Transpersonal psychology is one of the lesser known fields of psychology. It began in the late 1960s, as an attempt to establish a "fourth force" in psychology, following psychodynamic, behavioral and humanistic approaches. To a large extent, it was a consequence of humanistic psychology; in fact, one of the best known humanistic psychologists, Abraham Maslow, was a pioneer of the transpersonal approach. Transpersonal psychology was strongly influenced by the "human potential" and counterculture movements of the 1960s, and the wave of psycho-experimentation that involved, through psychedelic substances, meditation and other practices of change of consciousness.
You could view transpersonal psychology as an attempt to understand the different states of consciousness and the different views of reality that were revealed through this experimentation. At the same time, it was an attempt to integrate the ideas of Western psychology with the ideas of Eastern spiritual traditions, such as Buddhism and Hindu Vedanta and yoga, in particular its examination of "higher" states of consciousness and "Superior" Human development. In the words of Abraham Maslow, the role of transpersonal psychology was to explore the "furthest reaches of human nature."
Transpersonal Psychology is so appealing, because one of its central principles is that what we think of as a “normal” state of being is somewhat limited. Recognize that there are more expansive and more intense states of consciousness that we can experience under certain circumstances. It suggests that what other psychologists might see as "optimal" human psychological functioning - eg, freedom from anxiety and irrational negative thought patterns, an optimistic outlook, a strong sense of identity - is by no means the end point. of our development. There are potentially more functional states in which our perception intensifies, we experience a greater sense of connection with nature and with other human beings, we become more compassionate and altruistic, we have a broader sense of perspective, and we live more authentically, etc.
While transpersonal psychology has been on the periphery for a long time, its importance may be increasing. There are many important contemporary trends in psychology and science in general that relate very strongly to transpersonal theory.
