Academics Overview

Transpersonal Psychology:
The Study, Practice, and Application of World Wisdom Psychologies
January 29 -- February 4, 2010
Presentation Center, Los Gatos, California

At ITP our mission is to foster the development of individuals, organizations, and societies toward their fuller potential for wisdom, health and wholeness.

In order to realize such a fuller and higher potential, we embrace the diversity and inherent unity of World Wisdom Psychologies as the core and principle of our study, practice, and application of Transpersonal Psychology. As a result, throughout our curriculum, we seek to incorporate the wisdom psychologies of the East, West, and indigenous peoples, as well as ecological and metaphysical systems to help guide our transformational learning process towards a Whole Person Education.

In this seminar, we shall bring to light some of these various World Wisdom Psychologies for all of us to learn, cultivate, and embody through different aspects of our life.

Faculty & Presenters
Saturday, January 30, 2010, 9:00 a.m. – 12 noon
Sunday, January 31, 2010, 9:00 a.m. – 12 noon
Monday, February 1, 2010, 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m
Tuesday, February 2, 2010, 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m
Wednesday, February 3, 2010, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Full and Half- Day Passes Available

Keynote Speaker Charles Tart, Ph.D.
Personal Attempts at a Spiritual Path: Walking It, Running It, Stumbling on It, Rebelling Against It, Questioning It, and More. The Life of a Transpersonal Psychologist

Wednesday, February 3, 2010
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon

It's easy and "normal" for a professor to remain personally rather veiled behind the facts and theories of the subject matter being taught. In transpersonal psychology, though, we are trying to teach at a deeper level, which often requires personal sharing and modeling of the material, not just nice theories about our spiritual possibilities. I try to bring some of this into my usual teaching, but usually get carried away (and carry my students away) with the fascinating, cognitive side of things. For our time together, I'm going to try to be mainly a story teller - although I can't help but slip in a lot of teaching! - and share my personal life as someone who has tried to walk a spiritual path as well as a scientific and scholarly one, while trying to be a good human being.

This will be a kind of "life review," starting with my early religious upbringing and the conflicts around it, walks on many paths like the Rosicrucians, Sufism, Aikido and Buddhism, and interweaving a professional scientific career to help increase knowledge and refine understanding of the spiritual, such as by helping to establish the field of Transpersonal Psychology.

My work with the Fourth Way teachings of G. I. Gurdjieff will be a central core of this story. Gurdjieff's ideas and methods for increasing mindfulness in everyday life are especially important for the development of Transpersonal Psychology, and not that well known. It's almost impossible to get into trouble while you sit on your meditation cushion, for example, but we go out in life without much mindfulness and create trouble all the time: thus the emphasis on developing mindfulness in life. I'm going to tell personal stories, do a lot of back and forth, Q and A, with micro-lectures slipped in and lots of interesting pictures…and hopefully you will have some feeling for at least one way a transpersonal psychologist has lived and sought….If all this sounds like too much – well that's often how life is, but it will be fun....

Dr. Charles Tart is Executive Faculty at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in Palo Alto and Professor Emeritus of Psychology at UC Davis. He is internationally known for research with altered states, transpersonal psychology, and parapsychology. His 13 books include two classics, "Altered States of Consciousness" and "Transpersonal Psychologies. " Two recent books, "Waking Up" and "Living the Mindful Life" synthesized Buddhist, Sufi and Gurdjieffian mindfulness training ideas with modern psychology. His 1997 "Body Mind Spirit: Exploring the Parapsychology of Spirituality," explored the scientific foundations of transpersonal psychology to show it is possible to be both a scientist and a spiritual seeker. His most recent book is "Mind Science: Meditation Training for Practical People," and his new "The End of Materialism: How Evidence of the Paranormal is Bringing Science and Spirit Together" was published in the Spring of 2009. Full information is available at www.paradigm-sys.com/cttart/.

 

Additional Speakers

Kartik Patel, Ph.D.
Spirituality and Emotions
Saturday, January 30, 2010
9:00 a.m. – 12 noon

Emotion is the divine (raso vai sah)" declares the Taittiriya Upanishad, one of the important texts of the Hindu Wisdom tradition. We will explore the role of emotions in spiritual development as well as the relationship between spirituality and emotions. Taking an integrative approach, we will discuss the Hindu and Buddhist approaches to wholesome and unwholesome emotions, their relevance to our own psycho-spiritual development, and how emotions can form the basis of our experiential learning as well as an engaged spiritual life. We will explore gratitude, joy, fear, anxiety, compassion, bliss, and other emotions.

Kartikeya (Kartik) Patel, Ph.D. , is an Associate Professor and former Dean of the Online/Distance Learning Global Programs at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, Palo Alto, California. Since 2005, Kartik has served on various committees of the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) including the Substantive Change, Special Visits, Comprehensive Visits committees and conducted over 35 substantive change reviews of accredited institutions involving new online/distance learning initiatives, new sites, international, dual-degree , degree level and organizational changes such as mission change or institutional mergers. In 2009, Kartik was nominated by Dr. Angeles Arrien for the prestigious Fetzer project on Higher Education Leadership titled "Inter-Generational Mentoring Community: Fostering an Emergence and Transfer of Leadership in Higher Education. " He also serves on the Board of the Cultural Integration Fellowship, the parent organization of the California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco. Kartik brings with him educational training and experiential learning from living in and being educated on three different continents. He has presented extensively at national and international conferences and published in various journals and books. Kartik's latest invited work "Eastern Traditions, Consciousness, and Spirituality" will appear in the Oxford Handbook of Psychology of Spirituality and Consciousness.

 

Christine Brooks, Ph.D.
Finding Our Faces in the Crowd: The Evolution of the Gender Spectrum and the Wisdom of Expanding Beyond the Gender Binary Model in Transpersonal Psychology
Sunday, January 31, 2010
9:00 a.m. – 12 noon

Contemporary transpersonal scholars have called for a re-balancing between masculine and feminine dynamics within transpersonal theory and practice. But what if we were to take this conversation one step further? Current findings from gender studies, feminist psychology, and sexuality research suggest that an over-reliance on binary formulations of gender (Masculine/Feminine, Animus/Anima) do not represent the complexity and richness of our reality as embodied beings. During our time together we will collectively explore the ways in which gendered experience can be understood as a critical force in our own psychospiritual development. As a starting point, I will share with you some of my own path—how my life as a gendered being impacts my personal, professional, and spiritual life. We will also participate in a multimedia presentation, take time for engaged conversation, and conclude our session with an interactive, inter-relational group experience.

Dr. Christine Brooks is an Assistant Professor and Chair of the Residential Ph.D. in Transpersonal Psychology Program. She brings more than 15 years of experience in the corporate world to her current work including expertise as a book editor at Bantam Books and project manager of an online personal growth website. These past work experiences inform Dr. Brooks' current interest in transformational education and leadership.

Dr. Brooks' research is focused in three areas: intentional childlessness as a life path; archetypal expressions of gendered identities; and the interface of transpersonal psychology and transformational education scholarship. She has presented at major national and international conferences in the social and human sciences on intentional childlessness and her own original qualitative research technique, Embodied Transcription. Additional areas of scholarly interest include the intersections of transpersonal psychology with feminist and queer theories and psychologies, postmodern and poststructural theories such as social constructionism and advocacy/participatory worldviews, diversity issues in psychology, queer spirituality, qualitative research methods including grounded theory and intuitive inquiry, and adult identity development.

 

Ryan Rominger, Ph.D.
The Wisdom of Dreaming: Group Dream Work as Applied Wisdom Psychology
Monday, February 1, 2010
9:00 a.m. – 12 noon

This session will introduce dream work in various traditions around the world, including the controversial Senoi Dream Theory. Additionally, the session will introduce modern group dream work and set aside time for an extended group dream work experiential.

Dr. Ryan Rominger holds the rank of Associate Professor in the Global Programs and is currently the ITP Associate Dissertation Director. Ryan graduated from the Residential Program and quickly became an integral part of the Global Programs as the Dissertation, Thesis, and Academic Coordinator from 2004-2008. During this time Ryan also served as adjunct faculty in both the Residential and Global Programs for a variety of courses. Prior research includes romantic acts and the priming effect in research, integration of exceptional experiences through the use of group spiritual guidance and group expressive arts, transformation of students in a coaching training program, and assessing both diversity within higher education and institutional change due to research on diversity within higher education (recently presented at the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education). Ryan is currently focusing on diversity in transpersonal psychology, transformation, the integration of exceptional experiences, working with research methods that honor the expressive arts and social action, and the use of online technology in transpersonal higher education.

He is also co-founder of a research consulting practice called Multiple Angles for Creative Solutions. This practice arose from awareness of the need for support during the 'inner dissertation processes among Ph.D. students. Multiple Angles has expanded into facilitation of online research (including online data collection and online advertisement of research) and is being used by students and faculty from ITP as well as companies such as Yahoo and Stanford University. Multiple Angles may be accessed, for further information, at www.multipleangles.com.

 

Henry Poon, Ph.D.
World Wisdom Approaches according to Confucian Psychology of Sincerity
Monday, February 1, 2010
1:30 – 4:30 P.M.

Through this seminar presentation, we will explore how Confucian Psychology of Sincerity can help us to navigate through our everyday Life with Equilibrium and Harmony. Participants will be invited to experientially examine, reflect, and learn how to apply a very profound transpersonal practice and discipline of Centrality through ordinary daily interaction with Self, others, and the world-at-large. The presenter will share rare personal examples and professional experiences in how he himself has attempted to live out such wisdom approaches from ancient times to modern days.

Dr. Henry Poon is the Chair of the Global Certificate and Master's Programs and holds the rank of Assistant Professor. He is licensed in California as well as in Japan. Henry's emphasis is on the practice of Self-cultivation as an East-West integrative life approach towards the study of Transpersonal Psychology. This enlivening approach of Self-cultivation and integration has been introduced as a learning method through M.A. and Ph.D. courses such as Psychology of Spirituality, Personality and Psychotherapy, Psychopathology and Psychodiagnosis, and Cross-cultural Psychology and Counseling. Dr. Poon's primary goal is to inspire students to actively cultivate their own sense of integration and integrity in relation to their everyday life by practicing newly discovered psycho-spiritual guiding principles and methods from their coursework. Each coursework is a fresh attempt to integrate multiple fields of knowledge, wisdom, and practice in order to facilitate students to develop their original model and application of transpersonal psychology.

Henry is a dedicated clinician and practitioner in the field of Multicultural Psychology and Counseling. He has worked with clients and students from around the world, countries including Argentina, Brazil, Columbia, Canada, China, England, Germany, India, Iran, Israel, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Peru, and U.S. He is researching two major works: How Confucianism can Contribute to Modern Transpersonal Psychology, and How Tao Te Ching can Contribute to Modern Clinical Psychology. He maintains private practice in the Bay Area, providing East-West integrative life therapy for clients with multicultural background and needs.

Lisa Herman, MFT, Ph.D., REAT
Land/Art/Community
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
9:00 a.m. – 12 noon

Land, art and community have been ways to reflect and hold human experience ever since humans walked the earth. At one time, all three of these modes of being were integrated into cultures and taken for granted as part of everyday life. As we walked or sledded or rode to our community's gathering spot, a natural place of power and shelter, we carried intricately engraved pots of carefully prepared food and delicately carved handiworks to share with others. We chanted, danced, sang, played instruments, told stories and looked for guidance.

In our age, the land, art and community have been systemically disrespected and forgotten in far too many places. We have lost our sense of the power of the land to embrace us, the strength of the arts to express and explore our suffering and our wishes and dreams for the future and the warmth of identity that belonging to community offers. In our time together in our session, we will dip our toes into an exploration these three paths culminating in ritual performance, that old/new transformative practice where performer and witness enter a transpersonal space and time, and perhaps discover something new together.

Dr. Lisa Herman is Director Creative Expression and Executive Core Faculty at ITP where she teaches in the Masters and Ph.D. programs. She is core faculty at Meridian University in Petaluma, adjunct faculty at the International School for Interdisciplinary Studies (ISIS-Canada) in Toronto and a dissertation advisor at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco where she received her Ph.D. in Integral Studies with a concentration in Transformative Learning and Change.

Lisa is a Registered Expressive Arts Therapist and a licensed MFT and supervisor. She has worked as an expressive arts therapist with couples, families, individuals and groups for over thirty years. Employed as a therapist and supervisor in Canada, the U.S. and Israel in community mental health agencies, prisons and hospitals, she also built and maintained a private practice in each of these countries. She is presently in practice in Monterey, CA. Lisa specializes in trauma-related issues with adults as well as children. She trains professionals and presents her work internationally.

A published novelist, poet and academician and a performance artist, Lisa is interested in arts-based research and the effect of images of evil events on the non-participant.

 

Nancy Rowe, Ph.D.
Accessing Our Inner Wisdom through Imagination, Dreamwork, and Synchronicity
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
1:30 – 4:30 P.M.

Mystics have understood the value of direct knowing as a way to deepen understanding and access inner wisdom. At ITP, we encourage listening to the subtle voices of intuition and imagination. We value meaning found in dreamwork and through synchronicity. In this workshop, we will explore direct knowing. We will use our imagination and dreams to access personal meaning, expand our awareness, and increase our understanding of self and others. We will explore how being open to synchronicity brings meaning and wholeness into our lives.

Dr. Nancy Rowe joined the ITP community after a long career at as a teacher educator, first as a student, then as a faculty mentor, and now as a core faculty in the Global Master's program. She is an Associate Professor and has been involved in designing the MTP program, developing curriculum and teaching classes. Her research interests include the healing power of imagination, Earth-based spirituality, pilgrimage, creativity, and shamanism. She has given a variety of workshops, retreats, and ITP seminar presentations in these areas. Some of her teachings include a 10 day pilgrimage to Greece entitled Journey to the Source: Nature, Myth, and the Longing for Wholeness, yearly seminars at Omega Institute and the Menla Retreat Center, presentations at the Earth and Religion Conference for Resurgence Magazine and an extended retreat at Springbank Retreat Center for Earth, Art and Spirituality. Seminar offerings have included: Heart to Heart, Wild to Wild: Connecting to the Spirit of Place; Encountering the Sacred in All Living Beings; Sacred Witnessing: Dance, Movement & Myth; and Art Process: Evoking the Divine Feminine/Divine Masculine.

Her most recent publications includes book chapters entitled, "The Healing Power of Creative Expression", in D. McCarthy's book, Speaking about the Unspeakable, and "Listening through the Body" published in M. Brady's book, Wisdom of Listening and articles entitled, "Birth of the Courageous One: A Case Study that Combines Psychosynthesis and Sand Play Therapy" in the East Coast Sand Play Journal and "Book Review of Sand, Water, Silence: Embodiment of Spirit by Mary Jane Markell "in the Journal of Transpersonal Psychology. She has also authored or coauthored over 15 course modules including: Eco-psychology: Remembering our Connection to the Natural World; Eco-spirituality: Our Connection to Gaia; Creative Expression and Transformation; Creative Expression: Gateways to Self-Discovery and Inner Wisdom; Theories of Personality: East, West and Indigenous; Perspectives on Being Human; Approaches to Transpersonal Psychotherapy; and Spiritual Dimensions of Human Behavior.

In addition to being a core faculty member, Nancy counsels and uses expressive arts therapy with adults and children using a heart-centered, transpersonal approach and sand play.