14 Jun Transpersonal Psychology: Meditation
Ancient yoga and meditative practices in Hinduism were technologies designed to induce transpersonal experiences. A practitioner was expected to meditate and perform exercises daily for years in order to be able to enter these states at will. However, as pointed out by Feuerstein (1989)
Through intense mental concentration … and other means, the yogin remodels his [sic] internal environment. He may indeed fuse with the transcendental reality, just as some drugs can catapult a persona into the unitive consciousness of the mystics. But his enjoyment of that Reality is only temporary. When he returns to the ordinary waking state, he also returns to his ordinary ego-personality… Indeed, the mystic runs a high risk of succumbing to ego-inflation. (p. 6)
Meditation was not particularly practiced for its healing capacities, although contemporary research validates that the bodies and brains of meditators have changed (MacDonald et. al., 2015) involving such things as improved stress response, calmness and relaxation, improved integration and harmonization of brain structure, greater cognitive control, and strengthened affect regulation. Research has proven the beneficial effects of meditation, but not necessarily proven anything about the transpersonal experiences that may be a result of this practice.
In our contemporary culture, meditation has been stripped of its transpersonal potentials and is marketed as a productivity tool. It is seen as an optimal wellness strategy, rather than a discipline of learning to connect with the divine.
© 2023 Catherine Auman
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