ABSTRACT
The traditional bio-psycho-social model of psyche is inadequate for our understanding of expanded states of consciousness such as reflected in psychedelic experiences and cases of spiritual emergency. I suggest that adding an archetypal perspective to produce a bio-psycho-socio-archetypal (BPSA) model gives us a more complete picture. I will begin with a description of a spiritual emergency before exploring the allegory of Plato’s cave to offer an initial perspective of the territory that we may traverse in moving away from consensus reality. In this connection, I refer to the work of Stanislav Grof concerning the areas of psyche that become available to us in expanded states. I introduce the concept of archetypal penetrance and comment on the importance of attachment, early trauma, adverse life events and psychodynamic factors.
