Document Control

Instructions:  Complete this document each time a document is changed or edited in any way by any member of the project team.

Revision Date of Issue Author(s) Brief Description of Change Number 1.0 20/04/2015 T. Pilon Creation of Document 2.0 31/05/2015 C. Mardon First draft of Spiritual Theory 3.0 18/08/2015 C. Mardon After curriculum map adjustments 4.0 12/17/15 Caroline Latest

The Living Institute

Course Outline Course Name: Spiritual Theory Course Code: TLI-101

Academic Year: 2015 Fall X Winter X

Program Year 1 Course Hours: 45 Year: Faculty: Sally Johnson, Kelli Nigh, Caroline Mardon, Jim McNamara, Dennis O’Hara Jesse Hanson CarmenLittlejohn

1 Class Hrs. Clinical Hrs. Other Hrs. Total Hours 45 45

This course is a prerequisite for:

Course Code Course Name

TLI-200 Transpersonal Clinical Traditions TLI-206-S Basic Therapy Skills TLI-209 Clinical Skills Integration

Director Date: Approval:

1. Calendar Description: Although C.G. Jung first introduced an exploration of archetypes, spirit/body dynamics, East/West studies, shamanism and synchronicities, the term ‘transpersonal’ was initially coined by Dr. Stan Grof in 1967 to describe a new arena of psychological inquiry that included spiritual experiences. Transpersonal refers to aspects of human experience that naturally emerge in life and in therapy such as mystical and energetic occurrences, altered states of consciousness, the spiritual search for wholeness, integration, meaning and transformation, which may include but also go beyond personal psychodynamics or developmental history. This section enables students to recognize, classify and describe the basic approaches and some seminal figures in the field of transpersonal psychology. Eastern spiritual traditions (with an emphasis on Buddhism) will be outlined. Cross-cultural Shamanic perspectives and explorations will be introduced via lecture and experiential work. Other nature-based transpersonal explorations outline the new contributions of ecopsychology in a transpersonal context. An Embodiment class allows students to relate spirit and body themes as introduced by Jung and elaborated within the somatic psychotherapy tradition. As well as didactic teaching, some classes introduce practice of contemplative methods and experiential explorations of non-ordinary states of consciousness and spiritual embodiment. This survey of Eastern and Western mysticism, shamanic and nature based transpersonal traditions, form the theoretical basis of an integrative spiritual approach.

2. Course Learning Outcomes: Upon successful completion of this course the student will be able to meet the following College of Registered Psychotherapists competencies: o 1.1 Integrate a theory of human psychological functioning and development o 1.2 Work within a framework based upon an established psychotherapeutic theory o 1.3 Integrate knowledge of comparative psychotherapy relevant to practice o 1.4 Integrate awareness of self in relation to professional role o 1.5 Integrate knowledge of human and cultural diversity in relation to psychotherapy practice

2 o 2.1 Use effective professional communication o 2.2 Build and maintain effective relationship o 2.3 Contribute to a collaborative and productive atmosphere o 3.1 Comply with legal and professional obligations o 3.2 Apply ethical decision making o 3.3 Maintain self-care and level of health necessary for responsible therapy o 3.5 Obtain clinical supervision & consultation when necessary o 3.6 Provide education and training consistent with the therapist's practice. o 3.9 Provide reports to third parties o 4.1 Present psychotherapy to clients and maintain a professional frame for therapy o 4.2 Establish and maintain an effective therapeutic relationship o 4.3 Apply safe and effective use of self in the therapeutic relationship o 4.4 Conduct an appropriate risk assessment o 4.5 Structure and facilitate the therapeutic process o 4.6 Identify when and how to refer clients o 4.7 Conduct an effective closure process to end a course of therapy appropriately o 5.1 Access and apply a range of relevant professional literature o 5.2 Use research findings to inform clinical practice

Required Reading, Supplemental Reading, or Course Resources:

Note: see specific classes

Hand-outs as supplied by the instructor, posted on Living Institute intranet (CRPO link)

4. Assessment:

Students will demonstrate learning using the following assessments: Assignment Description Course Learning Outcome(s) Assignment Weighting Assessed Experiential exercises 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 20% 3.3, 4.3, 5.1 Class discussion 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 10% 3.3, 4.3, 4.5, 5.1

Reflective Journal 1.1, 1.4, 3.3, 15%

3 Written assignments 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 2.1, 5.1 30% Oral self reflection via private 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.3, 25% Self Development therapy or 4.2, 4.3 spiritual counselling

5. Other: Students are encouraged to apply practical aspects of exploration such as contemplative and meditative exercises, shamanic visualization, consciousness altering breathing techniques and embodiment exercises into their personal lives. As well as reporting via written assignment, students discuss these explorations in depth during their Self development sessions.

4 6. Learning Outcomes, Curriculum Delivery and Learning Plan:

5 Course Content Session 1: Transpersonal Psychology Transpersonal Psychology is relatively new as a school of psychology, but it is old in the sense that it looks to ancient World Wisdom traditions for spiritual knowledge. The central question that this course asks is, “What is Transpersonal Psychology, and what distinguishes it from former psychological traditions?” Academic inquiry and meditative contemplation will explore what qualities and characteristics need to be present in order for something to be considered transpersonal, and why it is part of the human condition to look beyond the individual dimensions of reality to transpersonal realms of existence. In this marriage of psychology and spirituality, students will be introduced to the fundamental concepts, approaches, practices and theories that have contributed to the maturation process of transpersonal psychology as a field of study. A few of the theorists in this tradition that we will study from are: John Welwood, A. H. Almaas, Michael Washburn, Ken Wilber, Stanislov Grof, and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. There will be an emphasis on the core principles of transpersonal psychology expressed as: human potential, the innate desire for transformation, and the necessity for an embodied integration of psycho-spiritual experience Related Elements of Performance Learning Activities/Assessment Resources At the end of today’s session the learner will be able to  Discussion: break into seminar groups and answer: discuss a core value Written assignment (1-2 pages): 1. Compare and contrast transpersonal psychology  Reflective Learning from former schools of psychology, such as the  Meditation psychoanalytic, behavioristic, and humanistic  Experiential learning traditions.  Group work 2. Explain the importance of experiential means of learning in transpersonal psychology.  Didactic teaching 3. Identify the need to explore transpersonal  Reading dimensions beyond the ego. (In this, it is important to recognize the potential for expanding consciousness.) Key Readings 4. Explain the importance of process as a means of ‘An Overview of Transpersonal Psychology’ - John V. exploration including such things as meditation and Davis in The Humanistic Psychologist, 31(Spring, 2003) contemplation.) pg 137-154 5. What are the core values of TP as an academic discipline? ‘Contemporary Viewpoints on Transpersonal Psychology’ - Mariana Caplan, Glenn Hartelius, and Mary Anne Rardin in The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 2003, vol. 35, No. 2 pg. 143 - 162

Textbook of Transpersonal Psychiatry and Psychology: Edited by Bruce W. Scotton, Allan B. Chinen, and John R. Battista, (New York: Basic Books, 1996) Chapters: 1.3 ‘The Emergence of Transpersonal Psychiatry - Allan B. Chinen pg. 9 - 17 1.4 ‘William James and Transpersonal Psychiatry’ - Eugene Taylor pg. 21 - 27 1.5 ‘Freud’s Influence on Transpersonal Psychology - Mark Epstein pg 29 - 38 1.6 ‘The Contribution of C.G. Jung to Transpersonal Psychiatry’ - Bruce W. Scotton pg. 39 - 51 1.7 ‘Abraham Maslow and Roberto Assagioli: Pioneers of Transpersonal Psychology’ - John R. Battista pg. 52 - 61

Paths Beyond Ego, Edited by Roger Walsh and Frances Vaughan, (New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, 1993): Chapters:

6 Course Content Session 2: Phenomenology of Nature: Students will discuss recent research on nature and cognition. A transpersonal developmental model will be considered. Theories that relate to nature and psychotherapeutic practice will be explored. An experiential inquiry in nature will help students identify and interpret the therapeutic use of nature. Recent research on the relationship between nature and cognition (Selhub, Eve & Logan, Alan, 2014) shows that time in a natural setting reduces stress and refreshes thinking. This session will seek to reconnect the psychotherapy student to nature, provide experiences that foster group connections and encourage discussions that relate nature, human consciousness and therapeutic practice. Related Elements of Performance Learning Activities/Assessment Resources  Discussion This session will begin with a contemplative group  Experiential Learning walk on the Scarborough bluffs. After quietly spending time in this landscape, students will recall their  Reflective learning (life stages and nature) experiences during childhood, adolescence and  Group work adulthood. In small groups students will use imagery to  Audio tape of relevant lecture: “Natural define a developmental model that is influenced by Interventions: A Review of Horticultural and nature. Bill Plotkin’s (2008) transpersonal model from Wilderness Therapies” (Selhub, Eve & Logan, Nature and the Human Soul will be reviewed and a Alan, 2014). comparison between developmental models that outline the concept of soul and cognitive (for example,  Didactic teaching Jean Piaget) models, will be explained. In accordance  Reading with phenomenological inquiry methods, the afternoon activities will elicit a connection to interiority. Students Key Readings will be asked to identify their imagination, felt sense and thoughts. The aim is to help the student recognize Darroch-Lozowski, V. (2006). Re-patterning global and label a more nuanced understanding of their own warming. Environmentalist. (26): pg. 195-200. modes of being. Passmore, Holli-Anne & Howell, J. (2014). Eco- Finally the group will listen to a brief lecture titled, Existential Positive Psychology: Experiences in “Natural Interventions: A Review of Horticultural and Nature, Existential Anxieties and Well-being. The Wilderness Therapies” (Selhub, Eve & Logan, Alan, Humanistic Psychologist. 42: pg. 370-388. 2014). At the end of today’s session the learner will be able to answer via written assignment: Suggested supplemental reading: Written assignment (1-2 pages): Plotkin, B. (2008). Nature and the human soul: Cultivating wholeness and community in a fragmented (1) Identify the diverse transpersonal modes of being world. CA: New World Library. that can be experienced in nature. Selhub, Eva, M. & Logan, Alan, C. (2014). Your brain on (2) Explain an introductory understanding of nature: The science of nature’s influence on developmental models relevant to the health, happiness and vitality. Canada: Harper existential/humanistic/transpersonal psychology fields. Collins.

(3) Discover an interiority in nature that enliven a felt sense, the imagination and an awareness of thought.

(4) Demonstrate therapeutic practices in nature that enhance reflection and reduce stress.

7 Course Content Session 3: Shamanism: The shamanic tradition of healing in indigenous cultures is an ancient one that draws on the natural and transpersonal worlds, often in the context of community. The attempt to return to these roots, with respect for the cultures that are drawn on, enlivens and broadens the possibilities for integrative evolution in health care and may help during the crises and life transitions that are the focus of psychotherapy. The student will learn to make distinctions between shamanic healing, and non-shamanic indigenous wisdom traditions. Students will explore how non-ordinary states of consciousness can influence cognition, the imagination and therapeutic practice as part of a transpersonal exploration. Students will undertake a shamanic journey using drumbeat and share examples of their experiences. Related Elements of Performance Learning Activities/Assessment Resources At the end of today’s session the learner will be able to  Discussion identify: The difference between shamans and other mystics such as  Reflective Learning mediums.  Group work – Shamanic guided visualization Describe traditional shamanic techniques for altering consciousness.  Didactic teaching Describe the origins and goals of the neo-shamanic  Reading movement. Cultural contexts and cultural sensitivity for the neo- Key Readings shamanic movement. Shaman’s Path – Healing, Personal Growth and Identify the role of shamanism in personal growth and Empowerment, compiled and edited by Gary Doore transpersonal psychotherapy? Reflective journal (1-2 pages): (Shambhala, 1988) Based on a traditional experiential visualization of entry to a Chapters: shamanic state of consciousness using a drumbeat , - Introduction pgs. 1-3 students will write a learning report about the shamanic journey visualization experience. - What is a Shaman? by Michael Harner pgs. 7- 15

- Ecstasy and Sacrifice, by Rowena Pattee pgs. 17-31

8 Course Content

Session 4: Goddess Mythology – This lecture/discussion outlines European archaeological evidence and mythological stories and images about the Goddess tradition from Paleolithic and Neolithic periods, through Bronze Age changes and relates them to present day concerns as it is encoded into psychological and cultural assumptions. This is based in Maria Gimbutas’ archeological research and her postulates about spiritual, personal and cultural attitudes. Themes of creativity, sexuality, holism, relationality, mind/body integration and nature will be identified, with a focus on the revival of Goddess mythology in the 20th century, through depth psychology and feminism. The Goddess tradition will be contrasted with the warrior tradition that began in the Bronze Age. The Goddess archetypes are also expressed through the personal unconscious (dreams and subjective experiences), through ritual and creativity and in psychological dialiectics addressed in psychotherapy. The Goddess-based mythology as related to Lilith and Aphrodite will be described. Related Elements of Performance Learning Activities/Assessment Resources At the end of today’s session the learner will be able to  Discussion answer via written assignment:  Reflective Learning Written assignment (1-2 pages):  Video 1. What are the archaeological  Powerpoint discoveries that influenced Marija Gimbutas to postulate the Goddess  Didactic teaching culture in old Europe? How is her  Reading interpretation controversial? Key Readings 2. What are the attributes she suggests about Neolithic culture as they relate Powerpoint posted on LI intranet by Caroline Mardon to: origin mythology, war and peace? 3. How did the Mythology of Goddess Video: Signs Out of Time. A documentary film on Maria Gimbutas and her archeological research and conclusions based culture change? regarding the Goddess tradition in Old Europe. 4. How do we see this mythological background in current psychological and social attitudes 5. How does this play out in your personal values and attitudes?

9 Course Content Session 5: Ecospirtuality - Although the cosmology of the modern era in Western society tended to either relegate spirituality to humans alone or to disassociate spirituality from the phenomenal world, the relatively recent advent of the new cosmology articulated by such authors as Thomas Berry and Sallie McFague, has argued that the universe has had a psychic-spiritual dimension from its beginning, 13.7 billion years ago, not just a physical- material manifestation. Adopting this new epic of evolution transforms our understanding of spirituality. Providing an Earth-centred understanding of ourselves and spirituality, it reintegrates the human into a sacred universe and redefines our understanding of human and ecosystem health. Related Elements of Performance Learning Activities/Assessment Resources At the end of today’s session the learner will be able to: Define the core vision of Ecospirituality and list its key  Discussion thinkers. Explain Thomas Berry’s statement: “The universe is a  Reflective Learning communion of subjects, not a collection of objects.”  Video: The Awakening Universe, a film by Neal Give examples of how the Earth’s healthy functioning is the Rogin prime basis for human health. Explain why ecopsychology favours small-scale social forms,  Powerpoint personal empowerment and bio-regionalism.  Group work Outline how ecopsychology applies a feminist critique to patriarchal structures.  Didactic teaching  Reading

Key Readings Berry, Thomas. “An Ecologically Sensitive Spirituality.” Available at: http.//www.csco.ca/documents/content_91.doc Berry, Thomas. “The Cosmology of Religions.” In Pluralism and oppression: Theology in a World Perspective, ed. Paul Knitter, Annual Volume #34, published by College Theology Society, pp. 99-113 King, Ursula. “One Planet, One Spirit: Searching for an Ecologically Balanced Spirituality.” Ecotheology 10 no. 1 (2005): 66-87

10 Course Content Session 6: HEP Spirituality. Students will identify spiritual themes in the humanistic, existential and transpersonal traditions, as well as Jungian and archetypal psychology, and mythology as given by figures such as Campbell, Jung, Hillman, Eliade, Scholem, Corbin and the Eranos Conferences. In this integrative class, faculty will compile component ideas and students will formulate integrative spiritual perspectives. This class draws on the Romantic tradition and post modernism (including romantic irony and the nouveau roman tradition), relating it to divine-human union and apophatic mysticism, seeing the world in the Hegelian sense as a place of spiritual evolution, based in a model of the ‘eternal return’. This also integrates the esoteric theme in surrealism and the mystical theme in existential absurdism. The interrelationship between the Hermetic, Gnostic, Kabbalistic and Rosicrucian traditions is reflected in HEP spirituality. This particularly draws on the theme of the presence of the divine in the experience of individual humanness, and in the natural world. The shamanistic aspect of HEP is correlated with the deity work of Vajrayana Buddhism, the ‘body of light’ tradition in Sufism and related themes in other Western theurgic mysticisms. Related Elements of Performance Learning Activities/Assessment Resources At the end of today’s session the learner will be able to:  Discussion Formulate their own integrative spiritual understanding. Recognize their own subjective spiritual context and explain  Reflective Learning how it may impact clients.  Group work Reflective Journal  Didactic teaching - Did you have an ‘aha’ moment in relation to this material  Reading - How might you integrate relevant elements of Key Readings spirituality into a regular practice? The HEP Method of Spiritual Counselling by Jim McNamara (unpublished lecture notes) pg. 1-43

11 Course Content Session 7: Embodiment An experiential class on embodiment in the therapeutic container as an exploration of music, movement, and mindfulness in psychotherapy. This experiential class encompasses sound therapy, and integrates mindfulness practices and somatic exercises to help students identify, track, and respond to somatic transference and counter-transference. Students will compile theoretical approaches and apply them to practical situations that may arise in psychotherapy as they practice on each other under faculty supervision.

Related Elements of Performance Learning Activities/Assessment Resources At the end of today’s session the learner will be able to  Discussion define and practice: How attachment affects the client therapist interaction.  Reflective Learning  Group work How enactments can happen in Psychotherapy.  Powerpoint  Didactic teaching Right brain hemisphere to right hemisphere transference.  Experiential work

Building a therapeutic container and how to have Key Readings authentic contact The Embodied Psychotherapist: The Therapists Body Story by Robert Shaw, (Routledge, New York 2003) Experiential exercises to apply knowledge as they Chapter 6, pg 93-111 and Chapter 7, pg. 113-128 practice on each other under faculty supervision and Trauma and the Body by Pat Ogden, Kekuni Minton and receive direct feedback. Claire Pain. (W.W. Norton & Co. New York & London 2006) Exercise: Client therapist contact in a relational context Chapter 3, pg. 41-64

Exercise: Authentic communication and somatic tracking

12 Course Content Session 8: Oral self reflection in individual psychotherapy or counselling sessions. Students attend regular psychotherapy and/or counselling sessions where they apply aspects of the classroom experience to their own self development process.

Related Elements of Performance Learning Activities/Assessment Resources The learner will be able to:  Discussion  Recognize and discuss their attitudes  Reflective Learning and assumptions regarding suffering,  Experiential work healing and personal evolution.  Therapy and counselling  Understand that the content of their sessions could include transpersonal, mystical and peak experiences, and spiritual emergence.  Integrate some spiritual practices such as meditation, altars, healing rituals and the shamanic tradition.

13