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Engagement in a Community-Based Integral Practice Program Enhances Well-being
Get PDFThis project examined associations between engagement in a community-based integral practice program and measures of health and well-being. In this prospective withinsubjects uncontrolled cohort study, 53 participants of Integral Transformative Practice (ITP), a program that incorporates movement, nutritional and exercise recommendations, affirmations, contemplative introspection, theory and philosophy, and group discussions and activities, were followed over one year. Participants completed online questionnaires upon enrollment, at six months, and one year later. Repeated measures analyses showed that participants reported improved overall health and reduced symptoms of ill health, as well as increased psychological well-being, vitality, and quality of life over the course of the year. Greater involvement in the practice community predicted better psychological well-being, increased quality of life, and greater self-transcendence. Self-transcendence mediated the relationship between level of ITP involvement and psychological well-being outcomes, and predicted physical health outcomes, suggesting that this construct may be important to the effectiveness of participating in wellness interventions
Spontaneous/Radical Remission of Cancer: Transpersonal Results from a Grounded Theory Study
Get PDFThis grounded theory study aimed to collect hypotheses for spontaneous or radical remission (RR) of cancer, which is a remission that occurs without medical treatment, or with medical treatment considered inadequate to produce the remission. Interviews were conducted with 20 RR survivors and 50 non-conventional healers from 11 countries. Results showed that three underlying beliefs emerged: 1. Cancer thrives under certain conditions; 2. Illness represents blockage; and 3. A body-mind-spirit interaction exists. Six factors believed to be possible causes of RR also emerged: 1. Diet change; 2. Deepening spirituality; 3. Increasing happiness; 4. Releasing suppressed emotions; 5. Taking supplements; and 6. Using intuition. Three additional factors emerged among RR survivors only. This paper takes a closer look at those findings that involved transpersonal elements
The Legacy of Stanislav Grof: A Brief Overview
No full textThe remarkable achievement of Stanislav Grof was to engage and then contribute to the great transformation of world view of our age, experiencing that paradigm crisis directly within the crucible of his therapeutic research, and eventually bringing forth both a radically expanded map of the human psyche and an extraordinarily powerful method of psychotherapy. Acting as a kind of psychospiritual midwife, Grof combined a radical openness to the mystery of the psyche and trust in the healing power of the unconscious with a willingness to explore, and help others explore, an astonishing range of non-ordinary states of consciousness. The complex, multidimensional understanding of the psyche that emerged has offered depth psychology not only a resolution of its foundational schism between Freud and Jung, but also a nuanced integration of East and West, ancient mystical traditions and contemporary science, and finally opening the innermost depths of the psyche to the cosmos itself
Stanislav Grof Response and Audience Discussion I - October 25, 2014
No full textStanislav Grof responds to morning presenters and audience questions
Ketamine—Its History, Uses, Pharmacology, Therapeutic Practice, and an Exploration of its Potential as a Novel Treatment for Depression
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Walking Between Worlds: Holding Multiple Worldviews as a Key for Ecological Transformation
Get PDFThe current ecological, social, and personal crises spark the need for radical transformation
to shift from one world that is mechanistic, destructive, and egocentric to another that is
relational, life affirming, and embedded in the widest understandings of interconnected
selves. The author employed an organic research inquiry to depict the patterns of people
making this shift, identified six qualities, and found that embracing these crises provides
opportunity to enlarge individual and collective perspectives in a way that aligns with larger
systems of life opening one up to what has been called the multicultural self, the ecological
self, or the self-transforming self. These concepts demonstrate that, when one can navigate
more than one worldview, one is more resilient and responsive
Results of a Transpersonal, Narrative, and Phenomenological Psychotherapy for Psychosis
Get PDFIn our academically based, psychiatric outpatient practice, we have encountered those who wish to avoid medications for treatment for psychosis. This study is a qualitative/quantitative study in progress of a patient population diagnosed with psychosis and managed primarily without medication. We reflect upon the transpersonal foundations of an approach in which voices and visions are accepted as real, given full ontological status, and addressed within a dialogical framework. We present interim data on a series of 51 patients over 20 years old who presented with psychosis and who remained with us for at least six months in their effort to reduce or eliminate medication. (An additional 201 patients presented themselves for treatment but did not continue for six months.) The practitioners use questionnaires to quantify symptom level, including the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, two depression rating scales, the Clinical Global Inventory, and the Revised Behavior and Symptom Identification Scale. In addition, narrative interviews are utilized in a review of symptoms. Of these 51 individuals, 38 managed psychosis without the use of medication (or with very occasional medication as sleeping assist). Another nine managed well on low dose medications. Three individuals required higher levels of medication and one became progressively worse despite all efforts and was eventually involuntarily placed in the State Hospital. The overall cost-benefit is favorable in creating fewer hospitalization, crises, and diminished suicidality. The results do not hint at one algorithmic solution, but suggest the need for individualized approaches that are client-centered and build upon the previous successes of the person, enroll family and friends in a community effort, and collaborate with those communities to apply those approaches desired by the people themselves. We are optimistic that this dialogical approach to psychosis in which lived experience is granted full ontological reality can facilitate recovery of function in the ordinary, consensual world. Each person’s narrative is unique and not necessarily transferable to any other person. How people arrive at successful solutions is varied and makes sense only within their local context and knowledge communities
Ketamine for Depression: A Mixed-Methods Study
Get PDFPrior studies have reported variously on the presence or absence of dissociative effects at subanesthtetic doses of ketamine administered for treatment-resistant depression. This mixedmethods study emulated the protocol used for the studies in question, with IV administration of 0.5mg/kg over 40 minutes with eight experienced ketamine users. Quantitative measures were generally insignificant since this was not a population reporting depression; blood pressure increased as expected by 20-30mm systolic and 6-20mm diastolic, falling rapidly by 20 minutes after completion of the infusion. Individual qualitative reports reports of relaxation, pleasant sensation, decreased cognitive function, and some disabling of ordinary capacities. As experienced users, subjects commented freely on what was characterized as the triviality of the experience, and typically expressed skepticism that ketamine could have antidepressant properties when administered at this dose or in this manner, as well as disbelief that it could be beneficial except perhaps as a period of relaxation, or as a partial break from ordinary states of mind in naïve subjects. Group discussion produced a consensus recommendation in favor of threshold- and higher-dosage transformative work beginning with a 40-50mg IM bolus, potentially in a series of sessions with higher dosages if indicated, with the number of sessions to be determined by clinical practice; such work should occur in a closely monitored psychotherapeutic setting
Regarding the Transpersonal Nature of Ketamine Therapy: An Approach to the Work
Get PDFRecent evidence has shown that ketamine treatment can facilitate psychological insight and symptom resolution in various psychiatric disorders. To aid this process, psychotherapeutic support should be considered a fundamental aspect of treatment. The psychedelic experience produced by ketamine can be a deeply meaningful source of enduring change and personal growth. The author has repeatedly observed a rapid realignment of self-perception away from shame, fear, and dread toward authentic self-acceptance and gratitude, offering patients opportunity for insight and the consideration of new potentialities. The experience produced by ketamine is similar in quality to transpersonal experiences described by Jung and induced by various religious practices and near-death experiences. As such, therapists working with these patients may wish to understand and incorporate the concepts of the Psychic Life Cycle, Restitution of the ego-Self Axis, and the Encounter with the Self described within Jungian and Transpersonal Psychology. The author discusses broad themes and practical therapeutic considerations regarding the transpersonal themes identified while overseeing this treatment process. Case studies are provided for illustration
