Frances Vaughan

Frances Vaughan, Ph.D. is a psychologist, author and co-editor of many books, papers and articles on psychology and spiritual growth. She has lectured and conducted workshops throughout the U.S. and in Europe, Asia, Australia, and Latin America.

As a pioneer in transpersonal psychology, Frances was a founding faculty member of the Institute of Transpersonal psychology. Later she joined the clinical faculty at the University of California Medical School at Irvine. At present she is a founding faculty member of the Metta Institute.

Frances has served as President of the Association for Transpersonal Psychology and the Association for Humanistic Psychology and is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association. She is currently a trustee of the Fetzer Institute. The mission of the Fetzer Institute is to foster the awareness of the power of love and forgiveness in the emerging global community.

Frances has been a practitioner of meditation since 1972, and she participated in many of the human potential developments in California. She has studied and practiced Buddhist, Sufi and Hindu spiritual traditions in addition to deepening her understanding of Christian mysticism.

Frances has served on the boards of several non-profit organizations and on the board of editors of several journals. She graduated from Stanford University and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. She has raised two children and has five grandchildren. She lives with her husband in Marin County, California.

Values:

In her coaching, counseling and psychotherapy with individuals, Frances has focused on inner work and on developing healthy, satisfying relationships to self, others and the world.

She says,"I think of the spiritual path as a journey from fear to love, from bondage to freedom and from ignorance to understanding. I believe love is a universal experience. Although concepts of love can be narrow and distorted, the experience of love is vital to healing and wholeness. I value integrity, honesty, and authenticity in relationships, and I think we need to be true to our deepest experience of the sacred. Qualities such as kindness, generosity, caring and respect flow naturally from a commitment to living in accordance with truth and love."