Non-duality and Psychotherapeutic Practice: A phenomenological study of psychotherapist experiences of non-duality and implications for psychotherapeutic practice. Janet Elizabeth Mojsa A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of Bournemouth University for the degree of Doctor of Professional Practice. October 2012 Bournemouth University 1 ABSTRACT NONDUALITY AND PSYCHOTHERAPEUTIC PRACTICE. A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF PSYCHOTHERAPIST EXPERIENCES OF NONDUALITY AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PSYCHOTHERAPEUTIC PRACTICE. The thesis in part describes a research journey of a psychotherapy practitioner engaging in research development. It details, narrates and values the synchronistic events that enabled the ‘story’ to emerge. The central enquiry draws on embodied phenomenological research methods and poetic experiencing to explore the experiences of psychotherapists who have an understanding of nonduality and the perceived impact of this on their psychotherapeutic work. Nondual experiencing is also studied following a synchronistic research visit to Pakistan. Here, embodied spirituality is explored, using video and the concept of ‘Therao’ is studied and utilised as an aspect of skilful practice. These are drawn together and compiled as a summary of skilful means in psychotherapeutic practice. Additionally, as a Doctorate in Professional Practice two studies are presented as part of the practice development component. Both used creative video and performance as part of research presentation. The first, a project based on the Mandala with people living with HIV. The second ‘Beyond Statistics’ is an 2 enquiry into the lifeworld experiences of gay men living with the co-infection of HIV and HCV. The thesis strongly articulates the significance of practice based research as a basis for humanising practice and the development of tacit and pathic knowledge. It identifies 10 key qualities present in practitioners who have a spiritual understanding of nonduality and the positive impact of these on depth connection with client work. The thesis also acknowledges, in line with current developments, the importance of including the cultivation of these depth relational qualities within a psychotherapy training curriculum. 3 CONTENTS Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………7 Dedication………………………………………………………………………..8 Chapter One - The Design………………………………………………………9 Chapter Two Literature Review……………………………………………….24 Introduction……………………………………………………………………..24 Spirituality and mental health and well being ………………………………….25 Transpersonal Psychology ……………………………………………………..30 Tensions and learning edges ……………………………………………………32 Nonduality and nondual therapy …………………………………………….....37 New discourses in Western Nondualism………………………………………..41 Spiritual wounding and bypassing……………………………………………....44 Nonduality, Presence, Empathy and Practitioner Attributes …………………...47 Comparison of relevant studies ………………………………………………...49 Chapter Three Research methodology ……………………………………….57 Practice based research ………………………………………………………..57 Context…………………………………………………………………………58 Humanising research …………………………………………………………..62 What kinds of research........................................................................................66 Goodness of Fit and Practice Enhancing research……………………………..67 Embodied Research ……………………………………………………………69 Listening to the heart butterflies ………………………………………………69 Knowledge engendered through research…………………………………….81 Poetic and Aesthetic Phenomenology ………………………………………..84 4 Embodied Interpretation ……………………………………………………....85 Ethical Principles ………………………………………………………………97 Chapter Four Practice development …………………………………………100 The Mandala Project ………………………………………………………….101 The Project ……………………………………………………………………104 Beyond Statistics – a research project describing the experiences of gay men co- infected with HEPC and HIV infection……………………………………….114 Presenting research ……………………………………………………………121 Video project ………………………………………………………………….123 Chapter Five Pakistan, Embodied Spirituality and Therao………………….125 Background ……………………………………………………………………125 Therao …………………………………………………………………………135 The Fakirs at Lal Shabaz – Rooly Baba and Lal Peri………………………….137 The Women’s Spiritual Gathering…………………………………………….144 Understandings and Experiences of Therao …………………………………..147 Therao – A Summary of Meanings……………………………………………151 Chapter Six Non Duality and Psychotherapeutic Practice………….………..154 Background to the research study …………………………………………….154 Introduction …………………………………………………………………...159 Mode of analysis ………………………………………………………………162 The co-researchers ……………………………………………………………167 Analysis ………………………………………………………………………176 Chapter Seven Upayas of Practice ……………….…………………………..219 Towards a Current Zeitgeist of humanising practice………………………….223 Critical reflections …………………………………………………………….227 5 References……………………………………………………………………..229 Appendix 1 Mandala project ………………………………………………….266 Appendix 2 Beyond Statistics Project Information. …………………………..268 Appendix 3. Beyond Statistics Questionnaire Outline ………………………..272 Appendix 4. Beyond Statistics Conference Script ……………………………274 Appendix 5 Lal Peri Mastani. The Ecstatic Red Fairy at Sehwan ……………285 Appendix 6 Letter to participants ……………………………………………..287 Appendix 7 Research Agreement ……………………………………………..289 Appendix 8 Transcription Agreement………………………………………....290 Appendix 9 Initial Questions ………………………………………………….291 6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank so many people for being part of the journey of completing my doctoral journey. Firstly, I thank Kate Galvin and Les Todres for their care, friendship, and mentoring and superb supervision as I have journeyed on this project. Both have a deep awareness of the significance of not knowing. Their skilfulness and trust of the unfolding, unknowing process has been an honour to receive. I thank all my co-researchers who so generously shared their time, friendship and wisdom with me. Similarly, I thank all my clients and students who have taught me so much about being a psychotherapist. The team at BPNW were wonderful colleagues and friends during my time with them. I thank Adrienne, Cath, Roy and Sam especially. For help with video material I was given so much time and guidance from Nial, Tim and especially Steve. I gained so much from my time in Pakistan. In particular I thank Aesha and Arif Mahmood for helping me to meet so many insightful people, but chiefly for demonstrating through their lived experience what it means to live a Sufi life. My dear friends, Regina Hess PhD, Tillie Curran PhD and Jan O’Mahony were a great support at key times. I thank Judy Schavrien PhD for also being a dear friend and joyous travelling companion. Finally, to my brother Pete, who has been in every way a ‘big brother’ and held a wonderful family space with my nephews John and Nick. Through and since the passing of our parents, I have known the joy and responsibilities of being both a daughter and sister. 7 DEDICATION I would like to dedicate this to my parents, Violet and Jan Mojsa. Dad was a Polish survivor of the Siberian Gulag atrocities. Mam, a working class Yorkshire woman unconditionally loved him and made him feel safe during his life. To them both, I thank them for their simple being and human loving. 8 CHAPTER ONE The Design A Sufi in the order of the Naqshbandis was asked: “Your Order’s name means literally, ‘The Designers’. What do you design, and what use is it?” He said: “We do a great deal of designing, and it is most useful. Here is a parable of one such form. “Unjustly imprisoned, a tinsmith was allowed to receive a rug woven by his wife. He prostrated himself upon the rug day after day to say his prayers, and after some time he said to his jailers: “I am but a poor man and without hope, and you are wretchedly paid. But I am a tinsmith. Bring my tin and tools and I shall make small artefacts which you can sell in the market, and we will both benefit”. “The guards agreed to this, and presently the tinsmith and they were both making a profit, from which they bought food and comfort for themselves. Then, one day, when the guards went to the cell the door was open and he was gone. Many years later, when this mans innocence had been established, the man who had imprisoned him asked how he had escaped, what magic had he used. He said: “It is a matter of design, and design within design. My wife is a weaver. She found the man who had made the locks of the cell door and got the design from 9 him. This she wove into the carpet, at the spot where my head touched in prayer five times a day. I am a metal worker, and this design looked to me like the inside of the lock. I designed the plan of the artefacts to obtain materials to make the key – and I escaped.” That’, said the Naqshbandi Sufi, ‘is one of the ways man may make his escape from the tyranny of his captivity’. (Shah, 1972, p.176) The Design, a Nasqbandi Sufi story was a story I heard many years ago. At the time I became enthralled by teaching stories whose wisdom and relevancy lay not in the cognitive realm but in the field of understanding mediated through intuition, the body or heart. I also loved hearing the stories spoken as opposed to just reading them. It is the quality of ‘something else’ that is communicated when the words come alive through the breath of another. There is something in the space between the words leaving the mouth of the speaker and the imagination of the one who is listening. A story could never be a collection of facts reiterated without the animation of the teller. One of my favourite haunts at the