20 Nov Integrating the Psychological and the Spiritual
The following is Part One of an interview conducted with Catherine Auman by Melissa Aberkane, a PhD student from the Sorbonne:
Can you share what inspired you to engage in transpersonal psychology and how it has shaped your professional journey?
After college I had been studying spirituality and the occult quite intensely, so when I saw an advertisement for a graduate program in transpersonal psychology, it seemed the perfect blend of my interests. (I had also been in therapy for many years dealing with my difficult childhood.) It has remained so now for decades.
How has your experience with the Osho movement influenced your approach as a therapist and teacher?
My experience with the Osho movement has influenced my approach as a therapist and a teacher in all ways. I participated in many Osho therapies and workshops, and read many Osho books. Osho was a great tantra master and is at the root of almost all neo-tantra. I learned that life is right, that all is sacred, to celebrate everything, and to surrender.
What essential elements do you consider fundamental for successfully integrating spiritual experiences into daily life?
I believe the most essential element for successfully integrating spiritual experience into daily life is mindful awareness. This means a constant practice of coming back to the present moment, to the fact that we live in our bodies and not just our heads, an attitude of recognizing the divine in all things, and that our thoughts are only thoughts and not reality.
You have a unique approach to supporting individuals through mystical experiences. How does this manifest in your practice?
When supporting individuals through mystical experiences, it is first important to find out what grounds them and to help them access this. Then it is essential to help them find meaning in the experience, their own meaning, not a meaning imposed by me or anyone else. It is important to distinguish between mental health crises and mystical experiences, and sometimes both are happening concurrently. If there are mental health issues, medication might be supportive, as well as a contained environment. If not, it is important for the individual to receive support from someone who understands their experience and will not pathologize it.
What techniques or tools do you offer to help your clients navigate through periods of personal transformation?
To help clients navigate through periods of personal transformation, I might offer them a developmental perspective such as those systematized by mainstream psychology, the wisdom traditions, occult perspectives, or modern theoreticians such as Ken Wilber. I would emphasize the importance of selfcare, and the understanding that periods of transformation can be stressful and painful but may be leading to a breakthrough.
How do you perceive the evolution of spirituality in modern society, and what role do you think psychology can play in it?
“Spiritual but not religious” is the fastest growing category of identification in the US on surveys asking for religious faith. That being said, fundamentalism is increasing as well and is becoming politically strong. Personally, I think psychology is the new religion worldwide and will continue to grow and evolve.
© 2024 Catherine Auman
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