| Abstract: | Spiritual psychology is well poised to contribute to the field of psychology by extending a map of human experience beyond materialism. We can expand scientific inquiry to explore consciousness as it pertains to states other than matter. Several of our sibling fields in science have moved well beyond strict materialism, such as academic physics, which includes a branch of quantum physics reliant on consciousness. The great majority of people around the world express an awareness and dialogue with the powerful nonmaterial presence that surrounds us and is in us and view the nonmaterial presence as sacred. Understanding this more fully would seem to be our work as psychologists. In this special section, we consider the vast possibility of the science of psychology to explore, develop theories and models, and generate new methods beyond materialism. Three rigorous and innovative articles are presented by Len Sperry, Kari O’Grady and Scott Richards, and Bruce Greyson, all leading scholars and psychotherapists, who together offer fertile ground for starting to build a spiritual psychology beyond materialism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
