BIOTRANSENERGETICS: a Transpersonal discipline

Transcription

1 BIOTRANSENERGETICS: a Transpersonal discipline Biotransenergetics is a newly conceived psycho-spiritual discipline whose roots are deeply rooted in the Ancient Tradition of Shamanism and in the emerging Transpersonal Movement. It can be considered to be a Transpersonal Psychotherapy, that is, according to the definition put forward by Charles Tart, ì a discipline for the realisation of the self for the re-awakening of the spiritual nature of every individual and his more genuinely human qualitiesî. Biotransenergetics is the Technology of the Sacred, which draws on a system of consciousnesses and experiences ranging from the contact with elemental forces to the Transe, to modern research into states of consciousness; from the development of the most genuinely human potential proposed by humanistic psychology to the expression of archetypes of the collective unconsciousness; from research into vision to the dialogue with guardian spirits, to the creative visualisations proposed by the most recent practices of hypnosis; from chants, mantras and dances of the various natural forces to superconscious spaces, to the silence of meditation to the highest qualities favoured by the methodology of transpersonal psychology; from ancient ritual ceremonies to shamanic trips, to theoretical systems of holistic vision, to the principles of modern physics such as ìnon local connectionsî or the ìcollapse of the wave functionî; from reichianís psychophysical exercises to the work on chakras on the subject of aurics and contact with the spiritual dimension. In the light of these considerations it is obvious how Biotransenergetics, even if in a modern context, proceeds from medicine to psychotherapy (even if it only touches the borders) and transcends the limits of an exclusively psychotherapeutic practice. For this reason Biotransenergetics is recommended for anybody who wishes to realise the full expression of his ìintimate Nature of Spiritual Essenceî, the recognition of oneís qualities and mastery of oneís States of Consciousness. THE TRANSPERSONAL MOVEMENT A new scientific thesis: Beyond the limits Exploring the dimensions of interior experience, Transpersonal Psychology (as one of the forerunners of the transpersonal movement in Brazil, Pierre Weil reminds us in his book ìlíuomo senza frontiereî) identified a series of boundaries which limits man in his vision of the world. These are: consciousness, memory, evolution and death. The knowledge and transcendency of such boundaries is a prerogative of the transpersonal movement which uses scientific methods for the development of the following theses: Consciousness is an incessant, limitless flow. Limits only exist in manís mind.

2 Memory goes beyond phylogeny and can go back along the day of evolution of the living person to the source itself of lifeís energy. Human evolution does not stop at intellect or at the stage of sexual maturity but proceeds towards higher qualities such as: wisdom, love, humility, compassion, consciousness etc. Death is only a passage, an occasion to reach new dimensions of being. TRANSPERSONAL PSYCHOLOGY The term ìtranspersonal Psychologyî seems to have been used for the first time by Roberto Assagioli (the creator of psychosynthesis) and thereafter by Bustav Jung. The first association of Transpersonal Psychology was founded in the United States in 1969 thanks to the work of personalities such as: Charlotte Buhler, Abraham Maslow, Allan Watts, Arthur Koestler, Viktor Frankl. A magazine was published (The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology) founded by Antony J. Sutich in which all the greatest American exponents of the transpersonal movement participated, e.g. Ken Wilber, Stan Grof, Stanley Krippner, Lawrence Le Shan, Michael Murphy, Charles T. Tart, Frances E. Vaughan and others. Transpersonal Psychology is seen as the contribution of science to the study and comprehension of interior experiences of a transcendent order; over the centuries this experience has been defined in various ways by various traditions: mystical ecstasy, cosmic experience, cosmic consciousness, oceanic experience, Nirvana, Satori, Samadhi, Kingdom of the Skies, etc. Research into Transpersonal Psychology integrates the experience of western psychology (especially the work in the gestalt, existential and humanistic schools) with the mystical, oriental traditions based on meditation (such as yoga, Zen and Sufism) and shamanic traditions based on ecstasy and direct contact with the Forces of Nature. It also has a strong influence from the most recent learnings in modern physics and biophysics and there is a strong relationship with other sciences such as sofrologia, sociology, anthropology and parapsychology. In the light of these considerations Transpersonal Psychology can be described as a vast movement of thought and research working towards a progressive synthesis of knowledge within States of Consciousness especially the so-called superior states.

3 TRANSPERSONAL PSYCHOTHERAPY Towards new technologies of the sacred It used to be said that transpersonal psychology is a vast cultural movement which, as such, crosses the spheres and limits of psychology to contribute to the birth of a new Science of Consciousness. Its sphere of influence extends into the field of art, philosophy, anthropology, religion, education, parapsychology and sociology. The transpersonal movement, as is to be expected, has made, and is making, a special contribution to the field of psychotherapy. Indeed over the last few decades a series of so-called experiential psychotherapeutic methodologies has emerged as a direct emanation of the theses and discoveries of the transpersonal movement. Grof has suggested the term ìtechnologies of the Sacredî for these methodologies to emphasise their orientation directed at the realisation of the ìselfî, that is to say the fulfilment of the spiritual nature of the human being. Amongst these, we can quote some which directly date back to ancient mystical traditions and which have been devised by universally notorious researchers. We are referring to the Psychology of Yoga conceived by the Indian philosopher Haridas Chaudhuri and expounded in more than fifteen works (1) or Essential Psychotherapy proposed by the Californian psychologist Kathleen Riordan and based on the work of Gurdjieff (2) or Psicologia della Coscienza drawn up in more than twenty publications by the American psychologist Robert Ornstein and based on Sufi tradition (3). Even the Mystical Christian Tradition has inspired a psychotherapeutic methodology proposed in the works of the catholic priest and mystic, William McNamara, (4) (5). Vedantic Induism inspired the works of Ken Wilber (5) the Einstein of Transpersonal Psychotherapy and research into conscience. On the one hand Buddhism, perhaps the most psychological of the spiritual traditions was proposed from a psychotherapeutic viewpoint by various authors: the Texan psychologist Claire Myers Ownes (6) and its psychotherapeutic formulation of Zen Buddhism or the Californian psychologist Daniel Goleman (7) and his works such as ìpsychology of Self-Deceptionî and ìthe Meditative Mindî. The research into western lay psychology, on its part, has formulated within the transpersonal movement a series of autonomous technologies. One thinks first of all of the founding technologies, that is to say, the Psicosintesi of Roberto Assagioli (8) and the Psicologia del Profondo by Carl Gustav Jung (9) which anticipated by a couple of decades the theses later developed and extended by transpersonal psychological research. Amongst the most recent of which we can quote the technologies formulated by some of the founding fathers of the transpersonal movement, e.g Cosmodramma by Pierre Weil (10), the Terapia Olotropica of Stan Grof (11), the method of Claudio Naranjo based on the Enneagramma and the Corenergetica of John Pierrakos (12), half way between transpersonal and psychocorporeal psychotherapy. This is the context in which Biotransenergetics (13) finds itself.

4 Notes (1) We quote amongst others: Essere, evoluzione e immortalit (1974) Líevoluzione della coscienza integrale (1977) and Líessenza della filosofia spirituale (1992). (2) See: The Essential Psychotherapies (1981) The Gurdjeff Work (1989) and Generativity (1990) (3) See: Ornstein R - La psicologia della coscienza, and Franco Angeli, Milan 1978 (4) See: The Human Adventure (1974) Mystical Passion (1977) Christian Mysticism (1981). (5) Amongst the main works translated into Italian: Oltre I confini, published by Cittadella, 1985; Lo spettro della coscienza and Crisalide, (6) See: Zen and the Lady: Memoirs-Personal and Transpersonal in a world in Transition published by Baraka Books, New York (7) See: The Varieties of Meditative Experiences, Dutton, New York, 1977; The Meditative Mind, published by J.P.Tarcher, Los Angeles (8) See: Principi e metodi della psicosintesi terapeutica, published by Astrolabio, (9) See: Jung, Opere and Boringhieri, Turin (10) See: Líuomo senza frontiere, published by Crisalide 1996 (11) See: Oltre il cervello, published by Cittadella 1988; La mente olotropica, published by Red (12) See: Corenergetica, published by Crisalide 1996 (13) See: Biotransenergetica, published by Xenia 1997; Il Modo Ulteriore, published by Meb 1995; Lavorare coi chakras, published by Meb SHAMANISM The primordial yearning of human beings to understand nature and to live in harmony with it gave life to the first ìnature-based religionsî founded on ecstatic experience for which there exists a ìfundamental unity of creationî. These religions spread throughout the entire planet and for thousands of years constituted the dominant spiritual and therapeutic system. Scholars defined this system ìshamanismî. According to this ìoriginal ì vision of the world, the mineral, vegetable, animal and human kingdom, the slim world of the spirits and the divinities exist one inside the other and one for the other. Over the centuries, this Shamanic heredity was maintained and adopted or developed by different traditions such as: Yoga, Tantrism, Tibetan Buddhism, Taoism, the traditions of the American Indians or the populations of the South American Afros. In our time, on the one hand the discoveries of quantum physics and on the other the emergence of the new ìholistic paradigmî and the Transpersonal Movement have given new corroboration and impulse to this ìprimary Traditionî.

5 TRAINING and TRANSFORMATION COURSES Experiences and training and transformation courses in Biotransenergetics can supply new tools and create new conditions for the artist to express his creativity, the teacher to carry out his educational function, for the spiritual researcher to follow his path of realisation, the doctor, the psychotherapist, the health worker to work in the field of therapeutics, the ìaverage personî who is in all of us, lost in daily routine, to find himself, honour his nature and... heal himself. TRAINING COURSES in Biotransenergetics Transpersonal Psychotherapy The Training course in Transpersonal Psychoterapy recognised of Ministero dell'istruzione Università e Ricerca (Education, University and Research Departement) last four year (more than 500 hours each year) and leads to the qualification of Transpersonal Psychoterapist. Transpersonal Counseling The Training courses in Biotransenergetics are divided into different levels, each of which has a specific intent: Evolution, Pedagogy and Therapeutic. The Training courses in Pedagogy and Therapeutics last seven years (more than 200 hours each year) and leads to the qualification of Assistant (two years), Transpersonal Counslor (four years) and Teacher / Trainer in Biotransenergetics (seven years). Evolution The intent of this course is to create opportunities, favour interior experiences, supply a methodology and the tools of transformation of the consciousness and self-healing for anybody wishing to follow a psycho-spiritual path according to the lines indicated by Biotransenergetics. Pedagogy Whoever has already followed or is following a psycho-spiritual route can learn to teach Biotransenergetics. Therapeutics This area offers doctors and psychologists a training in Transpersonal Psychotherapy, according to the Biotransenergetics methodology. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Om Association Via Villapizzone Milano Fone [email protected]