CONSCIOUSNESS

196 5. Experiential Approaches
294 Exploring Higher States of Consciousness in Sport - Sport as a vehicle to
understand the potential of human consciousness Damian Vaughn,
(The Vaughn Center, Phoenix, ARIZONA)
The essence of my talk is grounded in the research that I have done for my upcoming
book and my coaching practice working with high-performance athletes. I will talk on the
concept of ‘Flow’ coined by Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, and discuss the different levels of
‘flow’ or ‘the zone’ that I propose of being available to us. Firstly, We will create a definition
of the zone (flow, peak experience) in sports based on the surveys I carried out with over 200
professional athletes in various sports (MLB, NFL, NHL, NBA, PGA, Olympic, etc.). We
will create a definition of the zone based on its attributes. These attributes will be based on
the subjective experiences of the athletes surveyed, including my personal experience as a
professional football player. Secondly, I will discuss the barriers, obstacles, and inhibitors of
the zone experience in sport and life. All of these barriers are effects or manifestations of one
fundamental cause - the Ego. We will define the ego as the level of mind that is incessantly
concerned with survival, positioning, comparison, and categorization. A2
5.5 Transpersonal and humanistic psychology
295 Ground-Breaking Qualitative Research Method: Intuitive Inquiry Embedded
With Grounded Theory Laurel McCormick
(Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, Charlotte, NC)
An innovative research method was used in a dissertation study of the experience of noself
in advanced stages of spiritual development. In this examination of the phenomenon of
no-self as lived experience, the intuitive inquiry research method was ideal for exploring
and analyzing semi-structured interviews of participants voicing their complex, detailed oral
histories related to no-self. Intuitive inquiry was the overarching method that guided this exploratory,
qualitative research; however, the investigation into no-self potentiated generating
empirically based theory or of confirming current theories. Therefore, constructivist grounded
theory was incorporated into intuitive inquiry as a pragmatic foundation for coding, categorizing,
and analyzing participant data, with the goal of providing a framework for new theory.
Including grounded theory in the intuitive inquiry method required an innovative course of
action for analyzing data and synthesizing results. The intuitive inquiry method structured the
research project through 5 iterative, hermeneutical cycles processed by means of intuition and
interpretation. Successive rounds of grounded theory data analysis were integrated into intuitive
inquiry cycles. Combining the intuitive inquiry method with grounded theory verified
intuitive inquiry information, conclusions, and procedures in a pragmatic, analytical research
process toward theoretical results. Both methods functioned toward guiding emerging data
analysis and theory development by cross-checking and making apparent the intuitive and
analytical cognitive processes of the researcher. The intuitive inquiry and grounded theory
exploratory study of no-self as lived experience produced a theory of no-self as a continuum
toward enlightenment; future research may substantiate research results. Due to attention to
detail afforded by combining intuitive inquiry and grounded theory, this study may further
understanding of self, dissolution of ego, and transformation and integration of experiences of
no-self toward higher stages of consciousness. P5
296 Transformations of Bereavement in a Psychomanteum Process: Qualities of
Meaning and Paths of Change Rebecca Merz (William
James Center, Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, Palo Alto, California, Manchester, MT)
This doctoral dissertation research reports qualities of participant experiences in a psychomanteum
process used to ease grief components. The psychomanteum process is a mirrorgazing
procedure that induces a mild altered state of consciousness in the participant who
desires to contact a deceased loved one to facilitate bereavement. The psychomanteum is a
quiet, dimly lit room or booth with a mirror at one end used to focus attention. The participant
sits in a chair and softly gazes at the mirror, which is tilted to reflect the surrounding darkness.
In the present study, the participant was led by a trained psychomanteum facilitator through