Jorge Ferrer
Spiritual individuation and participatory spirituality
Spiritual individuation is the process through which a person gradually develops and embodies her or his unique spiritual identity and wholeness. Whereas the disembodied modern self is plagued by alienation, dissociation, and narcissism, a spiritually individuated person has an embodied, integrated, and connected identity whose high degree of differentiation, far from being isolating, actually allows her or him to enter into a deeply conscious communion with others, nature, and the multidimensional cosmos. In this talk, we will explore how three central dimensions of participatory spirituality—embodiment, relatedness, and pluralism—can contribute to the cultivation of spiritual individuation in our everyday lives.
Bio
Jorge N. Ferrer, PhD., is a clinical psychologist, author, and relationship counselor. He was a professor of psychology at California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco, where he served as chair of the Department of East-West Psychology. Jorge is the author of many articles and books, including Revisioning Transpersonal Theory: A Participatory Vision of Human Spirituality (State University of New York Press, 2002), Participation and the Mystery: Transpersonal Essays in Psychology, Education, and Religion (SUNY Press, 2017), and Love and Freedom: Transcending Monogamy and Polyamory (Rowman & Littlefield, 2021). Jorge was a member of the Esalen Institute’s Center for Theory and Research, where he also taught workshops on embodied spirituality. Jorge received the Fezter Presidential Award for his seminal work on consciousness studies and was selected as an advisor to the Religions for Peace organization at the United Nations. Learn more at www.jorgenferrer.com.