Holding together of the seeming polarities of human existence, e.g., life and death, joy and despair. Changes in body awareness to include a felt sense of the integration of body, mind, and spirit. A sense of being startled, awakened, and triggered into an expanded awareness of reality. Inward sense of freedom, vastness, or pure consciousness from which all activity begin. Persons seeking higher meaning on life or who have glimpses of reality that go beyond the material world may find transpersonal approaches of value.
Several assumptions are common to transpersonal therapy.
One basic belief is in the experiential reality of transcendent levels of experience, and the value of them for human development. Michael Washburn describes the transpersonal level of growth as reconnecting with the dynamic ground of the self. Ken Wilber describes it as connection with subtle, causal and ultimate realms of reality. Carl Jung considered inner growth as moving toward a greater Self. Whatever the framework, it is assumed that one goal of therapy is to facilitate growth of the person toward these higher levels of experience.