Breathing does not only perform the function of keeping the body alive but plays an important role in promoting our physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing. Sudarshan Kriya Yoga Breathwork (“SKY Breath”) is a unique breathing practice involving several types of rhythmic breathing patterns, ranging from slow and calming to rapid and stimulating. Studies have shown that SKY Breath technique can...
Psychedelics are psychoactive substances that induce non-ordinary states of consciousness characterised by significant shifts in perception, mood, cognition, and sense of self. Psychedelic integration refers to the post-experience phase during which insights and learnings from psychedelic journeys are assimilated and expressed within daily life. This study utilised intuitive inquiry, a...
This article presents findings of the study on the role and characteristics of contemporary psychedelic facilitation in shamanic and ceremonial settings, with facilitators who work alongside Indigenous shamans in their country of origin. While interest in psychedelics has increased in recent years, there is a paucity of studies that have focused on the process of facilitation within these...
Erratum to Formoso, K. A. (2023). Factor analysis of the MEQ43 suggests non-psychedelic mystical experiencesare different from psychedelic mystical experiences. Consciousness, Spirituality & Transpersonal Psychology, 4, 28-45. https://doi.org/10.53074/cstp.2023.63
Scientific leadership in mainstream academic circles plays a crucial role in scientific advancement, yet it seems to be in crisis. This study aimed to explore and understand how scientific leaders, who hold a transpersonal perspective (e.g. post-materialist, spiritual, contemplative), approach leadership, interpersonal and team dynamics, and the challenges they cope with in their daily lives....
This qualitative phenomenological study explored the under-researched aspect of near-death experiences (NDEs) involving encounters with living individuals, rather than deceased or religious figures. Through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with eight participants, the research captured the perspectives of both near-death experiencers (NDErs) and the living individuals they encountered....
Individuals with life-limiting illnesses contend with pressing existential and spiritual issues and may experience spiritual distress. Dementia is a life-limiting neurocognitive illness, but there is poor knowledge of the existential and spiritual needs of people in the advanced stages. Professional carers often lack the knowledge, skills, and confidence to assess and address these needs....
Modern clinical trials suggest early evidence for the safety and efficacy of psychedelic assisted psychotherapy (PAP) in domains including addictions, dysphoria related to life-threatening illnesses and depression. Research suggests that the mystical experience (ME) under psychedelics appears to play a key role in positive outcomes. With a growing evidence base, it is possible that PAP may be...
This research aimed to better understand the lived experience of people who have participated in psychedelic experiences, and inquire into how they have integrated these experiences. This study used the qualitative transpersonal research method of intuitive inquiry. In this unique methodology, the researcher is able to draw on both intellect and intuition while moving through a five-cycle...
This inquiry explored the impact of breastfeeding on mothers’ transpersonal values. It acknowledged societal obstacles mothers’ experience when attempting to breastfeed and included 12 participants who had a breastfeeding experience that reflects the current recommendations by the World Health Organization (WHO), meaning six months of exclusive breastfeeding followed by a combination of...
This research was motivated by the exponential interest in tattoos over the past four decades, which led to my research question: “Are tattoos symbols of transformation?” An examination of both current and historical literature generated an understanding of the tattoo process as a rite of passage, which considers the possibility of tattoos as transformative symbols between the mundane and...
This study aimed to determine whether the 30-item Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ30) is suitable for measuring non-psychedelic mystical experiences or whether a subset of questions from the 43-item Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ43) is more appropriate. Participants (N = 136) completed an online survey about their non-psychedelic mystical experience, which included the MEQ43 and...
Altered states of consciousness (ASC) occur when there is a deviation from normal levels of psychological functioning. They can be self-induced through meditative practices or taking psychoactive substances and therapeutically induced through processes like hypnotic induction. They are determined physiologically when brain rhythms drop from the usual rhythm of waking consciousness to the slower...
Can prayer offer a tool to enhance life-circumstances? This paper investigates different creative ways to develop prayer, as well as prayer's potential for psychological well-being, embodiment, transpersonal states and inner transformation. An experiential pilot study on self-created heartfelt embodied (SCHE) prayer was conceptualized and conducted with eight research participants over the...
Personal mandalas are being increasingly used in therapeutic and clinical settings to enhance psychological well-being, integrate trauma, reduce negative mood states, and increase self-knowledge. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of five individuals creating three personal mandalas with the underlying goal to understand if they entered an altered...
This study looked into the transformative effects and integration challenges of psychedelic experiences with psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) for the Romanian population. The aim was to determine the long-term transformative effects and challenges individuals might encounter during the integration process. The study employed a sequential mixed method design, using qualitative...
This phenomenological research explored the fast-growing societal trend in psilocybin microdosing, whereby a sub-perceptual amount of the psychedelic is consumed regularly. Anecdotal reports of microdosing have suggested that individuals can experience the relief of depressive symptoms, greater creativity and focus, deeper connections, and improvements in several mental health issues. Research...
Forms of dancing meditation have been popular choices for self-development in the Western world, yet they continue to be under-represented in the academic literature on mindfulness and transformative practices. The present study explored the lived experience and transformative potential of 5 Rhythms, a dancing meditation practice developed by Gabrielle Roth (1998). Anderson’s (1998) qualitative...
This study aimed to explore the experience of the transpersonal in contemplating retirement, as it impacted on five female co-researchers and myself. All were aged between 55 and 65 and were actively, or recently, engaged in careers in either psychotherapy or therapeutic social work. To allow for deep self-exploration, a heuristic research method, as described by Moustakas (1990), was chosen....
The majority of research that has been conducted around counselling and psychotherapy has been directed towards the evaluation of client outcome and client experience. Studies concentrated solely on therapist experience during the therapeutic encounter are largely in the minority. The purpose of this study was to explicate a deeper understanding of the unusual and unforgettable events that led...
This paper explores the relationship between travel, transpersonal development and spiritual growth. Due to the personal engagement of the participants and the author in the subject areas being investigated, Moustakas’ (1990) heuristic inquiry was chosen. This is a qualitative methodology ideally suited to reveal tacit knowledge through those “who have directly encountered the phenomenon”...