Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Degree in Psychology; Specialization in Consciousness, Spirituality, and Integrative Health

Return to: College of Social Sciences

Specialization Coordinators: Marina A. Smirnova, Ph.D.

Students in the Department of Humanistic and Clinical Psychology may opt to declare a Specialization in Consciousness, Spirituality, and Integrative Health (CSIH). Students may select many paths through this Specialization based upon their interests. While a Specialization is not required to earn the degree, it will be listed on the transcript if students complete the requirements.

The CSIH Specialization takes an integrative (psyche, mind, body, and spirit) approach to understanding individual, cultural, transcultural, and transpersonal perspectives on consciousness evolution, biopsychosocial-spiritual transformation, spirituality, healing, wholeness, and wellness. We believe that well-being and health needs to embrace all dimensions of human life. The integrated study of consciousness, spirituality, and health offers ways of understanding people’s internal and external growth, worlds, and lives as accessible  through such pathways as indigenous arts, depth psychology, transpersonal psychology, energy medicine, spiritual creativity, self-regulation and self-healing, hypnosis, imagery and the imaginal, the arts, dreamwork, and contemplative practices. In this context, students who wish are certainly able to focus their work on transpersonal psychology, and transpersonal inquiry, and transpersonal practices.

The study of consciousness, psychology of consciousness, and consciousness evolution offers students a unique opportunity to explore various aspects of consciousness through approaches ranging from ethnography, autoethnography, and historiography to phenomenological, heuristic, hermeneutic, and art-based explorations of work and community life, interpersonal relationships, spiritual beliefs and practices, and social action. Given the diverse array of course offerings, students are able to incorporate in their program plans courses that support their individual scholar-practitioner interests and career goals.The study of spirituality supports students who want to pursue work in areas such as pastoral care, spiritual guidance, spiritual mentoring, and life coaching or who want to integrate understanding of the spiritual dimension of human life into another profession. Faculty members work with students to focus their studies in ways that best meet their academic, professional, and personal goals.This Specialization allows students to focus on the study of integrative approaches to healing, stress management, and well-being that have not been regarded as standard within mainstream medical and psychological care, including  Western and Eastern spiritual, wisdom, esoteric, mystical, and Earth-honoring traditions and practices. Additional alternative health practices relevant to psychological and physical health that are studied include the ethical application of meditation, mindfulness, psychomythology, energy medicine, hospice work and chaplaincy, guided imagery, clinical hypnosis, Holotropic Breathwork, dreamwork, biofeedback, the arts, and indigenous healing… Students may also explore spirituality, including its role in physical and psychological health, personal relationships, organizational functioning, and communities.

Although not intended as preparation for licensure, studies in this Specialization can be applied to the work of psychologists and other licensed mental health professionals. Studies can also be applied to research, scholar-practitioner writing, health care, peace work, pastoral care, spiritual counseling, conflict resolution, education, consulting, coaching, mentoring, and organizational work.