Transpersonal therapy (or Nondual Therapy) is a spiritually-minded or existential approach to therapy.

Transpersonal therapy holds the perspective that mind and nature are not separate. (This perspective is also called nonduality or nondual awareness.) It offers the understanding that it’s not just the mind and body that can need healing and looking after, but also our spirit or the transcendent aspect of ourselves.

Transpersonal therapy would go as far as stating that most of our emotional or psychological afflictions are caused by a feeling of disconnection from our true nature and from the larger web of being that encompasses everything in the cosmos. This disconnection is caused by emotional and psychological wounding, by narratives and beliefs we have absorbed from others or society, or simply by stress and lack of presence due to our hectic modern lifestyle.

Transpersonal therapy aims to nurture presence and to reconnect us with greater awareness and wisdom so that we can embody more trust, peace and authenticity. It is a transformative therapy that pays special attention to self-expansive and self-actualizing experiences.

Awareness Beyond the Ego

Our modern world has offered many comforts and protections (for the privileged ones of us), but to achieve this we had to control the environment, the other, and our selves. Unfortunately, the side-effect this creates is an illusion of dualism: the idea of me versus other or me versus life which only leaves us in conflict, fear, and suffering.

The ego (our sense of I-ness and identity) is like a tool or avatar that helps us navigate the world. It helps us survive by fulfilling needs and noticing danger. It accomplishes this through a sort of cognitive program to differentiate us from others, and it breaks the world down into pieces so that we can navigate it. It’s biggest job is to keep us alive as long as possible which is important! But…if we believe we are only our ego, it is a scary, lonely way to live indeed. The ego thinks it has to fix and manipulate its way out of all problems, even death! Which is an impossible task. It thinks we have more control than we do which creates feelings of anxiety, self-doubt, and at its worst it creates self-criticism and self-loathing leading to all kinds of emotional and psychological suffering. When we only see out of the ego’s reductionistic filter we often feel painfully unsettled and alone. 

The ego’s program doesn’t understand the truth, that we are actually not separate from everything else! This insight is what many spiritual traditions have known for millennia and is now being confirmed by physics, chemistry and astronomy. The atoms in our bodies are inextricably linked to their environment, and with that understanding we can see that the universe and all within it is like one organism: moving, evolving and transforming.

What if instead of being at odds with ourselves, others, or life, we could access more peace, trust, vitality, and meaning by cultivating the awareness of interconnectedness (nonduality) and move more with flow of our deeper Nature.

How does Transpersonal Therapy Work?

Transpersonal therapy aims to return the person to the transpersonal process and help them see beyond the ego’s matrix. It does this by bringing mindful attention to the ego to notice that it is only a part of us, a program that we can use for our benefit, instead of it controlling us to our detriment. This allows us to shift to a more expansive and compassionate awareness of self and the world. Even just a momentary shift into that experience offers a sense of tangible peace and richness. We can rest for a moment and float on the existential current that is already trying to move us where we need to be. Even death gains a new definition, not as an ending, as the ego is programmed to fear, but as just a transition in the many cycles of the universe. 

Transpersonal therapy is one of the various approaches I draw from to offer a holistic therapeutic experience. In therapy sessions with clients who are interested in this modality, I bring mindfulness to the structure of the ego and the narratives, conditioning, and “shoulds” that it has accumulated over time. We gently look at each piece together from a vantage point of greater natural awareness to see what you want to keep and what you want to let go of.

Now you have a choice. I can help guide you to the realization that you are already whole and there is nothing in you to fix. This is the insight that begins to heal the wounds and traumas that made you feel you were broken or less-than. This clears the path back to you, true you. You can reconnect with what feels right and where you truly belong, to ultimately be moved towards the embodiment of your unique, wonderful, and valuable purpose in the larger tapestry of the cosmos. 

Transpersonal therapy aims to answer questions such as:

• How can we alleviate our suffering by deeply re-connecting with who we really are?

• How can we find meaning and purpose in our lives?

• How can we feel more connected to others, the world, nature, and the greater whole?

• How can our spiritual selves guide us and offer us greater wisdom through difficult times?

• How can we embody our most authentic self and discover our true worth, and potential?