The Muslim Psyche: A Journey from Wholeness to Holiness
[Thesis]
Abdelmalek Yamani
Deslauriers, Daniel
California Institute of Integral Studies
2017
222
Committee members: Bulkeley, Kelly; Whitfield, Carol
Place of publication: United States, Ann Arbor; ISBN=978-1-369-82202-1
Psy.D.
East-West Psychology
California Institute of Integral Studies
2017
This dissertation focuses on the topic of the Islamic psyche ( nafs) and its transcending path or sabeel through a process of sulook or control of one's behaviors and attitudes. The entire experience is a sacred voyage from the realm of the mundane to the embodiment of the divine or from wholeness to holiness. The Muslim psyche (or nafs) is defined here as the intermediary between the rooh (soul), which is a world of purity, beauty, and perfection or the divine (al 'alam ar-Rabbani), and al 'alam al-ardi or the mundane. Here, the nafs is indeed the encapsulation of the heart (qalb), the mind (aql), and the body (jassad). The interactions between these elements take place within a psychic system. This dissertation is also an attempt to explore the psyche from an Islamic perspective. The idea, in fact, is to study the field of souls ('alam al-arwah) in their multiple manifestations, as a new area of study in the field of East-West psychology.