Do transpersonal psychologists know what they are talking about?

This paper critiques transpersonal psychologists for lacking direct experience of Nondual consciousness, the highest level of awareness in Wilber's model. It notes that most conference participants had not embodied this state, while major religious traditions—Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Yoga—distinguish Subtle, Causal, and Nondual levels. The author argues that spiritual experiences typically arise from the Subtle level and are often mistaken for the Causal or Nondual. Psychologists must engage personally with all three levels to legitimately claim expertise in transpersonal psychology.

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Abstract

This paper is a critique on transpersonal psychologists in terms of their experience and practices. Rowan observed that most participants in transpersonal psychology conferences had not embodied the experience of Nondual – the highest level ofconsciousness in the realms of the transpersonal according to Wilber (2000). Rowan further pointed out that most great religious traditions made the distinction between Subtle; Causal; Nondual level of consciousness, citing Judaism, Christianity, Muslim, Hinduism and Yoga as examples. The paper further claims that all spiritual experiences come from the Subtle level, which is often confused with the Causal and Nondual level of consciousness. In conclusion, Rowan argued that psychologists should be engaged with their own experience and practice in terms of the three levels of consciousness if they were to be transpersonal psychologists and claimed that they know what transpersonal psychology is about.Keywords:Subtle; Causal; Nondual; consciousness; religions; transpersonal.