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This study investigates and reports the quest experiences of modern wilderness rites of passage questers that prompted psycho-spiritual transformation, the nature of those psycho-spiritual transformations, and the context of questers' lives when called to quest. Intuitive Inquiry provided the method for the research that relied on the researcher's intuitive impressions of interviews with 12 questers who believed they experienced psycho-spiritual transformation as the result of a quest. The researcher identified 12 lenses through which he viewed the subject matter before engaging in the interviews. These lenses were strengthened, expanded, and changed and 3 new lenses emerged when the researcher analyzed the interview data, including his intuitive impressions of the interviews, using thematic content analysis. These final lenses included the concepts that (a) in Nature, all is interconnected and modern humans long for and find comfort in this connection; (b) humans possess potential to transform beyond their imaginings and are driven by powerful evolutionary or spiritual forces to do so; (c) the context of the events in questers' lives that precipitates their answering the call to quest influences any psycho-spiritual transformation that occurs as a consequence; (d) greater self-awareness can be achieved through archetypal encounters in Nature, through ritual, and through reflecting unconscious material onto Nature; and (e) integration of such greater self-awareness can promote psycho-spiritual transformation. The findings presented are that a modern wilderness rites of passage quest serves as an accelerant to the psycho-spiritual transformational process of questers who earnestly undertake their own, likely unconscious, version of the archetypal, yearning-discovery-integration, hero's journey. Such transformation processes involve the integration of newly discovered aspects of themselves revealed as a result of connecting with Nature during the quest. Guides can utilize these findings to encourage questers to examine the longing in their lives for clues as to their unconsciously desired psycho-spiritual transformation.
Advisor: | Rowe, Nancy M. |
Commitee: | Davis, John V., Fisher, Charles L. |
School: | Institute of Transpersonal Psychology |
Department: | Global Psychology with a concentration in Transpersonal Psychology |
School Location: | United States -- California |
Source: | DAI-B 71/04, Dissertation Abstracts International |
Source Type: | DISSERTATION |
Subjects: | Developmental psychology, Psychology, Spirituality, Recreation |
Keywords: | Hero's journey, Psycho-spiritual transformation, Psychospiritual transformation, Rites of passage, Vision quest, Wilderness quests, Wilderness rites of passage |
Publication Number: | 3397618 |
ISBN: | 978-1-109-69648-6 |