Is It God Who Cures? A Transpersonal Perspective on Script Formation, the Role of Physis, and the “Soul Work” of the Therapeutic Process

Abstract

Identifying a gap in the transactional analysis (TA) literature regarding the role of spirit or soul in the process of psychotherapy, the author invites consideration of the role of physis in both script formation and psychotherapy. She argues for reclaiming script as a positive, dynamic process and the inclusion of a spiritual understanding of the therapeutic journey. This article contrasts the medical construct of treatment planning, which presents the psychotherapist as a potent, protective, permission-giving director of the therapeutic process, with the more explicitly spiritual concept of the soul’s journey. The author suggests that the evolving process of psychotherapy may have a momentum of its own, moderated by the dynamic tension between the longing for growth and change and the need to create a semblance of existential safety through script. Both impulses are viewed as manifestations of physis in action. The author proposes letting go of the ideas of “cure” and “change” as goals and instead framing the therapist’s role as a purposeful witness who actively receives the client’s experience. Therapist and client then find mutual transformation and integration through the shared process of endarkenment. Thus, script is reclaimed as a positive narrative of the self, which ultimately allows the individual to make meaning from uncertainty and pain.

Keywords:

• Transactional analysis
• physis
• spirituality
• psychotherapy
• cure
• relationship
• soul
• spirit
• transpersonal TA psychotherapy
• spiritual perspective

Disclosure statement

The author declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Barbara Clarkson

Barbara Clarkson, Teaching and Supervising Transactional Analyst (psychotherapy), is a psychotherapist, trainer, and supervisor based in Leeds, United Kingdom. She was previously director of Physis Training, which offered TA psychotherapy training. Following a challenging and transformative experience with cancer, she now focuses on delivering workshops exploring the spirituality and creativity of psychotherapy. These enable therapists to integrate tools from dreamwork, myths, and fairytales into their practice, thereby creating a fertile inner landscape for client and therapist alike. Barbara can be contacted at 3 Dale Park Avenue, Leeds, LS16 7PU, United Kingdom; email: [email protected]; website: www.foxtalesforsoul.com.