Spotlight on Parapsychology
As the only accredited institution in North America devoted to the study of Transpersonal Psychology, the curriculum in each program at the school consistently contains cutting-edge courses on this topic, including continued work in the field of parapsychology. The following is a list of parapsychology courses that have been offered in the past at ITP. Courses are offered based upon the interests of the current student body and faculty availability. Please consult the academic course schedule for each program of interest for classes offered at this time.
Basic Parapsychology
Every culture and every person within a culture is a "philosopher," a "scientist," a "theorist," in that she/he has a worldview, a set of (somewhat integrated) beliefs as to what the world is like. The world includes the physical world, their own selves, other people, and "otherworldly" aspects of reality. One's personal and cultural worldview automatically and habitually affects/constructs one's thinking (and perception) in important ways. Some actions or ideas are not even seriously thought about, e.g., as they are "obviously" impossible. And if "impossible' events happen considerable conflict may be experienced.
Transpersonal psychology was created partially as a reaction to the dominant worldview of our times: scientistic materialism. [Note the difference between science and scientism] This view, that affects all of us in many ways, even when we think we don't believe it or think we are in rebellion to it, sees human consciousness as nothing but the result of electrical and chemical interactions within the brain and nervous system. So consciousness is not only exclusively controlled by the brain and physical environment, it perishes absolutely when the brain dies. From the dominant view of scientistic materialism, most of the ideas and experiences of concern to transpersonal psychologists are pre-scientific nonsense, primitive beliefs, based on fear of injury and death, outmoded and nonsensical beliefs about "souls" and "spirits" and "energy" and similar things that any "rational" person dismisses.
One of the reasons for creating transpersonal psychology was the psychological observation that a completely materialistic worldview is not very satisfying to the human "spirit:" indeed many seem to sicken when they are caught within the materialistic world view. But in being transpersonal psychologists, are we desperately hanging on to superstition and nonsense just to make ourselves feel better? Good feelings first, to hell with truth? A modern (transpersonal) "opiate of the masses," as Marx characterized religion? Rejecting the truths of modern science out of fear they will undermine a comfortable belief system? These are important questions each of us must personally answer, as well as deal with rationally as transpersonally oriented professionals.
The central contentions of this course will be that [a] using the best kind of rigorous science (scientific parapsychology, which must be distinguished from the vast mass of sloppy beliefs popularly put under the "parapsychology" and "New Age" labels), a total reduction of all human functioning to nothing but material brain function is factually wrong; that [b] no genuinely scientific theory that claims to be comprehensive can ignore facts it can't account for; and [c] high quality scientific data gives support to a scientific view of consciousness that points in the direction of "spiritual" or transpersonal realities. But, and this is a very important "but," simply believing either in a materialistic or transpersonal worldview because of habit or feelings is common - and unscientific and a major disservice to the world and to our profession. Much of what is labeled by such terms as "psychic" or "spiritual" is indeed factually nonsensical and wrong, but there are vital realities mixed in. Learning how to discriminate and how to wisely use what we know is essential. No one should be a fuzzy philosopher who doesn't think clearly and rigorously, a sloppy scientist who doesn't actually test his/her beliefs, or a slipshod theorist about reality who doesn't recognize and deal with difficulties and contradictions. And "believer" is not a positive term among the most influential people in our society.
Two primary texts will be used as well as possible occasional assigned readings, viz. Broughton's Parapsychology: The Controversial Science and Radin's The Conscious Universe: The Scientific Truth of Psychic Phenomena. Both authors are leading parapsychologists. The course will consist of various micro-lectures by the instructor, extensive reading in the two textbooks, and class discussions based on the readings and on students' knowledge and experience. Because of the large amount of material we need to survey to get an adequate conceptual and scientific overview, there will be little, if any, experiential work in class. The reading and paper assignments are given below. Further, multiple readings of student papers in a collegial way will increase the intensity of the learning experience.
Parapsychology
This course explores what one has learned, through careful scientific research, about the paranormal processes of telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, and psychokinesis, as well as evidence bearing on the possibility of survival of physical death. Theories, implications, and possible applications of these findings are discussed—with emphasis on their relevance to human interconnectedness, healing, consciousness, and other transpersonal concerns.
The student should emerge from completing this course with an enhanced understanding of the nature of parapsychological inquiry--what are its methods, what does it study, what does not come within its purview? In addition, students will grasp the major forms and manifestations of paranormal experiences and events; namely, telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, psychokinesis, and evidence suggestive of survival of bodily death. The course will explore the nature of scientific and other forms of opposition to these phenomena and to research in these areas, as well as some possible reasons for such opposition and for misunderstandings of these experiences.
In addition, at the conclusion of the course, each student should have become more practiced in applying the transpersonally-relevant qualities of mindfulness, discernment, compassion, and appreciation of differences to the content areas of this course, to their work with the course materials, as well as to their own related life experiences and those of others, and to the contributions of other students in this course.
