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So-called 'Schizophrenia' asTransformative Process
Much needless suffering results from ignorance of the
multidimensional natureof the human psyche, human personality or
'human nature'. Insights into theworkings of human nature are
revealed by combining Western scientific researchwith concepts
provided by Eastern psychologies concerned with the dimension
ofhuman nature beyond the persona, or ego'. The transpersonal or
spiritual
dimension is defined in terms of the understanding of the
divinity of humannessand universal moral values. Human values are
the social values of socialintelligence. beauty as truth, truthas
knowledge, 'knowledge' asunderstanding, understanding as love, love
as unconditional lovingkindness orcompassion, justice as morality,
morality as freedom of conscience or peace,peaceas social
responsibility, wisdom as intelligence, intelligence ascreativity
and productivity or creative intelligence. Awareness of human
values,spiritual awareness, results in spiritual insight and
spiritual intelligence orintuition. Intuition allows for accurate
evaluation of the complexities ofchanging social conditions and is
therefore necessary for effective adaptation tothe social
environment or social adaptability' and survival of the
species.
The psychiatric profession has created one of the greatest myths
of our time
by describing so-called 'schizophrenia' as a nonspecific disease
or mentalillness. It was German psychiatrist Emil Kraepelin
(1856-1926) who originallybelieved that this supposedly devastating
condition involved irreversible mentaldeterioration so he coined
the Latin name 'dementia praecox' meaning 'prematurelyout of one's
mind'. Later it became clear that the term was a misnomer and a
newterm was provided in 1910 by the kind and humane Swiss
psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler(1857-1939), teacher of Carl Jung and
professor of psychiatry at the University ofZrich where he headed
the famous Burghlzli Clinic. Since the condition seemed toinvolve a
mental split between thought and emotion, Bleuler coined the
term'schizophrenia' for 'splitting of the mind'. The term is
derived from German'schizophrenie' from Greek 'skhizein' meaning
'to split' and 'phren' of unknownorigin meaning 'heart or mind' so
that schizophrenia actually means 'brokensoul' or 'broken heart.
Although there is still no universally accepted
definition of the term, it has been applied to various
conditions including a setof socially and culturally unacceptable
thinking and behaviour patterns so that itbecomes a model of
unwanted conduct.
In fact so-called schizophrenia is not a disease nor is it a
hopelesscondition but abrilliant condition which is the concern of
the psychology of the transpersonal orspiritual dimension of human
nature i.e. 'transpersonal psychology'. In the lightof
transpersonal psychology schizophrenia is a personal 'story' of a
natural andtemporary self-healing and self-organising process
involving the dissolution andremoval of illusions and false beliefs
which originate from social conditioning.In this sense
schizophrenia is a transformative process, a crisis
oftransformation or psychospiritual crisis. Furthermore it can be
understood as a
part of the human condition and as a process which reveals
information about thenature of the human psyche or human
nature.
Human nature is a moral, spiritual or social nature and the
human organismis a social organism with instincts for social
cooperation and social harmony i.e.social instincts. Social
instincts must be cultivated in a process ofdevelopment of moral
consciousness or conscience. The function of the conscienceis to
preserve the integrity or wholenessof the personality. Rational
conscienceis the product of moral, spiritual and social development
resulting intransformation of the self and the knowledge of ones
human nature or self-knowledge. Self-knowledge is prerequisite to
social or spiritual intelligencerequired for effective social
adaptability. The process of moral or spiritual
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development results in the understanding of the ultimate
connectedness orunityof all things i.e. also known variously as
'individuation', 'self-realisation', 'self-actualisation',
'spiritual renewal', 'spiritual awakening','spiritual rebirth,
'enlightenment' or 'spiritual emergence'.
"In the most general terms, spiritual emergence can be defined
as the movement ofan individual to a more expanded way of being
that involves enhanced emotional andpsychosomatic health, greater
freedom of personal choices, and a sense of deeper
connection with other people, nature and the cosmos. An
important part of thisdevelopment is an increasing awareness of the
spiritual dimension in one's lifeand in the universal scheme of
things. Spiritual development is an innateevolutionary capacity of
all human beings. It is a movement towards wholeness or'holotropic
state', the discovery of one's true potential." (Stanislav
Grof)
Spiritual emergence is a gradual dynamic, fluid, naturally
ordered andintegrated on-going process of personal development into
greater maturity andspiritual awareness. The process involves
personal evolution from the limitedsense of self or 'ego' and its
egocentric perspective to the expanded sense ofself beyond ego, the
higher self, the authentic self or 'Self' and itstranspersonal
perspective. Transcendance of the ego or ego-transcendance
allowsfor expansion of consciousness and heightened awareness
resulting in an inner
sense of emotional liberation. Intuition is purified and
sharpened thus allowingfor a clearer more accurate perception of
reality and the discovery of ideas andbehaviours which are
effective for social adaptability. Spiritual emergence isthe source
of personal power because it allows for the attainment of knowledge
ofone's true nature (self-knowledge) as the source of motivation
for personalproductiveness and creativity or work
(self-empowerment).
Complete spiritual development takes place over a period of
years and dependson conditions of freedom and education which
allows for the complete developmentof the person as a whole i.e.
'holistic education'. Holistic education is based onrespect for the
biologically based motives for human behaviour or human needs.Human
needs include both 'lower' psychological needs for security and
self-esteem- the 'ego needs' - and 'higher' psychological needs for
moral development, the
instinctive yearnings for human values, the spiritual needs or
metaneeds.Motivation by the metaneeds ('metamotivation') allows for
the discovery of onestrue potential. Each person is at a different
stage of spiritual emergencedepending on the level of their moral
or spiritual development.
If in highly sensitive individuals the processs of spiritual
emergence isblocked for any reason then they might undergo a period
of crisis or emergencyinvolving the rapid formation of essential
adjustments for effective adaptation.The transformation process of
spiritual emergence can be so dramatic as to becomeuncontrollable
spiritual emergency, also known by many names:
transpersonalexperience, transpersonal crisis, psycho-spiritual
transformation, psychospiritualcrisis, spiritual journey, hero's
journey, dark night of the soul, spiritualopening, psychic opening,
psychic awakening, spiritual awakening, enlightenment,
kundalini awakening, kundalini process, kundalini crisis,
shamanic initiation,shamanic crisis, psychotic-visionary episode,
ego death, ego loss, alchemicalprocess, positive disintegration,
post traumatic stress disorder with psychoticfeatures, night sea
journey, psychosis, shamanism, mysticism, gnosis, innerapocalypse,
and so on. Spiritual emergency is characterised by
spontaneousalternative consciousness states or realities' in which
the person experiencesunbearably distressing psychic overload
involving chaotic and overwhelming sensoryexperiences which in fact
offer invaluable opportunities for personal growth andpositive
transformation.
Spiritual emergency is a process of healing and renewal which
involves the
