About

Dr. Michael Asa Da, LPC

I bring a background in neuropsychology, analytical psychology, philosophy, world religions, and mindfulness to offer psychotherapy grounded in science and wisdom.

I’m a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) with a PhD in Integral and Transpersonal psychology and an MA in Counseling Psychology. I've been working with clients since 2010. I’m a published author and researcher in analytic, existential, and transpersonal psychology, and philosophy, and I’m an editor for the International Journal of Transpersonal Studies. I’m an Adjunct Instructor at California Institute for Human Science, teaching graduate courses in whole-person psychology.

I’ve spent most of my life studying psychology, spirituality, world religions, Eastern and Western philosophy, and various healing modalities and embodied practices, such as meditation, bodywork, shamanism, martial arts, and yoga. I bring this lifetime of experience and practice to my therapeutic work.

Credentials

PhD in Integral and Transpersonal Psychology, California Institute of Integral Studies.
Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC).
MA in Counseling Psychology, Regis University.
Leading author and researcher, especially on the topic of psychological energy.
Special Topic Editor for the International Journal of Transpersonal Studies.
Adjunct Instructor for the graduate program in psychology at California Institute for Human Science.
Ordained Interfaith Minister (graduate certificate in Interfaith Ministry), All Paths Divinity School.
Experienced bodyworker, spiritual counselor, and coach.
Decades of formal and informal education in psychology, biology, philosophy, spirituality, religion, bodywork, and embodied practice.
Working with clients since 2010.

Publications

Da, M. (2024). Psychological energy: Early theorists in the analytical tradition. International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, 43 (1). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.24972/ijts.2024.43.1-2.179

Da, M., & Hartelius, G. (2024). Metaphysical foundationalist versus existentialist ontologies: Applications for research on psychological energy. International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, Advance Publication Archive.

Da, M. (In press). Psychological energy. In G. Hartelius, H. Friedman, & J. Wade (Eds.) The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Transpersonal Psychology (2nd ed.).

Da, M. (In press). Transpersonal development in psychoanalysis. In G. Hartelius, H. Friedman, & J. Wade (Eds.), The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Transpersonal Psychology (2nd ed.).

Da, M. (In press). Why do we keep doing this? The existential questions that drive transpersonal psychology, International Journal of Transpersonal Studies.

Da, M. (In press). Four types of theory in a holistic psychology, International Journal of Transpersonal Studies.

Da, M. (In press). A critical realist perspective on perennialist ontology in transpersonal psychology, International Journal of Transpersonal Studies.

Da, M. (Ed.). (In press). Transpersonal Philosophy Special Topic Section, International Journal of Transpersonal Studies.

Research Interests

My research is currently focused on "psychological energy" and the influences of Western philosophy on psychology. Psychological energy is the energetic-feeling experiences that are often associated with mental and emotional tension and release. These types of phenomena are often referred to as libido or the biofield in psychology, which have applications especially in depth and somatic psychology. There is a relationship between these experiences and Eastern and Indigenous concepts of energy, such as qi and prana. I am working to break new ground in research in this area.

I am also working to bring renewed awareness to the influences of certain philosophical ideas on psychology. Of particular interest are the influences of existentialism on psychotherapy and and metaphysics on psychological research.

In short, my main research interests include:

Psychological energy
Philosophy of science
History of psychology
Philosophy in psychology

Pedagogy

I have developed and teach graduate courses where I strive to encourage critical thinking and an empirical orientation to topics that are often treated as merely theoretical with the goal of furthering research and mainstream adopion:

Critical Thinking in Psychology - Applying empirical principles, rigorous logic, intuitive discernment, and scholarly standards to topics in psychology, with an emphasis on holistic, whole-person, and transpersonal psychology.

Psychological Energy - The historical development of concepts of energy from Indigenous practices to the most recent theories are research, with emphasis on its applications in Western psychology.

Consciousness Studies - A survey of the major theories and research about the origins, nature, and operations of consciousness.