The science of the soul, psychology, has been around for millennia, and during ancient times, the Greeks and Romans believed that soul healing was essential for a healthy body. But a newer concept of transpersonal or spiritual psychology is about taking it beyond the ego, and it’s one that has been taking the sphere by storm.
Spiritual subject matter plays a huge role in psychology, but Carl Jung and William James, who were the first psychologists to take a keen interest in exploring the whole human experience, saw the potential immediately. Likewise, renowned American psychologist Abraham Maslow – creator of the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs – along with his colleague and long-time friend, Anthony Sutich, were the first to use transpersonal psychology to describe the exploration of helping people attain their highest potential, and today it’s a method being embraced by professionals in the spiritual world in order to support people in reaching their full potential.
The humanistic principles of spiritual psychology include the highest state of consciousness attained from various spiritual paths to encourage transpersonal awakening and healing. Here, we talk to Sophie Frabotta, the internationally recognised spiritual life coach and owner of Awaken Collective and Awaken with Sophie, on how the spiritual side of human nature can help people make exceptional breakthroughs.
Finding spirituality
Transpersonal psychology typically addresses similar needs to psychotherapy but uses a holistic approach to help facilitate healing. As a result, people have experienced exceptional healing thanks to the emphasis the treatment places on honesty, mindfulness, meditation, self-awareness, and open-mindedness.
“By exploring their spiritual side, transpersonal psychology encourages people to find healing for various ailments of the soul, including depression, addictions, anxiety, and other problems,” says Sophie. “One of its most meaningful benefits is that it helps people find meaning in their lives, even after troubled times.”
Sophie herself understands the powers of transpersonal therapy, having stumbled upon it accidentally whilst dealing with some personal difficulties of her own. Born in San Francisco, Sophie’s family moved around quite a bit during her childhood, meaning that by the time she attended eighth grade, relocating back to Princeton resulted in lost friendships and feelings of rejection.
Sophie started to feel strangled by the experiences of others, and hadn’t realised she was an empath. She turned to food, aggression, and mixed with the wrong crowd, and by ninth grade, Sophie was 70 pounds heavier. It was clear that something had to give, but initially, she didn’t know what.
On becoming a spiritual warrior
The path to finding empowerment started gradually for Sophie, but she was determined to find the freedom and connection she craved. She became a field hockey star, lost a lot of weight, and got into college, but bulimia and recreational drug use caused her to deviate from the path she had set herself and fail to achieve her goals.
Her spiritual awakening came in 2001, just as she began to crave new beginnings. Sophie found inspiration from life coach Iyanla Vanzant, and reconnected with her more traditional spirituality. Graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Palm Beach Atlantic University, Sophie got to work immediately afterwards by starting up her own life coaching business – at a time before ‘life coaching’ was as popular or well known as it is today, and still a relatively new concept.
Mentoring energy leaders
Later rebranding her company with its current name – Awaken Collective – the heart-centred leader continued her mission to help others see into their desired future. And, soon after giving birth to her daughter Clarity at home, Sophie launched her Spiritual Life Coach Certification for aspiring coaches.
According to her, it’s the guidance and proprietary techniques she has developed over her career that allow her to pass on her unique healing approach to other coaches interested in using deep spiritual healing to encourage freedom and wholeness.
The 100 plus hours of resources included in the training course comprise more than just the usual spiritual healing sessions, retreats, audio healing sessions, and workshops, and also incorporate her experiences and learnings from having over 10,000 hours of one-on-one coaching herself.
She’s particularly proud of her unique ‘4 Rs’ method, which she has successfully used to take her clients through the various stages of the spiritual healing process. But of course, her own spiritual journey remains just as important to her as ever, and on a personal note, she’s celebrating after having achieved 1,000 straight days of meditation. Sophie credits the practice as one of her most powerful means of developing her spirit’s full potential, and makes it a priority to be at her best so that she can show up for her clients wholly.
Embracing your full potential
Understanding the power of transpersonal psychology demands dedication, and it’s a quality that Sophie herself is known for.
Her students attest to it, and it’s clear that the heart-centred instructor inspires them immeasurably through her teachings. In the words of a former student: “Sophie, for me, is a different kind of guru…. she is a teacher of guruism, the developer of healing modalities.”
Like academic neurosurgeon Dr. Eben Alexander, Sophie believes in the importance of finding spiritual growth in modern life. “You are so deeply loved by the universe that when you practice self-love, you activate your ancient code of true acceptance,” she said.
