BA in Integrative Health

Required Courses: 27 Credits

• PSYB-301 Research Methods & Statistics (3)
  This course introduces statistical analysis and research methods used to test theories within psychological science. Students learn the most common techniques for describing data and making inferences in psychological research. Students learn to develop research questions; design rigorous and ethically sound experiments; and collect, analyze, and interpret data.
• PSYB-304 Somatic Intelligence (3)
  An introduction to somatic psychology, this course presents a theoretical study of the body-mind continuum. The importance of emotions, movement, perception, and the nature of illness and healing is illustrated by recent scientific theories and findings. By studying how our bodies and psyches weave together, we become aware of their interdependence and can construct more effective therapeutic experiences, both for ourselves and for others. Students learn the fundamental principles of the somatic psychology field and explore, in depth, their relationship with advanced developmental psychology theories. Prerequisite: PSYB101e and any 300-level PSYB course. PSYB332: Human Anatomy is strongly recommended.
• PSYB-314 Psychology of Mindfulness Meditation (3)
  An introduction to the psychological principles and sitting practice of mindfulness-awareness meditation. The meditation is drawn from the Tibetan and Zen Buddhist traditions, as well as teachings of sacred warriorship. By exploring the many ways ego fixation creates suffering and confusion in our lives, students are trained to develop inner tranquility, insight, and loving-kindness. This develops an essential ground for working effectively with personal life challenges and those of others.
• PSYB-329 Approaches to Healing (3)
  A basic overview of the theory, practice, and use of various natural approaches to health and healing. Emphasis is placed upon understanding and appreciating these modalities and discerning when and for what they are appropriate. Students research and articulate the paradigms of holistic medicine, clarifying their personal interest for future work in this field.
• PSYB-359 Learning from Trauma (3)
  Unresolved trauma affects our psychological and physical well-being. This class educates students about the after-effects of trauma, such as the inability to modulate physiological arousal, dissociation, emotional problems, and negative beliefs that often follow traumatic experiences. An experiential class, we explore somatic resources for dealing with trauma and work with the effects of trauma in a group setting. The primary focus is on accessing the body and developing somatic resources to help a person cope with and resolve the symptoms of trauma. This encourages mastery over helpless and overwhelming feelings.
• PSYB-368 Psychology & Neuroscience of Emotion (3)
  This course explores diverse approaches to studying emotional experience and its regulation. It discusses the evolutionary origins and biological bases of emotions and emotional expressions; the universal and culturally variable aspects of emotion; emotional development in infants, children, and adults; the role of emotion in attachment relationships and social interactions; emotion-cognition relations; and applications of emotion research in clinical psychology, the health professions, education, and the business world. This course also provides an introduction to the structure and function of the human brain. Students gain firsthand experience with research findings and methods through classroom demonstrations, experience sampling, and team projects.
• TRA-133 Yoga I: Foundations (3)
  An introduction to the vast tradition of yoga. Students gain both an understanding of yoga in its historical and philosophical context and an experience of its methods, which constitute an in-depth exploration of breath, movement, and consciousness. Students engage with the practices of asana (postures designed to generate sensate awareness, alignment, strength, and ease), pranayama (breath awareness and control), and dharana and dhyana (meditation practices).
• TRA-233 Yoga II: Tantric Yoga (3)
  This course focuses on the experiential and academic study of classical Tantra. Drawing from the tantric text, the Vijñanabhairava Tantra, contemplative practices will be explored which include: “Meditating as the Body”; “The Subtle Body”; “Sensory Delight”; “Dream Yoga”; “Working with Intense Emotions”; “Agni (Fire)”; and “H?daya” (the Cosmic Heart). Students will engage in these themes through a variety of methods, including asana, pranayama, contemplative inquiry and meditation. Students will also gain an academic understanding of the history and philosophies of Tantra, as well as how these have been shaped and refashioned through its globalization.
• COR-440 Capstone II (3)
  Building on work produced in Capstone I, students implement an original project that reflects substantial research and work, which may include contemplative, community-based, creative, and social innovation components. This product could be a 25–30 page academic paper or its equivalent in creative or community-engaged projects (with a minimum 12–15 page text). The semester ends in celebration and ceremony, featuring student presentations of their work, which may include creative writing, dance-movement, film, music, theater, and visual arts as well as socially innovative curricula, programs and models.

Major Electives: 15 Credits

Students complete 15 credits of approved electives.

• COL-450 Internship (3)
  The internship provides students with opportunities to carry out a work-based learning experience. It is an opportunity for students to begin to build their professional network and create connections in the community that can help them have meaningful careers. It is also an opportunity for students to deepen their understanding of the practical means of applying their knowledge learned throughout their education to organizations that meet their interests and career goals. Students may secure internships with agencies that require a range of skills such as developing professional helping relationships, grassroots organizing, coalition building, policy research, grant-writing, media development and fundraising. Students may pursue internships that build on prior experience or pursue a new direction. Internship placements range from community-based media to restorative justice initiatives and to educational organizations working on issues of social justice, peace, human rights, mental health, and environmental sustainability. The internship culminates in presentations to the community in which students bring back new knowledge and skills to the Naropa community.
• PSYB-209 Herbal Medicine (3)
  This course offers an introduction to the use of food, herbs, and other natural remedies to experience vital health. Students learn to make a few simple herbal preparations, and discuss herb safety and proper dosages. Topics include herbal history, food as medicine, reproductive health, emotional health, children’s health, addictions, psychoactive plants, aromatherapy, color therapy, feng shui, and careers in natural medicine. The class has an East-West approach and enables students to use plants and other natural therapies for their own health as well as for helping others.
• PSYB-239 Nutrition (3)
  Students learn basic human physical nutritional requirements from four perspectives: the field of nutritional anthropology; the scientific discoveries of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries; direct experience; and intuition. Students acquire information and tools to determine a diet that currently suits them, as well as how to alter that diet as personal health requirements change. We study the dietary changes in the twentieth century that underlie the most common causes of chronic disease and death. Nutritional strategies are studied to prevent those diseases.
• PSYB-303 Psychology of the Five Elements I (3)
  Explore the Law of the Five Elements and the ancient System of Kings, a cornerstone of Ancient Chinese Medicine dating back over five thousand years. The Ancient Chinese understood that our body, mind, and spirit are intricately connected to nature, believing that close observation of the natural world reveals the origins of our ailments. Through discussions, lectures, meditations, visualizations, and hands-on exercises, we engage our senses to uncover the the profound influences of color, sound, odor, and emotion, illuminating the balance and imbalance within us. Together we delve into our intrinsic holistic health—physical, mental, and spiritual.
• PSYB-323 Psychology of the Five Elements II (3)
  A continuation of the work in PSYB-303. Students work more deeply with Five Element theory through practicing pulse reading and identifying color, sound, odor, and emotion as ways to uncover elemental imbalances. We study the classical Daoist system of the Five Spirits and learn how to cultivate and maintain their presence in our lives. In addition, we study various local plants and trees to access their wisdom and healing powers. Prerequisite: PSYB-303 or permission of instructor.
• PSYB-325 Awakening Compassion (3)
  An in-depth examination of the principles of compassionate action as taught in the bodhisattva path of Mahayana Buddhism and Contemplative Psychology. Students learn and practice relational, social, and psychological skills, including embodied presence, deep listening, empathic attendance, compassionate inquiry, and metta and tonglen meditation. Students are required to engage in an attending relationship in order to apply learned skills. This course explores compassion in various cultural contexts. Prerequisite: PSYB-314 or meditation experience with permission of instructor.
• PSYB-332 Human Anatomy (3)
  A traditional approach to the study of normal human anatomy, rooted in the conventional science of anatomy, studying the structure and subsequent function of the major body systems: skeletal; muscular; nervous; endocrine; immune; digestive; blood; cardiovascular; respiratory; urinary; and reproductive systems. Some practical understanding of these major systems is given from a naturopathic physician/acupuncturist’s perspective. One class briefly introduces energetic systems of anatomy (e.g. meridians, chakras).
• PSYB-333 Hakomi Somatics (3)
  Mind and body jointly express and reflect deeply held, often unconscious beliefs about oneself and others. Hakomi Somatics helps bring these beliefs to conscious awareness. The body, with its various patterns, is used to access an intelligence that underlies habitual, limiting patterns which can be recognized and understood. This process allows learning and transformation to occur with the support of mindfulness exercises. Topics include the Hakomi principles, character strategies, boundaries, resources, and somatic psychological skill building, which can be applied to daily life. Co-requisite: COR-130.
• PSYB-354 Transpersonal Psychology (3)
  An exploration of the basic principles of transpersonal psychology and psychotherapy. This is the so-called fourth force in the modern Western tradition of psychology, which emerged in the 1960s as an expansion and alternative to the psychoanalytic, behavioral, and humanistic schools that preceded it. Transpersonal, meaning beyond the persona or mask, studies human transcendence, wholeness, and transformation. Focus is on the work of Jung, Assagioli, Grof, Wilber, Walsh, Vaughan, and others to introduce students to transpersonal theory and practice. Students also explore their personal journey through a transpersonal lens.
• PSYB-357 Cognitive Science (3)
  This course concerns the study of thought, conscious experience, and associated mental functions from a variety of scientific perspectives. This multidisciplinary exploration focuses on the high-level mental processes and related brain activity involved in conscious mental life and unconscious information processing. Specific topics include attention, language, intelligences, imagery, emotion, conceptual knowledge, memory, problem solving, expertise, reasoning, and decision making. This course emphasizes the perspectives of information processing, systems neuroscience, and contemplative psychology. Prerequisite: PSYB101.
• PSYB-415 Maitri: Working with Emotions (3)
  This course introduces the Vajrayana approach to the Five Buddha Family principles through Maitri Space Awareness practice and study. Students practice particular postures in specially designed rooms, inviting a personal exploration of psychological states of mind and emotions such as pride, passion, paranoia, ignorance, and aggressions. Approaching these emotions with curiosity and openness, there is the possibility of discovering one’s inherent wisdom, compassion, and insight. The course includes weekly lectures, practice in the maitri rooms, and participation in a smaller group to process material more personally. Prerequisite: PSYB-325.
• PSYB-440 Science of Psychedelics (3)
  This course delves into the rapidly evolving field of psychedelic science, providing a comprehensive overview of the history, research, mechanisms of action, therapeutic potential, and societal impact of psychedelic substances. Students will explore the history, psychology, neuroscience, therapeutic potential, and societal implications of psychedelic substances, and critically analyze the current state of medical and other scientific research. By examining the intersection of science, culture, and psychology, this course aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the contemporary renaissance in psychedelic research. Through a combination of lectures, discussions, readings, and projects, students will gain a deep understanding of the effects of various psychedelics on human cognition, emotions, and behavior, as well as their potential applications in mental health and beyond.
• PSYB-462 Contemplative Neuroscience (3)
  This course provides training in the cognitive neuroscience of mindfulness, as well as contemplative experience beyond mindfulness. Students learn practical knowledge about research design, quantification of brain activity, scientific writing, and techniques used by contemplative neuroscientists in laboratory research. This includes training in combining neuroscientific approaches with a variety of complementary psychological research methods, including phenomenology, experimentation, task performance, and experience sampling. Students visit one or more neuroscience laboratories for demonstration of brain electrophysiological methods and data collection. For their final project, students design a contemplative neuroscience study to investigate a contemplative practice or experience, including practices or experiences not yet well-represented in scientific literature. Prerequisite: PSYB-357 or PSYB-368.
• PSYB-490 Advanced Practicum in Psychological Research (3)
  An advanced examination of a topic drawn from psychology. Assignments may include reading, labs, papers, oral presentations, quizzes/exams, literature searches, and manuscript preparation. This course culminates in a public oral presentation. Topics vary by semester and section. Prerequisites include PSYB-101 and any PSYB 300-level course.
• TRA-105 Taijiquan I (3)
  Students are introduced to the short Yang style of Taijiquan developed by Grandmaster Cheng Manching. The first section of the form is taught. Students are introduced to the philosophy and theory of Taijiqu
• TRA-114 Indian Devotional & Raga Singing (3)
  Singing, first of sixty-four traditional Indian arts, is an ancient system of yoga. Students learn to sing om; chants that consist of naming and manifesting god; svarasseven goddess tones, the notes from which all traditional scales are derived; and ragas, crystals of pure sound. We study sonic transformation, or the means of transforming consciousness and awareness using sound, such as Shabda Brahma (word is god), Nada Brahma (sound is god), etc. All students play the tambura, a stringed drone instrument.
• TRA-333 Yoga III: Synthesis(3)
  This course integrates the breadth of yoga practice. In addition to deepening the practice of asana, students study advanced breathing practices (pranayama), bandhas and mudras (gestures that direct the current of life-force), concentration practices (dharana), yogic methods of physical purification, meditation (dhyana), internal and vocal sound (mantra), Ayurveda, and more of yoga’s rich literature and philosophy. Prerequisite: TRA-233.
• TRA-433 Yoga IV: Yoga Teacher Training (3)
  This course continues the study of an integral yoga practice, which combines asana, pranayama, concentration, and meditation. In addition, this class serves as an introduction to Yoga Teacher Training, intended to complement and conjoin Yoga V. Students continue their study of anatomy, yoga therapy, alignment, yoga philosophy, as well as the fundamentals of designating a yoga practice according to an individual’s physical and psychological constitution. Prerequisite: TRA-333.
• TRA-449 Yoga V: Yoga Teacher Training (3)
  Yoga V, in conjunction with Yoga IV, is designed to provide the foundation and training needed for students who aspire to teach yoga. This class examines the various topics essential to being a skilled yoga teacher, including yoga therapy; how to safely and effectively teach asana and pranayama; the principles of effective speech; ethics; alignment; how to make adjustments; the sequencing of postures; knowledge of the yoga tradition and philosophy; and the cultivation of one’s authentic self-expression. Students also gain regular practice and experience in teaching yoga. Prerequisite: TRA-333. TRA-433 must be taken simultaneously.
• TRA-463 Yoga Meditation (3)
  This meditation practicum will be grounded in the mind training originally taught by Patañjali in the Yogasutras, particularly using the eight supports to gradually cultivate one-pointed concentration and deep meditative absorption. We will then explore how the meditative systems of Hathayoga, which include more nuanced body-based practices. The course culminates with a deep study and immersion in Self-inquiry as taught in Vedanta.