The Ineffable

22 Nov The Ineffable

One of the challenges in transpersonal psychology is that it is most often attempting to study the non-rational with the rational mind. As transpersonal psychologists, we are trying to put into words the ineffable, or, that which cannot be expressed in words. We attempt to convey somatic experience with mental constructs. Some in the field have devised new forms of research to more clearly measure what we are studying, but in the personal life of the student and faculty things can become a bit linear.

Also there is always the risk in any form of study that the participants will not have a sufficient foundation in the prerequisites to be able to understand the subject at hand. A case in point is all the would-be writers who do not like to read and therefore have not built the neuronal pathways in their brains from studying their favorite authors and letting this guide them. It is important that transpersonal psychologists have personal experiences of the embodiment, diversity, ecology, silence and solitude, love, atunement, and collaboration, and the mystical, visionary, and creative, rather than just read about these things in journals and books.

The experiential assignments in this class have privileged the doing and non-doing of the right side of the brain, or of the intuitive, embodied, creative, mystical, silent, and relational. While we may be studying these subjects in a scholarly way in other classes, it seems imperative that transpersonal study needs to include these other ways of knowing and being. We need to practice and incorporate these areas into our lives to be full human. They are all part of an integral, holistic practice, ways of growing ourselves and expanding out into our communities to be of service.

I relished the time spent exercising these “out of shape” parts of myself. My creative projects have all been on the back burner while I’m in school. As a part of this class, I’ve begun to question whether I can afford to not spend any time on these pursuits when school is in session. During the break I’m going to review my schedule to see if I can spend time, at least weekly, on my non-work, non-school activities to explore and enjoy these other parts of myself, and not just as an afterthought. If, as Cameron (2016) suggest, we can schedule an Artist Date to look at other artists’ work, perhaps we can make a weekly artist date to be with ourselves and our creative process instead.

All of these thresholds held treasure for me. I learned and practiced and played. I recovered missing pieces of myself, and made a plan for an art project over the break. This wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t been participating in this class and its assignments.

© 2023 Catherine Auman

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