visit my Radio Page in order to listen to a recent show that aired on this topic under the title of Transpersonal Psychology.