Spiritual Development: Han F. De Wit's and Stanislav Grof's Differing Approaches

Spirituality is an essential part of being human, and a life based solely on materialism is impoverished. Han F. de Wit argues that spirituality cultivates courage, compassion, joy, clarity of mind, and wisdom. Stanislav Grof focuses on personal spiritual experiences gained through altered states of consciousness. Both authors draw on long-term personal experiences and those of others to define spirituality and describe approaches to spiritual development. They contend that third-person knowledge and judgments about humanness must be supplemented by appropriately derived first-person knowledge and judgments about humaneness.

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Abstract

For both Han F. de Wit and Stanislav Grof, spirituality constitutes an essential part of humaneness; a life built on materialism is deemed an impoverished life. For de Wit, spirituality yields courage, compassion, joy, clarity of mind, and consequently wisdom. For Grof, personal spiritual experiences gained during altered states of consciousness are of central interest. After defining spirituality, these views, built on long‐term personal experiences of the authors and those of others, are explicated in detail. Both authors describe their respective approaches to spiritual development. In either approach, third‐person knowledge and judgments (e.g., on humanness) have to be supplemented by first‐person knowledge and judgments arrived at appropriately (e.g., on humaneness).