The profession of nursing with its rich diversity will benefit from a theory that is simultaneously inclusive, exclusive, reductive, and expansive. This article introduces the reader to such a theory.
July 14, 2002by Lois E. Wilkins PhD ARNP
President, The Eagle's Nest Holistic Mental Health, Inc.
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PURPOSE: To introduce a meta theory that promotes communication between nurse and patient as well as among and between disciplines.
ORGANIZING FRAMEWORK: A method of reasoning that is simultaneously inclusive, exclusive, reductive, and expansive identified in this article as holograhic reasoning. A worldview or cosmology that responds on the basis of unique client needs whether that client is an individual or a community.
METHOD: Heuristic research from a psycholanaltyic-oriented practice.CONCLUSIONS: This meta theory is not limited to use by the nursing profession, but is an evolving theory with multidisciplinary relevance. Nursing will benefit from a meta theory that acknowledges the influences of metaphorical language both at the nurse client and nurse intro and interdisciplinary levels of communication. It provides support for living in a world of contradictions and paradox.
[Key words: archetypal, cosmology, fourfoldedness, fractals, holography, image, metaphorical language, psyche, quaternary structure, tachyon, transcendence, multidisciplinary, meta theory]
Introduction
The profession of nursing with its rich diversity will benefit from a theory that is simultaneously inclusive, exclusive, reductive, and expansive. This article introduces the reader to such a theory. The theory of transcendence offers the intuitive process as a method of knowing that is recognized in other disciplines and can be of value for nurses. Additionally, this theory puts forward a method of reasoning that discourages the elitism of one method of knowing as superior to another.
Christman, (1995) invisions advanced practice nurses of the future possessing academic preparation in two or more disciplines. He labels these hybrid nurses "bilingual practitioners." I am such a practitioner: I have academic preparation in both nursing and depth psychology. I was dissatisfied with the way existing theories in practice, education, research and administration were divisive rather than inclusive in both disicplines. My practice required that I find a theory capable of embracing all methods of theoretical intervention, an umbrella theory. To form theoretical connections between depth psychology and nursing, a new conceptual framework became necessary. This conceptual framework rests on a holographic perspective (Talbot, 1991), according to which interconnections are evident from galaxies to a single grain of sand.
What once seemed invisible in the universe can now be seen through the disicplines of physics and mathematics as well as depth psychology and nursing. For example, modern physicists have made quantam wave theory scientifically relevant by intuiting the invisible reality of tachyon. Tachyon are the invisible mirror images of matter that can only be made visible within the fractal images of mathematics. The Lorenz attractor, Figure 1, (Van Eenwyk, 1997) is a computer graphic generated by the use of fractals. I consider this image an example of holographic energy. This energy promotes the transcendent dynamic between these two disciplines. Holographic energy allows what was invisibly intuited in physics (tachyon) to manifest itself visibly through the application of a mathematical formula. That formula, in turn, uses an invisible dynamic: fractals. Fractals and tachyon were both intuited, imagined, before they could be validated scientifically. That is, invisible dynamics in their respective fields tachyon/physics and fractals/mathematics can be applied to make visible cross-disciplinary dynamics.
Nursing and depth psychology share a similar dynamic. Nursing care relies on patient-nurse communication. In depth psychology, communication involves a quaternary structure of thinking-sensing-feeling-intuiting. Methods of knowing have always acknowledged the first three of these aspects, but intuition has not been as overtly accepted. Intuition employs metaphorical language (metaphor = meta + pherein = to carry over or across) to represent invisible realities. An example of this would be the patient pleading with the nurse to, "Please let me go home." Both patient and nurse know that she is not talking about the house at 201 Main Street. Rather, she is describing a spiritual "home." Just as fractals make visible the reality of tachyon, metaphorical language makes intuition visible through images. This visibility is a function of imagination.
The need of not only depth psychology and nursing but also of other scientific disciplines to open to each other's research is evident from the work of scientists like Edelman (1987). In accepting the 1972 Nobel Prize for neuronal group selection theory, Edelman challenged others in the fields of theology, psychology, math, and physics to join in the quest to bridge the psyche-matter abyss. Accepting his challenge, Cornwell (1995), editor of Nature's Imagination presents Dyson's viewpoint (1992). According to Dyson, a Princeton physicist with a keen understanding of metaphorical language:
Science is not governed by the rules of Western philosophy or Western methodology. Science is an alliance of free spirits in all cultures rebelling against the local tyranny that each culture imposes on its children. In so far as I am a scientist, my vision of the universe is not reductionist or anti-reductionist. I have no use for Western isms of any kind. Like Loren Eisely, I feel myself a traveler on a journey that is far longer than the history of nations and philosophies, longer even than the history of our species...
If we try to squeeze science into a single philosophical viewpoint such as reductionism, we are like Procrustes chopping off the feet of his guests when they do not fit on to his bed. Science flourishes best when it uses freely all the tools at hand, unconstrained by preconceived notions of what science ought to be. Every time we introduce a new tool, it always leads to new and unexpected discoveries, because nature's imagination is richer than ours. (p. v & vi)
This perspective on science indicates that the old deductive paradigm has outlived its exclusive usefulness. Now scientists in every discipline are reaching for a paradigm which better accounts for the multitude and multiplicity of data. Indeed, depth psychology and nursing have always promoted scientific inquiry. Both diciplines espouse world views that are responsive to human nature. Human nature as evidenced by the very functioning of the brain is now believed to be holographic. This holographic world view is made possible by the conscious experience and recogniton of holographic energy.
The literature of physics, mathematics and art provide the most commonly held definitions of holography. Physics and math define holography out of the need for theoretical proof, and art from its need to demonstrate structure and form as in the hologram. The definition used in this study is in direct contrast to these prior definitions, for those definitions remain abstract and technical, not soulful. The holographic mind model is a model of transcendence and, therefore, chaos becomes as vital a component as order and both serve to support a totally responsive method of reasoning.
A conceptual model supporting a transcendence theory requires a method of reasoning that includes both inductive and deductive logic. The essence of the holographic cosmology is the simultaneous nature of inclusive, exclusive, reductive, and expansive thinking processes, which I call holographic reasoning. To date, this type of reasoning has not been used to develop a meta theory that embraces the variety of therapeutic approaches available to bilingual practitioners.
Theory of Transcendence
The theory of transcendence is based on the notion that there are universal repetitive patterns known as archetypes. These universal images provide the energy for individual experiences of consciousness. My awareness of the archetypal energy of holography increased as I explored theories of and practiced Jungian psychology and holistic psychiatric nursing simultaneously. This awareness resulted from the transcendent function as described by Jung (1977):
The process of coming to terms with the unconscious is a true labour, a work which involves both action and suffering. It has been named the "transcendent function" because it represents a function based on real and "imaginary," or rational and irrational, data, thus bridging the yawning gulf between conscious and unconscious. It is a natural process, a manifestation of the energy that springs from the tension of opposites, and it consists in a series of fantasy-occurrences which appear spontaneously in dreams and visions. (1953-1977, 7. para. 121, p. 80)
This same tension between nursing and depth psychology, forced the transcendent function to produce the archetypal expression of holography to my consciousness. The awareness of the holographic archetypal energy occurred from my lived experiences with metaphorical language in nursing, in psychology through the influence of image, and in physics as it supports the experiences of invisible as well as visible realities. The image of a world grid, a geodesic sphere representing color, sound, vibration, form, and structure, as well as empty spaces became the image of holography for me. The theory of transcendence presented here is based on the transcendent function.
The metaparadigm of the theory of transcendence is the archetypal energy of holography. "The metaparadigm is the most global perspective of a discipline[s] and acts as an encapsulating unit, or framework, within which the more restricted. . .structures develop" (Fawcett, p. 22). Most disciplines have a single metaparadigm and multiple concepts. The theory of transcendence can be applied to a variety of disciplines because the metaparadigm holographic archetypal energy (represented by the geodesic dome) is itself simultaneously inclusive, exclusive, deductive, and inductive.
To understand archetypal energy, a mathematical formula posited by Van Eenwyk (1997) is helpful. Van Eenwyk, a Jungian analyst with a background in the psychodynamics of symbols, encourages us to become less intimidated by mathematical formulas by viewing them as a language form. He uses the following example to illustrate this point:
symbol =energy + form + content
archetype
...The archetype is the denominator that permeates the three elements of the numerator. This sets up a proportion between numerator and denominator that can evaluate the degree to which a symbol is conscious or unconscious. The larger the numerator, the more conscious the symbol. The larger the denominator, the more unconscious the symbol. (p. 181)
Van Eenwyk's formula provides the vehicle for transcendence. His formula conceptualizes the invisible reality of archetypes and makes them visible.
Using the same mathematical formula, the correlate equation "archetype" would be:
archetype = energy + form + content
symbol
In like manner, combining physics (invisible energies), image (structure), and nursing (content), yields a new equation that portrays the archetypal energy of holography:
holographic
archetypal = physics(energy) + image(form) + nursing(content)
energy symbol (∞/totality)
(geodesic dome)
Imagine an infinity symbol (∞). At the point where the line crosses, place three additional infinity symbols that also intersect at this point. This creates a sphere. The center where the eight lines overlap each other is the point of holographic energy. The energy of creation emerges from this point, the energy to develop galaxies as well as the energy necessary for communication. Simply stated, when we enter into a dialogue with another individual, we open to this archetypal energy of holography.
In my experience, metaphorical language, a tenet of nursing practice, occurs because of this energy. When I hear a patient complain about needs that they feel their partner is not meeting for them ("I want to be appreciated"), I know that they are seeking an appreciation that they do not have for themselves. Metaphorically, they are projecting the locus of control externally, instead of honoring it internally. Their expressed dissatisfaction is a metaphor for an internal facet of self.
The theory of transcendence grew out of my awareness that by merely integrating the disciplines of nursing and psychology, the sum would not be greater than its parts. Such a merger would omit aspects of each discipline, and neither would remain as complete as each of them is independently. By transcending the two, this holographic method of practice can respond not only to individual clients but also to the community at large.
The four primary propositions involve metaphorical language, invisible realities, quaternary structure, and image. The order of presenting these propositions relates to the process of holographic reasoning. As in holographic reasoning, these four propositions do not function independently, but rather occur simultaneously. For example, to process invisible realities, one must first have access to metaphorical language, yet metaphorical language is accessible because of the quaternary structure of the psyche. However, awareness of any single proposition can occur autonomously.
According to C. G. Jung, the structure of the psyche is fourfold in nature. By this, he means a quaternary structure composed of two pairs of opposites, masculine and feminine, consciousness and unconsciousness. This structure yields a balanced wholeness, a totality that embraces space and non-space, time and non-time. The quaternary structures within the psyche of the individual allows and permits invisible realities to be accepted. Once we accept this quaternary structure, the awareness of these images internal (personal reality) and external (consensual agreement among a community) provides the need for metaphorical language as a way to bridge between visible and invisible realities. Both internal and external images allow us to have the dynamics of projection and re-collection (von Franz, 1993) at our disposal. It is precisely these dynamics of projection and re-collection that produce the need for metaphor. From these basic axioms the following four propositions emerge:
Proposition 1: Metaphorical language allows us to engage invisible realities that apply to both nursing and depth psychology.
Proposition 2: Invisible realities are made visible through metaphorical language.
Proposition 3: Quaternary structures within the psyche provide access to invisible realities thereby advancing shared knowledge between the disciplines.
Proposition 4: Internal and external images facilitate making something abstract into something concrete, and something concrete into something abstract.
The pathway for knowledge these propositions provide, can be applied in other disciplines, as well.
Eight concepts are evident in the two disciplines (nursing and depth psychology) that influence the theory of transcendence. In nursing these concepts are health, nursing, environment, and person. In depth psychology they are soul, culture, image, and psyche. Most often, theories are constructed from either the concrete or abstract domain, rarely from both. To present a theory of transcendence and formulate the propositions of the theory arbitrarily, inevitable separations occur when using a non-holographic medium, such as the written word, to explain a holographic theory. For this reason, the following distinctions are made: the nursing concepts (health, nursing, environment, and person) are generalized as concrete in nature; the depth psychology concepts (soul, culture, image, and psyche) are viewed as abstract in nature.
The theory of transcendence provides the practitioner of psychotherapy with the ability to move beyond the boundaries of a single discipline--or a single subspecialty within one discipline--to access whichever other disciplines will benefit the client. Thus, this theory furthers communication among all disciplines without elitisms of any kind, whether the practitioner has academic experience of the disciplines in question or not. Since the practitoner is not limited to the disciplines of his/her academic background, the client benefits more than he/she would were the practitioner limited to a single background.
To be aware of and interact with other fields, the therapist practicing holographically must make use of the dynamic of archetypes, that is, of the universal patterns of human perception and behavior. One becomes conscious of archetypes in oneself and others by identifying repetitive patterns over time. Jung believed archetypes to be so ancient, that it is as if each of us has the memory of a two-million-year-old man lurking somewhere in the depths of our unconscious (Talbot, 1991).
Application Of The Theory
The holographic mind model was created (see Figure 2) as a visual model for the theory of transcendence. The holographic mind model resulted from merging the geodesic sphere with two other models. Kryder's (1990) model uses geometry and the archetypal images of form, number, sound, and color. Her influence on the mind model can be seen in the multicolored geodesic sphere located in the center. Small's (1982) model uses a combination of words and geometric images, and both models use color to emphasize movement. As the holographic mind model supports the concepts of geometry, number, time, and space as well as non-time and non-space, Kryder's sacred geometry seems a perfect fit for the center column of my adaptation of Small's model.
The holographic mind model does not champion a vanilla type of homogeneity. Both dominance and suppression as well as equality co-exist. This coexistence is made possible by the image of the geodesic sphere, bringing two models together and allowing both to be more than what they were separately. This is another example of transcendence.
Through the use of holographic reasoning (simultaneously inclusive, exclusive, reductive, and expansive), the transcendence theory presents a vehicle for embracing paradox. It is paradoxical to experience sadness and joy in the same moment, yet when a long-suffering terminally ill patient dies, that is exactly the expression heard not only from nursing staff, but family members. As the holographic mind model represents the theory of transcendence, it is capable of a multitude of influences in a variety of fields and settings such as practice, education, administration, and research.
I contend that the significance of the transcendent theory lies in its direct application to individuals, whether it occurs in the structured process of individual therapy or in the inner work of consciously practicing professionals. One example of the individual experience of transcendence is the psychoanalytic patient who has long suffered between the victim-perpetrator polarizations. The therapist using the transcendent theory model knows that the tension needs to be held between those two polarities. When the patient no longer acts out of either of these polarities, the empowerment from knowledge of both dynamics results in a transcended response.
Conclusion
The relevance of the transendent theory for nursing has been illuminated in this brief overview. Nursing has never been a discipline that could thrive in isolation. In fact, it needs the collaboration of other disciplines to best serve the community in need of nursing care. Other disciplines will benefit from nursing once they can imagine the collaboration now made visible through the theory of transcendence
References
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Cornwell, J. (Ed.). (1995). Nature's imagination: The frontiers of scientific vision. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Dyson, F. (1995). Introduction. In J. Cornwell (Ed.), Nature's imagination: The frontiers of scientific vision. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Edelman. G. M. (1987). Neural darwinism: The theory of neuronal group selection. New York: Basic Books, Inc.
Fawcett, J. (1984). Analysis and evaluation of conceptual models of nursing. Philadelphia: F.A. Davis Company.
Jung, C. G. (1977). Two essays on analytical psychology (2nd ed., Vol. 7) (R.F C. Hull, Trans.). Princeton: Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1953).
Jung, C.G. (1981). The structure and dynamics of the psyche (Vol. 8) (R.F.C. Hull, Trans.). Princeton: Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1960).
Kryder, R. P. (1990). Gaia Matrix Oracle (Vol. 2). Mount Shasta, Ca.: Golden Point Productions.
Small, J. (1982). Transformers: The therapists of the future. Marina del Ray: DeVorss & Company.
Talbot, M. (1991). The holographic universe. New York: HarperCollins.
Van Eenwyk, J. R. (1997). Archetypes & strange attractors: The chaotic world of symbols. Toronto: Inner City Books.
von Franz, M. L. (1993). Projection and re-collection in jungian psychology: Reflections of the soul (W. H. Kennedy, Trans.). La Salle & London: Open Court. (Original work published 1978)
Wilkins, L .E. (1998). A theory of transcendence based on the archetype of holography leading to a personal cosmology and the creation of the holographic mind model. Dissertation on file at Pacifica Graduate Institute. Carpinteria, CA.
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