Transpersonal Psychology
Transpersonal psychology: the fourth force in psychology — spiritual experience, holotropic states, Grof, Wilber, and the Association for Transpersonal Psychology.
Transpersonal psychology integrates spiritual, mystical, and transcendent experience into psychological theory — often called psychology's "fourth force" after psychoanalytic, behavioral, and humanistic approaches.
Key figures
- Stanislav Grof — holotropic breathwork, perinatal matrices, spiritual emergency
- Abraham Maslow — peak experiences, self-transcendence
- Ken Wilber — integral theory (AQAL)
Institutions
Association for Transpersonal Psychology (ATP, founded 1972); Journal of Transpersonal Psychology (1969).
Transpersonal psychology remains marginal in mainstream APA-accredited academia but has dedicated journals and graduate programs.