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Transpersonal psychology is a new direction in psychology looking into positive and constructive integration of body, mind and spirit. While mainstream psychology is concerned mainly with ego development or rather failure to develop ego or self-awareness, transpersonal psychology is based on human growth rather than illness and development beyond ego.

Transpersonal indicates belief that there is something common in our nature that links us all and is beyond illusive impression of separateness ego creates. Therefore our true nature is deeper than ego and transpersonal psychology helps us in finding our true self or the divine within. It helps us develop beyond our personal realm. It gives us meaning and purpose in this life on Earth, helps restore the psychological balance we naturally have, bringing us the feeling of perfect harmony and happiness.

While mainstream psychology is a rather science oriented study of human behavior, transpersonal psychology relies more on intuition as inner way of knowing and direct experience. If mainstream psychology is a study of mind, transpersonal psychology is a study of heart. Its approach is working with developing consciousness beyond self-awareness that results in heart opening and realization of ultimate reality. Methodologies used are very much Eastern oriented contemplative, mainly meditation and yogic techniques. It also considers ingenious people traditional practices, such as shamanistic healing practices and mystical experiences.

Transpersonal psychology encourages us to recognize that we all have a strong capacity for self-development and self-healing and researches ways of formalizing the process of this recognition and development steps that follow. Unlike mental processes, it is however very difficult to formalize inner processes of heart opening and expanding consciousness. Experiences and perceptions become very individualistic and transpersonal psychology struggles to prove the true existence of levels of consciousness and to find definite commonalities. In this, it becomes closer to philosophy than psychology, and in this lies its challenge. Our society is used to a certain way of thinking in which all that can be proved by a formula or an experiment is acceptable. Transpersonal psychology must find a way around this mentality to bring humans back to the nature and to their true nature.

I believe that the only way to achieve this is through a therapy or counseling based on learning to control and overcome our thought-mind and to awaken and rely on our intuitive mind. It is only through the intuitive mind that we can know ourselves beyond the notions we create about ourselves with our thought-mind. It is exactly these notions which limit us in our development when our development really is limitless.