Ferreras, O. B. (2022). Heavenly bodies: An organic inquiry into the transformative potential of the breastfeeding experience [Unpublished Master’s thesis]. Alef Trust & Liverpool John Moores University.
Leading voices in transpersonal psychology urge more attention for practices oriented to environmental action. However, women’s bodies have been neglected as a focus of research, despite the fact that mothers are our first environment. This Organic Inquiry explored transpersonal aspects of breastfeeding, as this practice has been acknowledged to considerably contribute to climate change mitigation, and it is linked not just to physical, but also to emotional wellbeing of women, children, and nations. The initial research question, how might breastfeeding activate a mother’s transpersonal qualities, helped the author explore transpersonal benefits of breastfeeding, and their role in participants’ success overcoming the patriarchal structures that control this practice. The study focuses on the experience of breastfeeding advocates as this demographic is exceptionally successful at surmounting social barriers, and remarkably achieves their breastfeeding goals, which have been recognized as optimal by the W.H.O. Twelve participants reported that transpersonal qualities like transpersonal self-concept, spiritual insights, interconnectedness, discernment, alignment with nature and transformative changes might have been activated or enhanced as a result of their breastfeeding experience. This study suggests that participants felt empowered by a spontaneous alignment of body, mind and Spirit which translated into compassionate action and social transformation.
