An article by Les Lancaster and Bethany Butzer has been published in the latest edition of ThePsychologist, the monthly journal of the British Psychological Society (BPS). The BPS has some 70,000 members across 136 countries – so a large audience indeed! Les and Bethany’s article, entitled “Navigating the global polycrisis: Why a transpersonal perspective on consciousness is key”, forms part of a special section on “Consciousness – the ‘chimera’ of psychology?” The section was initiated by Max Velmans, who approached Les for a piece that would ensure that a transpersonal perspective would be well represented in the special section.
Our article emphasises a universalist view of consciousness—that the essence of consciousness should be viewed as a fundamental property of the universe. Whilst brains are crucial for processing the information of which we become conscious, the core feature of consciousness—the interiority of being—is shared with the universe in all its glorious multiplicity. The article focuses not so much on the evidence for choosing one theory of consciousness over another, but on the importance of recognising that the needs of our day will be met only when we recognise that we are profoundly connected with all that exists through the very essence of our being—consciousness.
Bethany Butzer, PhD is a Lecturer for the Alef Trust MSc programme in Consciousness, Spirituality and Transpersonal Psychology, and is the Assistant Director of the Alef Trust PhD Programme in Applied Transpersonal Psychology. She writes, teaches, and conducts research in the fields of positive psychology and transpersonal psychology, which emphasize the development of human strength and potential. She received her PhD in psychology from the University of Western Ontario, Canada. From 2013 to 2015, Bethany was a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard Medical School, where she studied the effects of yoga in school settings. From 2016 to 2022 she was a Lecturer in the School of Psychology at the University of New York in Prague. Bethany lives in Prague, where she enjoys her time as a Canadian expat in love with the beauty and history of Europe. Learn more about Bethany at www.bethanybutzer.com.https://aleffield.org/my-profile/bethany-butzer
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Les Lancaster, PhD is a Founding Director of the Alef Trust, and specialises in consciousness research and kabbalistic psychology. He is Emeritus Professor of Transpersonal Psychology at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU); Associated Distinguished Professor of Integral and Transpersonal Psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies; and Honorary Research Fellow in the Centre for Jewish Studies at Manchester University. Les has previously been Chair of the Transpersonal Psychology Section of the British Psychological Society, and President of the International Transpersonal Association.https://aleffield.org/my-profile/les-lancaster
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