The Arica School® was founded in 1968 by Oscar Ichazo as a School of Knowledge. This type of school has been in existence since ancient times, from the Greek Schools to the schools of the Hindu, Buddhist and Sufi traditions. As in all schools of knowledge, the Arica School provides a method of enlightenment.

What makes the Arica School different from the ancient schools is that it provides a contemporary method of enlightenment, employing biology, psychology and physics in order to clarify human consciousness with modern knowledge, producing freedom and liberation.

The knowledge that the Arica School teaches, called the "Protoanalytical Theory, System and Method," was originated by Oscar Ichazo. Protoanalysis is the analysis of the complete human being, from the lowest aspects of the human process, progressing systematically to the Higher States of Consciousness where enlightenment can be attained. The Arica School provides a clearly defined map of the human psyche in order that each of us can discover the basis of our ego process and transcend this process into the Higher State of Consciousness that is found in and available to each of us. This state of being is our True Essential Self, experienced as an internal state of great happiness, Light and liberation.

The Arica School presents five different realms of trainings and practices and a final group of trainings for attaining the Transcendental State. All the training practices clarify step by step the human process we all share, while at the same time introducing knowledge to guide us into the Higher States.

When the mind is stabilized through perspective, understanding and self-observation, meditations are employed to transcend our everyday experiences into the Higher States of Mind where enlightenment and real freedom can be attained. In summary, we can say that the Arica School is a School of Knowledge that presents a contemporary method for the clarification of the human process into states of enlightenment and true liberation.