Meditation, Adult Development, and Health: Part III

Abstract

This is the third article establishing a foundation of meditation practice for adult development. In the first article, it was argued mental and emotional health deteriorate when the maturing years of life are faced by a personality limited to habitual, fixated defenses. In the second article, the specific types of mental and emotional suffering and the specific types of meditation to reduce that suffering were described. In this article, the acceptance of meditative experiences into the personality is described. Acceptance is delineated in stages to assist the helping professional in assessing their clients' developments in consciousness.

Full text

213
Meditation,
Adult
Development,
and
Health:
Part
III
Richard
Schaub,
PhD
Michael
Follman,
MA
New
York
Psychosynthesis
Institute
This
is
the
third
article
establishing
a
foundation
of
meditation
practice
for adult
development.
In the
first
article,
it
was
argued
mental
and
emotional
health
deteriorate
when
the
maturing
years
of
life
are
faced
by
a
personality
limited
to
habitual,
fixated
defenses.
In
the
second
article,
the
specific
types
of
mental
and
emotional
suffering
and
the
specific
types
of
meditation
to
reduce
that
suffering
were
described.
In
this
article,
the
acceptance
of
meditative
experiences
into
the
personality
is
described.
Acceptance
is
delineated
in
stages
to
assist
the
helping
professional
in
assessing
their
clients’
developments
in
consciousness.
Alternative
Health
Practitioner,
Vol.
2,
No. 3,
FalllWinter
1996
In
Part
II
of
this
series,
adult
mental
and
emotional
suffering
was
described
in
three
categories:
(1)
perceived
threats
to
survival,
(2)
learned
self-hatred,
(3)
the
frustrations
of
the
ego
self.
All
of
these
sufferings
trigger
flight/fight
reactions.
These
flight/fight
reactions
in
turn
cause
more
suffering.
Concentrative,
receptive,
and
creative
types
of
meditation
offer
experiences
that
can
address
these
specific
types
of
suffering
(Schaub,
1996).
There
is,
however,
a
crucial
difference
between
meditating
and
actually
receiving
the
benefits
of meditation.
The
difference
is
the
degree
to
which
adults
accept
meditative
experiences
into
their
personality
and
allow
their
personality
to
be
changed
by
meditation.
In
this
article,
the
authors
offer
a
Stages
of
Acceptance
model
of
meditative
experiences.
As
adults
move
through
these
stages,
their
biologically
compelled,
socially
conditioned
personality
opens
to
the
spiritual
qualities
and
understandings
that
are
already
present
in
them.
This
spiritual
consciousness
is
based
in
the
reality
that
individuals
are
elements
of
and
are
ceaselessly
participating
in
universal
nature
and
have
feelings
and
understandings
about
this
larger
natural
reality.
Access
to
spiritual
consciousness
literally
changes
the
adult’s
mind.
The
mind
now
sees
time
differently,
now
sees
the
distinction
between
what
matters
and
what
is
transient,
now
sees
what
to
energize
with
ideas
and
actions
and
what
to
withdraw
energy
from.
Spiritual
conscious-
ness
is
a
mental
revolution
with
resulting
emotional,
behavioral,
and
quality
of
life
benefits.
0
1996
Springer
Publishing
Company

214
THE
STAGES
OF
ACCEPTANCE
The
four
Stages
of
Acceptance
of
meditative
experiences
are
denial,
loyalty,
testing,
the
open
personality.
These
stages
are
observable
in
all
people,
but
each
adult
moves
through
the
stages
at
an
individual
pace.
Some
of
the
factors
that
influence
moving
through
the
stages
are
(1)
the
degree
of defensiveness
activated
by
meditative
experiences,
(2)
the
capacity
the
adult
has
to
tolerate
ambiguity,
(3)
the
frequency
and
persuasiveness
of
new
meditative
experiences,
(4)
the
availablility
of
proper
guidance.
What
kinds
of
experiences
are
activated
by
meditation?
Gifford-May
and
Thompson
(1994,
pp.
124-129)
offer
a
list
of
subjective
reports
of
meditative
phenomena.
Paraphrased,
the
list
includes:
you
become
a
field
of
energy;
you
feel
quite
happy
to
die;
you
merge
with
objects;
you
forget
who
you
are;
you
become
conscious
of
being
conscious;
you’re
not
there;
your
arms
extend
to
the
reaches
of
the
universe;
you
experience
immeasurable
distance;
your
head
feels
incredibly
expanded;
you
have
a
sense
of
being
enormous
and
yet
not
out
of
your
body;
you
expand
in
all
directions;
you
have
no
sense
of
yourself;
you
have
no
thought;
you
have
a
loss
of
body
consciousness;
you
have
no
personality;
you
are
a
field
of
awareness
that
is
cosmic;
you
are
just
awareness,
endless,
boundless,
oceanic;
you
are
falling
without
hitting
bottom;
you
are
like
a
very
still
pond;
you
have
a sense
of
space;
you
experience
nothingness
as
enormous;
you
experience
great
love;
you
are
utterly
serene
and
content;
you
experi-
ence
emotional
expansiveness,
laughing
in
a
very
deep
way;
you
experience
joy
bubbling
up,
joy
quietly
pervading
all
things.
Ferrucci
(1982,
pp.
130-131)
offers
a
list
of
experiences
that
include
&dquo;...a
transfig-
ured
vision
of
external
reality,
the
apprehension
of
some
truth
concerning
the
nature
of
the
universe,
a
sense
of
unity
with
all
beings,
illumination,
an
extraordinary
inner
silence,
waves
of
luminous
joy,
liberation,
cosmic
humor,
a
deep
feeling
of
grateful-
ness,
an
exhilarating
sense
of
dance,
resonating
with
the
essence
of
beings,
loving
all
persons
in
one
person,
feeling
oneself
to
be
the
channel
for
a
stronger
force
to
flow
through,
ecstasy,
an
intimation
of
profound
mystery
and
wonder,
the
delight
of
beauty,
creative
inspiration,
a
sense
of
boundless
compassion,
transcendence
of
time
and
space
as
we
know
them.&dquo;
There
could
be
many
additions
to
these
lists.
One
key
addition
is
the
experience
of
the
higher
self-the
inner
source
of
guidance,
wisdom,
and
compassion.
The
higher
self
is
a
phenomenon
recognized
and
validated
by
every
wisdom
tradition
on
earth
(Dossey,
Keegan,
Guzzetta,
&
Kolkmeier,
1988).
For
the
authors,
the
higher
self-experience
marks
the
beginning
of
conscious
contact
between
the
ego
self
and
spiritual
conscious-
ness.
Gifford-May
and
Thompson’s
list
was
gathered
from
a
group
of
10
meditators
who
either
practiced
mantra,
visualization,
or
paying
attention
to
their
breathing.
Our
culture’s
version
of
human
nature
offers
no
model
that
can
explain
how
repeating
a
phrase
(mantra),
imagining
an
image
(visualization),
or
paying
attention
to
breathing
can
lead
to
such
a
range
of
experiences.
Such
experiences
confront
the
socially
defined
ideas
of
who
we
are.
As
one
example
from
Gifford-May
and
Thompson’s
list,
the
meditator
reports
&dquo;you
are
a
field
of
awareness
that
is
cosmic&dquo;
(1994,
p.
124).
Mainstream
medical
and
psychological
thought
would
be
compelled
to
diagnose
such
an
experience,
reducing
it
to
pathology.
We
are
then
confronted
with
the
question:
are
such
meditative
experiences
pathological-or
are
they
pointing
to
something
of

215
fundamental
importance
in
human
nature?
If
we
are
true
scientists,
we
must
be
willing
to
investigate
such
phenomena.
First
Stage
of
Acceptance:
Denial
The
ego
is
an
organizing
process
oriented
toward
biological
survival
and
social
approval.
When
the
ego
is
confronted
with
an
unexplainable
experience
from
the
spiritual
level
of
human
nature,
its
initial
reaction
is
often
to
deprive
the
experience
of
any
attention.
The
experience
is
labeled
as
strange,
is
not
thought
about
in
depth,
is
not
talked
about
with
others,
and
is
soon
a
dim
memory,
a
vague
dream
fragment.
The
experience
is
exiled,
not
allowed
into
the
adult’s
sense
of
self
The
Stages
of
Accep-
tance,
therefore,
are
first
characterized
by
the
protective
ego
denying
the
reality
of
the
experience.
Through
this
denial,
the
ego
minimizes
anxiety.
Denial
of
unexplainable
experiences
retains
the
illusion
that
everything
is
known
and
under
control.
This
illusion
of
control
has
an
important
developmental
function.
It
allows
adults
to
risk
the
many
uncertainties
of
life
without
being
stopped
by
too
much
anxiety
or
too
much
depression.
How
many
situations
could
we
tolerate
if
we
realized
how
little
control
we
have?
Without
our
illusion,
could
we
tolerate
the
fact
we
are
traveling
together
on
a
spiraling
planet
moving
through
infinite
space?
Under
extreme
circumstances,
the
ego
cannot
retain
the
illusion
of
control.
Such
circumstances
include
impending
violence,
sick
and
manipulative
relationships,
a
betrayal
of
trust,
severe
economic
fear,
late-stage
drug
addiction,
physical
entrapment.
The
illusion
of
personal
control
collapses,
and
the
result
is
a
massive
surge
of
anxiety
(a
panic
attack).
In
many
cases,
a
second
panic
attack
is
never
experienced,
but
the
one
episode
of
loss
of
control
can
have
a
haunting
effect
for
years.
The
ego,
therefore,
has
very
good
reasons
for
suppressing
any
experience
outside
of
its
control.
Since
adults
have
spiritual
consciousness
but
are
not
in
control
of
its
processes,
the
ego
has
an
inherent
problem
with
the
spiritual
part
of
human
nature.
This
problem
of
the
ego
is
well
known
and
described
by
every
meditative
and
spiritual
tradition.
Unfortu-
nately,
many
of
the
traditions
conclude
the
problem
is
solved
by
getting
rid
of
the
ego.
Some
of
the
traditions
even
suggest
the
ego
is
an
enemy.
This
is
an
unnatural
and
harmful
view.
The
ego
exists
for
developmental
purposes
and
is
not
the
enemy
of
spiritual
development.
As
Assagioli
put
it,
&dquo;The
ego
is
a
personal
reflection
of
higher
organizing
processes
in
nature,
and
so
the
idea
of
getting
rid
of
the
ego
is
silly&dquo;
(undated
notes).
Epstein
(1995)
offers
a
framework
for
the
coordination
of
egoic
processes
and
meditative
experiences.
For
the
authors,
the
engagement
of
the
ego
in
spiritual
development
enhances
the
process
and
reduces
obstacles
along
the
way.
Spiritual
feelings
and
understandings
happen
everyday
to
everyone.
These
experi-
ences
are
by
nature
subtle
and
are
therefore
easily
ignored
or
suppressed.
Certain
experiences,
however,
are
too
real
to
be
denied.
These
experiences
are
often
a
surprise,
have
an
energetic
or
emotional
impact,
and
carry
an
intuitive
sense
of
worth.
As
one
dramatic
example,
Stan
was
lying
in
the
recovery
room
after back
surgery.
In
his
groggy
state,
he
suddenly
experienced
a
clear,
highly
complex
inner
dialogue
with
several
&dquo;beings&dquo;
who
said
they
were
his
past
lives.
He
found
the
inner
dialogue
fascinating
and
intimate,
and
it
produced
a
great
sense
of
physical
peace
and
a
new
clarity
about
his
life
direction.
When
the
nurse
came
in
to
check
on
him,
he
smiled
broadly
at
her.
Stan
had
had
no
previous
experiences
of
this
kind,
had
absolutely
no
interest
in
past
lives,
and

216
was
not
a
meditator.
In
another
example,
Joan
was
walking
down
a
city
street
when
she
felt
a
wave
of
joy.
Everything
in
the
street
scene
was
pervaded
with
this
quiet
joy,
and
she
sensed
she
was
seeing
into
the
nature
of
reality
that
lies
just
below
the
surface
of
daily
life.
Thirty
seconds
later,
the
experience
was
gone,
and
she
was
feeling
fear
as
she
saw
an
angry
argument
between
two
cab
drivers.
This
happened
to
her
years
ago,
and
she
can
still
relive
those
30
seconds
in
intricate
detail.
The
cited
lists
of Gifford-May
and
Thompson
(1994)
and
Ferrucci
(1982)
have
many
examples
of
such
unexplainable
experiences.
They
are
often
seen
as
special
because
they
seem
to
come
into
consciousness
on
their
own.
They
seem
to
have
a
life
of
their
own.
Recovering
from
surgery
and
anaesthesia,
Stan
felt
dull
and
uncomfortable-and
certainly
not
in
a
mood
to
enter
into
a
complex,
strange,
life
changing
inner
dialogue.
This
sense
of
an
experience
independently
presenting
itself
to
us
creates
a
curiosity
and
a
loyalty
toward
it.
Denial
is
not
possible,
and
the
second
stage
of
acceptance
has
begun.
Second
Stage
of
Acceptance:
Loyalty
When
a
loyalty
experience
occurs,
a
shift
takes
place
in
the
adult’s
mind.
Something
new
has
happened.
There
are
no
memories
to
compare
this
experience
to.
It
is
its
own
immediate
memory.
The
feeling
is
that
something
of
fundamental
importance
has
happened
and
that
the
experience
means
more
than
can
be
presently
understood.
The
adult
is
motivated
to
protect
the
experience.
There
is
an
inner
promise
to
be
true
to
the
experience,
to
affirm
it,
to
somehow
guide
its
existence
into
the
world.
Instinctively,
the
adult
feels
reticent
about
telling
anyone
who
might
discredit
the
experience.
At
the
same
time,
the
adult
doubts
this
reticence:
does
it
mean
the
experience
is
insubstantial
and
could
be
easily
dismissed?
The
conflict
between
affirming
and
doubting
is
a
mental
one.
Emotionally,
a
very
different
inner
event
is
taking
place:
longing.
The
adult
now
longs
to
have
the
experience
again
and
longs
to
know
the
source
of
the
experience.
The
adult
doesn’t
know
it
yet,
but
this
longing
has
now
become
part
of
the
adult’s
emotional
life.
It is
the
first
emotion
of
spiritual
consciousness.
In
time,
the
experience
will
go
through
a
process
of
testing.
For
now,
though,
the
longing
itself
feels
like
proof
of
something
important.
And
this
longing
proves
to
have
great
resiliency.
It
can
be
ignored
for
years
and
yet
never
leave.
Adults
with
past
spiritual
experiences
often
live
the
rest
of
their
life
with
this
longing,
even
if
they
never
have
another
experience.
They
will
often
misunderstand
and
mislabel
this
longing,
thinking
it
is
another
feeling
with
a
similar
tinge,
e.g.,
sadness,
dissatisfaction,
frustration,
emptiness.
The
longing,
however,
is
distinctly
different.
Religious
traditions
interpret
this
longing
as
the
search
for
God.
The
entire
works
of
the
Western
mystical
poet,
Rilke,
and
the
Eastern
mystical
poet,
Rumi,
are
filled
with
descriptions
of
longing.
For
the
authors,
the
longing
seems
to
serve
a
developmental
purpose.
The
longing
binds
the
adult
to
reproducing
the
experience
and,
as
a
result,
to
learning
more
about
the
nature
of
reality.
There
is
even
a
sense
of
destiny
in
the
longing:
the adult
feels
he
or
she
is
supposed
to
be
following
this
feeling.
At
this
stage,
loyalty
and
longing
are
having
their
impact
on
the
adult’s
mind.
The
experience,
however,
cannot
yet
be
assimilated
into
the
adult’s
personality.
It
must
(1)
satisfy
the
biologically
driven
need
to
know
if
it
threatens
survival
and,
(2)
satisfy
the
socially
driven
need
to
know
if
it
threatens
approval.
In
short,
is
the
experience
safe,
and
is
it
functional?
Often
unconsciously,
the
adult
begins
to
test
the
experience
against
these
two
important
needs.

217
Third
Stage
of
Acceptance:
Testing
At
the
testing
stage,
the
ego’s
capacities
to
observe,
analyze,
compare,
organize,
and
integrate
are
brought
into
the
service
of
accepting
or
rejecting
a
spiritual
experience.
The
ego
is
now
in
the
service
of
changing
consciousness.
This
testing
of
the
spiritual
or
meditative
experience
can
be
seen
in
three
searches:
(1)
searching
for
a
meaning,
such
as
a
religious
equivalent,
for
the
experience,
(2)
searching
for
a
method
that
can
reproduce
the
experience,
(3)
searching
for
credible
others
who
can
confirm
the
external
reality
of
the
experience.
Meaning.
Religious
ideas
and
symbols
are
useful
at
this
point.
They
reduce
some
of
the
anxiety
the
ego
feels
about
being
alone
with
the
ambiguity
of
the
experience.
Organized
religions,
however,
usually
offer
little
personalized
information.
By
nature,
organized
religions
are
codified
and
hierarchical,
far
removed
from
the
personal
narratives
and
mystical
experiences
of
their
founders.
As
an
alternative,
the
esoteric
branches
of
religions
tend
to
offer
the
searcher
more
specific
information.
Even
so,
bad
translations,
varied
historical
contexts,
and
unfamiliar
terms
can
make
the
esoteric
accounts
difficult
to
compare
to
one’s
own
experience.
Recently,
one
of
the
world’s
religious
leaders,
the
Dalai
Lama,
called
for
the
emergence
of
a
new
lay
spirituality
that
would
assist
spiritual
and
moral
development
(Dalai
Lama,
1995).
Ideally,
the
adult
finds
an
exact
description
of
his
own
experience
in
a
credible
religious
text.
This
provides
the
experience
with
a
traditional
confirmation
of
its
reality.
However,
a
too
literal
religious
conception
of
the
experience
at
this
time
may
prevent
further
development.
Religions
have
emotional,
cultural,
and
political
biases
and
may
assert
certain
experiences
over
other
experiences
and
may
even
discredit
essential
realities
of
human
nature.
As
one
example,
the
authors
previously
referred
to
traditions
that
suggest
getting
rid
of,
dissolving,
or
even
killing
the
ego.
Such
suggestions
increase
suffering.
Yet,
at
the
same
time,
these
traditions
contain
highly
detailed
information
about
meditative
experiences.
The
adult
must
draw
upon
that
profound
guide-
common
sense-for
resolving
these
discrepancies.
The
recent
development
of
transpersonal
psychology
now
offers
another
source
of
information
about
such
experiences.
Transpersonal
psychology
integrates
spiritual
knowledge
with
psychological
knowledge.
In
time,
transpersonal
study
may
influence
even
traditional
religious
practice.
In
seeking
meaning
for
their
experience,
some
adults
return
to
their
own
original
religion
with
new
insights.
Others
adopt
a
foreign
tradition
that
seems
to
have
information
about
these
experiences.
Still
others
glean
information
from
traditions
and
teachers
but
continue
in
the
ambiguity
of
not
committing
the
experience
to
a
system.
The
ego’s
desire
for
meaning,
however,
does
not
rest
in
this
state
of
ambiguity.
As
part
of
its
comparing
and
organizing
functions,
the
ego
begins
to
create
its
own
word
and
image
memories
for
the
experience.
Method.
The
longing
makes
the
adult
want
more
spiritual
experiences
in
order
to
satisfy
the
longing.
The
ego
wants
more
spiritual
experiences
in
order
to
test
out
their
reality
and
reliability.
As
a
result,
the
ego
actively
joins
the
longing
in
a
search
for
spiritual
methods.
In
effect,
the
ego
is
serving
the
longing.
The
ego
is
now
willing
to
expose
itself
to
methods
that
may
change
its
very
identity.
This
willingness
lowers
defenses,
which
in
turn
leads
to
the
likelihood
of
more
experiences.
The
act
of
meditating
and
opening
to
spiritual
experience
is
now
being
enhanced
by
the
ego’s
cooperation.

218
Inherent
in
searching
for
methods
is
a
form
of
acknowledgment.
The
ego
has
acknowledged
the
importance
of
the
experience.
Denial
is
no
longer
involved.
Credible
Others.
With
more
experiences,
the
adult’s
acceptance
of
a
new
sense
of
reality
increases.
A
fear
develops,
however,
that
this
new
reality
is
only
private
and
is
perhaps
distorted
by
ignorance
and
wishful
thinking.
Is
it
really
possible
that
one
individual
can
glimpse
aspects
of
transcendent
reality?
The
adult
is
appropriately
fearing
grandiosity.
This
fear
serves
a
useful
function.
It
keeps
the
adult
in
balance,
not
making
too
much
of
any
experience.
At
the
same
time,
spiritual
maturity
also
means
the
adult
should
not
make
too
little
of
the
experience
(Durckheim,
1990).
Ironically,
it
is
the
nongrandiose
person
who
fears
grandiosity,
while
the
grandiose
person
doesn’t
fear
it
at
all.
The
result
of
grandiosity
is
exaggerated
claims,
manipulation,
and
disappoint-
ment.
Komfield
(1993,
pp.
309-321),
in
his
chapter
on
&dquo;Spiritual
Maturity,&dquo;
offers
an
excellent
discussion
of
the
realistic
expectations
of
meditation
and
spiritual
develop-
ment.
To
resolve
the
private
doubts,
the
adult
begins
to
search
for
credible
others
who
can
verify,
modify,
or
redirect
the
testing
of
the
adult’s
experiences.
The
false
or
grandiose
form
of
this
search
would
be
to
seek
out
approval
and
confirmation
of
one’s
own
conclusions.
The
true
form
of
the
search
would
be
in
the
egoic
spirit
of
learning
more,
analyzing,
comparing,
organizing,
integrating
and,
ultimately,
developing.
The
alternative
health
practitioner
can
play a
significant
role
in
the
testing
stage.
In
the
search
for
meaning,
models
of
meaning
proposed
by
psychospiritually
oriented
health
professionals
can
be
found
in
all
of
the
bookstores.
One
model
of
meaning,
The
Road
Less
Travelled
(Peck,
1978),
combines
psychiatry
with
Christian
theology
and
has
been
a
best
seller
for
many
years.
In
the
search
for
methods,
the
alternative
health
practitioner
often
utilizes
applied
spiritual
and
meditative
methods
in
a
nonsectarian
context
(For
a
discussion
of
this
trend,
see
Schaub,
1995).
In
the
search
for
credible
others,
the
alternative
health
practitioner
can
assist
the
searcher
in
deciding
which
teachers,
groups,
and
organizations
offer
practical,
comprehensive,
and
credible
infor-
mation.
Fourth
Stage
of
Acceptance:
The
Open
Personality
This
stage
has
been
reached
through
the
conscious
cooperation
of
the
ego
and
the
longing.
The
meditative
experiences
are
now
considered
familiar.
They
are
accepted
as
a
normal
part
of
the
self.
Spiritual
consciousness
is
now
as
factual
to
the
adult
as
biological
and
social
consciousness.
The
act
of
meditation
itself,
while
invaluable
throughout
the
life
span,
is
now
secondary
to
a
generalized
openess
to
spiritual
consciousness.
With
this
openess,
two
distinct
types
of
experiences
become
more
frequent.
One
type
involves
energy
shifts
in
the
body
mind.
For
example,
a
single
spiritual
thought
can
cause
chills
and
a
sense
of
release
throughout
the
body.
The
second
type
involves
contact
with
deeper
presence
and
deeper
knowledge.
Experiences
of
presence
and
knowledge
evoke
love
in
the
forms
of
compassion,
gratitude,
and
joy.
Clearly,
the
mental
and
emotional
health
implications
for
reaching
this
stage
are
profound.
The
experience
of
presence
is
the
&dquo;being&dquo;
aspect
of
a
human
being
(Durckheim,
1990),
an
experience
of
consciousness
without
content
(Assagioli,
1965).
In
the
12
Steps
of
Alcoholics
Anonymous,
the
11 th
Step
refers
to
presence
as
&dquo;conscious
contact
with
God
as
we
understand
God&dquo;
(AA
World
Services,
1976).
Hartnett
(1986,
p. 46)
calls
presence
&dquo;an
awareness
that
includes
me.&dquo;
The
authors
have
heard
many
adults
use

219
the
terms
&dquo;my
true
home,&dquo;
or
&dquo;at
one,&dquo;
or
&dquo;whole,&dquo;
or
&dquo;my
deepest
self’
to
try
to
convey
the
quality
of
the
experience.
The
deeper
knowledge
experience
is
one
in
which
highly
organized
wisdom
is
seen
in
inner
images,
or
is
felt
in
the
body,
or
is
heard
in
the
mind.
The
wisdom
does
not
feel
memory
driven.
It
does
not
feel
like
information
the
adult
would
have
made
up.
Rather,
it
has
a
sense
of
spontaneous
truth,
of rightness.
The
knowledge,
even
if
experienced
as
a
metaphor,
has
a
quiet
power
and
an
immediate
understanding
to
it.
Such
knowledge
is
often
the
source
of
creative
and
scientific
breakthroughs
and
spiritual
realizations
(Ferrucci,
1990).
This
knowledge
experience
can
be
understood
in
many
ways.
Wilber
(1977,
1980,
1995),
for
example,
places
wisdom
development
within
a
spectrum
of
consciousness.
In
the
authors’
terms,
the
knowledge
experience
indicates
the
adult
has
gained
access
to
the
higher
self.
The
higher
self
is
a
neutral
term
referring
to
a
higher
organizing
process
of
the
brain/mind
which
yields
wisdom,
guidance,
and
compassion.
Access
to
the
higher
self
is
a
developmental
marker
unknown
to
mainstream
psychology,
but
is
well
known
to
the
world’s
spiritual
traditions
(Dossey
et
al.,
1988).
As
early
as
the
1930s,
the
Italian
psychiatrist
Roberto
Assagioli
called
for
a
research-based
science
of
the
higher
self.
Using
Assagioli’s
model
and
techniques,
the
authors
have
gathered
15
years
of
anecdotal
data
of
higher
self
phenomena
with
hundreds
of
clients.
The
following
items
recur
consistently:
(1)
the
higher
self
has
intimate
knowledge
of
the
person,
(2)
this
knowledge
is
organized
as
a
body
of
learning,
(3)
this
learning
is
for
the
sake
of
the
future,
(4)
the
purpose
of
this
learning
is
the
expansion
of
love.
As
noted,
the
higher
selfs
time
orientation
is
to
the
future.
The
past
is
treated
with
interest
only
as
a
source
of
learning,
and
the
present
is
seen
as
the
place
the future
begins.
This
orientation
to
the
future
seems
to
tie
the
higher
self
to
a
species
survival
function
within
the
brain.
The
purpose
of
learning-the
expansion
of
love--can
also
be
seen
as
a
species-survival
function,
since
love
counteracts
the
destructive
aspect
of
human
nature
and
binds
the
adult
to
life.
Religious
interpretations
of
this
ground
of
love
could
also
be
applied
here.
For
the
authors,
the
phenomenon
itself
is
of
primary
interest.
Speculations
regarding
its
origin
and
function
are
another
area
of
research.
SUMMARY
If
adult
development
is
confined
to
biological
survival
and
social
approval,
the
maturing
years
present
an
obvious
mental
health
problem:
The
adult
will
not
survive,
and
age
brings
less
and
less
approval.
A
personality
of
habitual
defenses,
rigidifying
through
the years,
compounds
the
problem
and
increases
suffering.
A
preventative
health
measure
is
available.
Through
the
processes
of
meditation,
the
personality
can
gradually
relax
its
defenses
and
open
to
new
experiences.
These
new
experiences
confront
the
personality
with
new
feelings,
new
perspectives,
and
new
questions.
The
personality
goes
through
stages
of
accepting
or
rejecting
the
experiences.
If
the
meditative
experiences
go
through
the
stages
of
acceptance
outlined
by
the
authors,
adult
development
is
revitalized,
and
the
open
personality
is
created.
The
open
personality
gives
the
adult
more
and
more
access
to
spiritual
consciousness,
which
is

220
a
human
fact
already
latent
in
each
person.
Through
this
opening,
mental
and
emotional
health
and
the
quality
of
life
are
enhanced,
and
adult
development
continues
toward
its
purpose.
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R.
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