IAS: Sufism Psychology Forum

The Alchemy of Tranquility: The Sacred Psychology Psycho-spiritual Panel Presentation

Sponsored by Sufism and Psychology Forum and Marin Healing Center Held on March 27, 1998 at Sufism Symposium ‚98 Fremont, California

The Panelists

There were six speakers on the Sufism and Psychology Forum Panel at the Sufism Symposium this year. The panelists represented the fields of Sufism, Sufi psychology, transpersonal psychology, psychiatry and philosophy. They are known in their respective fields for their teaching, research, writing, translation, and clinical work.

Opening

As the first event at the Fifth Annual Sufism Symposium, the Sufism and Psychology Forum panel started with a brief introduction by Professor Arthur Scott, who welcomed the many people in attendance and introduced the theme of the 1998 Annual Sufism Symposium: Ethics.

Professor Scott introduced the subject of Sufi psychology by stating that the Sufi seeks purification of the heart, a cleansing that comes through practice and leads to transformation. To achieve this transformation, new qualities are cultivated and it is necessary to release attachments, desires, and the fears that keep us from traveling our spiritual pathway. Divine rapture fuels this transformation, which takes us beyond time and space, beyond the physical, to Divine essence and Divine energy. It is this process that is called the Alchemy of Tranquility. It is this transformation that is known as the psychology of Sufism.

The Panel Presentations

Dr. Ragip Frager, as the first panelist, opened the topic of the compatibility of Western psychological theory and Sufism or Tasawouf. He has formulated a model, based on the integration of work done by Roberto Assagioli, one of the oldest and most respected of the transpersonal therapists, with the psychology of Sufism. Dr. Frager, with the use of overheads depicting the oval diagram of Assagioli, began his outline of the seven stages or stations of nafs (translated as "self" or "personality").

According to Dr. Frager, this process moves us through the levels of: the unrefined nafs, or the selfish self; the regretful self; the inspired self, the contented self; the pleased self; the self that is pleasing to Allah; and finally, as it has been told to Dr. Frager, one may reach the Pure Self, in which there is no separation. One becomes nothing, so that all that is left is Allah.

Dr. Neil Douglas-Klotz spoke on the ethics brotherhood and sisterhood as they are defined in the Qur'an and by the early Sufis. Dr. Douglas-Klotz compared brotherhood to a pair of hands that wash each other. He underscored the message of the Qur'an, which enjoins all believers to the work of sisterhood and brotherhood. He stated that consideration and caring for and about each other is usually called morality or ethics. As Sufis and as therapists it is necessary to bring awareness to our adab, or manner, as well as to live by the ethics and ethical standards set forth by our professions. He stated that the duty towards Allah begins with a duty towards our brothers and sisters. Sufi teachers must take the lead in providing wisdom and education, both within our own schools and in contact with the general public.

Dr. Sharon Mijares spoke on alchemy as a spiritual science of transformation and an embodied process. It is this alchemical process that leads to illumination of the heart. Her main interest is how alchemy and spiritual awakening are related to the body. Dr. Mijares brought in information from the chakra system, Erik Eikson's psychosocial theory, Freud's psychosexual stages, the martial arts, Buddhism, Jung, Wilhelm Reich, new-age spirituality, and the wisdom of Sufism to illustrate her belief that first we turn away from the nafs (self) to touch spiritual reality, then we bring that Divine love to the nafs to initiate alchemical transformation.

According to Dr. Mijares, we can form ethical principles and ethical and compassionate relationships by embodying the principles of alchemical transformation in every breath, word and behavior.

Seyyedeh Dr. Nahid Angha introduced the idea of looking not just at medicine and psychology for healing, but also taking a closer look at the power of personal belief, confidence and meditation as other effective sources of healing. To learn something about the process, we can look to physics, which tells us that the structure of our universe is made up of waves. The human being is constituted of waves and energies which can also be studied. For example, look back to the ritual dances for making rainfall. If the energy of the sun, in its vaporization of water can create clouds, why wouldn't the same principle hold for a group of people who are concentrating their energy in a unified way and with clear intention? The zekr is one way in which this concentration is practiced. Through chanting, a great, effective, magnetic center is formed that can create miraculous happenings. These miraculous happenings and healing occur within us, as human beings, and should not be attributed to supernatural powers, coincidence, or be ignored because we do not understand.

Dr. Roger Walsh began by telling us that one of the practices worldwide that is most centrally used for the cultivation of calm and tranquility is meditation. He has observed that the claims of the contemplative traditions that have been around for centuries are now being supported by research.

Dr. Walsh stated that there have been over 1,500 publications on the psychological and mental effects of contemplative practice. These studies show that meditation can enhance creativity, foster self-control, enhance empathy, and enhance the capacity for lucid dreaming. Such practice can also restart or catalyze psychological or spiritual development. Research has shown positive effects on the physiological level and that meditation can be useful in a variety of psychological and psychosomatic disorders. Some of the great discoveries in the past two decades, in the West, have shown that there are developmental stages beyond the conventional ones; what we call normalcy is not the ceiling of development.

Research also shows that those who have problems in meditation, usually have undertaken intensive practice without adequate supervision and have a previous history of psychological distress.

Conclusion

Professor Arthur Scott concluded the panel presentation with a few words on the Sufi concept of "eye of the heart." Sufis, as inner travelers, seek a pathway to absolute truth. He reminded us that wisdom and knowledge are not found in the intellect, but rather, in the heart. The eye of the heart is the vehicle by which we have sacred experiences. There is a deep inner place, beyond words, where this miraculous opening of inner knowing occurs. Life becomes a meditation and each moment an opportunity to see the face of the Divine, the face of God.

To reach this state, and to be able to see with the eye of the heart, we must lift the veils. According to the Sufis, one way to do this is through the practice of concentration and meditation. Professor Scott told us that the definition of concentration is a return to the center. For the Sufis, the center of the self and the center of the universe is the heart. The heart conveys the important quality of purity that can be realized through alchemy.

The presentations were followed by a lively and informative question and answer session.

For more information on the Sufism and Psychology Forum, or the Marin Healing Center, contact SPF at 25 Mitchell Blvd., Suite #2, San Rafael, CA 94903. Send email to spf@ias.org or call (415) 499-1115. SPF Website is: http://www.ias.org/spf/