Transpersonal States
Transpersonal psychology considers the concept of transpersonal states of awareness. Stanislav Grof defines these as "The common denominator of this otherwise rich and ramified group of phenomena is the feeling of the individual that his consciousness expanded beyond the usual ego boundaries and the limitations of time and space." These include mystical states and near-death experiences also subject to the psychology of religion. The idea of altered "states" of awareness is pivotal to this research. The conceptualisation, and other signifying processes of altered forms of awareness are studied in transpersonal psychology. Transpersonal psychotherapy consists of moving between these states, and learning techniques for disassembling and reassembling on different states/situations of altered reality montage for the purpose of healing, which can be brought about by transpersonal psychotechnologies. This clarifies one of transpersonal psychology's roots in early psychedelic work, some of these psychotechnologies include research with psychedelic plants and chemicals such as LSD, ibogaine, ketamine, peyote, ayahuasca and the vast variety of substances available to all human cultures throughout history. It can also be said that the attempts by transpersonal psychology is an intercultural approach to medicine and ethnobiology understood as a discourse raised from the academic community of the globalised university sector of knowledge production encountering the so-called herbalist shaman or alchemist.
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Famous quotes containing the word states:
“I asked myself, “Is it going to prevent me from getting out of here? Is there a risk of death attached to it? Is it permanently disabling? Is it permanently disfiguring? Lastly, is it excruciating?” If it doesn’t fit one of those five categories, then it isn’t important.”
—Rhonda Cornum, United States Army Major. As quoted in Newsweek magazine, “Perspectives” page (July 13, 1992)