ESP All Over Again

I was interested to read that members of the American Psychoanalytic Association are considering the study of ESP experiences within therapy relationships. Such events between therapists and patients are well known, but tend to be discussed in hushed tones. What is most remarkable is that they have not previously received formal attention from our profession. Obviously, they pose a challenge to our usual framework. It is always tempting to dismiss anomalous data. I hope that interested analysts don’t shrink from this topic. Who better to study all the dimensions of human attachment than members of the oldest academic psychotherapy discipline?

The evolution of thinking within transpersonal theory may be of interest to those who study ESP within therapy relationships. Transpersonal theory is beginning to move to a more relational model, rather than an exclusive emphasis on individual subjective experience. (Ferrer J: Revisioning Transpersonal Theory: A Participatory Vision of Human Spirituality. Albany, N.Y., State University of New York Press, 2002.)