Ph.D. in Integral, Transpersonal, & Positive Psychology
A doctoral program for scholars, practitioners, and researchers advancing the next generation of psychology.
At CIHS, integral, transpersonal, and positive psychology are not only bodies of literature to be studied. They are living fields of inquiry to be developed through research, scholarship, and meaningful contribution.
This 94-unit Ph.D. is for students who want to help deepen and renew psychology as a whole-person discipline—one capable of engaging consciousness, presence, embodiment, inspiration, felt experience, mysticism, spirituality, healing, flow, transformation, human flourishing, and exceptional human capacities with rigor and intellectual care.
Program at a Glance
Doctoral study for those called to build the field, not only study it.
The ITPP Ph.D. combines rigorous scientific and scholarly education with the distinctive CIHS emphasis on whole-person psychology, consciousness, transformation, spirituality, embodiment, and human flourishing. Students are invited to ask new questions, develop original research, and participate in the work of broadening what psychology can become.
Field-Building Doctoral Scholarship
This program is designed for students who want to contribute to the literature, not only learn from it. Students develop the scholarly tools to ask compelling research questions and participate in peer-reviewed conversations shaping the future of whole-person psychology.
World-Class Faculty
Study with scholars and practitioners working across integral psychology, transpersonal psychology, positive psychology, consciousness studies, somatic and embodied research, mindfulness, psychedelics, parapsychology, and human transformation. Meet the Psychology faculty.
Scientific Rigor with Whole-Person Depth
The program brings critical scholarship and research methods into conversation with lived experience, traditional ways of knowing, contemplative inquiry, somatic awareness, and transformative dimensions of psychological life.
Consciousness, Transformation & Human Flourishing
Study remarkable dimensions of human experience often marginalized in conventional psychology, including consciousness, presence, embodiment, mysticism, spirituality, healing, flow, transformation, and the development of human potential.
Degree Requirements & Doctoral Formation
Doctoral Research Formation
The ITPP Ph.D. supports students in developing the scholarly identity, research capacity, and intellectual discipline needed to contribute meaningfully to psychology’s future.
- Field-Building Research Identify questions in consciousness, spirituality, embodiment, healing, flow, flourishing, exceptional human experience, and whole-person transformation.
- Scholarly Voice Develop the writing, critical thinking, theory-building, and research literacy needed for doctoral scholarship and peer-reviewed publication.
- Whole-Person Inquiry Integrate rigorous methods with respect for lived experience, felt experience, traditional ways of knowing, and the wider dimensions of human life.
- Dissertation Contribution Design and complete original doctoral research that contributes to integral, transpersonal, positive, somatic, contemplative, or whole-person psychology.
- Practitioner-Scholar Identity Connect scholarship with teaching, leadership, coaching, consulting, healing work, community transformation, or future research and publication.
Degree Requirements
The ITPP Ph.D. includes core coursework, required ITPP courses, elective study, and a dissertation sequence.
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Curriculum
Doctoral coursework for scholars helping to renew psychology.
The ITPP Ph.D. curriculum combines whole-person psychology, consciousness studies, scholarly writing, critical thinking, research methods, and dissertation scholarship. Students develop the intellectual foundation to ask new questions, conduct original research, and contribute to integral, transpersonal, positive, somatic, contemplative, and consciousness-oriented psychology.
Core & Required ITPP Courses
A scholarly foundation for field-building psychology.
Core Curriculum
- PSY 766 Scholarly Writing for Psychology I (4 units)
- PSY 765 Foundations in Whole Person Psychology (4 units)
- PSY 771 Consciousness Studies for Psychology (4 units)
- PSY 769 Communications Skills for Scholars (4 units)
- PSY 704 Spiritual Education — several options available (4 units)
- PSY 705 Advanced Qualitative Research Methods (4 units)
- PSY 706 Advanced Quantitative Research Methods (4 units)
Required ITPP Courses
- PSY 767 Scholarly Writing for Psychology II (4 units)
- PSY 768 Critical Thinking (4 units)
- PSY 770 Integral Transpersonal and Positive Psychology (4 units)
- PSY 779 Psychological Energy (4 units)
- PSY 773 Neuroscience of Consciousness (4 units)
Together, these courses build scholarly voice, critical thinking, research literacy, whole-person psychology, consciousness studies, and the field-defining foundations of integral, transpersonal, and positive psychology.
Dissertation Sequence
Original research as a contribution to the field.
- PSY 896 Dissertation Topic Research (5 units)
- PSY 897 Dissertation Methodology Review (5 units)
- PSY 898A Dissertation I (6 units)
- PSY 898B Dissertation II (6 units)
The dissertation sequence supports students as they refine a research question, develop methodology, and complete original doctoral scholarship in an area of integral, transpersonal, positive, or whole-person psychology.
Specialization & Elective Study
Shape your doctoral inquiry through specialized coursework.
Students complete 24 units of specialization or elective coursework. Current specialization pathways include Parapsychology and Psychedelics, Consciousness & Transformation. Students not pursuing a specialization may use approved ITPP electives or select courses from either specialization as electives.
Parapsychology Specialization
- PSY 721 Introduction to Parapsychology (4 units)
- PSY 772 History of Psychical Research (4 units)
- PSY 728 Remote Viewing (4 units)
- PSY 729 Clinical Parapsychology (4 units)
- PSY 737 Practical Applications of Psi (4 units)
- PSY 731 Post-Mortem Survival (4 units)
Psychedelics, Consciousness & Transformation Specialization
- PSY 782 Phenomenology of Psychedelic and Self-Transcendent Experiences (4 units)
- PSY 783 Self-Transcendence: An Experiential Journey (4 units)
- PSY 776 Psychedelics for Transformation (4 units)
- PSY 786 History and Evolution of Psychedelic Use (4 units)
- PSY 787 Neuroscience of Psychedelics, Meditation, and Self-Transcendence (4 units)
- PSY 788 Psychedelic Research: Methodological, Ethical and Legal Considerations (4 units)
General ITPP Electives
Students not pursuing a specialization may complete approved ITPP electives and may also use courses from the specialization pathways as electives.
- PSY 775 Transpersonal Sexuality (4 units)
- PSY 777 Meditation and Personal Transformation (4 units)
- PSY 778 Anatomy of Presence (4 units)
Integral. Transpersonal. Positive.
Three streams of psychology for the next generation of scholarship.
The ITPP Ph.D. brings together three areas of psychology that help expand the discipline beyond narrow models of behavior and cognition. Together, they support a more complete psychology of the whole person—one that includes consciousness, embodiment, meaning, transformation, spirituality, wellbeing, human potential, and diverse ways of knowing.
Integral Psychology
Integral psychology attends to the many dimensions of human life—body, mind, community, culture, society, world, and spirit. It asks how fragmented aspects of experience can be held together in more comprehensive, developmental, and healing ways.
Transpersonal Psychology
Transpersonal psychology gives serious attention to lived experience, intuition, spirituality, exceptional human experiences, and life-changing states often marginalized in conventional psychology. It studies the whole person embedded within a diverse and evolving world.
Positive Psychology
Positive psychology focuses on wellbeing, strengths, meaning, flourishing, and the development of human potential. Within ITPP, it joins integral and transpersonal approaches to support rigorous inquiry into healing, growth, and transformation.
Specializations
Focus your doctoral research around a specialized area of inquiry.
Students may pursue the general ITPP concentration or focus their elective study through one of the current ITPP specialization pathways. Each specialization provides structured doctoral coursework in a defined area of research, scholarship, and transformative human experience.
Parapsychology
Investigate exceptional human experiences and capacities that appear to fall outside conventional psychological and scientific explanation, including remote viewing, telepathy, psychokinesis, precognition, distant healing, and evidence relevant to postmortem survival of consciousness.
- Exceptional human experiences and capacities
- Remote viewing, psi, and consciousness research
- Historical, clinical, and practical dimensions of parapsychology
- Postmortem survival and questions at the edges of psychology
Psychedelics, Consciousness & Transformation
Explore psychedelics and self-transcendence through consciousness studies, neuroscience, phenomenology, cultural history, ethics, research methodology, healing, and transformation. This specialization supports students in studying non-ordinary states with rigor, care, and multidisciplinary depth.
- Psychedelic and self-transcendent experience
- Neuroscience of psychedelics, meditation, and transformation
- History, culture, ethics, and legal considerations
- Research methods for studying profound states of consciousness
Field-Building Scholarship
Study where the future of these fields is being actively developed.
The ITPP Ph.D. is designed for students who want to participate in the work of broadening psychology itself. Students develop scholarly voice, research capacity, and critical discipline while studying the dimensions of human experience that conventional psychology often leaves at the margins.
Admissions
How to apply.
The CIHS admissions process is designed to be clear, personal, and program-specific. You can begin by requesting information, speaking with Admissions, or starting an online application when you are ready.
A clear path from inquiry to application.
Applicants should hold a bachelor’s degree, or foreign equivalent, from a regionally accredited institution. Admission is subject to transcript review and may be subject to additional prerequisites depending on prior academic preparation.
Application Materials
To apply, applicants submit materials through the CIHS online application process.
- Completed online application
- Non-refundable application fee
- Official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions attended
- Two letters of recommendation
- Personal essay describing your interest in CIHS and the program
- Current CV or resume, if applicable
- Representative academic or professional writing sample
Next Program Start Date
Fall 2026CIHS admits students throughout the year, with program starts available at the beginning of each academic quarter. We recommend beginning the admissions process early so there is time to review materials, answer questions, and prepare for the next available start date.
Faculty-Guided Application Process
CIHS admissions is not an anonymous pipeline. Prospective students may connect with admissions staff and program leadership who understand the field of study and can offer thoughtful guidance about readiness, timing, program expectations, and next steps.
State Authorization for U.S. Residents
U.S.-based distance students must reside in a state where CIHS is authorized to offer distance education. Please review CIHS’s State Authorization information or contact Admissions for the most current guidance before applying.
International Applicants Welcome
Applicants living outside the United States are welcome. CIHS works with students from many backgrounds and locations, and our admissions team can help applicants understand transcript review, program format, and documentation requirements.
Students whose native language is not English must submit a satisfactory English proficiency score through an approved test such as IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT, Cambridge CEFR, Duolingo, or Pearson Test of English Academic.
DR. ARTHUR SUN
“CIHS is the best graduate school. I love the emphasis on scientific rigor and spirituality, and the integration of personal growth in each class. The professors are amazing and the administration is committed to the success and growth of each student. CIHS is an integral school that encourages multiple perspectives. If you want to grow not just academically but personally and spiritually, as well, come check out CIHS.”
CHRIS ORREY
“Receiving higher education from an institute such as CIHS was the most transformative journey of my life. Academic rigor paired with spiritual awakening, psychological healing, and professional development put me through the wringer. I had never felt more complete, whole, and connected to the higher truths that I had never known I already knew. At the same time, my entire worldview was shaken and flipped upside down. I have come to see life, existence, and the perception of the physical world in an entirely new way. I have come to understand, witness and meet the force of nature that underlies human consciousness, that is to the extent of my own pscyho-spiritual evolution.”
FRANCESCA PARETTA
“CIHS has provided me with opportunities to understand psychology in a grounded scientific way, simultaneously exploring life, healing, and consciousness. CIHS is an ideal setting for those who are motivated to contribute to the evolution and progression of academic engagement, experiential learning, and research, and an equally supportive environment for healing practitioners seeking to deepen their skills and add to their credentials, where a multitude of perspectives are accepted and integrated, from wisdom traditions, to clinical understandings, to transpersonal awareness and beyond.”
MICHAEL SCOTT
“CIHS has been an incredible experience so far, both academically and personally. I have found a “home” here where I can study consciousness and subtle energy in ways I couldn’t at previous graduate institutions. The students, faculty, and administration are amazing and have such diverse backgrounds and interests. I can’t wait to see how the school continues to evolve and grow!.”
LAUREN HICKEY
“I am so pleased with my recent PhD from CIHS. Nowhere else could I have achieved such a blended education of psychology, spirituality, and consciousness. The instructors were all well qualified and knowledgeable and assignments were reasonable. CIHS gave me the confidence I needed to expand my private practice. I also have now begun running international retreats. I feel well prepared to present myself as an expert in the field.”