Integral Coaching
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.
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