Photo of the author (2nd from right) at the 2019 NewEarth Festival, Bali, Indonesia with NEU Chancellor Dr Ash and Fellows Laura Uplinger and Chief Gnakale
“… we need a new global psychology. We must learn to love the planet and humanity above anything else… a completely new world psychology must lay down our right sentimental priorities.” – Robert Muller
The One Humanity Psychology Perspective
Written by Dr. Margret Rueffler, faculty senior advisor at NEU’s School of Socio-Economics & Ecology
OHPP takes an integrative approach to view humanity as a living organism, an interactive complex energetic field depending on planet earth for its survival. All issues and challenges facing humanity, from the economic- to the environment- and security crisis are perceived as interdependent, interrelated and influencing the earth planet. The fragmented perception of the current global crisis, its interrelated issues as well as its disconnection from the planetary being are seen as a major challenge to be addressed and resolved in order to initiate a paradigm change on a planetary scale.
OHPP considers humanity as a complex living organism constellated around a “Self” or gravitational center. The individual psyche mirrors the collective psyche of humanity and its past; the sum of individuals and their past create the collective psyche, thus influencing each other and the earth’s rhythms.
OHPP perceives the interdependence and interrelationships in various fields like international politics, economics, development, security, human rights, environment, etc. as evidence for an accelerating process of global and psychological integration affecting humanity and the entire planetary system. New approaches and methods are required to understand and assess these converging processes, to find common denominators, to discover and activate the potential in each field. These combined potentials can possibly meet the challenges facing humanity today and eventually find viable answers to complex global challenges.
OHPP fosters new ways of thinking, planning and policies in which individuals, groups and nations can intelligently cooperate with the planetary evolution which is taking place at a breath taking speed. As humanity has crossed the threshold of the 21st century, this unfolding process of finding common denominators for humanity and moving toward a dynamic cooperation in alignment with the earth needs a profound shift in consciousness, and requires the awareness of our interdependence and a co-creative attitude. The United Nations, as a central point for global negotiation can be seen as the birth of a “Self” for humanity as a whole where unfolding global processes can be observed. Thus the United Nations could be the birthplace for a global psychology and a dynamic model of humanity as a living system.
Planned projects: Consciousness-raising, in order to facilitate the identification of individuals with humanity as a whole to increase awareness of the power each individual to influence collective events and thus become an active co-creator of change.
Educational: To research, develop and teach the perspective of OHPP. To develop a psychological perspective which complements current economic, strategic and other analysis.
Forecasting: To develop a computer-based global forecasting system.
What Is the Psychology of Nations?
“The individual is going to be universalized, the universe is going to be individualized, and thus from both directions the whole is going to be enriched. ” – Jan Smuts
“The life of a nation merely repeats, on a larger scale, the life of their component cells, and he who is incapable of understanding the mystery, the reaction, the laws that determine the movement of the individual, can never hope to say anything worth listening to about the struggles of nations.” – Marcel Proust
The Psychology of Nations offers a new perspective, a holistic model that views the individual as being intricately interwoven with a group and a national collective. The collective of a group or nation, in turn is embedded in the psyche of humanity as a whole. Both, an individual’s psychological past and heritage and the nation’s past collective trauma are expressed in the present behavior of an individual and the nation. These determine the choices and actions of each: the individual and the nation. As a new approach, the Psychology of Nations is based on the “ Self”, the gravitational center and inner depth of the individual and the nation with its inherent intelligent potential. This potential manifests itself through the values of consciousness of joy, empowerment, choice, self-reliance, which need to be awakened. Consciously activating and aligning with these values has a profound impact on individual/collective beliefs, attitudes and behavior. Living these values lead to dynamic constructive cooperation. The old limiting individual and national patterns are no longer energized and new creative perspectives to the challenges facing us open and become accessible.
PON is a new contemporary way of perceiving the interrelation and embeddedness of the individual in the field of the nation, the nation in humanity as a whole. Understanding this interrelatedness of the individual with the nation, the nation with humanity as a whole and integrating the above-mentioned values, allows for the individual and national dormant potential to be released organically into dynamic cooperation of individuals, groups, nations and thus create a different quality of life, both for the individual and for the nation as a whole. PON was explored, researched and developed as a new psychological field for the past 25 years by Dr. Margret Rueffler, as an organic outcome of in-depth international teaching and hands-on projects in many different cultures and nations.
Areas of Application
In-depth psychological assessment allows us to recognize the build-up of ethnic and religious tensions often leading to collective trauma such as violence and war, as the results of deeply anchored unconscious beliefs, patterns, which are passed on from one generation to the next. Made conscious, the potential for violence and aggression surfaces, becomes visible and can be recognized. Working within its early stages and calling upon the common values of the various parties involved, (thus catalyzing the common potential and its inherent intelligence to perceive the present situation as a challenge), might lead to creative tension solving and cooperation. An in-depth psychological assessment is a long-term preventative approach designed to recognize the true cause of collective patterns and dynamics, which are at the root of the tension or violence, and provides tools for early psychological interventions. Such an assessment is done on location, providing psychological support to populations and organizations in areas of tension and crisis.
Introducing Values into existing organizations, projects and programs: conceptualizing, designing, developing, and actualizing new and existing projects while informing them with the values of empowerment, choice, the consciousness of joy and self reliance, which generate a deeply transformative effect on everyone involved – project participants and organizers alike. These values inject a joyful quality to life and lead to assuming personal responsibility and creative cooperation.
Consulting and Supervision: of project directors, organizations, communities working with multi-cultural groups in pre-crisis and areas of tension.
Action projects: As a pro-active preventative in a pre-crisis state, these projects actively support inter- and multi-ethnic dialogue. In post-trauma crisis, they attempt to address and release the collective trauma experienced. In tense situations, they support the integration of the above-mentioned values into community and projects. The participants and the community are invited to choose the scope, form, content and length of their project based on the community’s individual uniqueness and needs. In multi-ethnic groups, the project theme is developed via consensus and the various stages are translated into action on location. To introduce the above-mentioned values to the project and processes leads to a dynamic change, as it promotes and allows for individual choice and encourages taking personal responsibility for co-operation and individual growth. Confidence and self-esteem deepens, individual choice becomes a viable option.
Teaching:
International lectures on the Psychology of Nations
Trainings:
The Art of Initiating Peace www.pppi.net (trainings and seminars)
Publications:
The Dormant Potential of a Nation Germany, A Psychopolitical Case Study, Rueffler M., 2004, PsychoPoltical Peace Press, Switzerland (German, Russian, Indonesian version available)
Can Collective Violence be Prevented? Report and in-depth psychological assessment of the action project in Bali, Indonesia, 2000 – 2003, Rueffler. M., 2004, PsychoPolitical Peace Press, Switzerland.
Healing a Collective report and in-depth assessment of the action project 1994 – 1998 in Bakuriani, Rep. Georgien, Rueffler M. 1988, PsychoPolitical Peace Press, Switzerland. (German, Russian, Georgian version available) www.pppi.net (online store)
Research: Birth, development and evolution of a nation; Psychodynamic structures of a nation; National “Self”, potential and national consciousness; Psychopolitics of a nation.
AFTERTHOUGHTS
Since the writing of this book, “The Dormant Potential of a Nation”, quite a few years have passed and the present day Germany is being challenged and change imposed through the huge number of refugees fleeing the Middle East war zones. (Editor’s note in 2022: The former Chancellor) Chancellor Ms. Merkel has opened wide the doors for 100,000s of refugees finding their way through dangerous and life-threatening situations into Germany…while other European nations and EU members are closing their doors to the stream of suffering people fleeing the violence, which is actually perpetrated through warring factions using western weapons and bombs. Ms. Merkel believes that Germany can handle the influx, based on past experience after World War 2 when millions of displaced people had to find new situations to settle in.
This time, however it is quite different, in the sense that the refugees bring a different culture and religion with them. The majority of Germans are welcoming them. However, the old German radical energies do rear their heads in spreading hatred and active violence.
Most Germans, however, received the refugees with open arms and heart, seen by the reception of the buses and trains. Innumerable private initiatives sprung up in addition to the government moves to provide an initial shelter for the winter on its way.
Again, the old Nazi beliefs of purity and fear of anything foreign are active to spread distrust and hatred. As I mentioned in my book the fact that they were disbanded does not make the belief systems disappear. They went underground to emerge with a slightly new make up.
Of course, to try to support and eventually integrate such large numbers of refugees into Germany’s system is an incredible challenge and bound to take time and will create frictions.
However, the immense potential, skills, and will to live and create a new existence are an incredible chance for Germany to consciously learn to accept and honor minority groups with other beliefs and history. Not to mention the economic growth potential of so many well educated people joining the economy.
Opening their hearts now is extremely important for Germany as a nation: To change its behavior and act differently from what happened in Nazi Germany. Back then a huge number of people with enormous skills, education, knowledge and culture were exterminated and this lost the potential of the nation.
Now, this huge potential of lives, knowledge, and skills offers itself through a different group, and can be handled differently and can re-energize the German nation.
The task at hand now is how to deal with the old fascist beliefs and fears, which are incarnating again in a slightly different version. This time these old destructive beliefs based on fear of the unknown need to be exposed (over and over) to reduce their impact and power on the silent majority. The silent majority has the chance to open their hearts as well to enrich all through this collective experience.
It offers itself as an incredible process of national growth, albeit a complicated and painful one.
Dr. Margret Rueffler, a Transpersonal Psychologist and Acupuncturist, is the founder of the PsychoPolitical Peace Institute (PPPI) in New York; and Lagu Damai Foundation and Jiwa Damai permaculture gardens and retreat center in Bali. For more than thirty-five years she has researched and developed the Psychology of the “HeartSelf-Intelligence” and the “Psychology of Nations”. She trains people internationally and has published books, which are translated into several languages. Dr. Rueffler has been a faculty senior adviser at the NewEarth University’s School of Socio-Economics & Ecology since 2017 teaching a course on HeartSelf-Intelligence.
