Minority Pathways: Lgbq Transformations Into Wholeness
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1 MINORITY PATHWAYS: LGBQ TRANSFORMATIONS INTO WHOLENESS WHITNEY L. BRYANT BHSc., University of Lethbridge, 2014 A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies Of the University of Lethbridge In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTER OF EDUCATION (COUNSELLING PSYCHOLOGY) Faculty of Education University of Lethbridge LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA, CANADA © Whitney L. Bryant, 2016 2 MINORITY PATHWAYS: LGBQ TRANSFORMATIONS INTO WHOLENESS WHITNEY L. BRYANT Date of Defence: October 26, 2016 Dr. G. Tzu Associate Professor Ph.D Thesis Supervisor Dr. R. Hudson Breen Assistant Professor Ph.D Thesis Examination Committee Member Dr. T. Leighton Assistant Professor Ph.D Thesis Examination Committee Member Dr. T. Black Associate Professor Ph.D External Examiner University of Victoria Victoria, British Columbia Dr. J. Sanders Assistant Professor Ph.D Chair, Thesis Examination Committee 3 Dedication To my best friend, my heart and my furry canine soul, Shorty. Thank you for your loving, grounding and patient presence throughout this journey. You were with me each and every step of this project but left this realm before it could be completed. For you I am eternally grateful. You reminded me to move from my head into my heart, to slow down and to love what is. Thank you for choosing me that day ten years ago. I will always miss you. I will always love you. Run free. iii 4 Abstract A transpersonal, phenomenological-hermeneutic approach was utilized to honour and examine Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Queer (LGBQ) individual’s lived experience embracing non-dual consciousness and non-dual embodiment of sexual orientation and identity. This study sought to illuminate diverse human experiences in addition to understanding the specific transformative experiences and transformational journey of LGBQ individuals. Five research participants were selected for this study and were interviewed about their journey to wholeness and experiences abiding in non-dual consciousness. From analyzing and interpreting the transcripts from the interviews, a total of fifteen themes emerged. The themes that emerged from the participants’ journeys were organized into three distinct phases: Phase One: Descending into the Heart of Desire, Phase Two: Pull Towards the Edge and Phase Three: Moment to Moment Integration. A summary of research findings are reviewed. Additionally, strengths and limitations of this study are identified along with directions for future research. The implications for counsellors and helping professionals are also discussed. iv 5 Table of Contents Dedication ....................................................................................................................... iii Abstract ........................................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents ........................................................................................................... v Chapter 1: Introduction .................................................................................................. 1 The Implicated Researcher ................................................................................ 1 Overview of the Study ....................................................................................... 10 Purpose................................................................................................................ 11 Research Question .............................................................................................. 11 Chapter 2: Literature Review ......................................................................................... 13 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 13 Orientation and Identity ..................................................................................... 14 Symbolic Interactionism and the Construction of Labeling ............................. 16 Discourses of Deviance and Sexuality .............................................................. 18 Sexual Minorities and Determinants of Health ................................................. 22 Sexual Minorities Today .................................................................................... 25 Models of Identity Development ....................................................................... 27 Come Out, Come Out Wherever You Are ........................................................ 29 A Shift to a Transpersonal Vision ..................................................................... 31 The Spectrum of Consciousness ........................................................................ 32 Level 1: Sensoryphysical ....................................................................... 33 Level 2: Phantasmic-Emotional ............................................................ 34 Level 3: Rep-Mind ................................................................................. 35 v 6 Level 4: Rule/Role ................................................................................. 36 Level 5: Formal-Reflexive..................................................................... 36 Level 6: Vision-Logic ............................................................................ 37 Level 7: Psychic ..................................................................................... 38 Level 8: Subtle ....................................................................................... 39 Level 9: Causal ....................................................................................... 39 Level 10: Non-Dual ............................................................................... 40 Non-Dual Consciousness ................................................................................... 40 An Integral Vision .............................................................................................. 42 Views of Self .......................................................................................... 43 States of Consciousness ......................................................................... 44 Growing Up: The Stages or Levels of Consciousness ......................... 45 Level One: (Infrared) Archaic ..................................................... 47 Level Two: (Magenta) Magic Tribal .......................................... 47 Level Three: (Red) Magic-Mythic .............................................. 48 Level Four: (Amber) Mythic Traditional ................................... 48 Level Five: (Orange) Rational Modern ..................................... 49 Level Six: (Green) Pluralistic Postmodern ................................. 50 Level Seven: (Turquoise) Integral .............................................. 51 Level Eight: (White) 3rd-Tier Super Integral .............................. 51 Lines of Development ........................................................................................ 52 Wilber-Combs Lattice ........................................................................................ 53 AQAL ................................................................................................................ 53 vi 7 Pre-Trans Fallacy ............................................................................................... 55 Patterns of Transcendence ................................................................................. 55 Energy Ecstasy. The Seven Chakras ................................................................. 58 First Chakra ............................................................................................ 59 Second Chakra ....................................................................................... 59 Third Chakra .......................................................................................... 60 Fourth Chakra ......................................................................................... 60 Fifth Chakra............................................................................................ 61 Sixth Chakra ........................................................................................... 61 Seventh Chakra ...................................................................................... 61 Summary ............................................................................................................. 62 Chapter 3: Methodology ................................................................................................. 64 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 64 Philosophical Framework .................................................................................. 64 Qualitative approach .............................................................................. 64 Phenomenology ...................................................................................... 65 The linguistic turn .................................................................................. 68 The hermeneutics refinement ................................................................ 69 The Fecundity of the Individual Case ............................................................... 72 Recruitment of Participants ............................................................................... 73 Ethical Considerations ....................................................................................... 74 Selection of Research