It is the field of psychology which integrates psychological concepts, theories, and methods with the subject matter and practices of the spiritual disciplines. Its interests include spiritual experiences, mystical states of consciousness, mindfulness and meditative practices, shamanic states, ritual, the overlap of spiritual experiences and disturbed states such as psychosis and depression, and the transpersonal dimensions of relationships, service, and encounters with the natural world. The central concept in Transpersonal Psychology is self-transcendence, or a sense of identity which is deeper, broader, and more unified with the whole. Rather, it is a field of inquiry which offers insights based on research and experience and provides practices for evaluating and confirming or disconfirming its findings. Transpersonal psychology has benefits for both psychology and the spiritual disciplines.
Psychology can expand toward a fuller and richer accounting of the full range of human experience.
The spiritual disciplines can incorporate insights and skills about human development, healing, and growth to deal more skillfully with the psychological issues that arise during the spiritual search. It also provides perspectives on spiritual systems to help understand their similarities and differences. This field includes theory, research, and practice. It is important to evaluate the sources of any information, including what you find on the Web. One aspect of this evaluation is the author's credentials.