holistic education

Consider article 26 paragraph 2 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights... "Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and human freedoms". The aim of education, in the fullest and deepest sense of the word, is to provide the conditions to free the human spirit in order to cultivate naturally meaningful human intelligence or 'creative intelligence'. Cultivation of creative intelligence is a function of the integrated development of the person as a whole or 'holistic education'. Holistic education is based on respect for the instinctive motives for growth through learning... not only the basic psychological needs for security, self-esteem and belongingness ('ego-needs') but also the spiritual needs or 'metaneeds' which define the human personality or 'human nature’…a function of the proper development of rational conscience which is is essential for self mastery and intelligent social adaptability.

In the paradigm of holistic education the role of the teacher is defined in terms of the 'facilitation of learning'. As a 'facilitator of learning' the teacher understands the psychological value of creativity and productiveness or 'work' and facilitates the construction of conscience through development of human poten......tial. The facilitative teacher designs learning environments which are compatible with respect for the instinctive motives for human learning behaviour i.e. 'human needs'. These include so-called 'soul needs' for ego-transcendance as well as the ego needs for security, self-esteem and belongingness.

Education for competitiveness is destructive unless it accounts for complete human development which involves not only the ego needs for self-esteem and belongingness but also the higher psychological needs - the spiritual needs or 'metaneeds'. Effective education - education for cooperation and collaboration - is based on complete trust in the natural development of the human potential for creative intelligence i.e. 'holistic education'. The paradigm of holistic education calls for provision of natural learning environments characterised by conditions of freedom to engage one's instinctive responsiblity for the development of one's human potential.

The paradigm of traditional education as 'schooling' is essentially ineffective because it is ultimately based on an intrinsic mistrust of the human personality or 'human nature'. The innaccurate perception of human nature translates into the fallacious assumption that the interests of the individual and those of society are mutually exclusive. This dichotomous view of the social reality perpetuates suffering, oppression and destruction because it creates unresolvable social problems. These 'pseudo-problems' can only be dealt with effectively if approached from a more accurate holistic perspective. So what is human nature? In truth, human nature is a social nature with natural instincts for social adaptability - the 'social instincts' - which must be cultivated through a process of moral or spiritual growth i.e. 'socialization'. Human socialization is a function of awareness or 'consciousness'of the moral values for living or 'human values' ('knowledge' or 'gnosis'of 'spirit')... such as 'empathy' as compassionate wisdom, 'love' as universal unconditonal love or 'lovingkindness', 'truth' as freedom from conditioning, 'justice' as social responsibility, 'peace' as understanding , beauty ... Human values are the core values of moral consciousness or 'morality' of rational conscience of the self beyond persona or 'ego'... i.e. the 'transpersonal self', 'authentic self', 'higher self' or 'Self' . Rational conscience of the Self is the source of personal power or 'self-empowerment' which is prerequisite to the ability to adapt intelligently to changing social conditions And what are the implications for education? In view of the fact that the development of a civilised society depends on development of conscience and therefore rational or 'civilised' human beings, then the needs of the individual and of the society are mutually dependent and interrelated. Consequently the function of education is to provide optimal conditions for the development of each person as a ratioanl and integrated whole through cultivation of their human potentialities - physical, cognitive, intellectual, artistic, psychological, emotional and moral or 'spiritual' . Spiritual development is a function of engagement of the person's instinctive sense of responsiblity for their own development of their human potential. Such education for the person as a whole is 'holistic education'. Holistic education is based on respect for human dignity as manifest in creativity and productiveness or 'work' which is meaningful because it invoilves motivation for growth through learning or 'intrinsic motivation'. It calls for the planning and provision of natural learning environments which are characterised by conditions of freedom to learn. The role of the teacher is described in terms of facilitation for learning i.e. 'facilitator'. The teacher as facilitator is required to understand that human nature as a social nature depends on the cultivation of creative intelligence for responsible, compassionate and therefore intelligent living. Consequently holistic education is effective as the foundation of a peaceful , democratic and humane society.

Natural Selection of 'Schizophrenia' Genes

Spiritual emergency and human nature…

The combination of Western scientific research with Eastern psychologies such as Buddhism has resulted in new concepts which shed light on the nature of the human personality or 'psyche' i.e. ‘human nature’. Human nature can be defined in terms of the biological needs for growth of the human organism as a social organism. Human growth is described in terms of socialisation which is a function of the development of moral consciousness or 'conscience'. Complete development of human conscience depends on fulfillment of motives for natural human behaviour i.e. 'human needs'. As well as the obvious physiological needs, human needs include so-called 'lower' psychological needs for self-esteem - the 'ego needs' - and the so-called 'higher' psychological needs for spiritual development - the spiritual needs of the transpersonal dimension of human nature i.e. 'metaneeds'. Fulfillment of metaneeds results in heightened intuition and increased awareness necessary for effective adaptation to changing social conditions i.e. ‘social intelligence’. Human adaptability depends on spiritual growth involving the person's evolution from the egocentric perspective of emotional immaturity to the transpersonal perspective of emotional maturity. Spiritual growth of normal development is gradual and fluidand results in spiritual awakening or 'spiritual emergence'. If the process of 'spiritual emergence' is very rapid and dramatic, the sensory and psychic experiences become so intense, chaotic and overwhelming that it is too distressing for the person to bear and so they experience psychic overload and spiritual emergence becomes ‘spiritual crisis' o 'spiritual emergency - also known as transpersonal experience, psycho-spiritual transformation, transpersonal crisis, psycho-spiritual crisis, the spiritual journey, hero's journey, dark night of the soul, spiritual opening, psychic opening, psychic awakening, spiritual awakening, enlightenment, kundalini awakening,kundalini process, kundalini crisis, shamanism, mysticism, gnosis, the psychotic-visionary episode, dark night of the soul, the alchemical process, positive disintegration and so on. Spiritual emergency is a sign of health and a part of the human condition characterised by spontaneous alternative consciousness states or ‘realities'. The person learns to grow beyond cultural conditioning and the expectations of others… beyond fear based ego-consciousness to a new level of awareness or 'higher consciousness state' of spiritual renewal or spiritual rebirth.With spiritual rebirth the person experiences an inner sense of emotional liberation and discovers ideas and behaviours which promote growth and the affirmation of life which is characteristic of total well-being or 'high level wellness'. As a healing or renewal process involving the positive transformation of the self, spiritual emergency is a concern of'transpersonal psychology'.

The medical model of so-called ‘schizophrenia’ is fallacious. A great deal of progress could be made in a very short time not to mention financial savings as well as alleviation of needless human suffering. Schizophrenia is not an illness but a crisis of psychospiritual transformation. The fac that it becomes more common is an indication of present social trends to ignore the workings of the human psyche and especially of the moral or ‘spiritual’ dimension. Genes for so called 'schizophrenia' have been favored by evolution because high sensitivity (characteristic of the 'schizophrenia' prone) is necessary for human sociability and therefore for human survival.

So-called ‘Schizophrenia’ as a Process of Uncontrolled
Spiritual Emergence or ‘Spiritual Emergency’

The psychiatric profession has created one of the greatest myths of our time by describing so-called 'schizophrenia' as a nonspecific disease or ‘mental illness’. It was German psychiatrist Emil Kraepelin (1856-1926) who originally coined the Latin name 'dementia praecox' meaning 'prematurely out of one's mind' because he believed that this supposedly devastating condition resulted from irreversible mental deterioration. Later it became clear that the term was a misnomer and in 1910 a new term was provided by the kind and humane Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler (1857-1939), teacher of Carl Jung and professor of psychiatry at the University of Zürich where he headed the famous Burghölzli Clinic. Bleuler coined the term 'schizophrenia' for 'splitting of the mind' since the condition seemed to involve a mental separation between thought and emotion.The term is derived from German 'schizophrenie' from Greek 'skhizein' meaning 'to split' and 'phren' of unknown origin meaning 'heart or mind' so that ‘schizophrenia’ actually means 'broken soul' or 'broken heart’. Although there is still no universally accepted definition of the term, it has been applied to various conditions including a set of socially and culturally unacceptable thinking and behaviour patterns thus making it a model of ‘unwanted conduct’.

In fact so-called ‘schizophrenia’ is not a disease nor is it a hopeless condition. It is a brilliant condition which is the concern of the psychology of the transpersonal or spiritual dimension of human nature i.e. 'transpersonal psychology'. In this light schizophrenia is a personal 'story' of a natural and temporary self-healing and self-organising process involving the dissolution and removal of illusions and false beliefs which originate from social conditioning. In this sense schizophrenia is a transformative process, a crisis of transformation or ‘psychospiritual crisis’. Furthermore it can be understood as a part of the human condition and as a process which reveals information about the nature of the human psyche or ‘human nature’. Much needless suffering results from ignorance of the multidimensional nature of the human psyche, human personality or 'human nature'. Insights into the workings of human nature are revealed by combining Western scientific research with concepts provided by Eastern psychologies concerned with the dimension of human nature beyond the persona or ‘ego'. The transpersonal or ‘spiritual’ dimension is defined in terms of the divinity of humanness and universal moral values. Human values are the social values of social intelligence.… ‘beauty’ as truth, ‘truth’as knowledge, 'knowledge' as understanding, ‘understanding’ as love, ‘love’ as unconditional lovingkindness or ‘compassion’, ‘justice’ as morality, ‘morality’ as freedom of conscience or peace, ‘peace’as social responsibility, ‘wisdom’ as intelligence, ‘intelligence’ as creativity and productivity or ‘creative intelligence’. Awareness of human values results in spiritual awareness, spiritual insight or ‘intuition’. Intuition allows for accurate evaluation of the complexities of changing social conditions and is therefore necessary for effective adaptation to the social environment or ‘social adaptability' and human survival. The human species is a social species, the human organism is a social organism and human nature is a moral, spiritual or ‘social’ nature with instincts for social cooperation and social harmony i.e. ‘social instincts’. Social instincts must be cultivated in a process of development of moral consciousness or ‘conscience’. The function of the conscience is to preserve the integrity or ‘wholeness’of the personality. Rational conscience is the product of moral, spiritual and social development resulting in transformation of the self and the knowledge of one’s human nature or ‘self-knowledge’. Self-knowledge is prerequisite to social or spiritual intelligence required for effective social adaptability. The process of moral or spiritual development is also known variously as 'individuation', 'self-realisation', 'self-actualisation', 'spiritual renewal', 'spiritual awakening', 'spiritual rebirth’, 'enlightenment' or 'spiritual emergence'.

Spiritual emergence is a gradual and controlled transformation process which results in the understanding of the ultimate connectedness or ‘unity’of all things."In the most general terms, spiritual emergence can be defined as the movement of an individual to a more expanded way of being that involves enhanced emotional and psychosomatic health, greater freedom of personal choices, and a sense of deeper connection with other people, nature and the cosmos. An important part of this development is an increasing awareness of the spiritual dimension in one's life and in the universal scheme of things. Spiritual development is an innate evolutionary capacity of all human beings. It is a movement towards wholeness or 'holotropic state', the discovery of one's true potential." (Stanislav Grof) Spiritual emergence is a gradual dynamic, fluid, naturally ordered and integrated on-going process of personal development into greater maturity and spiritual awareness. The process involves personal evolution from the limited sense of self … the false self or 'ego' and its egocentric perspective to the expanded sense of self beyond ego, the ‘higher self’, the ‘authentic self’ or 'Self' and its transpersonal perspective. Transcendance of the ego or ‘ego-transcendance’ allows for expansion of consciousness and heightened awareness resulting in an inner sense of emotional liberation. Intuition is purified and sharpened thus allowing for a clearer more accurate perception of reality and the discovery of ideas and behaviours which are effective for social adaptability. Spiritual emergence is the source of personal power because it allows for the attainment of knowledge of one's true nature (‘self-knowledge’) as the source of motivation for personal productiveness and creativity or ‘work’ (‘self-empowerment’). Complete spiritual development takes place over a period of years and depends on conditions of freedom and an education which allows for the complete development of the person as a whole i.e. 'holistic education'. Holistic education is based on respect for the biologically based motives for learning and behaviour i.e. ‘human needs’. Human needs include both 'lower' psychological needs for security and self-esteem - the 'ego needs' - and 'higher' psychological needs for moral development, the instinctive yearnings for human values, the spiritual needs or ‘metaneeds’. Motivation by the metaneeds ('metamotivation') allows for the discovery of one’s true potential. Each person is at a different stage of spiritual emergence depending on the level of their moral or spiritual development. If in highly sensitive individuals the process of spiritual emergence is blocked for any reason then they might undergo a period of crisis or ‘emergency’ involving the rapid formation of essential adjustments for effective adaptation.

The transformation process of spiritual emergence can be so dramatic as to become uncontrollable ‘spiritual emergency’, also known as transpersonal experience, transpersonal crisis, psycho-spiritual transformation, psychospiritual crisis, spiritual journey, hero's journey, dark night of the soul, spiritual opening, psychic opening, psychic awakening, spiritual awakening, enlightenment, kundalini awakening, kundalini process, kundalini crisis, shamanic initiation, shamanic crisis, psychotic-visionary episode, ego death, ego loss, alchemical process, positive disintegration, post traumatic stress disorder with psychotic features, night sea journey, psychosis, shamanism, mysticism, gnosis, inner apocalypse, and so on. Spiritual emergency is characterised by spontaneous alternative consciousness states or ‘realities' in which the person experiences unbearably distressing psychic overload involving chaotic and overwhelming sensory experiences which in fact offer invaluable opportunities for personal growth and positive transformation. Spiritual emergency is a process of healing and renewal which involves the dissolution and removal of illusions and false beliefs originating in the programming of social conditioning. The conditioning leads to the formulation of aberrant thought complexes and these prevent the person from making accurate evaluations of their social environment. Inaccurate evaluations lead to inappropriate decision-making and non-adaptive behaviour patterns. In a period of crisis, the person instinctively surrenders to the organismic process which involves the temporary separation of thought and emotion (‘ego-loss’) which is necessary for the reassessment of their thoughts without having to deal with the emotional implications. The apparently bizarre speech and behaviour patterns reveal the passage from lower to higher consciousness states in which the person experiences a series of varying stages or ‘episodes’. These can be frightening and confusing to onlookers because they appear to be out of context with everyday reality and as a result they are often misunderstood. They are mistakenly believed and discredited to represent ‘symptoms’ of disease or ‘mental illness'. Perceived as pathological they are considered to be medically ‘treatable’. In fact the apparent 'symptoms' are manifestations of a spontaneous healing effort by the organism as a whole. The person eventually learns to grow beyond fear based ego-consciousness, beyond cultural conditioning and the ‘conditioned self’, beyond the expectations of others and towards the new transpersonal, moral or ‘spiritual’ dimension of awareness which allows for development of personal potential and effective social adaptability.

The successful outcome of spiritual emergency depends on the correct understanding, respect, encouragement and support which allow it to reach full completion.

new 'religion'

The English word 'God' is identical with the Anglo-Saxon word for 'good' as 'divine goodness' of the human personality or 'human nature'… also ‘god consciousness’ or moral consciousness of developed conscience, the source of human values or 'virtues'. Awareness of virtues provides the guide for living. The real understanding of the meaning of God based on trust of human nature results in social responsibility and ability to resolve our human problems. Misunderstanding based on mistrust of human nature results in social irresponsibility and inability to resolve human problems.This is all a function of biology. We are a social species endowed with spiritual dimension of our nature. In order to resolve our human problems, to ‘adapt’ for survival, we depend on moral consiousness or ‘morality’.Understanding of the essential 'goodness' of human nature or 'divinity' of human nature unites people while misunderstanding based on mistrust of human nature divides people and results in conflict. This is all a function of biology. We are a social species which depends for survival on complete development ... awareness or consciousness of moral values or 'morality'. Communion with god represents connection with one's divine source or 'essence'. Each human being is potentially capable of living by human values of conscience… provided that right conditions ( or ‘education’) were offered as individual grew to adulthood.

Concerning the questions about Christian religion today, it is interesting to contemplate the original myth of resurrection etc. on which the institution is built. According to scholars and research, Jesus survived the crucifixion and went to India where he continued his life as teacher and healer St. Issa. He had already spent sixteen or so years in India from age about twelve to age about twenty nine and attended the only university in the world where he studied Buddhist teaching etc. His parables were about meditation and enlightenment and his concept of divinity as the fullness of complete humanity was misinterpreted and so it goes on.... See the websites on 'Jesus in India'. See also Eckhart Tolle.

Deepak Chopra is probably talking about the organized religions in the sense that they have become corrup...ted as a result of misinterpretation by non-enlightened people who had/have little or no understanding of the original teachings. When people's minds are closed then this misinterpretation of the religions makes them obsolete, quarrelsome and idiotic. All religions originate with the same evolutionary impulses. The problem is really people who identify with them. For that reason it is important for each person of whatever religion to reach an understanding of the divinity of their own humanity. This would represent the 'new spirituality' or the new 'religion'.

Education and spirituality... The aim of education is the cultivation of intelligence as a function of moral or 'spiritual' development i.e. 'creative intelligence'. Consequently the transpersonal vision is vital to intelligent education for human development and survival of the human species.

spiritual evolution

The preservation instinct in evolution is not to be denigrated as 'primitive'. Homo sapiens is a social species which is able to survive because of its one survival oriented biological characteristic and that is 'spiritual intelligence'. Without that we threaten the existence of not only our own species but that of all other species as well. So we are again being driven by that so-called 'primitive' drive for self-preservation when we want to participate in the evolution of consciousness. We have discovered that collective ego consciousness is destructive and threatens our very survival so we need to evolve our collective consciousness to a higher spiritual level. There is nothing 'primitive' about this. That's just the way it is.

Planetary transformation and human survival depends on the human capacity for creative intelligence which is the unique capacity of our species. The human species is a social species and human nature is a social nature which must be cultivated by way of education for complete development of the individual as a whole or 'holistic education'. Holistic education is a function of intrinsic motivation based on human needs... not only the needs for self-esteem and belongingness - the 'ego needs' but also the needs for development of moral consciousness ('conscience') - the 'metaneeds' or 'spiritual needs'. Complete development of conscience is a function of complete moral or 'spiritual' development.

Planetary transformation and human survival depends on the human capacity for creative intelligence which is the unique capacity of our species. The human species is a social species and human nature is a social nature which must be cultivated by way of education for complete development of the individual as a whole or 'holistic education'. ... See MoreHolistic education is a function of intrinsic motivation based on human needs... not only the needs for self-esteem and belongingness - the 'ego needs' but also the needs for development of moral consciousness ('conscience') - the 'metaneeds' or 'spiritual needs'. Complete development of conscience is a function of complete moral or 'spiritual' development. Lets educate our children with respect for their human nature as an integral part of all of Nature. We can change our relationship with our world and ensure the survival of our species.

We need universal education for human development... development of the whole child i.e. 'holistic education'. We need education which will guarantee the mental health of all people. Those who are unfairly labelled as 'mentally ill' are misunderstood and mistreated. They are very valuable people undergoing spiritual crises and should be properly understood and protected so that they can continue working through their process which is a part of the human condition. http://www.holisticeducator.com/

Moral leaders

It is important to understand the meaning of morality as 'moral intelligence' or ‘consciousness’ as opposed to the authoritarian interpretation of the word in the sense of ‘moralism'. In this context Barack Obama is not a 'moralist'. He provides moral leadership for America and for the world because he is morally intelligent and therefore respects people's humanity whatever their social or political status. He can be 'cool' because he does not have to represent a repressed minority or majority. Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela were equally intelligent and had to apply themselves to the need to overcome oppression by the powers that be. Obama's rise to power (his campaign) also represents a revolution against the powers that be (moralistic religious conservative government) - a quiet revoluton but a revolution nonetheless. All these moral leaders are the most developed members of our species which is after all a social species which depends on morality for survival and which risks extinction as a result of the lack thereof.

"We need to out-educate, out-compete, and out-innovate the rest of the world." (State of Union address. January 2011) America must stop trying to outdo the 'rest of the world'. We are one human family and can only solve our human problems by working together as a global community. If we don't change our thinking there will be no future 'to win'.

This is not the first time that the award of the Nobel Peace Prize has proved to be politically controversial. Obama himself was shocked at the news. So the pundits make a laughing stock of themselves by encouraging the mockery. Think of the political implications of the decision in a larger context… the context of a global population which is tired of crooks in power and looks to the integrity of American leadership for a better future for all. It is time to widen our horizons.

I watch the changing world from a perspective which sees ‘peace’ as a state of consciousness beyond ego. The world is in a period of severe crisis and we need to be serious. Complacent ignorance is exactly what poses the biggest threat. It is generally recognized that the American president is in the most powerful position to use their potential for leading the world on a course which is fit for our home planet earth. Humanity as a species is faced with an emergency and the present state of urgency is having an impact on the decision making process of many important human institutions. It is important to understand the meaning of morality as 'moral intelligence' or ‘consciousness’ as opposed to the authoritarian interpretation of the word in the sense of ‘moralism'. In this context Obama is not a 'moralist'. He is a world citizen ofmoral integrity... a moral leader .but he provides moral leadership for America and for the world because he is morally intelligent and therefore respects people's humanity whatever their social or political status. He can be 'cool' because he does not have to represent a repressed minority or majority. Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela were equally intelligent and had to apply themselves to the need to overcome oppression by the powers that be. Obama's rise to power (his campaign) also represents a revolution against the powers that be (moralistic religious conservative government) - a quiet revoluton but a revolution nonetheless. All these moral leaders are the most developed members of our species... a social species which is risking extinction and depends on morality for survival.

It is vital that the most powerful creative intentions be translated into the beneficial actions which we all need to see. Hopefully America as a nation will continue to evolve in consciousness and that its collective egocentric mentality will be replaced with one more mature and humane. President Obama is a blessing for the world. He needs our support.

So-called 'Schizophrenia' as Intense Transpersonal or 'Spiritual' Experience, Transformation Process, Spiritual Awakening or 'Spiritual Emergence’.

Spiritual emergency and human nature…

The combination of Western scientific research with Eastern psychologies such as Buddhism has resulted in new concepts which shed light on the nature of the human personality or 'psyche' i.e. ‘human nature’. Human nature can be defined in terms of the biological needs for growth of the human organism as a social organism. Human growth is described in terms of socialisation which is a function of the development of moral consciousness or 'conscience'. Complete development of human conscience depends on fulfillment of motives for natural human behaviour i.e. 'human needs'. As well as the obvious physiological needs, human needs include so-called 'lower' psychological needs for self-esteem - the 'ego needs' - and the so-called 'higher' psychological needs for spiritual development - the spiritual needs of the transpersonal dimension of human nature i.e. 'metaneeds'. Fulfillment of metaneeds results in heightened intuition and increased awareness necessary for effective adaptation to changing social conditions i.e. ‘social intelligence’. Human adaptability depends on spiritual growth involving the person's evolution from the egocentric perspective of emotional immaturity to the transpersonal perspective of emotional maturity. Spiritual growth of normal development is gradual and fluidand results in spiritual awakening or 'spiritual emergence'. If the process of 'spiritual emergence' is very rapid and dramatic, the sensory and psychic experiences become so intense, chaotic and overwhelming that it is too distressing for the person to bear and so they experience psychic overload and spiritual emergence becomes ‘spiritual crisis' o 'spiritual emergency - also known as transpersonal experience, psycho-spiritual transformation, transpersonal crisis, psycho-spiritual crisis, the spiritual journey, hero's journey, dark night of the soul, spiritual opening, psychic opening, psychic awakening, spiritual awakening, enlightenment, kundalini awakening,kundalini process, kundalini crisis, shamanism, mysticism, gnosis, the psychotic-visionary episode, dark night of the soul, the alchemical process, positive disintegration and so on. Spiritual emergency is a sign of health and a part of the human condition characterised by spontaneous alternative consciousness states or ‘realities'. The person learns to grow beyond cultural conditioning and the expectations of others… beyond fear based ego-consciousness to a new level of awareness or 'higher consciousness state' of spiritual renewal or spiritual rebirth.With spiritual rebirth the person experiences an inner sense of emotional liberation and discovers ideas and behaviours which promote growth and the affirmation of life which is characteristic of total well-being or 'high level wellness'. As a healing or renewal process involving the positive transformation of the self, spiritual emergency is a concern of'transpersonal psychology'.

So-called 'schizophrenia' is not a 'mental illness' but an intense transpersonal or spiritual process or experience which represents spiritual awakening and has been designated as 'spiritual emergency' (See the writings of Christina and Stanislav Grof).

Much needless suffering results from ignorance of the nature of the human personality or 'human nature'. Insights into the workings of human nature are provided by the healthy process of healing in which the individual experiences the psychic overload of uncontrollable spiritual growth and crisis i.e. spiritual emergency or so-called 'schizophrenia'.


Schizophrenia has been described as a nonspecific disease by the psychiatric profession. This supposedly devastating condition was originally named by German psychiatrist Emil Kraepelin (1856-1926). Kraepelin believed that the condition involved irreversible mental deterioration' and coined the term 'dementia praecox' - Latin for 'prematurely out of one's mind'. It later became clear that the term was a misnomer and a new term was coined in 1910 by Swiss psychiatrist noted for his kindness and humanity Eugen Bleuler (1857-1939). Bleuler, teacher of Carl Jung, was professor of psychiatry at the University of Zürich where he headed the famous Burghölzli Clinic. He coined the term 'schizophrenia' to mean 'splitting of the mind' since the condition seemed to involve a mental split between thought and emotion. The term is derived from German 'schizophrenie' from Greek 'skhizein' meaning 'to split' and 'phren' of unknown origin meaning 'heart or mind'. According to Greek etymology, ‘schizophrenia’ actually means 'broken soul' or 'broken heart’. There is still no universally accepted definition. The term has been applied to many so-called 'mental illnesses' which represent a set of socially and culturally unacceptable thinking and behaviour patterns and which other people greatly dislike thus making it a model of 'unwanted conduct'. The condition is largely misunderstood as a result of people’s fear of the unknown.

It turns out that schizophrenia is not a disease or a 'mental illness'. In fact the condition is not a hopeless one but a brilliant one. Schizophrenia is a personal 'story' which involves a natural and temporary self-organising transformative process or crisis of transformation, a ‘psychospiritual crisis’now known by its new name - 'spiritual emergency' - the term coined by psychiatrist Stanislav Grof. Spiritual emergency is a self-healing process involving the dissolution and removal of illusions and false beliefs which originate in the programming of social conditioning and which give rise to pathological thought complexes. These prevent the person from making the accurate evaluations of their social environment which they need in order to make effective decisions for social adaptation.

Effective decision-making for appropriate sociability depends on transcendance of the limited sense of self or 'ego'. In a period of crisis, the person instinctively surrenders to an organismic process involving the temporary separation of thought and emotion (‘ego-loss’) in order to confront their thoughts without having to deal with the emotional implications. Ego-transcendance purifies and sharpens consciousness and therefore results in clarity and a true perception of reality. Accurate perception is a function of moral consiousness or 'intuition' of ratonal conscience and depends on complete moral or 'spiritual development’characteristic of the human psyche or human personality i.e. ‘human nature’. Consequently the apparent 'craziness' of spiritual emergency is an indication of the passage into a higher consciousness state required for effective adaptability. As a part of the human condition spiritual emergency is a concern of so-called 'depth psychology', also known as 'spiritual psychology' or 'transpersonal psychology'. Transpersonal psychology is concerned with the 'beyond ego' or 'transpersonal' dimension of the human psyche or ‘human nature’- the source of motivation for human productiveness and creativity or ‘work’

So what is human nature? Human nature is a function of spiritual growth or 'spiritual emergence'. Western scientific research combined with Eastern psychologies such as Buddhism provides new concepts which shed light on the nature of the multidimensional human psyche and the human personality i.e ‘human nature’. Human nature is a social nature and the human organism is a social organism with instincts for sociability. The development of human socialisation can be characterised in terms of biologically based motives or 'human needs' which include both 'lower' psychological needs for self-esteem - the 'ego needs' - and 'higher' psychological needs for spiritual development - the spiritual needs or 'metaneeds'(see Abraham Maslow). Metaneeds are subconscious needs which must be fulfilled in a process of normal spiritual development or 'moral development'. Moral development is a function of personal evolution from the limited sense of self or 'ego' and its egocentric perspective to the expanded sense of self or 'Self' and its transpersonal perspective of ego-transcendance... a function of moral consciousness or 'rational conscience'. Rational conscience is a function of consciousness of social values of sociability... moral justice, 'knowledge' as understanding, ‘peace’as social responsibility, 'lovingkindness' as wisdom of compassion and so on i.e. 'human values'. Human values are the universal moral values required for survival of the species as a social species. Awareness of human values results in heightened intuition of social intelligencewhich is necessary for effective adaptation to the complexities of changing social conditions i.e. 'adaptability'. Human adaptability depends on preservation of the integrated functioning of the personality as a whole... the basis for personal power or 'self-empowerment'. Self-empowerment is a function of the integrity of moral consciousness or 'conscience' (moral values of humanness). of spiritual growth as development of conscience and involves the attainment of knowledge of one's true nature or 'higher self' 'self-knowledge' as the source of personal power required for adaptability... i.e. transformation or 'enlightenment' of 'spiritual emergence'. Spiritual emergence is a gradual, dynamic, fluid naturally ordered and integrated on-going process of personal development into greater maturity and spiritual awareness... which results in the expanded sense of consciousness... understanding of the ultimate unity of all things... human divinity... sense of compassion... increased creativity. It takes place over a period of years and depends on conditions of freedom in education... i.e. 'free education' or 'holistic education'.

Each person is at a different stage of spiritual emergence depending on the level of their moral or spiritual development.

Transformation crisis or 'spiritual emergency'. If in highly sensitive individuals the processs of spiritual emergence is blocked for any reason they might be warned that their growth is in grave danger and that they rapidly need to make essential adjustments in order to adapt effectively. The transformation process of spiritual emergence can be so dramatic that it becomes uncontrollable and reaches a point of crisis... 'psychospiritual crisis' or 'spiritual emergency'... also known as transpersonal experience, transpersonal crisis, psycho-spiritual transformation, spiritual journey, hero's journey, dark night of the soul, spiritual opening, psychic opening, psychic awakening, spiritual awakening, enlightenment, kundalini awakening, kundalini process, kundalini crisis, shamanic initiation, shamanic crisis, psychotic-visionary episode, ego death, ego loss, alchemical process, positive disintegration, post traumatic stress disorder with psychotic features, night sea journey, psychosis, shamanism, mysticism, gnosis, inner apocalypse, and so on. Spiritual emergency is a process of healing and renewal and involves a positive transformation of the self. The process is characterised by spontaneous alternative consciousness states or ‘realities' in which the person experiences unbearably distressing psychic overload involving chaotic and overwhelming sensory experiences. During the process they learn to grow beyond fear based ego-consciousness, beyond cultural conditioning and the expectations of others. They learn to grow to a new level of awareness... to higher consciousness states which are characterised by an inner sense of emotional liberation allowing for the discovery of ideas and behaviours of increased social adaptability. This so-called 'individuation'... 'self-realisation'... 'self-actualisation'... 'spiritual renewal' or 'rebirth'... represents the affirmation of a life of total well-being or 'high level wellness'.

"If the human race survives, future men will, I suspect, look back on our enlightened epoch as a veritable Age of Darkness. They will see that what was considered 'schizophrenic' was one of the forms in which, often through quite ordinary people, the light began to break into our all-too-closed minds." (Ronald D. Laing)

Future Schools and the Practice of Freedom:
Education for Human Development or 'Holistic Education'

HOLISTIC EDUCATION : A NEW PARADIGM FOR TEACHING

A rational approach to our human problems depends on the intelligent implementation of a universal education for human development or 'holistic education'. Holistic education (or 'peace education') aims for the development of the individual as a complete and therefore rational and moral (or 'spiritual') human being.
"There is only one problem, and it is human development in its totality; once this is achieved in any unit - child or nation - everything else follows spontaneously and harmoniously." (Dr. Maria Montessori. To Educate the Human Potential. Adyar, Madras, India: Kalakshetra Publications, 1961. p.13)

Failed education is ultimately due to the basic mistrust of the 'human personality' or 'human nature'.
Human nature is a peaceful nature which depends on development of human potential Continuous hindrance to human development results in frustration and violence. Therefore it is only logical that education for human development or 'holistic education' is the same as education for peace or 'peace education'. As peace education, holistic education is the necessary prerequisite for a culture of peace and the basis for true democracy. True democracy depends on democratic thinking and democratic education... 'democratic' in the largest sense, that is, based on the affirmation of human dignity.
Today there is urgent need for positive social change and this depends on the right kind of education... instead of the traditional authoritarian education for control of the individual we need a humane education for development of the individual as a complete and rational or 'moral' human being i.e. 'holistic education'. Holistic education aims for the development of moral consciousness or 'conscience' of 'morality' required for effective human socialisation or 'peace'. As peace education, holistic education depends on conditions of freedom in an environment which allows for development of moral intelligence or 'creative intelligence'. This depends on the practice of freedom to discover one's human potential as the source of self-control or 'self-empowerment' i.e. moral freedom, inner freedom or 'true freedom'. True freedom or 'responsible freedom' is a function of the proper development of the moral or 'spiritual' dimension of the human personality or 'human nature'. The human organism is a social organism and human nature is a social nature. Human instincts for socialisation depend for their development on education which allows for spiritual development or 'spiritual emergence'.
"In the most general terms, spiritual emergence can be defined as the movement of an individual to a more expanded way of being that involves enhanced emotional and psychosomatic health, greater freedom of personal choices, and a sense of deeper connection with other people, nature and the cosmos. An important part of this development is an increasing awareness of the spiritual dimension in one's life and in the universal scheme of things. Spiritual development is an innate evolutionary capacity of all human beings. It is a movement towards wholeness or 'holotropic state', the discovery of one's true potential." (Stanislav Grof)
The paradigm of traditional education as 'schooling' is based on a basic mistrust of human nature - a mistrust which perpetuates suffering, oppression and destruction because it leads to the fallacious notion that the interests of the individual and those of society are mutually exclusive. This dichotomous view of the social reality inevitably results in unresolvable pseudo-problems which cannot be dealt with effectively unless they are approached from the more accurate perception of human nature as a social nature with natural instincts for sociability the 'social instincts'. Consequently the needs of the individual and of the society are mutually dependent and interrelated. So what are the implications for education? The development of civilised societies depends on the complete development or 'civilisation' of the individual. Individual human development depends on education which provides the right conditions for the facilitation of learning which engages the person as a whole and their instinctive motivation for growth through learning or 'intrinsic motivation'. Intrinsic motivation engages development of the spiritual dimension of human nature... a function of consciousness of the higher self or 'Self' as the source of personal power or 'self-empowerment' required for the ability to adapt to changing social conditions i.e 'adaptability'. Consciousness of the Self is equivalent to consciousness of moral values for living... moral consciousness or 'conscience'. Development of conscience depends on education which provides the optimal conditions for complete human development... development of the individual and their potentialities... physical, psychological, emotional, intellectual and moral or 'spiritual' development. i.e. 'holistic education'. Holistic education involves the planning of learning environments which respect human dignity as it is naturally manifest in meaningful creativity and productiveness or 'work'.
For children growing up in the complex world of the 'global village' effective educational practice is based on an appropriate philosophical framework or 'paradigm' for educational theory which involves the understanding of learning as a natural process of functioning of the human brain. Insights into the physiological mechanisms underlying the natural learning process i.e. 'biology of learning' provide evidence for the validity of education for personal development or 'holistic education'. Holistic education is based on respect for the instinctive motives for learning or 'human needs' which define the human personality or 'human nature'. "Holistic education is more concerned with drawing forth the latent capacities and sensitivities of the soul than with stuffing passive young minds full of predigested information. It is an education that prepares young people to live purposefully, creatively, and morally in a complex world." (Ron Miller ed. The Renewal of Meaning in Education: Responses to the Cultural and Ecological Crisis of our Times) (What is holistic education?see Introduction to Holistic Education www.infed.org/biblio/holisticeducation.htm)
The key to human development and schools for humanity is recognition of the psychological value of meaningful work which is crucial to development of moral consciousness or 'morality' of 'conscience'... a concern of 'moral science'. The morality of conscience is the source of guiding values or 'human values' required for accurate evaluation of changing environmental conditions, effective decision-making and behaviour which is adaptive because it is creative i.e. ‘creative intelligence’. The cultivation of creative intelligence depends on the freedom to engage in active experiential learning motivated by natural curiosity of inquiry. Such learning is meaningful because it engages the individual’s instinctive responsibility for their own growth and development. Meaningful learning for human development depends on freedom in education as the practice of theory which is informed and effective because it is based on natural law and guided by rational conscience. Freedom in education is responsible freedom because it aims to provide the right conditions required to free the human spirit in order to develop conscience as rational conscience or 'free conscience'... freedom to think, freedom to learn, freedom to engage in personal growth and development of one's human potential for creativity and productiveness or ‘work. Freedom in education is freedom from dogma, freeedom from ignorance, freedom from from conflict... 'inner freedom', 'spiritual freedom', 'moral freedom' or 'true freedom'. True freedom is obedience to rational conscience... a function of human development as 'moral development'. Freedom in education engages children's integrated development in harmony with their instinctive sense of responsibility for their own spiritual growth and development i.e. 'human nature'. Natural principles of human nature are foundational to education of the person as a whole or 'holistic education'. Holistic education is the practice of freedom for creativity and productivity or 'work'. Freedom to work is the basis for self-empowerment and self-determination which is foundational to understanding, to social responsibility for peace, cooperation and real democracy.
Holistic education is natural education based on principles of human development. The human organism is a social organism which depends on the development of human potential for effective adaptation to changing environmental conditions (physical and social). Human 'adaptability' depends on complete development as a function of the integrated functioning of the human brain as a social brain specialised for understanding of the significance of experience i.e. 'experiential learning' or 'natural learning'. Natural learning is active learning of 'creative intelligence' and results in meaningful 'knowing' or 'knowledge' as 'real knowledge' or 'truth'. As a truth finding process natural learning engages the individual as an integrated whole incorporating the spiritual dimension and representing the human personality or 'human nature'. Human nature is a social nature and the human organism is a social being which can be characterised in terms of human motives for learning or 'human needs'. Human needs include the basic psychological needs for security and self-esteem ('ego needs') and the so-called 'higher' needs for psychological growth beyond the 'ego' level of consciousness or 'self-transcendance'. These are the spiritual needs or 'metaneeds'. Motivation by the metaneeds or 'metamotivation' engages growth through learning and development of human potential for 'self-actualisation'. Self-actualisation depends on education which provides conditions for self-empowerment or 'freedom' as 'freedom of thought' or 'inner freedom'... freedom for growth through learning, freedom from fear and conflict, freedom from dogma, freedom for personal development, freedom for a life which is guided by universal human values or 'virtues'... source of virtues is moral consciousness or 'conscience'.
The formulation of logical and reasonable educational theory is based on the fact that children are natural learners who can participate in the planning of learning environments which will foster their natural growth into mature and responsible adults living by universal human values. The function of education is to provide the conditions to free the human spirit in order to cultivate the intuition of natural human intelligence i.e. 'creative intelligence' . Educational theory based on natural law is rational theory which can be implemented as informed and effective practice guided by the 'morality' of developed conscience... moral practice or 'educational praxis'. Rational discourse of educational praxis depends on meaning of freedom as the awakening of true human intelligence or 'inner freedom'. Inner freedom based on natural biological principles is 'responsible freedom'. (The practice of theory which is not based on natural principles results in perception of false dichotomies and unresolvable 'pseudoproblems'). The aim of education, in the fullest and deepest sense of the word, is the integrated development of the person as a whole... variously known as 'free education', 'libertarian education', 'libratory education', 'progressive education', 'new education', 'open education', 'cosmic education', 'child-centered education', 'person-centered education', 'problem-centered education', 'humanistic education', 'integral education', 'integrative education', 'confluent education', 'peace education', 'transformative education', 'democratic education' and 'holistic education'. Holistic education is for development of rational conscience which is required for the mastery of life and respect for the lives of others... 'education for life'. All children have the right to educational experiences through which they can recognise the psychological value of their learning experiences... in building self-confidence, self-respect, creative intelligence and moral courage... a philosophy consistent with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (article 26 paragraph 2) "Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and human freedoms".
Holistic education is highly motivating because it is based on the stimulation of natural curiosity.
"...It is in fact nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiostiy of inquiry; for this delicate little plant, aside from stimulation, stands mainly in need of freedom; without this it goes to rack and ruin without fail." (Einstein)
The 'paradigm' of holistic education has larger scope than the traditional paradigm based on the assumption that the learner is a passive recipient who needs to be motivated by external factors provided by the 'teacher as instructor'. In fact, effective learning is a function of active engagement in a process of adapting to the environment. Human adaptability is a function of the capacity to create meaning from experience or 'learn'. Natural 'experiential learning' is a function of the brain’s capacity for perception of connections between systems of wholes and the parts which make them up i.e. 'holistic perception'. Holistic perception actively engages the person as a whole in their instinctive striving for mature growth or 'self-actualisation'. Self-actualisation depends on natural education which engages the individual's sense of responsibility for their own growth i.e. 'intrinsic motivation'. Intrinsically motivated learning depends on the provision of conditions which integrate learning with life and allow for development of human potential and human empowerment as self-determination or 'freedom'. "Real freedom is a consequence of development; it is the consequence of latent guides, aided by education. It is the construction of the personality, reached by effort and one's own experiences; it is the long road which every child must take to reach maturity". (Dr. Maria Montessori)
Holistic education is 'humanistic' because it is true to the social nature of the human personality or 'human nature'. Human nature can be defined in terms of the evolutionary significance of freedom of thought or 'creative intelligence' and moral consciousness as moral reasoning of 'morality' or 'social intelligence'. Social intelligence is characterised by the 'social values' required for survival of the human species as a social species i.e. moral values or universal spiritual values - moral justice, compassionate wisdom, universal love, knowledge, understanding and social responsibility or 'peace' i.e. 'human values'. Human values are experienced as the moral freedom of 'self-transcendance' i.e. 'true freedom'. True freedom is freedom of self-empowerment or 'responsible freedom'. Responsible freedom is fundamental to the integration of learning with life. "The organization of human communities and the establishment of freedom and peace are not only intellectual achievements but spiritual and moral achievements as well, demanding a cherishing of the wholeness of the human personality." (Ivan Ilich)
In the paradigm of holistic education the role of the teacher is defined in terms of the 'facilitation of learning'. The teacher's function is to understand the psychological value of creativity and productiveness or 'work'... to facilitate the construction of conscience through development of human potential. The teacher is a 'facilitator of learning'. The facilitative teacher designs learning environments which are compatible with respect for the instinctive motives for human learning behaviour i.e. 'human needs'. Human needs include the 'lower' psychological needs for self-esteem- the 'ego needs' - and the 'higher' psychological needs for spiritual growth - the 'spiritual needs' or 'metaneeds'. Motivation by the metaneeds is 'metamotivation'. Metamotivation engages personal development in terms of all the interrelated aspects of the complete human personality - physical, emotional, intellectual, psychological, social, political, creative, artistic, philosophical and spiritual i.e. 'holistic growth'. "The highest function of education is to bring about an integrated individual who is capable of dealing with life as a whole." (Jiddu Krishnamurti; Education and the Significance of Life)
Holistic education is education with conscience... education for responsible freedom or 'self-empowerment' as the pre-condition for creative and effective adaptation to changes in the social environment i. e. 'adaptability'. Human adaptability depends on 'true freedom'... the freedom to interact with the environment... to inquire, to discover, to think... to make personal meaning of experience or 'learn', the freedom to understand the realities of nature and human nature while attaining the highest levels of awareness or 'self-knowledge', the freedom to engage in meaningful creativity and productiveness or 'work'. Meaningful work is a function of curiosity, cognition and the wisdom of 'compassion'... engages development of 'moral consciousness' or 'conscience' - the human 'soul'. Holistic education aims to cultivate intelligence – not only mechanical intelligence of conditioned learning but also 'intuitive intelligence' or intuition... creative intelligence which allows for social cooperation and the creation of humane societies. "The only means to a world of peace and understanding is through the proper education of children into emotionally and intellectually mature and thinking adults, respectful and tolerant of other cultures." (Norman Goble. The Function of Teaching UNESCO Paris 1977)