African-Centered Transpersonal Self in Diaspora and Psychospiritual Wellness: A Sankofa Perspective

Abstract

The West African concepts of às .e .and sankofa have distinctive transpersonal value that should be explored in greater depth by the transpersonal field, particularly for their relational and participatory aspects.Transpersonal psychology is a Western psychology with philosophical roots in transcendentalism and perennialist traditions that may include theism and non-dualism.Officially established in 1968, transpersonal psychology has gone through a number of shifts, including the participatory turn in the early 2000s.The Association of Black Psychologists (ABPsi), also founded in 1968, has built a substantial body of research on a variety of African epistemology, cosmology, and philosophy to create the field of African-centered psychology.The transpersonal West African concepts discussed here may serve as a bridge to begin greater dialogue between the fields of Black psychology and transpersonal psychology.