RAFFAI, Gellért
(Hungary)
Title of contribution:
Transpersonal spirituality in clinical psychology
Where & when:
Ibiza II.
Sunday, May 31st, 2020
11:30 – 13:30
Presentation: Transpersonal spirituality in clinical psychology
Psychology as a science initially sought to become more specific. Early psychoanalytic authors started their own schools based on small theoretical differences. However, the development of science leads to integration – the three major psychological schools’ psychotherapeutic contributions and critiques have been integrated into the paradigm of developmental psychopathology (Ranschburg, 1989). This process, as well as the intention of psychology to become similar to natural sciences, resulted in turning away from transpersonal psychology, which feeds on spiritual roots and grew out of the humanistic school (Grof, 2008). However, spiritual needs and demands are unquestionable, this is confirmed by the fact that the WHO currently assesses health according to the bio-psycho-socio-spiritual dimensions (WHO, 1999). Professional healers (physicians, psychologists) often experience that clients turn to alternative “helpers” to satisfy their spiritual needs, so it is worth considering how could we integrate spirituality into our everyday medical (Saad, 2017) or psychological practice (Bagdy, 2011).
In my theoretical review, the approach of the major psychological schools (psychoanalytic, cognitive-behaviorist, humanistic, family therapy) will be compared to the transpersonal view. I will present the ‘peak experience’ and the ‘inner-radar’ concept, which are considered to be the cornerstones of transpersonal psychotherapy, and review a few transpersonal methods (Grof, 2008).
About Raffai Gellért:
2008-2011 BA in Psychology (Behaviour analyst), 2011-2013 MSc in Health Psychology; 2013-2016 Ph.D. in Health Sciences (in progress), 2016- Clinical Psychologist training
A practicing psychologist who experienced transpersonal techniques (yoga, vipassana meditation, holotropic breathwork…) and uses transpersonal approaches in daily work (mindfulness, visualization…).
