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Psychosynthesis is distinguished from other psychotherapeutic and educational methods for its recognition and use, within possible and appropriate limits, of parapsychological elements.
By Roberto Assagioli. This Lesson was read on 7 June 1961 in the meeting room of the Tiberina Academy, in via S. Eligio, 10, Rome. It is part one of two lectures. Original title: Psicosintesi E Parapsicologia I. From the Assagioli Archive in Florence. Translated by Gordon Symons. See also the free ebook: Psychosynthesis and Parapsychology.
I will begin with a brief mention of the history of psychosynthesis. It arose on the ground and the foundation of psychoanalysis. It can be said that in a certain sense psychoanalysis is a form of psychosynthesis, as it aims to eliminate conflicts, contrasts and dissociations between the conscious and the unconscious, and between the various tendencies that exist in them.
In this sense the word psychosynthesis has been used by some psychotherapists, for example Bjerre, Maeder, Stocker and Caruso. But psychosynthesis, as I conceived and developed it, is something much broader and different. In 1910, in my thesis on psychoanalysis, I expressed reservations about various aspects of it. Furthermore, psychoanalysis is not infrequently identified by the public with psychotherapy; actually, psychoanalysis is only one of the numerous methods of psychotherapy that have been used and developed extensively before and along with it.
Among the main ones are: hypnosis, suggestion and autosuggestion (Liebault, Coué, Baudouin), persuasion (Dubois), existential analysis, logotherapy (Frankl), group psychotherapy, and psychodrama (Moreno ). For my part, I have examined and used most of the methods of psychotherapy, associating the techniques in a “synthetic therapy”. (See list in the Appendix).
In 1926 the Institute of Psychosynthesis was founded in Rome. It carried out Psychosynthesis activity in various forms, such as conferences, lectures and publications, until 1938. Then the war caused its activity to be suspended, as happened to so many others. After the war I resumed the development and spread of psychosynthesis, especially abroad, with lectures and writings in various languages.
In 1957, with the generous help and avid collaboration of some friends, the Psychosynthesis Research Foundation was created with its own headquarters in Valmy, Greenville, Delaware (U.S.A.).
In 1959 the Center de Psychosynthèse in Paris and the Psychoeducational Center in Athens, Georgia (U.S.A.) were founded; recently the Zentrum für Psychosynthese in Munich.
At the same time, four International Conferences were held; two in Capolona (Arezzo); one in the United States, at Valmy (1959); the third in Switzerland, in Villeneuve near Montreux, in 1960. Next September there will be another one, also in Villeneuve. Shortly before, from 21 to 26 August, the International Congress of Psychotherapy will take place in Vienna, during which one afternoon will be dedicated to a “Symposium” on psychosynthesis.
Now, after these objective points, I will present the characteristics that differentiate psychosynthesis from psychoanalysis. To do this, we need to distinguish two aspects of psychoanalysis, which are often confused, namely, on the one hand, the procedures for exploring the unconscious and “unloading” its complexes, and on the other, Freud’s interpretations and doctrines.
The techniques used by Freud and his disciples are “free association” and the interpretative analysis of dreams; but there are also others, such as hypnosis, reactions to word-stimuli and free drawing (Jung), “Rêve éveillé” or “waking dream”(Desoille), etc.
Freud’s theoretical constructions can be said to be highly questionable, and in fact they have been discussed and were gradually abandoned even by several of his disciples (Jung, Adler, Rank, etc.). I cannot present here the very eventful history of psychoanalysis; it is enough that the two aforementioned distinctions are kept in mind between psychotherapy and psychoanalysis on the one hand, and between the methods of investigation of the unconscious and Freudian theories on the other, in order to avoid confusions and errors.
A fundamental difference between psychoanalysis and psychosynthesis is their conception of the human being. According to Freud, the human psyche is a battlefield between instincts, instinctive impulses, and a “super-ego” formed by inhibitions coming from outside; while the conscious ego undergoes the vicissitudes of this play of forces. So, it is a deterministic and pessimistic conception of the human being, which does not take into account its higher aspects, and ignores its most specific and precious function: the will.
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In order to give a clear picture of the psychological constitution of man, of his “internal anatomy”, so to speak, according to psychosynthesis, I use the following scheme:
EGG DIAGRAM
1. THE LOWER UNCONSCIOUS
This includes:
1. The elementary but admirable psychic activities which preside over organic life.
2. The instincts, the passions.
3. Many “psychic complexes” with a strong affective tone, remains of our near and distant past.
4. Dreams and imaginative activities of an elementary, lower type.
5. Various morbid manifestations (phobias, obsessive images and impulses, delusional ideas).
6. Certain uncontrolled sensitivities of a parapsychological nature.
2. THE MIDDLE UNCONSCIOUS
Consists of psychic elements similar in nature to those of the waking consciousness and easily accessible to it. In it occur the processing of experiences, the preparation of future activities, and much of the intellectual (theoretical and practical) and imaginative work, of artistic creation of ordinary degree and value.
3. THE HIGHER UNCONSCIOUS OR SUPERCONSCIOUS
From it come the higher insights and inspirations – artistic, philosophical and scientific, the brilliant creations, the mystical states of enlightenment, contemplation and ecstasy. There reside, in the latent and potential state, the higher energies of the spirit, and the faculties of a higher type.
4. THE WAKING CONSCIOUSNESS (Field of Consciousness)
This is the part of our personality of which we are directly aware, the continuous alternation of psychic elements and moods of all kinds (sensations, images, thoughts, feelings, desires, impulses, etc.) that we feel and that we can observe, analyze and even direct and modify.
5. THE CONSCIOUS “I”
The I is often confused with the field of consciousness, but in reality it is very different from this, as anyone who has practiced a certain amount of internal observation can see. The changing contents of consciousness are one thing (the thoughts, feelings, etc. mentioned above), the I is something other; it is the Center of Consciousness that perceives them. In one respect, this difference could be compared to that existing between the white light of the screen and the cinematic images that are projected on it. It is true that the ordinary man – who “gets on with life”, who does not stop to study himself and does not care to know himself – generally does not make this distinction: he gradually identifies himself with the contents of his own consciousness. Hence the aforementioned confusion.
6. THE HIGHER, SPIRITUAL I, (THE SELF)
Not only is the conscious “I” almost always confused with the incessant flow of psychic elements, but it often seems to switch off and disappear – for example during sleep, fainting, hypnosis and narcosis – only to find itself and recognize itself, without knowing how.
This fact leads us to recognise that “behind” or “above” the conscious I there must be a permanent spiritual center, the true “I”, untouched by the changing psychic life or by the conditions of the physical organism, an I of which the conscious I would be a reflection, a “projection” in the field of the personality.
There are various confirmations and proofs of the existence of the I or Spiritual Self. There is a whole host of “witnesses” who claimed to have had, in a more or less temporary way, the consciousness, the direct “experience” of the Higher Self, its direct “projection”, which for them constitutes a certainty that is not less than that of the explorer who has penetrated a previously unknown region.
Such testimonies can be found in various autobiographies, and a good number of them have been collected in some books, such as: Cosmic Consciousness, by Dr. Bucke (Philadelphia, Innes, 1901); Tertium Organum, by Ouspensky (London, Kegan, Trench, Trubner, 1934); Mysticism, by E. Underhill (London, Methuen, 1913); The Secret Path and In search of the Super-Ego, by P. Brunton (Verona, Casa Ed. Europa, 1948).
Then there are various philosophers, such as Kant and Herbart, who affirmed the clear distinction existing between the noumenal or real “I”, and the phenomenal or empirical I. Note that the Higher I must not be confused with Freud’s “super-ego” which, according to his theory, is a construction, an artificial product.
This relationship is indicated in the diagram from the point at the center of consciousness (conscious I) connected by a dotted line with the star placed at the top of our personality (Spiritual I). This representation helps to reconcile two facts that at first seem contradictory:
1) The apparent duality, the apparent existence of two “I’s”. In fact, it is as if there were two “I’s”, since the ordinary I theoretically and practically ignores the other, to the point of denying its existence; and the latter is latent, it does not reveal itself directly to consciousness.
2) The real unity and uniqueness of the “I”. There are not really two ‘I’s, two quite different and separate entities. The”I” is one, and has only different degrees of manifestation, implementation and awareness. The reflection is distinct from the light source, but it has no reality in itself, it does not have its own and autonomous substantiality, it is not another and different light.
7. THE COLLECTIVE UNCONSCIOUS
Human beings are not isolated, they are not “windowless monads” as Leibnitz believed. In certain periods men can feel internally isolated, but the extreme existentialist position is not true, either psychologically nor spiritually.
In fact, psychological and spiritual “osmosis” processes take place continuously between the psyche of a human being and those of others, and also between it and the general psychic environment. This corresponds to what Jung called the “collective unconscious”; but he has not clearly defined this designation, in which he includes elements of a different, indeed opposite nature; that is, primitive and archaic structures and “archetypes” on the one hand, and superior, creative and integrating activities of a superconscious nature on the other. In my opinion, the same distinctions of function and value that are found at the various levels of psycho-spiritual reality exist both within and outside of the individual.
The Spiritual Self corresponds to what is generally called the soul. Given this, the question may arise, and in fact the question has often been asked: What are the relationships between this psycho-spiritual conception of the human being and religion?
It should be made clear that Psychosynthesis does not in any way tend to replace religion. It is a scientific conception and, as such, it is neutral towards religious doctrines and various philosophies—except materialistic, negating ones. Psychosynthesis does not intend to give a metaphysical or theological explanation of the Great Mystery, which it admits and respects; it leaves it to everyone (individual, philosophical school, or church) to reveal it, interpret it and formulate it as they see fit. It leads to the threshold of the Mystery, but there it stops.
The aims of Psychosynthesis are essentially practical, in the higher sense of the word, that is: therapeutic, educational and social. In its practice it has various well-defined (but not separate) stages. A first stage can be called psychoanalytic in a broad sense, that is, it proposes the awareness of the unconscious, including the middle and upper ones. This allows us to discover the “individual problem” or, with an expression widely used now, the “existential” problem of each individual.
Here too a terminological clarification is appropriate: “existentialism” (or rather the various philosophical or theological existentialisms) is one thing; the “existential” psychological conception of the human being is another. On the one hand, there are the various existentialist philosophies, very different and contrasting, from that of Kirkegaard to that of Sartre. On the other hand, there is the “existential” psychological conception, which only affirms that every human being, in the face of life, his fellow men and the universe, necessarily takes a conscious or unconscious position, has his own problem of existence, of life; it is something individual, unique. The discovery and the clarification of this existential position is the key to any understanding of oneself and of others, and therefore for any psychotherapy, for any education worthy of the name. This recognition can be called “existential” or not; but it is independent of existentialist philosophies.
Based on the discovery of the “position” of the individual with respect to himself, others, and the world, and his individual problem, a plan or program of self-training, or treatment, or education can be made. This plan includes the development of the deficient functions in the individual, the harmonization and integration of the various contrasting elements of his being, the activation of his higher, superconscious possibilities, and the discovery, or conscious taking possession of his Soul, of the Self.
Psychosynthesis has several fields or ways of application:
1. Self-psychosynthesis, that is the action that each can carry out on himself, considering his own personality as a “subject” to be shaped, or rather, as a set of psychophysical elements to organize, transform, compose in harmony, and use. This could be called a scientific and modern yoga.
2 Medical psychosynthesis, which can be considered as a synthesis of the various aspects and methods of therapy, but not in the sense of an indeterminate eclecticism, but on the basis of a well-defined conception of the integral therapeutic goal. Medical psychosynthesis also includes physical therapies, as it takes the utmost account of the reciprocal actions and reactions that continually take place between psyche and body, on which psychosomatic medicine is based. Therefore, if the word did not appear too technical and “difficult”, it should more exactly be called “bio-psychosynthesis.”
3 Psychosynthetic education, which aims to favour the development and implementation of all the latent potentialities in the child and adolescent, tending above all to awaken and enhance the higher and spiritual ones, which are often neglected or, worse, hampered or suppressed. Particular attention is dedicated to the research, recognition and enhancement of particularly gifted children and young people, both intellectually and in other ways (artistic, musical, technical, inventive, spiritual skills or genius).
4 Interpersonal and interindividual psychosynthesis, which aims to establish just, harmonious and creative human relationships between the individual and other individuals (particularly between spouses, and between parents and children); between the individual and the various human groups of which he belongs; between the different groups and human communities amongst themselves, up to the hoped-for synthesis of all humanity.
5 Differential or typological psychosynthesis. I mentioned at the outset that each individual is unique, in that his personality is made up of a combination of different elements, in ways and proportions that are not the same in any other person. Already in ancient times, however, it was observed, and then studied more precisely by modern psychology, that men can be grouped into various types, having similar or similar biological and psychological characteristics; thus, extroverts and introverts, sensory, emotional, mental, intuitive, and various other types have been recognized and described.
In Psychosynthesis, these differences of temperament and character are taken into full account, and the plan and the various healing and educational tasks are adapted to the particular individual type, in the sense of developing deficient or immature psychological functions, and of valuing the gifts or talents.
METHODS AND TECHNIQUES
The specific methods and techniques used in the practice of psychosynthesis are extremely diverse, and are employed – singly or combined in exercises, simultaneously or subsequently – according to the specific stage and tasks of the psychosynthetic level.
There are more than forty of them, and I certainly can’t talk about all of them within the limits of this lesson. Their list is in the appendix to the text of the handout, until the publication of the Manual of Psychosynthesis Techniques that I am preparing, in which each of them will be described and illustrated.
I will only briefly mention two means of psychological action, in preference to the others, because they are among the most important and effective and because they are generally little or badly applied.
The first is that of the transmutation and sublimation of the physical-psychic energies. Modern psychology, and particularly psychoanalysis, has discovered – or rather rediscovered – the transmutability of biological and psychic energies. I said “rediscovered”, as alchemical symbolism clearly shows how this fact was already known in the past. However, now, psychodynamics, that is, a science of psychological energies, is developing the laws that govern them and of their use on a scientific basis, based on their transformability. There is a great need for this science and its applications.
It can be said that in the field of psychic and spiritual energies we are still in the stone age! On the one hand, an enormous amount of emotional energy is wasted, not only without making good use of it but in harmful and often destructive ways. On the other hand, incalculable amounts of psycho-spiritual energies are ignored and left unused, in the same way that once the existence and ways of using solid coal, oil, methane and electricity were ignored.
This happens above all with the sexual and affective energies, and with the combative ones. I will only say something about the latter, since they are now the most urgent and threatening problem for humanity.
Much has been written about the causes of wars, and more importance has been and is still attributed by many to economic rather than psychological causes. Yet even the former has one of its main roots in the thirst for possessions, in the greed for riches, in the desire for domination – but all of these are psychological in nature! In addition to them, there is the strong innate tendency in human nature toward self-affirmation against and over others, which gives rise to combativeness and aggression.
The great educational organization created by the United Nations, UNESCO, is based precisely on the recognition of the preponderant importance of psychological factors in wars, as shown by the preamble of its Constitution which opens with the affirmation: “Since wars begin in minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be built”.[1]
Therefore, one of the main means to prevent wars is to direct and use the combative energies, and this can be done not by condemning and repressing them, but by transforming them and directing them to higher and more beneficial ends, such as the struggles against injustice, social evils and all that threatens health and hinders the expression of the constructive and creative faculties, and of the superior possibilities of man.
The effective use of all psychological techniques presupposes and requires that of the specific and most precious function of the human being: the will. Yet, strange to say, it is generally overlooked, if not denied, by the most popular modern psychological schools. This is due to two main reasons: the first is a strictly deterministic conception of the play of psychological forces; the other consists in an exaggerated and extreme reaction to the too severe condemnation and to the too rigid repression of the vital and emotional energies that prevailed in the methods of education and in the way of treating (not curing) the nervous and mentally ill until towards the end of last century.
Still the will is mostly seen as an tool of coercion to be used on oneself and on others. Instead, in Psychosynthesis, it is distinguished and appropriately used in its different stages or “moments”, namely:
1. The aim or purpose that is proposed, based on a consciously recognized and accepted hierarchy of values.
2. The recognition of the motives that push us to action, or the choice of them, and the consequent decision, the affirmation or “fiat”.
3. The plan of action, the program to be carried out, the means to be used to achieve the proposed purpose, to implement the decision taken.
4. The execution of the pre-established plan, which requires skill, energy and persistence.
Psychosynthesis is distinguished from other psychotherapeutic and educational methods for its recognition and use, within possible and appropriate limits, of parapsychological elements.
Some psychoanalysts have recognized the existence of parapsychological influences. Freud himself, who despite his questionable theories was an attentive and honest researcher, recognized the existence of telepathic dreams, but he did so only incidentally.
Other psychoanalysts, including Eisenbud, Ehrenwald, Fodor, Servadio, etc., have recognized the existence of such dreams and an exchange of telepathic influences between doctor and patient, but have not taken any practical account of them.
An objective exposition on this theme was also made by J. Eisenbud in the article “Psychoanalysts and Telepathy”, published in Parapsychology, I., n. 1, (January-March 1955).
Instead, many facts, certainly established, induce – I would say indeed oblige us – to admit that there is a continuous and normal “inter-psychism”, that is, a continuous exchange of parapsychological influences, both between individuals and between each individual and the “psychic environment”, what Jung calls “the collective unconscious”. In the scheme of the psychic constitution of man, the line that delimits the personal unconscious from the collective one is therefore dashed. In other words, that delimitation can be compared to a semipermeable membrane. It is known that every living cell is surrounded by a semipermeable membrane, which allows regulated exchanges between the cell and the biological environment, especially with the blood and lymphatic current. If the membrane were impermeable, the cell would die; if on the contrary, the membrane were to dissolve, the cell would die.
The right measure of semi-permeability is therefore needed to allow for adequate exchanges. The same happens in the human being; our unconscious is “semipermeable” to the psychic environment. Also, in this case it may happen that it is too permeable, as in “mediums” and “psychics”, or insufficiently permeable, as in certain people closed in on themselves and, to an extreme degree, in the paranoid person. On the other hand, excessive parapsychological sensitivity and influence is frequent in many suffering from neurological disorders, and the doctor should always keep this possibility in mind in his diagnosis and treatment.
It is easy to understand that if we are not masters even of our personal unconscious, and above all of the lower unconscious, if many disorders are due to conflicts between psychological forces that are not controlled, all the more difficult is the condition of psychics, who have a too-permeable “psychological membrane” that allows all kinds of influences to pass through, often even of a lower or too intense character, producing various disturbances, including those apparently or actually parapsychological, such as hearing “voices”, having “visions”, perceiving “influences ” , etc.[2]
It is in fact necessary to distinguish well between truly parapsychological phenomena, and those consisting of fantasies and products of the unconscious. This is a very complex problem, a difficult thing to do not only for what I would call uneducated psychics, but also for scientists and even for psychologists. Yet it is a necessary thing. It is a problem that arises, I would say that it imposes itself. It is too easy either to deny everything, or to accept as parapsychological everything that is only imaginary.
There are also manifestations in which the two orders of facts are mixed in various proportions, that is, a halo of imaginative interpretations or deductions is formed around a truly parapsychological core.
Psychosynthesis, by acknowledging these facts and recognizing these dangers, is concerned to help sensitive people, not in denying the reality of their psychic phenomena, but in disciplining and governing them – indeed – to use them as much as possible.
This requires first of all, a certain measure of psychosynthesis, that is, of formation and construction of the normal personality. One cannot pretend or delude oneself into knowing how to govern and use parapsychological faculties and energies, if one does not know how to govern and use the normal ones!
The parapsychological manifestations of which Psychosynthesis is particularly interested are those deriving from the higher unconscious, or superconscious. Generally, they are not considered as “parapsychological”, but it is a question of terms or, as we now say, of “semantics”.
The superconscious can be considered parapsychological for two reasons. First of all because it is “supernormal” compared to the consciousness of the ordinary man. Many ignore or deny its existence, or are not interested in it because they have neither had direct experience of it nor have they investigated its manifestations in others or bothered to study it.
Furthermore, the manifestations of the superconscious can be considered parapsychological since they have extraordinary effects and release energies that are often associated with supernormal sensitivities or powers.
All brilliant manifestations come from the superconscious, and almost all men of genius have said that inspiration came to them from a source unknown to them, mysteriously. Poets call it the “Muse”, and have often invoked it, since they are at the mercy of this inspiration, not knowing how to arouse it at will. Many poets and musicians have had the impression of writing “under dictation”, without knowing what would come next, and sometimes even marveling at it. At a very young age Mozart composed with extraordinary ease, without knowing how: he felt the music within himself, and simply wrote it down.
Perhaps the most beautiful expression of this fact is that of Dante: …
“I am one who, when Love breathes within, give ear, and as He prompts, take mode and pitch from Him and go and sing His mind to men.”(Purg. XXIV, 52 – 54)We recall that Dante (like the “faithful in Love”), gave the word Love a transcendent meaning.
But this inspiration from the superconscious can be evoked, stimulated, or at least facilitated and regulated, using certain psychological techniques. In psychosynthesis these techniques are experimented with and developed.
However, the supremely and essentially parapsychological reality is the Spiritual Self, the Soul. It is a strange paradox that, while everyone has it, most men do not know they have it, indeed today, many actually deny it. There is also the fact – also paradoxical – that for many of those who admit that they “have” a Soul, this remains a simple theory, a belief, an act of faith, but in life they behave as if they did not!
At least, for them there is a separation, a dualism between themselves and their Soul; they turn to it (if they do) as an external and superior being, while the admirable reality is that we ARE Souls; that is, that the truest, most real part of us is the spiritual Self, of which consciousness of [ordinary] self, which distinguishes us from animals, (the sense of personal identity) is only a reflection.
What are the characteristics of the spiritual Self?The most important is indicated in the diagram by its position, which is shown partly inside the circumference of the entire psyche, and partly outside. This symbolizes another paradox, which seems to be a contradiction, but is not: that the spiritual Self is both individual and universal at the same time. It is individual, as it is the most real and most intimate, most “individual” part of us; but it is universal in that it is not limited to and by the changing personality, it is not involved in the continuous flow of the “psychic current”, in the conflicts and combinations of the various biological, emotional and mental energies and activities.
Parapsychology, confirming the teachings of all the great spiritual Masters and the fundamental doctrine of all religions, has collected a wide range of facts that tend to demonstrate how the Soul, the spiritual Self, can temporarily free itself from the body (splitting, bilocation), and survive its dissolution. The broadening of consciousness, the “ascent” of the “conscious I” to identify with the Self, is the greatest possible achievement for man. This is the goal that psychosynthesis proposes, and the path it helps to take.
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THE TECHNIQUES OF PSYCHOSYNTHESIS
A. INITIAL TECHNIQUES
I. Examination and Analysis:
1. Autobiography – Diary
2. Questionnaires
3. Associations (free and induced)
4. Dream analysis
5. Projective techniques: Thematic apperception test (TAT) – Free drawing – Modelling – Musical improvisation – Spontaneous movements
6. Various tests (Rorschach, etc.)
II. Evaluation – Discovery and awareness of the situation and the various problems arising from it.
B. SPECIAL TECHNIQUES
Act “as if”
Bibliotherapy
Bio-psychosynthesis (physical exercises – dance – sport)
Psychological shock
Catharsis (“discharge”)
Concentration (a.Internal; b.In action)
Contemplation
Relaxation
Dis-identification
Creative expression
Imagination (reproductive and creative visualization)
Introspection (self-observation)
Play
Logotherapy
Meditation
“Models” (external and internal)
Music (listening and performing)
Objective observation
Sense of right proportions
Self-Realization
Repetition
Semantics
Service (humanitarian and social)
Replacement
Suggestion and Self-suggestion (direct and indirect)
Superconscious: awareness, activation, use of Symbols
Polarity synthesis
Transmutation and Sublimation
Humour (“Smiling Wisdom”).
Will: Reasons, Intention, Decision, Action Program, Execution.
C. ASSOCIATED EXERCISES
1. “Rêve éveillé” (waking dream)
2. Imaginative training
3. Evocation and development of higher qualities and feelings
4. Series of exercises on: The Legend of the Grail, The Divine Comedy, etc.
D. GROUP TECHNIQUES
Analysis and other collective therapies
Psychodrama
Group cooperation
E. PERSONAL INFLOW
From: Parents – Educators – Doctors – Nurses
1. By means of presence and example (“catalytic action”)
2. Intentional
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[1] “Mente” is the literal Italian translation that was made of the word “mind” of the original (English) text, but “mind” in English has a broader meaning, which corresponds to what we call “psyche”, that is, it also includes the emotional aspects, imaginative and impulsive of human nature.
[2] This theme, which I cannot develop on this occasion, was dealt with by me in the article “Parapsychological faculties and neuro-psychic disorders,” published in Men and Ideas, Vol. III, n.1, Jan.1961.
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