Adventures in EDUC C45: Transpersonal Psychology
As could be expected, being a first year PhD student came with a lot of deadlines. With all the papers to write, readings to stay atop of and other various final projects to prepare for, I found my thoughts always straying to my mental "to do" list. Though the material from all my classes were rich and applicable to my future career, after midterms I was personally spent. The accruing demands were seemingly endless and it was hard not to think of home over 3000 miles away. Wanting to learn more about spirituality and consciousness, I registered for the C45 Transpersonal Psychology course. On a particular "low" day, while covering Jung and consciousness, Dr. Gressard abruptly stopped his lecture, looked over the class and stated "I feel like we all need to go on a mindfulness walk today." The School of Education is located in a particularly scenic part of Williamsburg and for twenty minutes, the whole class took advantage of the nearby paths that wind through the scenic woods of Lake Mataoka. With Dr. Gressard's guidance and strategies of being mindful, I was able to just "let go" and be in the moment. For twenty minutes, it was me, the sunny day and nature and nothing could have been more needed than that. As a class we have practiced meditation, processed dreams, gone to a nearby labyrinth for a spiritual walk (one during the day and another at night under the full moon) and currently, we are all deciding what to do for our final class project. This class has gone a long way in enriching my educational experience here at William and Mary and serves as a great example to the quality of education that is offered here.
