Maslows Hierarchy of Needs and the Farthest Reaches of Human Nature
Many people are familiar with Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Maslow identified the various human needs and the way they build upon each other to allow people to achieve self-actualization — to find a meaningful and purposeful life. These needs are structured on a pyramid, with food/water/shelter as the primary need. Building upon that foundation is the need for safety, followed by belonging, then self-esteem, and finally, self-actualization. This is the traditional model, which is also deeply Western in its approach. This model values an individualist understanding of the greatest human potential — self-mastery and self-fulfillment. However, the Eastern approach would argue that this is both a limited perspective of the spectrum of human potential and a disservice to the complexity of human consciousness.
Thankfully, a couple of years before Maslow died, he amended his hierarchy to include a new apex of human potential — Self-Transcendence! Maslow discussed the value and impact of spiritually transformative experiences, mystical experiences, and the transcendent power of Unity states on human consciousness, the sense of self, and the concept of the world. He argued that self-transcendence is a human need that transcends the human desire for self-fulfillment into a greater purpose — one that supports the collective development of all humanity.
Unfortunately, modern psychological models and training institutes emphasize the old model of Maslow’s hierarchy, placing the greatest value on individual human achievement and defining the apex of mental health through the lens of personal meaning. While personal meaning can be vital to mental wellness, often the greatest reported meaning comes from experiences that transcend the assumptive boundaries of the self, other, and the world and offer the experiencer a total restructuring of their sense of reality. When people have these types of transcendent, transpersonal, or spiritually transformative experiences, they often wish to speak about it with others as a means to integrate it into an expanded worldview. Many who try are often faced with minimizing remarks, judgment, dismissive comments, or stigma from friends and family, which can cause the individual to shut down, try to rationalize away a personally profound experience, or feel rejected, dejected, or ostracized. Others try to bring their experiences to counseling, only to have the experience explained away as an active imagination at best or pathologized as psychotic at worst.
At Yogi Counseling, our providers have first-hand experience with the farther reaches of human nature, describing their experiences with self-transcendence as the most profound of their life. Because of this, their goal is to provide a space for you to explore, integrate, and understand your experience from a place that is safe, curious, and affirming.
