How do I justify this? I think the common understanding of personal development sees it as a body of perspectives and techniques, such as meditation, visualization, therapy, and so on, that people can practice to change their lives. By definition, a person who has the kind of spontaneous epiphany I think you’re talking about hasn’t relied on any ideas or techniques to get there. (Take Paul on the road to Damascus — he didn’t do anything to prepare for or produce his conversion experience — it just happened out of nowhere.)

By contrast, a monk who meditates for thirty years with the goal of realizing his true nature as eternal consciousness, is doing personal development as I define it. He’s consciously working toward that goal and intends to make progressive and lasting steps toward it. If he reaches that goal, I think, the moment of realization would count as part of a step-by-step process, as you call it.

I’m not sure about progressive – I’m wondering about conversion experiences that come out of the blue. (Perhaps on closer attention there has been a step-by-step process leading to the moment?)