What is Transpersonal Psychotherapy? A Conceptual Template

Transpersonal psychotherapy (TPT) lacks systematization, as it lacks a model that characterizes what qualifies a psychotherapy as transpersonal. Due to this situation, TPT has been developed in a state of fragmentation, through a multiplicity of idiosyncratic approaches. This idiosyncratic fragmentation jeopardizes the theoretical development of the field, undermines the possibilities of obtaining a wider recognition, and hinders the training and the research. To remedy this, this paper proposes a model of five components which characterize TPT: (1) purposeful use of states of consciousness, (2) transpersonal therapeutic framework, (3) transpersonal techniques, (4) focus on spirituality and/or existential meaning, and (5) suitable phenomenology and therapeutic demands/goals. Given that each component admits varied implementations, the model serves as a conceptual template able to cover the rich variety of transpersonal psychotherapies while providing the much-needed systematization.