Michael Murphy

Michael Murphy

Michael Murphy is co-founder of Integral Transformative Practice®, co-founder and Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Esalen Institute and serves as Director of Esalen’s Center for Theory and Research (CTR). He has authored four novels: Golf in the Kingdom, The Kingdom of Shivas Irons, Jacob Atabet and An End to Ordinary History.

His nonfiction works, in addition to The Life We Are Given, include In the Zone, an anthology of extraordinary sports experience, co-authored with Rhea White, and The Future of the Body: Explorations Into the Further Evolution of Human Nature. Golf in the Kingdom, still a bestseller 50 years after it was published, has spawned the Shivas Irons Society, a nonprofit organization with members in the U.S. and in 20 countries as well.

Murphy was born in Salinas, California, graduated from Stanford University and lived at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry, India for one year. In 1980, he helped initiate Esalen’s Soviet-American Exchange Program, which was a premiere diplomacy vehicle for citizen-to-citizen relations.

During his long involvement in the human potential movement, Murphy and his work have been profiled in The New Yorker and featured in many magazines and journals worldwide.

Read more about Michael.

The Birth of Evolutionary Panentheism Part II: Fredric Myers

In this talk, given during the 2012 Seekers and Sages Evening Program series, Michael Murphy discusses Frederic Myers’ “Scheme of Human Faculty in its Relation to Time,” and how this model points to practices that can reach into our extraordinary capacities.

The Birth of Evolutionary Panentheism Part I: German Idealism

In this talk, given during the 2012 Seekers and Sages Evening Program series, Michael Murphy discusses the contributions made by great thinkers such as Sri Aurobindo, Fichte, Schelling, Hegel, Jung and William James, offering a grounding philosophy in our practice. 

Dialogue with Michael Murphy, Tim Boyd and Emanuel Kuntzelman

Gain insight on evolutionary theory, esoteric anatomies and spiritual practice through this lively dialogue between Michael Murphy, Tim Boyd, president of the Theosophical Society and president of Greenheart International, Emanuel Kuntzelman, originally recorded at the March 2015 Falkirk Lecture Series.

The Big Vision Part II

In this talk, originally recorded during the Seekers and Sages Evening Program series in 2010, Michael Murphy discusses various ways in which your philosophy, worldview or religious beliefs can impact your life and practice; and how belief systems can have huge consequences on the culture at large.

The Big Vision Part I

In this talk, originally recorded during the Seekers and Sages Evening Program series in 2010, Michael Murphy is joined by Kevin Maher to discuss the intellectual and cultural currents that have worked to push “metanarratives” out of favor in contemporary academic and mainstream dialogue.

The Emergence of Evolutionary Panentheism

In this essay, ITP co-founder Michael Murphy gives an overview of “evolutionary panentheism,” a philosophical worldview that has grown out of the work Sri Aurobindo, William James, Hegel and other intellectual giants and has shaped the foundation of Integral Transformative Practice.

ITPI Newsletter Articles - Spring 2018

In this Spring issue, we feature the theme of creativity in its many forms. Suggest you set aside some time, take a few full body breaths and delight in reading the inventive ways our guest writers explore the topic.

The Future of the Body

In these excerpts from a 2006 public presentation, Michael Murphy discusses the many “bodies” we inhabit and how evolution is far more than just the evolution of the flesh.

Practice as a Window into the Subliminal Mind

In this talk, given during the 2012 Seekers and Sages Evening Program series, Michael Murphy gives a brief overview of Evolutionary Panentheism, its implications for practice and the resulting “graces that are given” and witnessed in everyday life.

The Emergence of Supernormal Capacities, Pt. 2

In Part 2 of this two-part audio recording from the 2013 Seekers and Sages Evening Program series, Michael discusses the emergence of supernormal capacities in the contemporary world of sports, the importance of attending to the stages of focused attention and sustaining our practice so that the subliminal mind goes to work for us.

The Emergence of Supernormal Capacities, Pt. 1

In Part I of this two-part audio recording from the 2013 Seekers and Sages Evening Program series, Michael Murphy outlines “the crucial marriage of vision and practice” and shares examples of supernormal capacities that can witnessed in our current times.

New Steps for ITP

In this intimate and revealing talk first recorded during the Seekers and Sages Evening Program series in 2012, Michael Murphy gives us a glimpse into his latest experiences with “stepping up” his practice.

The Origins and Evolution of ITP

Learn about the history of Esalen and the rise of mysticism in the U.S. during the 1960s, in this inspiring talk by ITP co-founder Michael Murphy, given at Esalen during the 2012 ITPI conference.

ITPI Newsletter Articles - Winter 2018

In this winter issue, we focus on "the budding limbs and organs of our supernature," as Michael Murphy describes our supernormal capacities in The Future of the Body and other works. Enjoy what our writers have to say about our evolving nature.

ITPI Newsletter Articles - Winter 2015

In this issue, Michael Murphy honors George, their friendship and the impact he had on the lives of so many. Also read about the "Surprising Power of Joy," "Embodied Affirmations in ITP," and perspectives "On Vision" and "Integral Fitness." And Pam Kramer shares why Charlotte Hatch is a central figure of ITP and her being honored at ITPI's annual For the Love fundraising event.

ITPI Newsletter Articles - Spring 2013

Explore ITP's roots in India along with a recounting of one group member's experience on a pilgrimage to this country; be inspired by ITP Houston's unexpected turnout for their open sessions; and learn more about why we change from Cassi Vieten, IONS CEO.

Siddhis and Spiritualism: The Upsurge of the Supernormal in 19th Century America

In this dynamic talk with Michael Murphy and Frank Poletti, an expert in the "Golden Age of the Paranormal," you'll gain insight into an extraordinary moment in American history when supernormal experiences were happening with great regularity. Learn how we can learn from history and depict the emergence of supernormal capacities at various stages of cultural history as harbingers of the world's advance.

The Subliminal Mind, Hypnotic Trance and Evolutionary Love

Adam Crabtree and Michael Murphy discuss the unexplored worlds within each of us and the great capacities that can be developed when we learn to recognize and pay attention to these worlds. Learn more about the history of psychical research, different types of trance, and ways of channeling your deep resources to draw out your fullest potential.

From the Lab to the Playa: The Science of Human Potential

Michael Murphy and Cassandra Vieten, Executive Director of Research at the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) and Co-Director of the Mind-Body Medicine Research Group at California Pacific Medical Center, discuss the leading edge of research validating ITP and other spiritual and integral practices.

The Practice of Transcendental Gastronomy

Discover how food can act as a vehicle for experiencing the divine. In this conversation, recorded Oct. 26, 2011, Tomas Marconi and Michael Murphy discuss the broad aesthetics of preparing and eating food, food as metaphor and expression and how paying attention and being grounded in simple pleasures can act as a balance to the stimulation of the digital age and a cure for the "modern malady of boredom."

ITP and the Evolution of the Soul: A Two-Part Series with Michael Murphy

In this 2011 recording, Michael Murphy discusses the evolution of evolution itself and how various philosophies and traditions situate themselves in relation to the evolving universe. Gain a deeper understanding of the “fundamental assumption of ITP”—that our evolving souls, and deepest subjectivity, are one with the eternal soul, and through practice we can re-own our divine identity while sharing in the core adventure of the universe itself.