| |
| author |
Yessenia Guglielmi
| | title |
White Magic: The Intersection and Application of Magical Realism And Transpersonal Psychology
| | abstract |
As a Mental Health Clinician for the past twenty years, focusing on transpersonal psychology, trauma, and healing, I have witnessed not only the debilitating effects of trauma and stress, but also the potential for hope and healing. As a writer, my creative instincts have also led me to explore the use of creative writing and magical realism as integral to and part of the healing journey. This dissertation is an autoethnography, a personal narrative akin to a memoir, as well as scholarly reflection fused with other genres of creative writing. I use short fiction, life writing, and poetry to address and subsume my personal healing journey as both a Mexican American and a Mental Health Clinician coping with non- ordinary states of consciousness. This research explores the integration of a transpersonal modality based in ancient shamanic wisdom from Mexico in the form of psilocybin with creative writing, utilizing Magical Realism as part of a cultural intervention for healing past trauma. Self-awareness and self-discovery are main goals of transpersonal psychology. The use of psilocybin as a treatment modality facilitated a process of healing, re-connection to spirituality, and a deeper understanding of my extra sensory gifts. These transpersonal benefits reinvigorated my career, purpose, and sense of connectedness in order to heal past trauma. The use of magical realism in creative writing encouraged the development of voice to allow my trauma, as well as others, to be heard, expressed, and affirmed. This gift of voice—given to the previously voiceless—is manifested through the use of creative writing and magical realism, creative and artistic opportunities to process and teach ways to heal trauma.
| | school |
The Caspersen School of Graduate Studies, Drew University
| | degree |
D.Litt.
(2023)
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| advisor |
Laura Winters
Liana Piehler
|
| full text | YGuglielmi.pdf |
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