Dark Night, Early Dawn: LSD Psychotherapy and Collective Transformation
School of Consciousness and Transformation PARP 6170 2.00
Working conscientiously with psychedelics dramatically expands the depth and breadth of our transformational practice, often blurring the line between healing the individual and healing the species. As the global systems crisis deepens, the collective unconscious is making itself increasingly felt in this work, and yet clinical theory tends to underestimate the significance of these encounters because of its historical focus on healing the individual. The narrative that still dominates transpersonal theory is the narrative of individual transformation. This course explores the deep structure of consciousness as it surfaces in LSD psychotherapy. It expands transpersonal theory by systematically integrating the larger systems we are part of into our model of consciousness, shifting the focus from individual transformation to collective transformation. We will begin by exploring the interplay of the individual and collective mind in the death-rebirth process, integrating Rupert Sheldrake’s morphic field theory into Grof’s depth psychology. We will then examine the social impact that deep inner work can have our immediate environment, leading to a new appreciation of the role of collective fields of consciousness in groups. From there we will explore the global systems crisis as a dark night of our collective soul and the role that the collective psyche may play in resolving it. The relevance of this inquiry extends beyond psychedelics to holotropic breathwork, vision quests, various experiential therapies, contemplative practice, and spontaneous spiritual emergence. Theorists covered include Stanislav Grof, Rupert Sheldrake, Ken Wilber, Ken Ring, Robert Monroe, Peter Russell, and Duane Elgin. Priority to PCC students
