Les Lancaster, Ph.D. - The principle focus of transpersonal psychology is the nature of human transformation. All spiritual and mystical systems, as well as therapeutic approaches, have transformation as their central goal. Recent research has emphasised detachment from thought as a central feature in states of “awakening” or “enlightenment”, which are paradigmatic of spiritual transformation. This attenuation of thought is frequently seen as being in accordance with teachings from wisdom traditions. In this paper I argue for refining our understanding of cognitive thought processes and their role in spiritual transformation. The objective of wisdom traditions can be viewed more as a shift in the orientation of thought, rather than its attenuation. I draw on the Kabbalistic and Sufi traditions in particular to emphasise the role played by the hermeneutic of disclosure and concealment in bringing about spiritual transformation. These forms of intellectual mysticism encourage us to revisit our understanding of the role played by ‘higher’ forms of thought (including those that penetrate the concealed, or nonconscious, realms of the psyche) in formulating a transpersonal psychology of transformation.