Transpersonal Psychology - Course Listing & Descriptions

This course engages the student in developing and enhancing their scholarly writing skills in tandem with transpersonal studies. Blending both theoretical and practical, this course will introduce students to the field of transpersonal studies through psychology, spirituality, shamanism, philosophy, science, social activism and human development.

 

Throughout the ages, individuals who have had intense religious experiences have also frequently exhibited unusual behaviors ranging from eccentric to fanatical, from saintly to insane. This course will assist students in defining such key concepts as mysticism, mental health, and mental illness, among others. Course work will focus on the neurobiological, psychosocial, and transpersonal aspects of various forms of mystical experience and mental illness. Students will be encouraged to examine their own experiences and develop a strategy for maintaining balance on the spiritual path. Those who take the class will be provided with guidelines and suggestions for assisting others who may be undergoing a "spiritual emergency" or "transformational crisis." 

The purpose of this course is to teach certain skills associated with the introverted side of life as it relates to transpersonal themes of personal development found in mythology. Included is a study of the practice of dream interpretation, meditation, and imagination and their use in personal growth as expressed in the development of a personal mythology. A personal mythology is a uniquely personal version of a universal story regarding the meaningful events typically found in a person's life span. The student will engage in a variety of experiential and research projects that will personalize the material and lead toward the creation of the student's personal mythology. Note: This course includes a proctored exam.

In this course, we will cover several major mainstream and minority psychological theories covering the first 130 years of the field that form the underlying basis for transpersonal theories and practices. We will discuss and critique these theories, informed by what we know about transpersonal psychology and the recent Cultural Competencies requirement that was added to the field's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5. The course will foster a better understanding of why the array of transpersonal psychological tools and ideas that have contributed to the transformation and well-being of ourselves, clients and society work in the way they do. Practices of contemplation, meditation and mindfulness will be applied and considered in relationship to these theories. Students will be able to use the knowledge gained in this course professionally and in their personal lives. Note: This course includes a proctored exam.

 

The purpose of this required research methods course is to give students a foundation from which they can understand the readings and research they will come into contact with throughout their studies in the MA in Mindful Leadership and Transpersonal Psychology. The course challenges students to expand their understanding of the importance, meaning, purpose, and application of scientific research in the field of transpersonal psychology and leadership studies. They learn how to differentiate between different research methodologies and how to apply them rigorously, constructively and creatively in service of transformation. Students are walked through an experiential and didactic process of developing their own research project proposal, which could be used for their Capstone or Culminating Project. In this way, they personally experience how research can contribute to personal growth and enhance human consciousness and lifestyles.

The purpose of this course is to introduce transpersonal psychology and situate it in the fields of study to which it is related. The texts for the course provide an introduction to the evolution of transpersonal psychology as a distinct field in psychology and modern Western culture from its cross-cultural origins in ancient times. They also provide an overview of the phenomena most associated with transpersonal psychology or best considered through its lens, including the following: Shamanism and other indigenous traditions; contemplative spiritual practices; paranormal or psi phenomena; mind-body development practices; involuntary, spontaneous openings to altered states; psychotropic drugs and sacred medicine traditions; and other deliberate practices for the cultivation of non-ordinary states. Transpersonal psychology involves many areas of scholarly controversy within the field and vis-à-vis other areas of scientific exploration. Sciences based on classical, materialist worldviews tend to oppose transpersonal phenomena (and subjective experience or phenomenology generally), but those based on quantum physics can accommodate transpersonal experience. Transpersonal psychology remains at the forefront of the paradigmatic struggle between classic science and a new worldview that would more adequately account for "anomalous" experiences and observations. This course provides an overview of the range of transpersonal psychology and a critical framework from which to consider it, including examining your own experience of and beliefs.

*Prerequisite TP5012 Introduction to Psychological Theories

After completing TP5000, Master of Arts in Transpersonal Psychology students will complete TP5005, TP5010, TP5015, and TP5020 before enrolling in specialization or elective courses.

This course examines six major world religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Taoism) and Indigenous Spirituality from two distinct perspectives. Students will first study an overview of the tradition, which may include its origin, history, underlying mythology, rituals, and the life and spiritual practices of its adherents. This perspective will encompass what you might call the orthodox or exoteric aspects, as well as touching on esoteric (or mystical) aspects, of each tradition. The second perspective will be a journey into the more mystical (esoteric) aspects of each tradition via exposure to some of its original (formative) mystical texts and writings. As an experiential adjunct to this perspective, students will be asked to try a contemplative practice from each tradition. In addition, they will read about the first-hand experiences of saints and sages who arrived at realization or enlightenment through that religion. Students ought to be aware of three possible approaches (perspectives) that can be taken when looking at religious traditions or beliefs other than one's own: the exclusivist perspective is one in which one's own religion is the one true tradition, and all others are false or deluded in some way; an inclusivist view asserts that one's own religion is true and that others are partially true and the truth in them can be understood by reference or comparison with one's own tradition; finally a pluralist view accepts all traditions as the truth in themselves. In this view one is willing to be changed by one's exposure to that tradition.

This course is designed to help you understand your role as a spiritual mentor and the qualities that you need to nurture in yourself to enhance your effectiveness. It also will explore the nature of the mentoring relationship and what a mentor does and does not do in the role of spiritual guide. It examines the function of spiritual experiences and ways by which we can evaluate their validity and direction. It also will clarify how mentoring compares to counseling and psychotherapy, and it teaches fundamental tools that are crucial to the development of skills and success at being a spiritual mentor.

The purpose of the course is to enhance the skill set of students with an interest in holistic mentoring, compare and contrast holistic perspectives with mainstream counseling practices, and help the student’s inner journey in order to be more effective in their chosen life roles. The course is divided into three sections and has a decidedly multicultural focus. Phase one goals (weeks 1-5) involve tools to help find your spiritual white space, while phase two (weeks 6-10) considers the Western psychotherapy approach, and finally, in the third phase (weeks 11 & 12) insights are consolidated into your own personal toolbox. From Mesoamerican indigenous practices to Shaolin Monk happiness philosophy, we will journey from East to West, and land back squarely with you. As the Japanese monk Basho (1644-1694) noted, our role in life is;“traveling to and fro, to and fro, to cultivate this small field.” We will enhance our transpersonal knowledge of self, our knowledge of others, and develop tools and strategies to help create value in our world. This course is helpful to differentiate roles and responsibilities between licensed psychotherapy treatment and holistic practice. The course does not lead to, nor support licensure in psychotherapy, but rather, is designed to help the holistic practitioner accrue a broader knowledge base for her/his success.

This course introduces the student to various theories regarding the origins and development of consciousness, as well as historical and contemporary models for the structure of consciousness, and possible directions for the further evolution of consciousness. The course emphasizes the contributions of metaphysics, religion, and transpersonal psychology, but also considers traditional viewpoints. The views of such thinkers as Wilber, Cayce, Eisler, Schneider, and others are included. Students will also consider their own development of consciousness.

 

For more than 2000 years, starting with the Ancient Greeks at least, humanity has pondered questions about what is real and true. This questioning has focused throughout history on an apparent rift or contrast between what we might call the outer and inner worlds; between the material and non-material, between matter on the one hand and mind or soul on the other, and between what we now call the objective and subjective realms of human experience. This ancient issue has become, in its modern expression, a divide between science and religion or at a more fundamental level between science and spirit.

As our collective worldview evolved our perception of reality (a reality that presumably encompasses outer and inner worlds) has clearly changed. The purpose of this course is to examine the age-old question about, and our changing view of, reality. The historical perspective allows us to see where our modern scientific worldview came from, and what underlying assumptions it has. We study what it is that science tells us about reality and who we are. We also study what mystical traditions tell us about who we are. It is a contrast in worldviews and hence a contrast in perceptions about reality. Is the apparent rift between science and spirituality real? Are there possible worldviews, towards which we are changing, that could integrate these two realms?

 

Creativity is an inherent primal drive that is at the core of human existence. It is most obviously demonstrated in the arts and sciences, but we all engage in that creative drive, consciously or unconsciously, in every aspect of life - in dealing with the trials and tribulations of life, as well as the positive aspects - in conscious evolution and soul development. It is the fundamental drive that we draw on as we pursue our unique sense of soul purpose. The study of creativity is a complex affair requiring an integrated multidimensional approach. This course presents such an approach through a didactic and experiential process of investigation.

This required course in the Creativity specialization explores some of the most current research, understandings, and applications in the field of transpersonal consciousness and creativity, exceptional human potential, and personal and planetary change. We study, discuss, and experience transformational shift through understanding how the brain and body; the unconscious, subconscious, conscious mind and transpersonal consciousness work; and the potentials of conscious change and neuroplasticity. The work of this course ultimately creates a synergy within that will enlarge our perceptions, deepen our awareness and insight, and enhance the quality of our lives.

The assumption behind this course is that each of us can make a difference in our families and communities by developing a greater consciousness of our own feelings, thoughts, and actions as they affect our ability to create harmony around us. The purpose of this course is to deepen students' understanding of the dynamics of peacebuilding as it relates to any situation. The course will also include the examination of some of the terms and modalities used in peacebuilding, such as reconciliation, conflict transformation, and mediation.

The purpose of this course is to increase students' effectiveness in conversation, both with themselves and with others. Students will learn and practice different forms of listening, and will also study several approaches to the dialogue process. Throughout the course, students will be asked to reflect on their own progress with, and challenges to, being an effective listener and participant in dialogues. The course offers numerous ways to practice these.

The purpose of this course is to introduce you to basic two-dimensional art skills that will provide you with the confidence to express yourself more fully in a visual manner. This course also will provide you with a foundation in the spiritual dimension of the creative process. The work covered in this course is appropriate to individuals of all skill levels in two-dimensional art from beginner to advanced. Included is instruction in basic representational and abstract drawing and painting skills.

 

This course is designed to deepen your appreciation for the role played by dreams in personal growth and transformation. It provides you with the skills you need to understand your dreams better and, more significantly, prepares you to help others understand their own dreams. It examines the important role waking life plays in the dream world and the role of personal responsibility and ethics in working with the dreams of others. Course requirements include a practicum. This course will not provide the student with the background to offer psychotherapy or other therapeutic counseling, which requires special training and state licensure.

Click here for a detailed description of the course, including weekly breakdown.

The purpose of this course is to help you develop skills and methods that will allow you to clarify your own mission in life so you can help others find theirs. The strategies for creating a personal mission statement are drawn largely from the material found in Edgar Cayce's nearly 2,000 life readings - clairvoyant, spiritual counseling discourses given to individuals between 1923 and 1944 - material that provides a framework that is easily adaptable to contemporary seekers. Course requirements include a practicum. This course will not provide the student with the background to offer psychotherapy or other therapeutic counseling, which requires special training and state licensure.

This course is designed to deepen your appreciation for methods for connecting with your inner spiritual resources. The approach to this study and practice will be eclectic - drawing upon sources from Eastern and Western traditions. As you deepen your own inner life, you will be better prepared to act as a guide, teacher, or mentor to others. The course culminates in a practical demonstration of your growing capacity to serve as a helper to other seekers. Course requirements include a practicum, in which you will have the opportunity to teach and share your own personal version of meditation instruction. This course will not provide the student with the background to offer psychotherapy or other therapeutic counseling, which requires special training and state licensure.

This course is a survey of the field of parapsychology, including spontaneous psychic experiences, studies of mediums and psychics, experimental studies, and the relationship of psychic phenomena to religious experiences. It approaches psychic phenomena from the perspective of integrating them with other aspects of human consciousness. The course combines intellectual and experiential approaches. The course compares the methods used to study and experience various types of psychic phenomena and explores the implications of these phenomena for other fields of human endeavor. There are also opportunities for you to explore your own psychic ability and to conduct a study of the psychic abilities of others. Learn more. 

The purpose of the TP6115 Level One course is to introduce the student to a technique for psychological and spiritual growth called Integrated Imagery through a didactic and supervised experiential process that includes a four-day residency and online cohort and mentor interaction prior to and subsequent to the residency. The course starts with an introduction to the principles of the technique, reincarnation theory as it relates to growth processes, the model of complex psychology, and the concept of the energetic chain of experience. The student will learn basic intake and induction techniques, introductory processing and guidelines, and closure and integration techniques designed to de-energize negative patterns and enliven positive experiences and memories. The primary emphasis of this introductory course and level of training is on exploring the positive aspects of one's psychospiritual nature and how those aspects affect one's sense of life path, also viewed as soul purpose in some spiritual systems. Another application of Integrated Imagery is to access transpersonal states of consciousness in order to gain additional insights, guidance, and creative impetus to support the process of conscious evolution and creativity. Although the technique enables people to access what appear to be past lives and transpersonal states of consciousness, the subjects of the regression experience need not have any belief in reincarnation or spirituality for the purpose of insight and healing. In this respect, Integrated Imagery can be viewed as another technique comparable to those used in dream work, sand play, or any of the creative arts therapies. Consequently, the regression experience will tend to be relevant to the subject's life and therefore have healing potential.

 

The purpose of this second-level course is to enable the student to develop a more advanced level of skill in the technique of Integrated Imagery. As in Level One, TP6115, this will be accomplished through a didactic and supervised experiential process that includes a four-day residency and online cohort and mentor interaction prior to, during, and subsequent to the residency. In the online preparation for the residency and during the four-day residency, the student will be introduced to a more advanced understanding of Eriksonian hypnosis, complex psychology, and the processing of not only positive but traumatic regression experiences accessed in what is called in this model the energetic chain of experience. This involves biographical, perinatal, and transpersonal experiences as well as what may be perceived as past life memories when necessary. Through lectures, demonstrations, group discussions, and supervised regression experiences during the residency, the students will be expected to acquire more advanced skills in the intake/induction, guiding/processing, and closure/integration stages of the technique. In this second level of training, emphasis will be placed on the technique of processing and re-scripting (de-energizing) the negative or traumatic experiences surfacing in the regression process. The online component of the course subsequent to the residency involves the submission of case presentations discussing the residential experience as a guide and as a traveler as well as eight practice regression sessions to be conducted privately during the final weeks of the course. Prerequisite: TP6115 Integrated Imagery Level One.

 

More advanced topics and techniques will be introduced and demonstrated, including advanced techniques in processing trauma, the use of progressions, an introduction to dealing with attachments, and the application of Integrated Imagery as a technique in spiritual mentoring. Consequently, emphasis will be placed on the issue of ethics and establishing a mentoring practice. The online component of the course subsequent to the residency involves the submission of case presentations discussing the residential experience as a guide and traveler, as well as eight practice regression sessions to be conducted privately during the final weeks of the course. Prerequisites: TP6115 Integrated Imagery Level One and TP6120 Integrated Imagery Level Two.

 

Shamanism is a term that has been used since the 1950s to describe an engagement by healers or medicine people with the spirit world. In truth, this is a very limited understanding of the varied, rich, ancient and complex practices across cultures and time that can include work with plant medicines, village and community leadership, spiritual mentoring, priestly ceremonial oversight, and healing of both individuals and groups, among other "medicine".

In this class, students will be challenged to learn the history and background of shamanism across cultures, from indigenous to western. They will understand the difference between indigenous perspectives about their own healing and ceremonial traditions versus western shamanism as a new spiritual and therapeutic movement. They will learn how it fits into the transpersonal movement in the West. 

In addition they will engage with levels of consciousness that must commonly be mastered by a novice "shaman" or medicine person seeking to master engagement with the spirit world and its potential for healing and transformation. This course will not teach students the art and craft of shamanism--such study can take years of intensive effort and self-discipline--but it will expose them to the beauty and power of the path. 

This course explores the nature of symbols and mythology, the reasons for their importance, and their effect on the way in which we experience life. It explores how our belief systems and the resulting behaviors reflect our family and culture, and how, during our passage from one stage of life to another, symbols and images arise from our biological, emotional, psychological, and spiritual maturation. The purpose of this course is to increase the student's deep understanding of myths and symbols for the transformations in life.

In this elective writing course in the Creativity Specialization, students will define a reason for wishing to write nonfiction and then create a vision statement and career plan or book proposal for actualizing their vision. They will also practice the techniques for writing different types of nonfiction and give one another feedback on their ideas and writing. The purpose of this course is to outfit transpersonal thinkers with the tools necessary to share their ideas with various audiences in various genres or media. As a result of this course, the students will be able to actualize and shape transpersonal theories into interesting and readable prose. In so doing, they will educate the world and help to actualize their own purpose within it.

Any consideration of leadership from the point of view of its transformative qualities must necessarily take into account the evolving relationship between self-transformation and the leadership based upon this self-integrity and wholeness (leading from the inside out). Essentially, this course asks students to give serious thought to the question of what it means to be a leader with strong personal wholeness. The course is based on the premise that inner transformation depends upon the person, and that such transformation can occur in context with others. Thus, leading from the inside out does not mean that, as I transform myself, I then transform others. Rather, the group dynamic within which I operate presents an opportunity for all involved to transform themselves.

Any activity that involves the interaction of human beings is bound to have ethical and spiritual implications. The purpose of this required course is to examine the spiritual and ethical implications of leadership. Essentially, this course asks students to consider the questions of how one ought to behave both spiritually and ethically as a leader. In whatever society we live, these questions are raised as a normal part of human discourse. For example, in the course of an election, people will try to decide which of the participants would be a better leader. The term, "better," is a value-laden term in that it implies some criterion or goal with respect to which we will measure potential leaders. It may be that, for some, "better" means "more effective" in achieving a certain goal. But, for this to make sense, the goal must have some value. Spirituality and ethics are key pieces in the study of value.

Authentic education is based upon the notion that all aspects of a person (physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual) must be addressed for genuine learning to occur. The purpose of this course is to engage the student in a reflective examination of the spiritual aspects of the learning process in order to determine a) how those aspects can enhance the student's understanding of self and others, and b) how that understanding relates to the ability to lead from within.

Professional development of others is central to leadership roles of any kind: managing direct reports, leading teams, or consulting, coaching, and mentoring others. The best leaders serve as mentors and coaches developing the whole person to reach his or her highest potential. The purpose of this course is to understand the concept of coaching others in a developmental model that applies both to the coach and the client being coached. The theory of coaching will be introduced, and students will focus on practicing what they are learning. Participants will learn how coaching skills can deepen relationships, open up new possibilities, and empower others to take more initiative in their jobs and careers. Students learn the art of deep listening, powerful and wise questioning, how to “hold space” for another person in an important conversation and how to help someone else identify next steps and move from reflection to action. Emphasis will be placed on assessing the client’s strengths, needs, and coachability as well as developing the foundational skills necessary for observing, recognizing, and intervening for maximum effectiveness in coaching others and in building an organizational culture for coaching. Students will also build their personal mastery by applying to themselves the developmental coaching practices they learn both in mindfulness and in greater self understanding.

This course will provide you with the necessary background and tools to engage in a personal exploration of mandalas through the creative process. Using a variety of methods and materials, you will create a series of mandalas, observe this process as it unfolds in a series of images over time, and experience firsthand the transformation that can come from the conscious creation of mandalas. You will explore the symbolism of mandalas through intuitive interpretation, dreams, and the synchronistic patterns that manifest in waking life while you engage in this practice. The course provides an historical, philosophical, and psychological context for understanding mandala creation, while placing emphasis on the development of personal artistic vision.

The purpose of this course is to give the student an understanding of entrepreneurship, business and an understanding of how their business will have a local as well as a global effect. Through these understandings, the student will be able to define how the business process works, how to use the knowledge gained to start their own enterprise, how to be an effective leader, and how to start a socially conscious and responsible business. Through the definition and creation of their concept, the student will begin to build a plan for the launch of their new endeavor.

In this course, the student works with a faculty member to design a focused, in-depth study related to transpersonal psychology. The student must have completed 15 credit hours of work towards the degree, including completion of the five core courses (TP5000, TP5010, TP5012, TP5015, TP5020) and at least one specialization required course. Each student is allowed to take up to two directed study courses within their degree program. If you are interested in enrolling in TP6900, please contact your advisor at advising@atlanticuniv.edu.

This course is only available to students in the Master of Arts in Transpersonal Psychology program. Students who choose to cap off their degree experience with a Culminating Project register for TP6999 as the last course in their program.