In ancient times psychology, the study and knowledge about the soul, was an intrinsic part of philosophy, religions and spiritual paths. In our times psychology is an independent study and field of knowledge. Where does the soul belong these days?
Psychology is still the study of the soul, or in modern terms: the science of the mind. Since the times of Freud, the trunk of psychology has grown a lot of new branches. The different kinds of psychotherapy has been mixed with new knowledge about biology, medicine and psychiatry and directed towards curing mental disorders. In the sixties and the seventies the new branches of humanistic, transpersonal and body-oriented therapies became part of the personal development and inner growth movement. Seeing a psychotherapist was more accepted. You didn’t need to have a mental disorder to get help with the development of your human potential.
However, psychotherapy is still something you seek when encountering overwhelming life circumstances, trauma and stress, anxiety, depression, ego weaknesses, addictions and so on. Where the difference between psychotherapy and spiritual teachings like the Diamond Approach is more unclear, is when your need is of an existential character, like questioning the meaning of your life, who you are and what your longing is about.
My own long term interest in the field of psychology and spirituality was what made me curious about Psychosynthesis therapy. My late teacher in Psychosynthesis, «Arif» (Per Jarle Dyrud), said something which was helpful for my understanding:
«Transpersonal therapy can bring you to the door of the spiritual realm. From there you need a spiritual teaching»
When I began studying the Diamond Approach, I learned that incorporating some of the rich knowledge of modern psychology in a spiritual context is extremely effective in a journey of maturing as a human being. In fact, the first couple of years as a student, your work is mainly about experiencing and understanding your psychological patterning. However, like traditional spiritual teachings the Diamond Approach does not divide the knowledge and experience of the human soul into a psychological and a spiritual part, it is more like a continuum. The founder, Hameed Ali (pen-name: A.H. Almaas) is clear about this:
«The Diamond Approach is a spiritual path and is not intended as a psychotherapy. Any techniques or knowledge of the Diamond Approach that resemble those of psychotherapy are due only to the broad scope of the Diamond Approach, which incorporates the whole spectrum of human experience. It is not intended for therapeutic purposes; its orientation, view, methodology and knowledge as a whole differ fundamentally from the fields of psychology, psychotherapy, psychiatry and psychoanalysis.»
If you want to learn more about how the Diamond Approach integrates psychological knowledge into its method, the following books by A. H. Almaas are recommended: Essence, The Void and The Pearl Beyond Price.