Spiritual transformation explained

Spiritual transformation involves a fundamental change in a person's sacred or spiritual life.

Psychologists examine spiritual transformation within the context of an individual's meaning system,^[1] especially in relation to concepts of the sacred or of ultimate concern.^[2] Two of the fuller treatments of the concept in psychology come from Kenneth Pargament and from Raymond Paloutzian.

Pargament holds that "at its heart, spiritual transformation refers to a fundamental change in the place of the sacred or the character of the sacred in the life of the individual. Spiritual transformation can be understood in terms of new configurations of strivings" (p. 18).^[3]

Paloutzian suggests that "spiritual transformation constitutes a change in the meaning system that a person holds as a basis for self-definition, the interpretation of life, and overarching purposes and ultimate concerns" (p. 334).^[4]

One school of thought emphasises the importance of "rigorous self-discipline" in spiritual transformation.^[5]

Research

The Metanexus Institute (founded 1997) in New York has sponsored scientific research on spiritual transformation.^[6]

Terminology

Occurrences of the phrase "spiritual transformation" in Google Books suggest a surge in the popularity of the concept from the late-20th century.^[7]

See also

• Aurobindo
• Integral transformative practice
• Meditation
• Sivananda
• Spiritual evolution
• Supermind
• Transpersonal psychology
• Shriram Sharma Acharya
• Mahdi

External links

• The Spiritual Transformation Scientific Research Program
• The University of Philosophical Research Transformational Psychology program
• Article about Spiritual Transformation for Christians
• On the Spiritual Path of The Fourth Way and Advaita: Teachers of No-Thing & Nothing

Notes and References

1. Israela Silberman (2005). Religion as a meaning system: Implications for the new millennium. Journal of Social Issues, v61 n4, pp641-663.
2. Robert A. Emmons (1999). The psychology of ultimate concerns: Motivation and spirituality in personality. New York: Guilford.
3. Kenneth I. Pargament. (2006). The meaning of spiritual transformation. In Joan D. Koss-Chioino & Philip Hefner (Eds.), Spiritual transformation and healing: Anthropological, theological, neuroscientific, and clinical perspectives (pp. 10-39), Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press.
4. Raymond F. Paloutzian. (2005). Religious conversion and spiritual transformation: A meaning-system analysis. In: Raymond F. Paloutzian & Crystal L. Park (Eds.), Handbook of the psychology of religion and spirituality (pp. 331-347), New York: Guilford.
5. Book: Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi . Muḥyiddin ibn Arabi . Stephen Hirtenstein . The Four Pillars of Spiritual Transformation: The Adornment of the Spiritually Transformed (Hilyat al-abdal) . Mystical Treatises of Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi . June 2009 . Oxford . Anqa Publishing . 2009 . 2 . 9781905937325 . 31 August 2020 . [...] in all true spiritual traditions rigorous self-discipline is part of the training, be it by way of retreats, fasts or other kinds of abstentions..
6. Solomon Katz (2008). A brief history of the Spiritual Transformation Scientific Research Program The global spiral. Metanexus Institute, Accessed 9 Nov., 2009.
7. https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=spiritual+transformation&year_start=1500&year_end=2019&corpus=26&smoothing=3&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cspiritual%20transformation%3B%2Cc0 Google Books Ngram Viewer statistical chart