Transpersonal experiences are embodied states that extend human awareness beyond the self, phenomena such as bliss, awe, wonder, and unitive consciousness, among other liminal spaces. Such experiences, documented for millennia and scientifically examined over the past century, often manifest as transformative "peak experiences" that profoundly reshape oneʻs understanding. Despite their significance, liminal transpersonal experiences seldom feature in mainstream discourse or futures studies. This workshop aims to foster a polylogue on transpersonal experience to explore our embodied humanity at a time when:
emerging artificial intelligence raises questions about embodied roots of consciousness in humans and the explosive growth in psychedelic-based complementary health care.
We posit that the human capacity to experience transpersonal states and integrate them into our discourse has unprecedented importance. Peak experiences may be pivotal to our capability to co-create sustainable, regenerative futures, as they often prompt an embodied understanding of our cosmic interdependence and extend our sphere of concern beyond the self (Capra & Luisi, 2014). The role of visioning preferred and desirable futures is essential to the practices of foresight: understanding the transpersonal informs how we envision and encounter transformational futures.
Utilizing a qualitative, transpersonal intuitive method (Anderson & Braud, 1998; 2011), participants polylogue to explore their transpersonal experiences through images; discuss how participants shape their images of the future; and consider how peak experiences influence alternative futures scenarios. This workshop will explore the intimate connection between human existence and transpersonal states and encourage deep sharing of peak experiences and their connections to past, present, and futures.