What Is Self-transcendence, And How Does It Affect Well-Being?
What Is Self-transcendence, And How Does It Affect Well-being?
Self-transcendence is underrated. It’s an under-valued concept with big clout. It’s the missing link to improving your well-being. Why is nobody talking about it?
Research has shown that self-transcendence is a powerful determinant of well-being and our ability to cope in crappy times. It should be front page. It's time to uncover the hidden secrets of this very human quality and how we can cultivate more of it.
In this blog, we’ll look at the theory of self-transcendence, states associated with self-transcendence and how we develop self-transcendence.
WHAT IS THE SELF THAT WE ARE TO TRANSCEND?
To talk about self-transcendence, we need to establish what we mean by 'self.' Otherwise, what is it that we’re trying to transcend? Of course, the self is me or, in your case, you. But what exactly is that? While it may seem obvious to you, it is anything but obvious to neuroscientists.
While research suggests that most people consider themselves in terms of their physical body, personal traits, social roles, and abstract statements, neuroscience wonders whether the self exists at all. Yeah, you heard me right there. Do we even exist?
At the dawn of the advent of neuroimaging, neuroscientists and psychologists alike were confident that somewhere in the brain, they would find the self. But fifty years later, they’re still searching. And now, some cognitive neuroscientists have suggested that a self is not even needed for human existence or cognition. It’s mind-blowing, right?
So, how can we transcend a self that doesn't even exist? Regardless of what neuroscientists tell us, we all have a sense of self. For me, it's my body, my mind, my personality, my identity, and my ego. It's what makes me separate from everybody else. Myself. Separate and distinguishable from yourself or anybody else in the world.
So, self-transcendence is the transcendence of personal identity, my egoic self, and my personality. Basically, who I see myself to be: a wife, a friend, a daughter, a colleague, a transpersonal psychologist, a coach, a hiker, a Brit, an expat, a woman, a sister, a good listener, and so on.
So now we've clarified what the self is: what is self-transcendence? And how do we transcend ourselves? And is there even a point to transcending the self?
TRANSCENDENCE MEANING
We've looked at what the self is, but what is transcendence? Let's break it down too. Transcendence comes from the root word trans, which means across, beyond, through, on the other side of, and to go beyond. The word transcend comes directly from the Latin transcendere, which means to climb over or beyond, surmount, or overstep.
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF SELF-TRANSCENDENCE?
All this leads to the idea of going beyond our personal identity. Or crossing the threshold of what is me and what is not me. Moving beyond the limits of our material existence and egoic programming. Dropping the limitations of what it means to be me. Or even going beyond the senses that give me a sense of self through my body.
Are you still with me? Bear with me if you're finding this hard to grasp. If you've never had a transcendent experience, it isn't easy to imagine what self-transcendence refers to. It's a bit like describing what chocolate tastes like if you've never eaten chocolate. But we'll get there. By the end of this article, even if you've never had a transcendent experience, you'll know what it is when it happens to you.
PEAK AND TRANSCENDENT EXPERIENCES
Transcendent experiences are a type of peak experience. So, let's dive into peak experiences because they're all fascinating, and they're all different. Like transcendent experiences, all peak experiences are a type of altered state of consciousness. They refer to a collection of distinct but similar altered state of consciousness experiences.
Research suggests that peak experiences are associated with higher levels of well-being. So, if we can learn to engender peak experiences, we’ll all be much happier.
Human beings experience all kinds of altered states of consciousness or peak experiences. But just so you know, not all altered states of consciousness are peak experiences. Being drunk and intoxicated with alcohol might feel good, but it isn't a peak state. For that, you’ll need a little more effort than downing a few shots.
Flow State
We can experience peak states by engaging in certain activities. For example, the flow state, a crucial element of positive psychology because of its association with well-being, is a type of peak experience frequently seen in athletic activities and musicians. In the flow state, we are so engaged in what we are doing that it's as if the whole of the world and the self disappear. In flow state, we are totally focused on what we are doing to the exclusion of all thought or reference to anything else.
Mystical Experiences
Mystical experiences are a type of altered state of consciousness considered a peak experience. When people have mystical experiences, they have a sense of their personal identity receding as they unite with a higher presence, sense of oneness, or something greater than themselves. They may be flooded with feelings of love, joy, and sacredness.
Like other peak experiences, time and space become extraneous. What sets a mystical experience apart is its noetic aspect. It's as if the experiencer experiences an ultimate reality more real than in everyday human consciousness. As if they experienced cognition gained through direct knowledge. And sometimes, the knowledge is paradoxical.
These experiences are ineffable, which means you can't explain them to someone who hasn't had one. But if you want to know more about mystical experiences, you can read my research on mystical experiences here.
Self-transcendent experiences
Back to self-transcendence. Self-transcendent experiences are very similar to mystical experiences, except they tend to lack the sacred, noetic, and paradoxical elements. The defining feature of a self-transcendent experience is the fading of individual boundaries and limitations. A merging into something greater than yourself, oneness or your surroundings.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A TRANSCENDENT EXPERIENCE AND SELF-TRANSCENDENCE
Transcendent experiences, like all peak experiences, vary in intensity and duration. For most people, a transcendent experience, like a mystical experience, will be fleeting. My research found that 56% of mystical experiences lasted just minutes, but 16% of participants reported that their mystical experience lasted more than one year.
So now we get into the conversation of state versus trait. A state is a temporary quality or emotion; we could be in a state of anxiety, awe, happiness, or self-transcendence. Conversely, a trait is an enduring quality like introversion or openness. Think personality traits.
A transcendent experience is a state. It comes and goes. It could even last a year, but eventually, it recedes, and the boundaries of where you start and the rest of the world ends come back with force. But self-transcendence is an enduring quality about someone. Their self-transcendence is a stable and consistent quality.
STATE-TO-TRAIT TRANSFORMATION
So, if you've had self-transcendent experiences, you might be wondering, can those states become traits? Absolutely! And this is really what personal growth and development is all about. All peak states have a spiritual nature. They also have neural correlates. To a certain extent, we can rewire our brains; it's what we call neuroplasticity.
Turning our state self-transcendence into trait self-transcendence involves consistent practice. There are many spiritual techniques that can help. You may have your own spiritual techniques and practices that you are already working with.
If not, mindfulness is a great place to start. Research has shown that mindfulness practice changes how our brains function and reduces activity in the default mode network, a self-referential system.
Naturally, when there's a reduction in self-referential activity in the default mode network, there's more chance to transcend the self. Of course, mindfulness is not the only practice that reduces self-referential activity in the default mode network.
There are lots of different types of meditation as well as other activities that involve stilling the default mode network and developing spiritual consciousness. You don't even need to be engaging in activities that are seen as having spiritual aspects. Here are a few to get you inspired:
Walking in nature
Playing sports or doing athletics
Playing a musical instrument
Yoga
Breathwork
Singing
Yoga Nidra
Artistic expression
Listening to music
The more we engage in activities that reduce the self-referential activity in the default mode network, the more we prime the brain for self-transcendent experiences and the more our brain gets used to that way of functioning. The more our brain uses those neural pathways to function, the more likely our self-transcendent states will become self-transcendent traits.
TRANSPERSONAL PSYCHOLOGY
Self-transcendence and transformation are cornerstones of Transpersonal Psychology. This little-known branch of psychology is all about developing the ability to transcend the self. Much of its focus is on what altered states of consciousness, peak experiences, and extraordinary human experiences can teach us and how they can benefit our well-being.
Transpersonal psychology is interested in our ability to learn, develop, and transform through altered states of consciousness, peak experiences, and extraordinary human experiences. How can we improve our well-being and forge deeper connections with Mother Nature, animals, and other human beings? How can we make this a better world? Transpersonal Psychology or Spiritual Psychology starts with us and has a profound effect on our well-being.
One of the founding fathers of transpersonal psychology, Abraham Maslow, identified our need as human beings to transcend the ordinary states of consciousness. He viewed self-transcendence as a psychological need inherent in human beings.
ABRAHAM MASLOW'S SELF-TRANSCENDERS
Many people associate peak experiences with Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Everyone knows that Maslow placed self-actualization at the top of his hierarchy of needs. And that self-actualized people experience peak states.
But few people know that towards the end of Maslow's life, he refined his theory of the hierarchy of needs. Above self-actualization, he placed a new category, which he called self-transcendence. He called the people living at this level 'transcenders.' He noticed this group of people was quite different from the self-actualized people.
SELF ACTUALIZATION VS SELF TRANSCENDENCE
People who fit into Maslow’s idea of self-actualization have reached the top of their game in many respects. Maslow suggested that heads of state, Olympic athletes and CEOs might be considered self-actualized. Self-actualized people are driven, focused and successful. But he also noticed that self-actualized people were self-orientated. They were interested in their own personal progress.
In contrast, the transcenders were more other-oriented. They had transcended their own ego, their own needs. They were not interested in recognition, fame, and success. They were more interested in service and serving others. Transcenders saw themselves as part of something far greater than themselves. They saw people as interconnected beings.
In transcending themselves, they also transcend their personal identities, narratives, and dramas. Living in the present moment, people who achieve self-transcendence enjoy greater wellness and life satisfaction.
When we think of self-transcendence vs self-actualization, self-transcendence will always provide us with a fountain of well-being. People who could be considered self-actualized, on the other hand, may actually suffer terribly inside, fighting depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. We could mention many famous people here.
THE DEVELOPMENTAL PATH OF SELF-TRANSCENDENCE
Just to be clear. It's not a, you have achieved self-transcendence, or you haven't reached self-transcendence. It's a path from state to trait, not a button. A path of human development supported by developmental theories in psychology.
Much of our understanding of how self-transcendence affects mental health and well-being comes from research within nursing theory. Patricia Reed, who developed the self-transcendence theory within nursing, suggests that there are four elements of self-transcendence:
Intrapersonal
Greater awareness of our life philosophy and values
Interpersonal
Connecting and relating to others and our environment
Temporal
Integrating our past and future to have meaning in the present
Transpersonal
Connection to something greater than ourselves that is beyond the manifest world
Reed developed the self-transcendence scale (STS), a questionnaire that emphasizes developmentally-based strengths associated with self-transcendence, which has been used extensively in research.
Reed suggested that self-transcendence is not just human nature but a developmental imperative. Just like a toddler's imperative to walk, it becomes imperative to develop self-transcendence as we age. Research supports Reed's theory, demonstrating that people tend to have higher self-transcendence levels as they age, while younger people tend to have low self-transcendence levels.
Self-transcendence helps us to overcome the challenges of the demise of the physical body and the ensuing vulnerability experienced as we get older. Human beings have an innate program to assist with this most natural development across the human life span.
SELF-TRANSCENDENCE AND WELL-BEING
Developing self-transcendence doesn't just help us overcome the natural ageing process. Research shows that self-transcendence appears to improve our well-being levels. Instead of relying on goal-oriented well-being or hedonistic well-being, which needs constant topping up, self-transcendence provides a more innate, eudaimonic well-being. When self-transcendence moves from being a state to a trait, well-being also seems to move from being a state to a trait.
SELF-TRANSCENDENCE AND MENTAL HEALTH
Self-transcendence doesn't just improve well-being levels. It helps us manage our mental health. Numerous studies show links between self-transcendence and mental health. Self-transcendence is associated with lower suicide ideation, lower stress, and less depression. What's more, when people face challenging situations in life, for example, as we age, dealing with illness and caring for sick relatives, self-transcendence helps people cope better. Self-transcendence is undoubtedly worth going after.
INSIGHT HIGHLIGHTS
As we age, self-transcendence is a natural developmental path for human beings. But we can tap into and cultivate self-transcendence at any age. And the younger we nourish that quality within us, the longer we reap the benefits of self-transcendence.
Self-transcendence helps us cope with life challenges, reduce stress and anxiety, and increase our well-being.
Don't wait for tomorrow. Cultivate your natural tendency for self-transcendence and start reaping the benefits of its extraordinary ability to protect you against mental health problems and life's most challenging experiences.
Thanks for reading, and as always, keep striving for growth and well-being, and never settle for less!
How I Can Help
I hope you found this blog post helpful and inspiring. If you have any questions or need further guidance, please don't hesitate to reach out. As someone who’s deeply passionate about well-being and personal growth and development, I offer services designed to help you cultivate a life you love. Whether through one-on-one sessions, workshops, or online resources, I’m here to support your journey towards becoming the best version of yourself.
Here’s to your well-being, personal growth and success!
Head over to the services section on my website for more information on how we can work together to achieve your goals. I work online and face to face on the Côte d’Azur, in France.
