Abstract

Following the guidelines of organic inquiry, the main researcher and 12 coresearchers, all Western psychotherapists and guru yoga practitioners, were interviewed regarding the effect their spiritual practice had on their practice of psychotherapy. Guru yoga is the practice of joining one's mind to the qualities of enlightenment as represented by one's teacher. This study revealed that although coresearchers had diverse ways of understanding and applying guru yoga in therapy, all coresearchers indicated that the practice of guru yoga and general Buddhist principles had a profound effect on the practice of psychotherapy. ;As reported by 85% of coresearchers, the predominant ways that guru yoga practice affected the psychotherapeutic setting were through transmission and lineage, quality of presence, and the power of relationship, all of which refer to a similar experiential phenomenon of the guru being energetically present in the clinical setting. Transmission and lineage, which extended from guru to disciple, deeply impacted the therapeutic relationship. The quality of presence and the power of the relationship as embodied by the teacher inspired and empowered therapists to replicate this way of being with clients. Additionally, 60% of coresearchers noted that the view of basic goodness and the nonpathological way in which they viewed their clients was inspired by their teachers. These factors impacted diagnosis and treatment and resulted in coresearchers taking a more egalitarian stance with clients rather than the hierarchical stance of the medical model that underlies most traditional therapies. ;Research findings support the transpersonal holistic approach to health and contribute to the field by challenging the traditional, dualistic split between therapy and spirituality. Such findings underscore the need to address consciously the lack of psychospiritual training in mental health education. Results contribute to understanding the reciprocity between ancient spiritual wisdom and modern psychological methods of healing