PSY-5580M: Spiritual Psychology and Spiritual Psychotherapy

This course explores the viewpoint that spirituality, as reflected in various traditions from around the world, suggests an alternative perspective on how one overcomes suffering and moves toward having a happy life. This viewpoint is drawn from the integration of classical yogic based meditation practice and spiritual perspective with psychodynamic, object relations, existential, humanistic, and cognitive-behavioral approaches to working with clients. Many current therapeutic methods are utilizing and incorporating mindfulness, the mental, emotional, and physical benefits of which have been empirically supported. However, various meditative traditions diverge radically from the empirical perspective in how they understand cause and effect and the process of growth and change. In this course we explore the view that spirituality speaks directly to clinical problems and recommends the inclusion of the associated mysterious, powerful, and joyful healing experiences in our understanding of therapeutic process. We will share and discuss several clinical and personal spiritual experiences. And we will explore their therapeutic benefit and the difficulty in pinning down the mechanism of action in such instances, suggesting that activities in the spiritual realm may be apparent and experienceable while also remaining unknowable or incomprehensible in certain ways. The viewpoint taken in this course is that such phenomena should not be ignored or undervalued in mainstream psychology We will explore contemplation as practiced in a variety of cultures and spiritual traditions. Contemplation is an entirely different way of knowing reality that has the power to move us beyond ideology and dualistic thinking. The capacity for nondual knowing that is developed through contemplation allows us to be happy, and comfortable with paradox and mystery. Spiritual masters of various traditions have taught us how all the hopes we have on the outside can be fulfilled on the inside through meditation and contemplation. Suffering can be an important and valuable source of guidance in this process, as we detach from the experience of needing external things to find fulfillment. This course will also consider the practical use of contemplative practice to identify and intervene on processes of psychological projection, as well as to intercede on binary thinking often applied to culture, gender, sexuality, class, and disability, building our capacity as therapists to be compassionate and respectful of socio-cultural differences. We will draw from and seek parallels amongst a number of the great spiritual traditions and practices drawn from a variety of cultures around the world in this workshop, including, Buddhist, Hindu-Yoga-Vedanta, Kashmir Shaivism, Sufi/Muslim, mystical Christianity, Native American and Kabbalah/Jewish Mysticism as we reflect on the concepts of spiritual psychology and psychotherapy.
Min. Credits: 1.0
Credit Basis: Quarter credit
Location(s): Antioch Univ Los Angeles
Method(s): Classroom
Faculty Consent Required: N
Program Approval Required: N
Course Type Psychology, Counseling and Therapy

About

Leadership

Administrative Resources

Discover Our Campuses

Academic Focus Areas

Programs by Type

Programs by Modality

Programs by Campus

Academic Resources

Admissions

Information for

Dates & Deadlines

Tuition & Fees

Financial Aid

PSY-5580M: Spiritual Psychology and Spiritual Psychotherapy