His research experience includes romantic acts and the priming effect in research, integration of exceptional experiences through the use of group spiritual guidance and group expressive arts, use of spirituality scales with individuals who have had exceptional experiences, and assessing both diversity within higher education and institutional change due to research on diversity within higher education. Ryan is currently focusing on transformation, the integration of exceptional experiences, parent-child relationships among individuals who report a near-death experience, working with research methods that honor the expressive arts and social action, and the use of online technology in transpersonal higher education.