The transpersonal coach is not bound by any particular spiritual tradition. He will not try „to impose“ his own practice on to his client, even if he may have a certain preference in relation to meditation techniques and therapeutic methods. Of course, it is advantageous if e.g. he or she has a regular practice in Buddhist breathing techniques, meditations from the Hindu yoga tradition or a Zen. The paths in the transpersonal field may be different, but ultimately the goal is always arriving in the here and now, in the presence of pure Being. There is nothing personal left, that he wants to impose on another, because the non-dual experience of the presence transcends all concepts and beliefs. Wilber calls this condition „liquid confidence“. Liquid awareness means that you no longer have to believe your own beliefs, that there is no fixation in relation to any conviction. Just as I can classify every thought to be relatively true, I can also assess methods as relatively reasonable. Maslow is attributed the saying: „If your only tool is a hammer, everything looks like nails.“ This brings it right to the point. Many consultants or coaches use the hammer which helped them personally or in which they have invested in their training time and money. If you want to leave as coach this one-way street, the next step is a step into the field of not knowing.
The transpersonal coach is not constrained by the limiting definitions of a „coach“ or a „person.“ The focus of his actions is a complete openness to the truth of the moment, by anchoring in the presence. As a result, a natural simplicity, authenticity and clarity emerges, and a fundamental accepting of whatever is in each moment.. Since the transpersonal coach is hardly a person, or someone defined, also the client is not perceived as a separate object from the coach. Although the coaching is done from inside the client, the coach himself is both aware that he is not his client, and yet at the same time he perceives himself as not separated from the client. He reflects him, knowing that he is a „mirror“ in which the boundaries between him and the other are blurred. Thus the client feels addressed from the inside and opens without any effort. (Even if I declare an expanded concept of coaching here, these principles can apply to every situation and encounter.)
By dipping into ones own true nature, the not-knowing and not-anticipating approach creates a deeper insight, which now can arise spontaneously as a result of overcoming the subject-object split. In the resolution of this subject-object relationship, an expanded field of perception is created, in which intimacy can connect the coach to each object of contemplation. Whatever I perceive, I perceive it from the inside. Thoughts, communications and actions now occur spontaneously from the energetic presence, from an unified field of consciousness.
The presence of the coach creates a deeper awareness of the self of the client, which initiates the actual healing process. C.G. Jung described healing as an alchemical process that can only take place when people meet essentially. If the presence of the coach is strong enough, it can act as an initiation, the first taste of oneness for the client – transcending the „little me“ and moving into the field of the big mind, as the Buddhist call it. The most important requirement for the coach is that he is open enough to go beyond what he has learned and his own mind, and move to the wisdom of the not-knowing, which arises from presence.
The advantage of a transpersonal coach towards a spiritual grouping is that the client has a one-to one meeting with a teacher. The coach can individually assign meditative techniques to the client, while this process otherwise would involve being part of a group or spiritual organization in order to learn specific techniques. Such groups are also increasingly shaped by rules, roles, and rituals, and of group dynamics that may prevent client to move ahead in their search for deeper truth.
Most trained coaches have learned specific methods, such as active listening, non-violent communication, body work, NLP, analytical techniques, structured approach, relaxation techniques, methods to trauma or stress dissolve, bilateral stimulation, energy work, etc. but central question is not which technique using the coach, but whether he or she is open enough to focus on what is really consistent in every moment and not on what he or she can do best as a coach. I have a fixed agenda as a coach or a protocol that I must go through, or do I go „completely open and unconditioned“ in a session? The first step is the willingness to be silent, to dive into the void. This leads into an open concept space in which communication and action can emerge spontaneously.
My earliest experience with a transpersonal coach, I had more than 25 years ago. Richard, my former Sufi and yoga teacher, who coached me for several years, had a kind of coaching that I felt as unique. His answers to my questions or recommendations had something special. They always brought to the fore issues that had remained hidden for me. Above all, they helped me in difficult situations to find the right solutions by myself. An new term for this is „nudging“. It means to give a little kick to help someone to make a decisive step. The special thing about Richard was, that if you asked him something, he closed his eyes for a few moments until a further question or an answer came. After years of coaching with him, I asked him, what he would actually do, when he closed his eyes. His statement or answer was as follows.
You can distinguish three types of communication: associative, selective, and transpersonal. The first two forms of communication correspond to what we already know. Associative is what comes out of the gun shot like when someone asks you something. When I say tool, most say hammer, I say flower, comes the term rose, etc. Associative thinking and speaking can be observed in each communication between people. Selective communication is usually already differentiated. You move into your memory, serach your inner library and try to come up with a „smart answer“. These two standard forms of communication make up about 99.9% of human conversations.
Transpersonal or non-dual communication in contrast arise from a completely different approach. They follow neither the first impulse nor your long term data memory. By immersion into the silence, you create the energetic condition to connect with the unified field of consciousness. Then the „download process“ starts, which then connects you with the client or the situation in an intimate way. Whatever arises then, bears the signature of the field and connectedness. When Richard explained to me this procedure, I found it very interesting indeed, but it took me another 15 years until I met this form of communication with another teacher again and I began to apply in any moment.