Transpersonal Psychotherapy and Integrative Psychotherapy
What is Transpersonal Psychotherapy?
The Transpersonal approach is a holistic approach which means treating, mind, body and soul. The Transpersonal Psychotherapist does not view their client as a ‘case’ but as a person and looks at how the psychological affects the body and vica versa and believing that we all have a soul nature, which if we connect to, can enable us to contact our own inner wise voice, that can answer all our questions and dilemmas.
The Transpersonal incorporates aspects of the four main Psychotherapy approaches: The Psychodynamic, The Existential, The Humanistic and the Transpersonal.
The Psychodynamic is more concerned with childhood issues and how they play out in adult life. The Existential is concerned with the person becoming their real ‘authentic’ self and focusing on existence in ‘the here and now’. The Humanistic, which sprung out of the Existential and, is not only concerned with the person becoming who they really are, but with notion of growth, in particular ‘the self-actualising drive’. The Transpersonal incorporates and goes beyond all of these approaches, and is more about the stage of spiritual awakening that normally occurs in mid-life.
So the process of Transpersonal Psychotherapy tends to follow a structure in starting by looking at the Psychodynamic or ‘Pre-Personal’ representing childhood and when the child is yet to become a person, then the Existential or ‘Personal’ when the person is emerging into the world as a young adult finding their ‘authentic’ self, the Humanistic, when the person is trying to fulfil their potential and then finally the Transpersonal when in mid-life one is confronted with one’s sense of purpose on earth, more pre-occupied with matters beyond the ego and interested in finding out who one is from a spiritual perspective.
The Transpersonal Psychotherapist tends to works with dreams and creative imagination exercises and focuses on ‘the inner child’. So there is a strong Jungian aspect to the way the Transpersonal Psychotherapist works as well as to Psychodrama.
Links: CCPE
Centre for Transpersonal Psychology
What is the difference between Integrative Psychotherapy and Transpersonal Psychotherapy?
There isn’t much difference except for the spiritual side of the client often has less of a focus in the Psycotherapy process. The basis of Integrative Psychotherapy is the Psychodynamic as in all Psychotherapy approaches, but it sprung out of the Existential and human philosophies and now incorporates many other leading Psychotherapy approaches, in particular the Humanistic.
Link: Metanoia
Back
St Ives, Camborne, Redruth & Helston