Transpersonal Psychology
Moving beyond the ego
“The aim of individuation is nothing less than to divest the self of the false wrappings of the persona on the one hand and the suggestive power of primordial images on the other."
- Carl Jung
Jungian Psychology:
My origins as an Art Therapist were deeply seeped in the realm of Jungian Psychology. Alchemy, in Jungian terms, symbolizes the psyche's transformative process of integrating conscious and unconscious elements into an integrated wholeness of higher value. This is similar to how historical alchemists conducted experimental and symbolic practices such as transmutation of metals, preparation of elixirs, and elaborate laboratory rites, all aimed at achieving material transformation and spiritual purification. Alchemy, in its purest essence is the act of transformation. Historic Alchemists used Prima Materia, the original raw substance or fundamental matter, as the slate where the transformation process begins. Therefore, the chaos that has led you here today is the greatest work you can undertake in life, it is your Magnum Opus. The Alchemist’s work is to dissolve, coagulate, calculate, distill, sublimate, and putrefy (compost), all aimed at purifying and transforming the Prima Materia (one’s suffering) into higher forms of being in the world - unlocking the numinous to bring harmony and the Devine into daily life.
Symbols, Archetypes, Tarot:
As an Art Therapist at my roots, I view symbols and archetypes as an organic manifestation of consciousness edging us to growth from the numinous. Conceptualizing depression as the Dark Night of the Soul reminds us that the Dawn can be found again after traversing through (without getting stuck in) Dante’s 9 circles of hell. Viewing human development through the lens of the Triple Goddess helps us come to terms with normal stages of aging when understanding the archetypes of the Maid, the Maiden, and the Crone. The Hero’s Journey provides a map to move through the challenges of transition with courage when we know the signs to look for. Tarot is a tangible way to work with symbols, metaphor and archetypes in a daily practice to provide fertile ground to transmute old and stuck patterns associated with our suffering into new ways of being in the world. It’s not uncommon for me to ask if you’d like to pull a Tarot card at the end of session to inspire integration of the insights discovered. It’s always a very special spark of connection when the card pulled directly relates to core themes explored in session!
Ancestors & Ritual:
One of my favorite things is cultivating a very special ritual or ceremony for you on the spot in session to directly address a specific edge you are trying to transmute. This is a way to integrate the symbolic power of nature, held sacred by many of our ancestors, as an owned and integrated tool to unite with the inherited birthright forged by your ancestors. Through this process we can feel the power of lineage that has existed before your suffering, integrating previously disowned strengths to come into a more full and integrated version of yourself. Sometimes the ancestral power being integrated is from relatives who departed this earth generations before us, and sometimes its cultural icons related to your interests or identity. In Jungian Psychology this is tapping into the collective unconscious. and in Shamanism this is tapping into spirit.
Astrology:
While not researched through standard measures of Western science, Astrology is a centuries old tradition of understanding how the stars and planetary alignments coincide with personal, cultural, seasonal, and global shifts. When practiced with intention, these explorations can have stunning overlaps with the reality that eventually unfolds, and can provide the courage to unlock our potential. Astrology can provide inspiration for inspired action when the trauma of life has left us hopeless and directionless, it can provide a glimmer of light when life is dark. It can provide inspiration to cultivate a daily ritual of intention setting and ways to work with obstacles in new and creative ways - leveraging the strengths encoded in the unique life map found in one’s natal chart. Need a referral for an astrologer to help you decode your own? I have several, feel free to ask. I’m here to help you integrate your astrology practice for healing and personal growth.
Transpersonal Counseling in Colorado
Transpersonal Psychology at its roots is a Depth Psychology. When we look at the word Transpersonal we find its meaning within: “trans” leverages the intention of moving beyond into something different, and “personal” references the known state (and limitations) of the ego; therefore Transpersonal is moving beyond the ego. The experience leverages higher states of consciousness, transcendence, and working with something larger than oneself to navigate human development in the face of or an antidote to the lasting imprint of challenge, adversity, trauma, suffering, and transitions. Transpersonal counseling blends spirituality with psychology, utilizing the tools of Jungian Archetypes, the Hero’s Journey, Astrology, Tarot, Art, Ritual, Meditation, Mystical Experiences, connecting with ancestors and spirit guides, altered states of consciousness, visualization, symbols, seasonal shifts, and many others. It deeply holds the value of moving towards wholeness rather than focusing on symptom reduction through traditional coping skills.
What to Expect: In transpersonal therapy, you can expect sessions that honor both your psychological needs and your deeper spiritual or transcendent experiences; we will integrate traditional talk therapy with experiential practices like mindfulness, breathwork, guided imagery, art making, ceremony, tarot, astrology, and exploration of meaning, dreams, or peak experiences as they relate to your well-being. I will hold a nonjudgmental, supportive space where we attend to symptoms and life patterns while also exploring values, connection, and purpose; therapy may evoke strong emotions, altered states, or shifts in perspective, and we will pace interventions collaboratively to ensure safety and grounding. Our work will aim to increase self-awareness, foster integration of mind–body–spirit experiences, and support practical changes in daily life so insights translate into sustainable growth.
Why it Works: Transpersonal psychology appears effective because it integrates empirical findings on altered states, meaning-making, and symbolic processing with therapeutic practices that access deeper layers of psyche and selfhood. Neurobiological and psychophysiological research shows that mystical and transcendent experiences—whether induced through meditation, ritual, psychedelic-assisted therapy, or breathwork—engage brain networks involved in self-representation and emotion regulation, producing lasting increases in well-being, decreases in anxiety and depression, and shifts in values and identity. Depth-psychological frameworks (including Jungian concepts) provide clinically useful models for working with unconscious material; studies of symbolic therapies—Art Therapy, narrative methods, and projective systems like Tarot—find that externalized symbols and creative expression facilitate emotional processing, integration of traumatic material, and perspective change by making implicit content explicit and manageable. Ritual and structured mythic frameworks such as the Hero’s Journey offer predictable stages that scaffold transformation and resilience, and clinical outcomes research indicates that ritualized practices increase a sense of coherence, agency, and social bonding. Astrology and other symbolic systems function similarly as culturally meaningful meaning-making tools: while not empirically predictive in a literal sense, they can catalyze reflective insight and narrative reframing, processes that psychotherapy research links to symptom improvement. Taken together, randomized trials and longitudinal studies in transpersonal and related fields suggest that interventions which combine altered-state facilitation, symbolic exploration, creative practice, and ritualized meaning-making produce measurable therapeutic gains by promoting integration, reduced rumination, new self-narratives, and improved emotion regulation.
