ABSTRACT

The approach of this book has been to deal with numinous experiences in a purely psychological manner-that is, by trying to stay as much as possible within the psyche, however much one is tempted to stray into realms of experience-distant, doctrinal assertions. Ideally, when dealing with problems of meaning and suffering, the technical principle which is applied is to try to discern the comments of the objective psyche on the situation. Now it could be argued that to dabble in these areas is fraught with danger for the psychotherapist. What advantage is to be gained by recommending that the psychotherapist work with such material? Is it not best dealt with by some other specialist, such as the minister of religion? This question allows us to contrast the approach of the transpersonal or archetypal orientation with those of the mainstream attitudes to the psyche. It also allows useful comparison of the psychological approach to religious issues with a purely theological or doctrinal approach.