Course Description

This course invites participants into the inner world of Sufism, the esoteric and mystical dimension of Islam that emphasizes direct experience of the divine through longing, devotion, and the purification of the heart. We will explore the poetic and symbolic universe of Sufi cosmology, the pathways of gnosis (ma‘rifa), and its relationship to fitrah, and the literature of mystics such as Rumi, Hafiz, Al-Ghazali and Ibn Arabi, whose writings illuminate the soul’s longing for union with the Beloved. Emphasis will be placed on amplifying Sufi ideals through a Western psychological lens, engaging in a dialogue between depth psychology and the mystical vision of Sufism. Participants will gain an appreciation for Sufism as both spiritual practice and profound psychology—an inward path of remembering and returning to the divine.

Learning Objectives

Describe core principles of Sufi cosmology and practice—including ma‘rifa (gnosis), fitrah (primordial nature), longing, remembrance (dhikr), and purification of the heart—and articulate their psychological significance within a depth-oriented framework.
Analyze Sufi poetry and symbolic language as expressions of inner psychological transformation, identifying parallels between mystical experience and psychodynamic processes such as longing, surrender, ego dissolution, and integration.
Differentiate mystical experience from psychopathology by applying a culturally informed psychological lens, enhancing clinicians’ capacity to work respectfully and competently with spiritual material in clinical contexts.
Apply insights from Sufi thought to contemporary psychotherapeutic practice, particularly in relation to meaning-making, ethical orientation, and the therapeutic cultivation of presence, humility, and remembrance.

The Aion Institute is approved by the California Psychological Association to provide continuing professional education for psychologists. The Aion Institute (AIO279) maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

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AION 406 Sufism and Mystical Islamic Traditions