Beyond Transcendence : States of Consciousness in Indian Psychology & it’s Therapeutic

Reflections

Transcendence is defined is the ability is go beyond oneself, transcending ones on skin,

body and bloodstream (Maslow, 1967). When transcendence overlaps with an individual it is termed
as self transcendence which is considered a personality trait that includes expansion or evaporation
of personal boundaries (Frankle, 1966). As the finality of the journey of self and consciousness ends
with the transcendence state according to the western idea, the journey towards self and
consciousness begins with understanding transcendence in the Indian perspective. Consciousness is
considered to be existing in all levels above and below the human range, surpassing the limitation
of the gross body and merges with that of the brahman or sat-chit-anada (Sri Aurobindo, 1949).
Simply transcendence as said by the western psychologist is beyond the gross form wherein
consciousness contains the gross, subtle, subtler and the subtlest form. Understanding the
consciousness from the perspective of Indian psychology becomes vital for any psychotherapist to
understand how the mind functions. This paper tries to discuss about the all pervasive nature of
consciousness and how this knowledge can be reflected in a holistic psychotherapeutic interventions
strategies
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Keywords: Consciousness, Transcendence, Psychotherapeutic intervention