Psychosynthesis is a dynamic concept of human mental life developed by the Italian psychologist Roberto Assagioli. Psychosynthesis refers to transpersonal psychology.
Psychosynthesis is used as a method of psychotherapy for psychosomatic disorders, primarily when they are caused by a deep and complex conflict between the various groups of conscious and unconscious forces of the patient, or when they occur as a result of deep and painful crises. In the latter case, the patients themselves do not always realize or correctly evaluate the processes taking place in them.
The key concept in psychosynthesis is the concept of “subpersonality”.
Working with subpersonalities consists of the following stages (Ruffler, 1998):
- Awareness and recognition.
- Adoption.
- Coordination and transformation.
- Integration.
- Synthesis.
The main tasks of psychosynthesis, according to Assagioli, are:
- comprehension of one’s true (higher) self,
- comprehension on the basis of this inner harmony and
- establishing adequate relations with the outside world, including with other people.
The central problem of human life is lack of freedom, the apparent “splitness” (I am personal, unaware and denying the existence of another Self – true, present hidden, not amenable to direct awareness). In fact, I am one. It is possible to achieve internal harmonic integrity, true realization of one’s Self and good relations with others through the following steps:
- A deep knowledge of one’s personality is the study of the lower unconscious, then the middle and higher (psychoanalysis), the discovery of true vocations, unknown possibilities that were previously suppressed.
- The ability to manage various elements of the personality (the method of disidentification), which consists in the disintegration of identified harmful images or complexes (attacks of the unconscious) and the management and use of the energy released in this way. We are controlled by everything with which we identify ourselves, and we can control everything with which we disidentify ourselves.
- Cognition of one’s true Self is the opening or creation of a unifying center in order to expand the consciousness of one’s personality to the realization of one’s Self (moving along a beam of light, follow its direction to the very source of light and unite the lower and higher Self). With the use of appropriate active techniques or natural inner growth, each stage is associated with a new identity. For example, a person creates an ideal of his personality, corresponding to his scale, stage of internal development and psychological type, and thus makes this ideal achievable. (“The ideal is an artist who realizes himself through the creation of beauty”). Ideal models affect the basic relations with the outside world and other people, there is a projection of the inner world outside — a person does not lose himself in an external object, but to some extent is freed from selfish interests and internal limitations; he realizes himself through an external ideal, some external essence. This outer essence is not a direct path to the higher self, but a true point of contact with it, a link between a person and his higher self, which is reflected in the external object and is its symbol.
- Psychosynthesis is the formation or reconstruction around the created new center of a new personality, which is characterized by consistency, organization and unity.
The process of psychosynthesis can be conditionally divided into several stages.
- The choice of a new identity that we aspire to. We must mentally imagine this «ideal model», it is desirable to visualize it, think about how it would be realistic for us, and therefore achievable. The whole variety of «ideal models» can usually be reduced to two main groups. The first group includes images that personify internal harmonious development, spiritual perfection. Such models are more relevant for introverts. The second group of images personifies perfection in a certain field of activity (scientist, businessman, politician, etc.). Such “ideal images” are more often chosen by extroverts. The main thing is that the «ideal model» chosen for further formation should be consistent with the natural course of development of one’s own personality. As a result of psychosynthesis, one can become better, more perfect, but one cannot become one’s antipode.
- Use of all available energies. Assagioli refers to them, first of all, the forces released in the process of analysis, including the process of “release” of unconscious complexes, and the aspirations for harmony, the ideal, which are present at different psychological levels of the patient and are not fully realized. In order to use the energy of the unconscious, it must be directed in the right direction, turned into something else, “transmuted”.
- The development of missing (or insufficiently developed) elements of personality for the formation of an «ideal model». The formation of new qualities is carried out in two main ways: with the help of self-hypnosis and with the help of systematic training of insufficiently developed mental functions, such as, for example, memory, imagination, feelings, etc.
- Coordination and subordination of various elements of the psyche, awareness of the harmonious integral structure of the personality. This can be compared to the creative unification (synthesis) of individual sounds, the purpose of which is harmonious music.
More details on the theoretical principles of psychosynthesis can be found in the works (Assagioli, 1992, 1994; Youmens, 1989; Ruffler, 1998; Rainwater, 1996; Ferrucci, 1972; Firman, 1991; Rowan, 1990).
Techniques used in Psychosynthesis
See Psychosynthesis: Techniques Used