Agnew, C. (2018). A phenomenological inquiry into the occurrence and meaning of altered states of consciousness experienced by counsellors and psychotherapists whilst conducting therapy [Unpublished Master’s thesis]. Alef Trust & Middlesex University.

This research project studied the dynamics and occasionality behind unusual and altered states of consciousness experienced by counsellors and psychotherapists whilst conducting therapy. Of the six counsellors took part in this study, all were female, three were fully qualified, whilst three were student practitioners nearing the end of their diplomas at the time of interview. Each of the six co-researchers had encountered an unforgettable event during a therapeutic encounter in which distortions of time and diminishment of sensory detail arose. The aim of this project was to employ a qualitative research platform in which the experiences of the participants could be introduced to an interpretive phenomenological analysis in order to explicate a deeper understanding of such unusual occurrences. The findings of this report lend support to the currently held views within humanistic and transpersonal fields that the profoundly connective encounters of therapists whilst conducting therapy are greatly beneficial to psychological health. This investigation found that the willingness to be open to the presence, and essence, of another, on both sides of the therapeutic dyad, contributed to the arising of intense, powerful and profound experiences in the therapist. In all cases, the unusual events and altered states led to the deepening of the healing potential within the therapy whilst simultaneously providing developmental propulsion for each practitioner.