| This study has sought to deepen knowledge and appreciation of the experience of the shift in belief systems from a scientific materialist view, the status quo belief system of the Western world, to a view including nonmaterial and nonlocal influences I have termed, "transpersonal." This study characterizes individuals as having made this shift based on the criteria of comprehending events in life, and making personal decisions, from the perspective of a connected, meaningful universe, rather than a disconnected belief that sees events as random and personally meaningless. A narrative research approach has been utilized in gathering the paradigm change stories of 3 participants, both men and women, of divergent backgrounds. A number of extended interviews have been offered so as to air stories in their totality and to return to such stories for additional reflection. The stories have then been "restoried" by the researcher so as to construct a comprehensible order, adding my own reflections as well as descriptive aspects so as to develop a narrative capable of evoking a multisensory experience for the reader. The intent is to offer readers an opportunity to enter into the worlds of shifting individuals so that the spirit of the lived experience can provide an intuitive ground for the deepening of an integral appreciation of the individual human drama of paradigm shift within the greater shift of Western civilization itself. Additionally, it is intended that the report carry the impetus for inspiring readers in imagining broader definitions of their own life possibilities. |
