An introduction to spiritual psychology: overview of the literature, east and west.

This article reviews the philosophical underpinnings of spiritual psychology by examining Western and Eastern traditions. It defines and critiques theism, atheism, and agnosticism, and discusses the limits of scientific knowledge. The perspectives of William James, Carl Jung, and Sigmund Freud are reviewed, along with contributions from humanistic psychology. Contemporary spiritual psychology is summarized through recent work on theistic psychotherapy, Buddhist psychology, mind-body medicine, and transpersonal psychology. Sri Aurobindo's modern Asian perspective on theistic psychology is introduced, describing his model of the relationship between the soul and the unconscious. A brief clinical vignette illustrates the discussion.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This article outlines the philosophical background to spiritual psychology and selectively reviews Western and Eastern literature on the subject. The world views of theism, atheism, and agnosticism are defined and critiqued, and the boundaries of scientific knowledge discussed. The views of James, Jung, and Freud are reviewed, and the contributions of humanistic psychology noted. Contemporary spiritual psychology is then summarized with reference to recent literature on theistic psychotherapy, Buddhist psychology, mind-body medicine, and transpersonal psychology. Sri Aurobindo's work is introduced as a modern Asian perspective on theistic psychology, and his model of the relationship between the "soul" and the unconscious described. Finally, a brief clinical vignette is given.