Altered States of Consciousness and Transpersonal Psychology

Abstract

Given Western culture’s wholesale rejection of altered states for so long, contemporary researchers of altered states of consciousness may feel as if they are pioneers in an uncharted territory. However, for generations our human ancestors have journeyed to these realms even as scholars attempt to decipher and understand them today. Various aspects of altered states of consciousness have been studied in numerous fields including history, archaeology, cultural anthropology, religious studies, philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience, to name some of the most prominent. This chapter provides a survey of key highlights in altered states research to date, as the area is much too rich to examine in detail in the limited space allowed. The review begins with a basic definition of major terms and concepts. Next, the historical role of altered states of consciousness are presented, reaching back to ancient rites seemingly designed to induce altered states for the benefit of participants, such as the Eleusinian Mysteries in ancient Greece and various shamanic practices across cultures. Afterwards, the contributions of several 20th century thinkers are outlined. Early psychologists such as William James helped to build an initial framework for examining altered states of consciousness as early as 1902. Nevertheless, it was not until the 1960s that modern psychology began to consider the issue of consciousness and states of consciousness in earnest. Following along these lines, researchers such as Charles Tart and Stanislav Grof worked to create a place for the study of altered states and even advocate for the initiation of state-specific sciences and clinical interventions within modern-day psychological paradigms. Among the major influence of these approaches was the inclusion of subjective first-person experience as admissible data for scientific inquiry.