| This dissertation investigated the phenomenon of personal transformation through the lens of depth psychology using a descriptive phenomenological research method. Eight participants were invited to tell their personal stories of transformation. Specifically, the participants were asked, "Have you ever felt a shift such that after that event how you were in the world or how you saw the world had changed? Please describe the shift.".;An extensive review of the literature about the topic of personal transformation combined with the research findings revealed the following story of transformation: An autonomous visitor (could be an image, a life event, or a strong feeling) comes to the person, usually unbidden or unexpected. The experience has a numinous quality and shakes up the person's current status quo. The person wrestles with the visitor and reflects upon the encounter. The person is not alone in the endeavor; other people witness, support, and participate. Through contact with the numinosum, the person lets go of or is released from an old way of being and moves to a deeper level of consciousness—accepting the wholeness of life, healing from past wounds, and living life more fully and with more purpose. The person's relationship to self, other people, the world, and the divine is changed. Although the transformation may start with a single encounter, that event becomes an initiation into a life of openness toward the visitors yet to come.;The study has multiple implications for clinical psychology. Relationships were found to be important in the experience and process of transformation. The presence of heightened awareness was seen as a side-effect of transformation and may signal that transformation is taking place.;Spiritual experiences such as hearing God's voice or seeing a vision map not indicate pathology but rather may lead to transformation. Psychological pain and struggle are a part of the process of transformation, and reflection is necessary for integration of the experience into one's life. Depth psychological considerations include the role of images, the influence of the numinosum, second half of life transitions, and deepening of consciousness through transformative experiences. |
