Robert Gerard gives a truly profound insight into symbolic visualization, one of the primary techniques of psychosynthesis. Through a case study, he describes how a client experiences a spiritual climax using the technique.
By Robert Gerard, Ph.D, Los Angeles, California (1961),
Translation Britt Jakielski
FIRST SESSION
Introduction
I am faced with the same problem that the psychoanalyst would be faced with if he were asked to talk about psychoanalysis in an hour or an hour and a half; the subject is so vast that it is almost impossible to cover it briefly. My presentation will therefore be more suggestive, and more of an introduction than a complete one. My intention is to tell you briefly what Psychosynthesis means. We must begin at the beginning and briefly explain some of the key points of this form of therapy. Then, in order to really get to the heart of the matter and be concrete, I will discuss one of the techniques of Psychosynthesis. There are many techniques, but by taking one that is not yet widely known in this country, I feel it will be more novel. In the second session I will give a more concrete extract from a therapy process that illustrates some of the techniques that I will mention during the session, and which are more concretely related to what could be called a “spiritual” experience during a therapy session.
Principles of psychosynthesis
What is primarily meant by Psychosynthesis? The concept of psychosynthesis was introduced and continuously developed over more than 40 years by Roberto Assagioli, MD, an Italian psychiatrist who founded the “Istituto di Psicosintesi” (Institute of Psychosynthesis) in Rome in 1926. In his psychotherapeutic practice, Dr. Assagioli combined the use of various psychotherapeutic techniques and experimented with and used a series of techniques to enhance the psychosynthetic process. I was attracted to his work because of the similarity of our approaches to psychotherapy and made it a priority to meet him in person during a trip to Europe in the summer of 1955. This was the beginning of our friendship and professional collaboration. For example, with the support of the Psychosynthesis Research Foundation, I spent the spring of 1959 in Florence in order to work intensively with him on the theory and techniques of psychosynthesis.
Many will of course have heard a great deal about psychoanalysis, especially the psychoanalysis of Freud and his successors, the neo-Freudians such as Karen Horney and Erich Fromm, and also about the analytical psychology of the Swiss psychiatrist CG Jung. This emphasis on analysis has long been widespread in psychotherapy. Analysis is the separation of the whole into parts in order to be able to understand the nature, function and relationship of each part to the other parts . But analysis is not enough in psychotherapy. We need to go beyond analysis without denying its value. We need to translate the analytical understanding and insight into a concrete change in our feelings, attitudes and behaviour. In short, the aim is not analysis; it is much more. It is synthesis, namely integration, wholeness, unity, harmonious use of all our functions , all our potentials, all our drives. The word “synthesis” comes from the Greek word “syn,” which means “together,” and the Greek word “thesis,” which means “to put” or “to set.” So synthesis means to put together, to put parts together so that they form an integrated whole.
In terms of the human psyche, psychosynthesis refers to integrating and expressing in a harmonious way our entire human being— physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. I emphasize the “and” because it is this last aspect that has been largely overlooked, or perhaps not sufficiently emphasized, in some of the early attempts at psychoanalysis, although many of my psychoanalytic colleagues have recently become increasingly concerned with values. Whether these values are artistic, aesthetic, ethical, or altruistic, we might call them “spiritual” aspects of our human nature. So the goal is synthesis, a creative whole.
Analysis may lead to this end, but it does not necessarily do so. It is a means to an end, a means, but we must always remember that it is not the end in itself and should not be confused with the end. Analysis can be used to achieve synthesis, or wholeness, but other paths may have a more holistic effect. At this point I do not wish to give the mistaken impression that I am anti-analytic. My message is that we should make use of both analysis and synthesis when we wish to help a fellow human being in his efforts to achieve a richer and fuller life. Psychosynthesis is a useful method not only for people suffering from neurotic difficulties and various serious psychological problems, but it is also useful for people who are relatively well-functioning but who are striving for a higher degree of self-realization and fulfillment.
If there is to be integration, the different tendencies of human nature must be harmonized. How do we do that? In other words, how do we actually become integrated? I think one of the first things we must consider is that we cannot be integrated without having some kind of center around which the synthesis can be built. Otherwise we lose focus and there is nothing really being integrated. So you could say that synthesis should first take place around a personal center , the conscious ego, the “I,” in what we might call personal psychosynthesis , namely the synthesis of the personality—physical, emotional, and mental. Then psychosynthesis can take place around a deeper center, which we might call, for lack of a better term, our spiritual Self with a capital S, of which the little self we live from in everyday life is only a reflection of consciousness. (The spiritual Self is related to Karen Horney’s “real self,” which she describes as “the central inner force,” the deep source of psychological growth, the source of constructive energies, and which she distinguishes from both the actual or empirical self and the idealized self.[1] It refers to our deepest nature, the inner core, the real Being of man.[2] The spiritual Self has been called the transpersonal Self (because the phenomenological experience of the Self encompasses the personal as well as the collective, the individual as well as the universal) and the transcendental Self (because the consciousness of the Self transcends the consciousness of the ordinary self). It is related to the states of mystical selflessness as described by Fingarette in a psychoanalytic framework.[3] Regardless of the term used, what needs to be developed is a science of the Self, its energies and manifestations, and how these energies can be contacted and released for the purpose of a creative life.) So the potential goal (which may not be achieved by many people, but which is at least a potential) is not only a personal psychosynthesis, which is an effective integration of the personality, but also a spiritual psychosynthesis; that is, an integration of the personality with a spiritual center, for which the integrated personality then becomes a vehicle of expression in this world.
To be precise, we integrate the personality around the personal self, which largely experiences a sense of separation from others, and this integrated personality must then be synthesized around a much deeper center, which experiences not only a sense of self-identity, but also a sense of universality, of being connected to other beings and to the universe as a whole. This is a very long and complex process, and in many ways it is up to the patient or person to decide how far he or she really wants to go. Many people are satisfied with a halfway house, so to speak, and stop there and become very effective in their work and daily activities. Others experience a kind of inner unrest that has been called “divine dissatisfaction,” in which case more must be added to satisfy the person.
By spiritual I do not mean dogmatic, religious ideas, for in many cases religious dogmas stand in the way of a profound spiritual experience . They can, in short, be thought forms that limit us. On the other hand, a genuine spiritual experience can be translated into terms that are understood by all of humanity and not just by a particular faith. By “spiritual” I do not mean “going to church.” I mean anything that embodies higher than average values, including empathetic understanding, altruistic love, deep wisdom, creative inspiration, appreciation of beauty, a sense of responsibility, a sense of a desire to contribute, as well as the so-called mystical experiences of universality, of oneness with the cosmos.[4] Spiritual experiences can take many forms in different people, and very often one will find that a person will abandon his or her particular dogmas, which may be a form that the experience takes on, but not the very essence of the experience.
It is obvious from the foregoing that the basic orientation within psychosynthesis includes a recognition for the therapist that the spiritual impulses in man are as basic, as primary, as the sexual and aggressive drives, which are so well described within psychoanalysis. But it also indicates that these sexual and aggressive drives are not denied. It is a mistake that many so-called spiritual people make that they cut themselves off from their physical-emotional nature and want to reach “spiritual” heights without having their feet firmly planted on the ground. This is not psychosynthesis. Being “spiritual” in the ordinary linguistic sense, when we say of a person that he or she is “spiritual”, is the opposite of synthesis, because it cuts us off from being a human being of flesh and blood. It is a way to achieve a pseudo-nirvana, but it is not the path of psychosynthesis. It is, of course, far easier to be integrated in a thoroughly materialistic sense, or a thoroughly spiritual sense, than it is to integrate both within oneself. The latter is the goal of psychosynthesis.
When I say that the spiritual drive is fundamental, I mean that it does not fundamentally arise from the sexual or aggressive drives through the processes of reaction formation, projection or sublimation, which are the explanations given in the orthodox psychoanalytic literature. It is true that in many cases spiritual strivings arise from other drives; for example, certain people may project the image of a God as a result of their own immature need for dependence on a strong father image. I am sure that this reminiscence exists in many of us, but there is something else as well. There is a spiritual urge which does not arise from infantile inclinations, from dependence, from reaction formation of aggression; which does not arise from sexual drives; but which is a drive in itself on a par with sexual and aggressive drives. Just as people develop in youth and express more of the sexual drives, so in general will people later in life begin to express some of their spiritual drives. In this light, neurosis can arise as well from the repression of spiritual impulses as from the more recognized repression of sexual and aggressive drives . I think there is here a very important distinction between orthodox psychoanalysis and the psychosynthetic approach. This does not mean that a psychosynthetic therapist will not recognize all the aspects so well described by Freud and his followers and make use of all the techniques that they have developed, but there is a need to recognize additional aspects of human nature and to include the spiritual aspects; to recognize the need for the integration of these spiritual aspects with the rest of human nature and to make use of additional techniques which may not be analytical but which are very concretely applicable to the purposes of synthesis.
There is another implication in this orientation, namely that if one acknowledges the existence of a spiritual Self with a capital “S”, one as a therapist also acknowledges that within the patient (and for that matter within all of us) there is an inner source of love, of intelligence, of wisdom, of creativity, of inner direction and purpose. The therapist’s task, therefore, within this orientation, is to help the individual become aware of and to make use of these higher energies in the work of reconstructing the personality.
One of the basic assumptions of this approach is that this spiritual center , if approached without personality distortions, is a wiser source of guidance and direction for the patient’s life than the therapist’s conscious mind. This recognition of the patient’s inner wisdom will give the therapist a much-needed sense of proportion and humility. I believe it can help a great deal if the therapist has a conviction, derived directly from his own experience, that no matter how miserable, confused, or sick the person may appear on the outside, this inner center of psychological health, wisdom, and purpose exists and is there to be awakened, provided the blocks to its conscious realization can be removed.
One might say that this is good enough, but how is it done? How can personal and spiritual psychosynthesis be achieved? I cannot possibly give a complete answer in these two sessions. It is not possible in the time available, and I believe that even if I had had more time, I could not have given a complete answer, because I do not have it; and I do not have a patent solution either. All I can do is first describe the general process of psychosynthesis, and then select one technique that – among others – can be applied towards the goal of psychosynthesis.
Assagioli, in his article Dynamic Psychology and Psychosynthesis, distinguishes between different stages in the psychosynthesis process. I will briefly summarize these stages, but it should be remembered that they may overlap to some extent.[5]
The first stage involves a thorough knowledge of one’s personality . This is the analytical stage, where free association, projective techniques, and all the techniques of modern psychotherapy can be used.
The second stage is focused on the control of various elements of the personality . It is based on a fundamental psychological principle that can be formulated as follows: “We are dominated by everything that our self identifies with. We can dominate and direct everything that we can dis-identify from.” The question therefore becomes to what extent we can identify with our true Self and dis-identify from the non-self. For example, every time we identify with an illness, a fearful thought or a mistake, every time we admit that “I feel down” or “I am irritated,” we become more and more dominated by irritation, depression or anger. We have put ourselves in chains. If instead we say “a wave of discouragement is trying to overpower me,” the situation is different, because on the one hand we experience the discouragement or anger, and on the other hand we experience the self. In this way we identify with the self. But it does not involve a sugary attitude of denial and repression, saying, “Oh no, I’m not angry; I’m a very kind person,” while gritting our teeth. I am not advocating a sugary attitude that everything is fine, like Candide in Voltaire’s novel. We must have the courage to confront our shadow (to use a Jungian term) or the id (the id), if we want to use a Freudian term, and confront it directly, become aware of it and of the psychodynamics and motivations associated with it. But that does not mean that we say that we are it . It is not all of us; it is part of us. So the basic exercise of dis-identification from the non-self and identification with the Self is extremely important for psychosynthesis. First, to realize that I have a body, but I am not my body, because after all, within a few days all the cells of the body will no longer be the same, and yet I experience a kind of continuity. Sometimes I am tired, and at other times I am full of energy. When there is so much change, how can my identity lie in that? I have a body; I use it, just as I use a car, but I am the driver – not my car. That does not mean that I do not enjoy the car, or for example that I do not enjoy sex, but I am aware that in my wholeness I am not that kind of enjoyment. It is just an aspect of life.
The same can be said about my emotions. Sometimes I feel depressed, sometimes I feel uplifted, sometimes I feel irritated, and sometimes I feel very loving. The moods change, and where in all that is my identity? These are all temporary moods that I experience, but I am not my emotions. Nevertheless, they are extremely useful and applicable in my contact with other people. I do not withdraw from other people. I need emotions to experience in ways other than through the intellect how other people react, and to express love and affection. But I am not my emotions.
And I can go a step further and think of all the ways in which my thoughts, my intellect and my ideas have changed and developed over the years; that I have sometimes changed my mind. How can my identity lie in that? I think, but I am not my thoughts. I have an intellect; it is a tool, but I do not elevate it (as some people do) to the status of a god that I worship. It is just a tool; an intellect; a way of solving problems and of thinking. But I am not my intellect. Who am I then? I am a Self. I am a point of pure self-awareness . One of the easiest ways to help a person understand this is to ask them to concentrate on something, such as closing their eyes and visualizing a white dot on the outside of a white circle. Very quickly sensations and feelings will arise, and all sorts of extraneous thoughts will arise. You then begin to experience that on the one hand there is a self that has wanted to visualize a dot and a circle, and on the other hand all these extraneous sensations, feelings and thoughts. You become aware of how little control you have, and how much difference there is between the self and the stream of consciousness, which includes sensations from the body, feelings from the emotional nature, and thoughts from the mental nature. And finally there is the further experience when you become aware that this conscious self is not your ultimate truth and identity. Because ultimately the self disappears at night, and when we wake up the next morning we are back again. It disappears under anesthesia or in deep hypnotic states, and yet it reappears. So perhaps it is just a reflection within a field of consciousness in a center that is much deeper, and which we can call a Self with a capital “S”.
So the next realization, the next stage, is the realization of one’s true Self – the discovery of the unifying center. Ideal models can be useful in this work; models that we can build ourselves around. But inner models, the inner sense of awareness and individuality is another method. I cannot go into too much detail in this session, but want to give a broad perspective and then give a concrete technique.
The next step is psychosynthesis itself, the formation or reconstruction of a personality around this center, which the therapist has helped the patient to recognize. It consists of many intermediate steps, which include the use of available energies, the transformation and sublimation of sexual and aggressive drives, the coordination and subordination of various psychological functions, and the development of undeveloped functions . In relation to the four functions: sensing, feeling, thinking, and intuition, there is generally an imbalance. Some people have an approach to life that is primarily based on the sensory plane, others have an approach that is primarily based on sensations or emotions; others must think everything out intellectually and cannot feel, but must think out what they feel. For these people, psychosynthesis involves the development of the feeling function, since it is undeveloped.
Therefore, I would like to provide an overview of a psychosynthesis technique that relates to the development and use of the imagination.
Symbolic Visualization: A Psychosynthesis Technique
In this technique the imagination is used not for idle daydreaming, as we sometimes do, nor for artful creation, which in itself can be useful, but with psychological growth and integration as the specific purpose. I wish to show how this technique can help, not only in the development of the imagination, but also in the overall psychosynthesis of the individual.
Many of us experience that the imagination is either not developed or that we cannot control it. If it is undeveloped, when asked to visualize, the person often cannot see anything, since everything is intellectualized and cannot be directly experienced in the world of images. If the imagination is not under our control, it can run wild and cause many difficulties, creating wild fantasies, useless daydreams bordering on psychotic, autistic fantasies. So the purpose becomes to develop the imagination, but in a creative, constructive way that serves the overall growth and development of the individual. Visualization, the pictorial aspect of the imagination, is closely connected to the language of the unconscious, which is basically a pictorial language that we all know from our dreams. When we dream, our unconscious speaks to us in pictures. By reversing this process, either by feeding the unconscious with images or by replacing the images that come from the unconscious, it is possible to speak to the unconscious in its own imagery and thus influence the unconscious processes and thereby ultimately influence our external behavior. Since many of these images are symbolic of our feelings, attitudes or conflicts, I call this process Symbolic Visualization.
Symbolic visualization is both a psycho-diagnostic and a psycho-therapeutic method. It is one of the basic psychosynthesis methods. For example, we can ask a patient to close his eyes and imagine an unopened rosebud that gradually and at the pace of nature opens up and becomes a fully-blown rose. Incidentally, when I use the word “patient”, I do not mean just a patient, because many people come to me for the purpose of self-actualization, self-realization through therapy and not primarily because they feel neurotic. So when I say patient, I mean a human being. In some patients, the bud unfolds immediately into a full rose; diagnostically, this means that it is a human being who has a goal relatively clear in consciousness, but who does not want to go through the difficulties, the toil and the pain that the intermediate steps entail. The therapy then involves asking the patient to imagine the growth of the rose in the same gradual way as in nature. Other diagnostic implications are endless. Let me give a few examples. A patient with repressed hostility initially visualized a rose with sharp, jagged leaves. In another patient, who was very withdrawn and isolated, the rose would not open at all; it remained closed like a bud. These clues to personality dynamics can be used for interpretation and insight, as is the case in psychoanalysis, but it is also possible to work directly with the image and ask the patient to repeat the procedure until he is able to produce a beautiful rose and recognize that the process is an essential symbol of his inner growth and development. The effect of this symbolic visualization depends on the person’s growing ability to introject the rose and get a sense of the living symbol, so that the symbol works creatively within the person and sets in motion his own constructive and creative powers.
The techniques of symbolic visualization fall within a continuum that ranges from controlled visualization of specific symbols to free, spontaneous visualization of an unstructured nature, such as daydreaming.
A. Controlled symbolic visualization
In controlled symbolic visualization, the basic pictorial content, although some of the details may be spontaneous, is given in advance. An initial state consists of sitting in a comfortable chair, closing the eyes and achieving as relaxed a state as possible. The sitting position, in contrast to a lying position, facilitates the individual’s control over the imaginative processes. Attention is drawn away as much as possible from the bodily processes and extraneous thoughts and is instead focused on the concrete symbols or the symbolic situation that the “mind’s eye” creates.
There are two basic types of controlled symbolic visualization: (1) The controlled visualization of dynamic symbols, and (2) The controlled visualization of symbolic situations.
1. Controlled visualization of dynamic symbols
Two methods can be used here:
a. In the first case, the self seeks to hold the image in a predetermined form . This experience usually gives the patient a dramatic realization of his lack of control. Unwanted thoughts and feelings break in and disrupt concentration. The image itself will either change or fade away. He must create it again and again. This experience helps the patient to distinguish between the self or “I,” which wants to concentrate on a particular image, and the changing content of consciousness. To achieve the maximum effect of this exercise, a few minutes daily over a period of several months can be devoted to this type of visualization. Gradually, with persistent practice, the person will find that his ability to visualize improves and that he can hold a stable image for a longer period. Thus he gains control over the imagination, and his sense of self-identity as the one who controls his inner and outer life is strengthened.
The selection of the visualised image itself can lead to further change, as it is chosen precisely for its dynamic therapeutic value. Particularly useful in this context are the following:
(1) Symbols of synthesis , of integration and balance around an inner core, such as a sunflower. Jung has witnessed the transformative power of these symbols. From the study of mandala symbolism, I came to the conclusion that the integrative value of these symbols lies primarily in the geometric shapes embedded in the image. Instead of waiting for their spontaneous emergence, it is possible to visualize these basic integrative symbols. For example, visualize the edge of a white circle with a white dot in the center, then an isosceles white cross or mathematical plus sign, ending with the visualization of the outline of a white isosceles triangle pointing upward, spending four to five minutes on the visualization of each symbol in the mentioned order. Experience has shown that it is important to create this image again and again, as it fades away, and to continue this practice daily for 9-12 months to ensure an effective and lasting result.
(2) Symbols of harmonious human relationships , such as two hands giving a handshake.
(3) Symbols of masculinity (e.g. a sword) and femininity (a container such as a cup or a vase). If the visualized sword is covered with rust or broken (as was the case for a homosexual patient), the patient is asked to remove the rust or to imagine himself repairing it until he creates a fine and shiny blade. Psychotherapists will have no trouble seeing the sexual symbolism. But it is more than that. It is about his entire masculinity and not just his sexual potency. It represents his role as a masculine being in life; he sees to what extent he can assert himself when he finds himself in a situation that justifies this. As for the feminine symbol, the cup or vase, it was visualized by a female patient who experienced it as black inside and full of dirt. I asked her to remove the dirt and paint the vase with gold inside, and then fill it with fresh water. This restoration work, such as Flowers growing out of the mud often occur spontaneously without the intervention of the therapist.
(4) Symbols of emotional states (i.e., the emotional, feeling aspect of our human nature). In this case, subjective color visualization can prove effective in producing desirable emotional states. For example, in the psychophysiological studies I conducted at the Veterans’ Administration Hospital in Los Angeles, the color blue was shown to have a calming effect, especially in subjects suffering from severe anxiety. The effect even affected the brain waves on the electroencephalograph (EEC) I used, and there were corresponding changes in blood pressure, respiratory rate, and other functions of the autonomic nervous system. The patient is asked to visualize himself at the center of a sphere filled with a given color, or to imagine a situation or object of a particular color, such as a blue mountain lake; or a geometric shape filled with color, such as a blue circle or a yellow diamond.
b. In the second approach to controlled visualization of dynamic symbols, the self seeks to change the image in a pre-arranged direction. This allows for the use of living symbols . Among these are symbols of transformation (e.g., the transformation of a caterpillar into a chrysalis into a butterfly) and symbols of growth, such as the rose I have already mentioned, or a seed growing to the full strength and maturity of a tree (such as an oak or pine tree) capable of withstanding the ravages of the elements. I had a very interesting experience with a patient who was asked during his first session to visualize a seed. (I usually want the patient to experience this in therapy, after which he can work on it on his own.) The tree began to grow and wanted to grow so fast that the trunk was not strong enough to support the branches. It never became a tree, but instead became a vine, clinging to the ground like a hanging vine, which was a living image of the way the patient was dependent on others. In his case, part of the therapy was to get him to start creating space for natural growth.
2. Controlled visualization of symbolic situations
In the second basic type of controlled visualization, namely controlled visualization of symbolic situations, movement dynamics are used, not only in relation to a single symbol such as a growing tree, but in relation to a visualized series of events. Symbolic situations may arise from the patient’s own creations . For example, a male patient who had sexual problems experienced certain difficulties in a daydream when he tried to play ping-pong with a woman. He was asked to visualize this situation again and again with the aim of gradually improving his game and reducing his anxiety. By symbolically playing ping-pong with a woman, some of the anxiety that was associated with heterosexual relationships for him could possibly be removed.
Symbolic situations may be suggested by the therapist , depending on the patient’s needs. These scenes include the following:
(1) Symbolic visualization of desirable personality traits , such as patiently untying a knot, awakening from a dormant state to lucid experience, taming and training a wild horse. In this context, a wild horse can represent the personality as a whole; and specifically, it can represent the aggressive drives that must be tamed, trained (but not suppressed) so that they can be released and expressed constructively.
(2) Symbolic representations of the process of reconstructing the personality . For example, building a home or temple to replace a dilapidated house; or restoring a neglected garden and visualizing its growth in beauty, day after day for a few minutes, until it truly becomes an expression of beauty.
(3) A symbolic course of action representing the discovery and identification of a unifying center around which the conflicts of the personality can be resolved. For example, reaching the safety of a lighthouse on a cliff after a perilous swim in the foaming sea, climbing to the top of the lighthouse and from this point looking out over the sea with the awareness that this course of action may represent the ability to stand firm in the midst of emotional storms, and to survive one’s conflicts with an attitude of the observer identified with the self, the “I,” the center of consciousness. Seen in this light, the lighthouse is more than the symbol of the male sexual organ; it becomes a symbol of the self.
(4) Symbolic representations of inter-individual psychosynthesis , namely the psychosynthesis of the couple, the group, humanity – such as walking together as a couple or a group along the same path, helping each other to overcome the obstacles encountered on their way.
B. Spontaneous symbolic visualization
The predetermined course of development of images in controlled symbolic visualization can be altered by the intrusion of spontaneous symbolic content. In the techniques of spontaneous symbolic visualization this tendency to receive spontaneous images is fostered, and no attempt is made in advance to determine the form or sequence of the symbolic representations, although a starting image may be given to initiate the process. The spontaneity of the symbolic image-making is promoted by the patient lying down relaxed. In the previous technique the self or ego visualized a predetermined image. In this technique we wish to be more receptive to these unexpected images and to let them come through in a more spontaneous way; so it is advisable that the patient lie down, although this is of relatively minor importance. I would like to give a very important warning here .
Whereas controlled symbolic visualization (as I have already discussed) can be done by the person on their own, spontaneous visualization is best done in the presence of a trained psychotherapist . By this I mean a professional psychotherapist who is specifically trained in this technique, who has tried it himself and who knows what it entails; who does not feel lost if a patient suddenly experiences that he is being swallowed by a dragon. I would not advise any of us to embark on spontaneous symbolic visualization on our own. If we do, we do so at our own risk.
One of the most unstructured techniques for spontaneous symbolic visualization is Jung’s “active visualization”, where the patient is asked, for example, to continue an interrupted dream, or to imagine a dialogue with the dream characters. In Germany, Hanscarl Leuner from the University of Tübingen has developed a technique for “conscious symbolic projection”, which he uses in his psychodiagnostic work, and most recently also for therapeutic purposes. He uses a systematic series of about 20 symbolic situations that he suggests to the patient; for example, waiting for a person to come out of a cave. One of my female patients experienced that it was a lion that came out of the cave. To promote her psychosynthesis, I asked her to become good friends with this dangerous animal. She became scared and thought that she would be eaten by the lion. However, in a previous session she had had a spiritual experience where she saw herself completely surrounded by white light, and I asked her to recall this experience, which she had previously associated with strength and love. As she did so, she no longer felt that the lion wanted to eat her, even though it was still very wild. I asked her to climb over the lion and sit on it as a symbolic representation of her integration with her animal nature. This approach was especially important for this woman, who was very spiritually oriented but needed further integration with her physical and emotional nature. Initially, it was the lion who led her to her den, where she met the mother lion and her cubs. Using Desoilles’ “guided daydream” (“Rêve Eveillé”), I suggested that she climb a mountain with the lion. Symbolically, this evoked a sublimation of her animal urges, represented by the lion, and through this process she was now able to control these urges more easily. In fact, when she reached the top of the mountain, she found that she could direct the lion, so that when she returned to the valley, she and the lion were like riders on horseback. Very shortly after this symbolic experience, the patient (who had been unable to write for the past two years) began to experience a surge of creativity and resumed his writing career.
Desoille’s “guided daydreaming” technique makes significant use of downward movement to contact threatening symbolic representations of inner and interpersonal conflicts, and of upward movement in conflict resolution, sublimation, and humanization. Most recently, Desoille has structured his therapy into a tentative series of symbolic themes including climbing a mountain, descending into the depths of the ocean, meeting a witch in a cave (the witch often represents the mother, wife, or sister), or meeting a sorcerer (who may represent the father, husband, or therapist).
What distinguishes these techniques from the usual daydreams, in which anxious situations are often avoided and goals are achieved without effort, is the encouragement to take an active role in relation to the threatening symbol. The therapeutic process can be explained with learning-theoretical concepts such as the substitution of previous neurotic reactions of fear and avoidance with healthy ways of responding. For example, if one encounters a squid in the depths of the sea, the patient is encouraged to catch it despite his intense anxiety and bring it to the surface, into the light of day, where it can sometimes be transformed into the face of his mother or father. The patient may thus experience that his mother has suffocated or overprotected him and thus prevented him from developing his own self-identity; or that he was afraid of his father, if the father appears as an image. The patient then visualizes that he is climbing a mountain with his mother or father. He may possibly discover certain values in the other person through this sublimation of his “lower” drives and in the actualization of his “higher” inclinations, and through this he may become aware of certain qualities in these people that he had not fully recognized before. He may even begin to experience new feelings of understanding and love. So in reality it is a method of psychosynthesis “par excellence”. One travels down into the depths of the oceans, into the interior of the earth, and then right up to the top of a mountain and further into the sky, into the universal cosmos – and thus one symbolically connects spirit and matter within oneself and integrates one’s spiritual aspirations with one’s physical nature.
In the next session, I will continue talking about spontaneous visualization, and then I will give a concrete example of a therapy session.
SECOND SESSION
Introduction to the second session
As you will recall, in the first session I spoke about the basic idea of psychosynthesis, the goal, the summary of the process, and then I spoke about one of the techniques of psychosynthesis , namely symbolic visualization . I would like to remind you that this is just one technique; I do not want to give the impression that psychosynthesis is only this . For example, psychosynthesis includes techniques of acceptance, concentration, creative expression, humor, intuition, meditation, objective observation, deep relaxation, transmutation and sublimation, synthesis of opposites, and development of the will, to name just a few.
However, to stay focused, it is important to be specific. Therefore, rather than being purely general and theoretical, I have chosen a technique that I participated in developing, so that I can speak from direct experience. I believe this will be of value here, since symbolic visualization is an approach that is not yet well-known in psychotherapy.
In the first session, I spent most of the time on symbolic visualization to discuss the first form of symbolic visualization, which is the controlled type, where the patient or subject has decided in advance what he wants to visualize and what the result might be, such as visualizing a rose bud developing into a fully blossomed rose.
Next I spoke of spontaneous symbolic visualization, where there is much greater freedom and which is usually done lying down, where the individual begins to allow the contents of his unconscious to emerge spontaneously in an almost daydreaming manner, and I mentioned two people who are particularly associated with this approach: (a) A Frenchman, Robert Desoille. His most important book is called in French Le Rene Eveillé en Psychothérapie (The Guided Daydream in Psychotherapy)[6]. His most recent book is called Théorie et Pratique de Rêve Eveillé Dirigé .[7] (b) A German psychiatrist, Hanscarl Leuner; unfortunately most of his articles are only available in German. (An article in English, Initiated Symbol Projection by William Swartley – based on unpublished manuscripts by Hanscarl Leuner – is available from The Psychosynthesis Research Foundation)[8]. This, I believe, explains why the important advances of psychotherapy have been so far little known in this country.[9]
I would like to emphasize that Desoilles and Leuner’s techniques are only part of the overall symbolic visualization techniques. They are techniques for spontaneous symbolic visualization, but even within the framework of spontaneous symbolic visualization there is the possibility of using additional techniques, and I would like to present these here.
For example, the techniques of Desoille, Jung, Leuner, and others, in which the individual interacts with the imagined material, can be extended to include symbolic identification with all the elements of the imagination. The patient is asked to imagine that he is the person, animal, plant, object, or natural scene (a river, a lake, a mountain), etc., that he has encountered in his imagination, and to experience and spontaneously enact the scene from that point of view. This technique is useful for reintegrating projected material, for working through anxiety-provoking images, for improving interpersonal relationships, and generally for gaining insight into the meaning of the symbolic representations.
In addition to the guided visualization techniques, where visualization constitutes the main approach to the therapy, it is possible to make occasional use of spontaneous symbolic visualization to represent and ultimately influence a number of psychological states:
1. Symbolic visualization of somatic conditions
This technique is particularly useful in the symbolic understanding and resolution of psychosomatic tensions. For example, a borderline schizophrenic college student reported a tension in her shoulders during a therapy session, which in essence consisted of a dialogue between her and me – she was sitting in an armchair across from me. The usual psychoanalytic technique would be to say “What does that make you think of?” and thus continue the verbal dialogue. However, it is possible to use symbolic visualization by asking her to close her eyes and talk about associated images instead of associated words or memories. She sees herself hanging from a tree on some kind of hanger with the horizontal wire of the hanger around her shoulders, without emotion, as a “thing” more than a person. Incidentally, this kind of imagery is common in withdrawn individuals who have lost their sense of self or self-identity and who instead experience depersonalization. I ask her to imagine getting herself down from the hanger, but she experiences great difficulty. Finally, she is able to bring herself down to earth. When she comes down to earth, she sees a boy she was interested in but had been keeping at a distance from. She wants to hug him. When she is prompted to do so in the visualization, she notices that she is breathing more freely, feels more alive, and that the tension in her shoulders has disappeared. This is a spontaneous visualization, because when I asked this person to close her eyes, neither she nor I knew what image would appear. The image was not predetermined; it appeared as a spontaneous representation of her psychosomatic tension.
2. Symbolic visualization of emotional states
It is possible to represent prominent emotional and motivational dynamics figuratively. For example, I asked an anxious male patient to contact his anxiety (“close your eyes and describe what you are feeling, and tell me if there is a specific image that comes to you”). He imagines a soft lump of dough and then realizes that his anxiety is related to a feeling of inner weakness. This is the use of symbolic representation in a psychoanalytic context to understand the source of his anxiety. But I went further. I asked him to imagine that he put this dough in the oven and baked it into a loaf of bread; this represents the growth process all the way to the finished product. An outer crust is formed and the inside is digestible. The person experiences himself as more than a dull toad; he has now symbolically achieved a degree of self-identity. This is a psychosynthetic technique because the therapy takes place without words by making use of nonverbal material. In my opinion, too much psychotherapy takes place on a purely verbal level. A patient comes to you and tells you about terrible things that have happened to him for years and what his experience of it is, and often you get nowhere. Sometimes you do, but I think we have to use both non-verbal and verbal techniques. Symbolic visualization is another non-verbal technique that we can use.
There are several techniques that promote the visualization of emotional states:
a. Door technology
The patient is asked to imagine a door in a high wall or a house, and on that door to visualize a word that the therapist suggests, or a word that the patient suggests himself, such as “anxiety”, “depression”, “love”, “hate”, “hope” etc. The patient is then asked to open the door and tell what he sees on the other side. From there, the process is a spontaneous symbolic visualization. For this, you can use Desoilles’ guided visualization technique and support the sublimation and resolution of the conflicts by asking the patient to go upwards, or if the patient comes up with sugary stories, for example, if at the word “hate” he opens the door and finds a beautiful garden with pigeons in an act of love, and there is no such thing as hate in his world, I ask him to go down because he needs to go down and face the dark side of life that he has suppressed.
b. The technique of the heart
The patient is asked to visualize a large Valentine’s heart, larger than himself; perhaps 2.5-3 m high, and to enter it through a door. Let me give an example. A married woman with ulcers and breathing difficulties, frustrated with her husband and angry at his inability to express warm feelings for her, is considering divorce. She sees a wooden heart (already here we see a symbol of her emotional deprivation) leading to a desolate landscape of snow and ice near the North Pole. If I were now exclusively psychoanalytically oriented, I would stop her and ask for associations. I have a symbolic representation for the desolate landscape in which she finds herself, and for the coldness of the emotional climate in her home; the wooden heart may represent her heart, which can no longer love, or her husband, who does not love her. But instead of immediately interpreting, I asked her, “Is there a living being or a person in this desolate landscape?” I admit it was a suggestion, but a therapeutic suggestion. I’m still leaving it open; I don’t know what kind of life is emerging. She meets a man, all wrapped up in a heavy overcoat that covers his face. We can see the difficulty in the interpersonal relationship between her and the man. We don’t yet know who the other person represents, but he is masculine. I suggest that they dig in the ice to discover what’s underneath. It’s another suggestion, but again I think it’s a therapeutic suggestion. They have no tools, so they dig with their hands. Their hands are bleeding, and they’re in excruciating pain. Finally they reach the ground, and she gasps. She’s surprised to find fresh, green grass. I take that as a symbolic representation of the life and growth that lies ahead; there’s something alive under all this ice—perhaps there’s something that could develop between her and the man. The ice disappears, and she finds herself in a meadow. The reason the ice melts is because the warm sunshine melts it. She notices that the man’s face is her husband’s face. I didn’t tell her that I thought the man was her husband; it came from her. But despite the warm sunshine, he can’t take off his overcoat; he’s still wrapped up. This is a symbolic visual representation of a man who can’t express warm feelings. The sun’s rays are warm, and he’s still wrapped up. This is what she’s angry about. And she says, “Come on, take it off, take it off,” but he refuses. This is more or less the situation in her home. Now comes another therapeutic suggestion: “Imagine helping your husband take off his coat.” She does, and he responds by embracing her. They decide to build a home here and start a new life together. It is interesting to note that in the following session, for the first time in years, she reported warm feelings in her relationship with her husband, and that the husband responds in his own way. Finally,After further psychotherapy, her stomach ulcer improves and her breathing problems disappear.
3. Symbolic visualization, derived from projective techniques
The patient is asked to interact in imagination with the characters created in the Draw-a-Person test and to enter the scenes from his projective drawings. Essential Rorschach responses and characters from the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) and the Make-a-Picture-Story (MAPS) can be confronted and acted out in imagination.
4. Symbolic visualization, derived from dreams and daydreams
The patient interacts with and confronts the symbols, characters, and situations he previously encountered in his dreams and daydreams. The above-mentioned symbolic identification technique is particularly effective in understanding and assimilating dream content. For example, an emotionally inhibited woman was asked to identify with the flowing stream in her dreams and then experienced a release that helped her establish a more spontaneous emotional relationship with others.
5. Symbolic visualization of thought content
The patient is asked to associate a mental image with certain thoughts, ideas, and concepts. Metaphorical language proves particularly useful in this substitution of verbal with non-verbal material.
The technique of a reflected self-image is particularly useful in producing a self-image. The patient is asked to go into a room and look in the mirror, or to go out into the garden and see his reflection in the water. Often the reflected image is different from the real person. It may be an idealized self in relation to what he would like to be, and from this it can be seen whether the level of aspiration is below or above what is possible for the person to achieve; or it may be the denied self, which CG June has called the “shadow”. I remember, for example, a female patient who had no awareness of her masculine aggressive tendencies and who expressed intense anxiety when she saw her reflection in the mirror – almost like Oscar Wilde’s picture of Dorian Gray. The image in the mirror at first had her features, but then she saw the features change into the face of an evil man. In this way she experienced with terrible force some of her inner tendencies that had been repressed. They needed to come out and be released in the psychotherapeutic process. At the time, it was quite a psychological shock for her, and that is why I believe that a trained therapist should be present in such a situation.
Even abstract ideas – and now we are getting closer to the spiritual aspect – such as justice, goodwill and altruism, can be represented in visual symbols or situations in which the subject is asked to express the corresponding values; to act as if he had these values, as if he were altruistic.
Spiritual experiences in psychotherapy
There is a strong trend in psychology today towards existentialism; in many ways this is a valuable trend, but it has its limitations, which I would like to elaborate on here. Many existentialists have emphasized the experience of loneliness and isolation, of the ultimate feeling of being separate from other beings. This experience is one of the overarching symptoms of modern life and is very widespread. Therefore, it is understandable that existentialists give this experience so much attention. The experience of isolation, of separateness, is related to the experience of the personal self. It can occur when the personal self is dis-identified from others, dis-identified from the contents of consciousness – such as sensations, feelings and thoughts – but has not yet reached direct contact with the spiritual Self (the “higher” Self or “deeper” Self, based on the analogy we choose to use).
Many existentialists do not distinguish between the personal self, which is isolated, and the spiritual Self, which is not. This distinction is fundamental in psychosynthesis. The experience of the personal self is the separate identity. The experience of the spiritual self unites a strong sense of identity (of individuality, of being oneself, of discovering one’s true self) with the sense of universality, unity, cosmic unity. What would appear from a logical point of view to be a contradiction is instead the most wonderful, vivid experience – individuality and universality, of being fully oneself and yet being identified with the fullness of life, one with the universe. I would call such an experience a spiritual experience. The existential experience of loneliness is a denial of the spiritual Self. However, this experience of loneliness and isolation has its significance. Pioneers in all fields and people with new ideas that do not fit into the accepted, orthodox picture of their time, for example, must sooner or later pass through this experience. But psychosynthesis – unlike existentialism – affirms that this experience of isolation is not the true nature of man. The true nature of man is an integral part of the universe.
The consciousness of the spiritual Self, the true nature of man, can be achieved through the use of certain psychosynthetic techniques . I do not think it will be particularly fruitful at this time to theorize about the spiritual Self. Some of my colleagues have asked me. “Can you define the spiritual Self?” One answer is that the Self is an experience . We can formulate this experience more or less in concepts, but it is essentially an experience. Life itself is an experience, so in my opinion we should not start by making the Self with a capital S a concept or dogma (including scientific or religious dogmas), but rather start with techniques for experiencing the Self in order to have a spiritual experience through it.
It seems that many churches do not spend much time on a technique that could awaken spiritual awareness. Perhaps it is not too much to hope that in the future, as a result of the growing relationship between psychotherapists and clergy of all faiths, such techniques will become an integral part of the clergy. I know that some clergy are exploring and using various meditation techniques, and I believe that many of the psychosynthetic techniques could also be useful in the church, especially in pastoral work. Neither the clergy with their members of the church nor the therapist with his patients can provoke a spiritual experience, but they can help to call it forth. Certain techniques can be used that can provoke genuine spiritual experiences, and it is this that I wish to discuss briefly in the remainder of this session.
Symbolic visualization for spiritual psychosynthesis
Just as symbols can express not only infantile and primitive desires but also unrecognized growth potentials, symbolic visualization can serve to awaken inner wisdom and inspiration, as well as ethical, humanitarian, and altruistic values, which I collectively call “spiritual experiences” and “spiritual values.” Techniques that are particularly well-suited for this purpose include the following:
1. Guided visualization technique
Desoilles’ previously mentioned “Réve Eveillé” technique for reaching the heights or descending into the depths of the inner world is fundamentally a technique of symbolic ascent and symbolic descent.
2. The techniques of light
Light is a very basic symbol – a symbol of enlightenment, of wisdom; the light of the intellect, etc. We can use light as a symbol of the Self; a point of light or a sphere of fire – (fire is also a symbol of purification). Try in the imagination to step into a flaming sphere. The patient will say “But my body will be destroyed”. And I can say “Let us see what happens”. The patient may experience his body being destroyed, but he himself will not be; he becomes aware that the Self is not the body. A shining diamond, a brilliant sun or star has been used as a symbol of the Self. In his imagination the patient approaches and finally steps completely into the luminous area. For example, he may identify himself and unite with a clear, pure and very strong light on the top of a mountain or a pyramid. The light is used to create a process of gradual contact and identification with an inner light of understanding and insight.
3. Inner dialogue
In the previous technique, the patient visualized an impersonal symbol of the spiritual Self, such as a radiant sun or a shining diamond. In this technique, he visualizes a personification of the spiritual Self: for example, a wise old man. If the person is Christian, he may visualize the inner Christ. If he is Buddhist, he may visualize the meditating Buddha. In my opinion, it is actually the same process that he is visualizing. I do not mean that the Buddha is the same person as the Christ. I mean that the symbol can serve to represent the same inner reality, namely the individual’s spiritual Self. He can visualize this personified symbol of the Self and enter into a dialogue with it. For example, he can ask the wise man for advice; he can be receptive and wait for an answer, which may come either immediately or on the next attempt; or at an unexpected moment, such as when he shaves. The techniques of light and inner dialogue can help the patient to develop a philosophy of life adapted to his life situation and to find purpose, direction and meaning in his life. They can therefore create an approach to logotherapy[10], which deals with the search for meaning in human existence.
Symbolic Visualization and Spiritual Experiences – A Story
I feel that one of the best ways to illustrate how spiritual experiences can be elicited through the use of symbolic visualization is to give a concrete example from a therapy session. The patient selected has given me permission to publish the contents of the session, provided that I do not reveal his identity. The session is of particular interest because many metaphysically oriented people believe that it is only possible to have spiritual experiences by going up. This is a person who had a spiritual experience by going down. In many of my patients (and many people, whether they are patients or not) the spiritual experience takes the form of contact with some form of light. When the symbolic visualization of the ascending or descending ladder is used, it is a different form of light that is contacted when we descend than when we ascend. In general, the light experienced on the way down gives the impression of a very basic, undifferentiated, pure universal energy, which is neither good nor evil, and which can be used in either way. The light we contact as we ascend is understood to be fundamentally spiritual (not that the other light is not “spiritual”): a constructive energy often associated with feelings of altruistic love, understanding, and wisdom. In some cases, the person contacts one light during his descent, and then another light during his ascent, and is eventually able to unite these two in a synthesis of both lights, representing the integration of his earthly and spiritual natures into a harmonious whole as an integral part of the universe, which is what must ultimately be experienced.
The therapy session I will present here is also interesting because, as far as I know, the patient had not read books on the symbolism of colors. His experience during the session stemmed from an inner contact with the depths of the psyche. He was in his late forties and an engineer by profession. In the first session, he presented several symptoms that are typical of many people in modern times. He suffered from the feeling of isolation, but still often felt the urge to be alone because he did not feel comfortable with other people. He found it difficult to express his feelings and to make friends. He complained about his inability to communicate with others and also complained that he was not happy with life; he experienced a lack of energy and was not passionate about anything.
I generally do not attempt symbolic visualization right away. This patient, for example, was not encouraged to visualize until the 13th session, when I suggested a topic, namely that he was in a meadow, and then climbing a mountain. He was able to reach the top of the mountain, but only after experiencing many difficulties, finally crawling on his hands and feet. This symbolic achievement gave him a sense of confidence.
The second symbolic visualization that I will present here took place during the 16th session and was recorded on tape. I will omit some of the details of this session in order to keep the presentation short. I will occasionally make interpretative comments from a psychosynthetic point of view, for example with reference to the patient’s contact with symbolic representations of the spiritual Self. This patient’s experiences could be formulated and categorized in various ways and interpreted within different frames of reference such as the psychoanalytic, the existential or the interpersonal. In my opinion, however, it is the patient’s experience, and not our attempt to interpret it, that constitutes the core of the therapeutic process in the session. It is the very nature of the peak experience, as Maslow describes it[11], which is related to certain experiences under the influence of psychedelic drugs such as LSD-25, but which is essentially the result of a natural psychological process that does not necessitate the intake of any kind of pharmacological agent.
After asking the patient to lie down, put on a blindfold, relax as deeply as possible, and breathe naturally without making any conscious attempt to control their breathing, the following occurred:
Therapist: I would like to ask you to imagine that you are lying on a sheet on the beach and to describe to me what you are experiencing.
Patient: Lovely warm sunshine… the sand adapts to my body.
T : Imagine you are sitting up and describe the beach to me.
P : It’s a sandy beach… I can hear the sound of the surf… I like being by the sea and being alone… almost like a friendship. I feel for the sea. I’ve often woken up in the morning when the beach was deserted. But this is different with the heat of the day and the hot sun; there are other people who also like the sun. There are men and women and many children… there are young people, in terms of age like high school and university students; it’s quite a romantic place where young people go to the beach.
T : Are you a good swimmer?
P : Yes, I swim quite a bit. I swim a lot.
T : Imagine you are swimming in the ocean and swimming as far out as you can.
P : … As I get further out there is nothing I can measure the distance on … I am very alone ….
T : Are you very far away?
P : Yes, it looks like that – as far as it will be safe to swim out alone.
T : Now I want you to dive deep into the ocean and go deeper and deeper and deeper. If you are afraid of not being able to breathe, imagine that you have an oxygen tank.
P : … I would have to work hard to swim down, counteracting the buoyancy, but with an oxygen tank … I would wear diving goggles so I could see without the discomfort of the salt water; and I see clearly, it is a brilliant day.
T : Now imagine it’s a very deep part of the ocean and go deeper and deeper, down and down.
P : I’m going down through layers of seaweed and sea plants; it’s dark now, very dark… it’s much colder.
T : Imagine that you have a flashlight on your forehead so that you can illuminate your surroundings, and keep swimming downwards.
P : I get the feeling that I’m in something other than clean water, because now there are layers of dirt, mud and slime….
T : How are you?
P : There is some fear, but I want to continue. There are beings… fish and snakes… formless creatures… they are all over the place.
T : Can you describe these snakes?
P : They are… formless… they look like snake-like creatures. They have octopus tentacles… I’m going right through them. They don’t have a real body… they’re part of the sludge.
T : Go deeper and deeper.
P : It is like a mass of living things, but they are almost without physical form… From the front they look like a snake, but the form is plastic; it can be changed, and it changes almost with the movements of the water… ( Note : I think this represents his own still unfinished state, and the movements of the water may be his surroundings. His form changes according to the surroundings, he is plastic; he does not yet fully experience his identity in himself. He is pliable, weak, soft, etc. This is a possible interpretation, but I am not interpreting at this stage; I may do so later).
P : I have a feeling… they are animals of some kind… the beginning of something that has to go up. Maybe it’s protoplasm in development… like an egg… There is a potential for life, and there is a beginning of life and growth, but it is not yet formed. It is more the promise of potential life, and there is the beginning of life and growth, but it is not yet created. It is only the promise of what it can potentially become. It has to move upwards. It has to develop more to become a creature… it is the beginning of life before life really reaches the point where you can call it a creature. It is pre-creation. Very strange, very strange.
T : Continue downwards.
P : … I can’t make sense of the shapeless mass. I want to do something to learn more about it.
T : We can come back to that; for now, continue to go deeper.
P : … It seems that the deeper I go, the less form there is, the less resemblance there is to anything physical. I get this feeling of an unidentifiable mass that is almost jelly-like in consistency … I can move into it … It is a nourishing substance. ( Note : A Freudian psychoanalytic interpretation would link this to the experiences in the womb). It is the nourishment that these creatures must absorb. It is the source of their life … It is the substance from which matter is created … It is the source and beginning of all life.
T : Continue to go into this source ( Note : Since the patient used the word “source,” I picked up this word).
P : (pause) It’s a light coming from some kind of dome.
T : Let us approach this light.
P : It looks like there’s a dome that’s letting light in. This mass that’s radiating light is being created in this vaulted area, and it looks like it’s being pumped or squeezed out through openings.
T : Let’s go inside.
P : I can work my way through the opening (very long pause). It looks like there are people. ( Note : When P. breathes very deeply, I know he is experiencing something). They are like some kind of brilliant, floating shadow beings … they move around freely; it looks like they leave a misty trail as they move. It is almost like a spider spinning its web, and the web is a trail of misty substance. They move back and forth and weave this … weave it into the substance that is being squeezed out of the openings. It has the consistency of smoke … It is nothing until it starts to combine, and it is a weaving process where a number of them move back and forth, and it is the combination of their trails that becomes this material … each one of them has a different color, it is almost a light; they are luminescent, luminous. They look like they have some kind of radiance.
T : How many of these creatures are there?
P : Many, many… a very large area that I can see. Now that I’m in it, it looks incredibly large. It feels like I’m almost able to float around. I don’t need any support… I can see a lot more now… The light that I first saw is coming from these colored luminescent trails… there’s a mist coming from these beings. The beings are small.
T : How small?
P : Oh, no bigger than my hand, and they look like men… well, like little men and women… I can’t say much about them… they’re busy weaving their patterns.
T : Let the luminescent traces penetrate you. In other words, let them come to you and touch you.
P : Yes, I find that I can move directly into their tracks as they move by. They have no substance; they are like a mist… They smell good! And I get a distinct feeling of a warm glow. There is something encouraging about it. My feet were cold, but now I feel warm and there is a tingling. It is a lovely feeling, though! … A great feeling of upliftment. I want to move around and try some of the other colours. (He breathes very deeply) … I get different aromas with the different colours.
T : Do you have different feelings about the different colors?
P : Yes … this one is blue.
T : How does it feel?
P : It makes me want to inhale it and get more (breathes deeply). It goes to my head. This one I feel stimulates my brain, and … thought processes. I think it will be a great stimulus to thinking (puts hand on chest) … I get a tingling sensation in my mouth and throat, as if it were affecting my vocal cords and speech … I know it affects my vocal cords and breathing. I feel myself trying to take it in (breathes deeply) … and make it part of me.
T : Let’s try a different color.
P : I can see a green trail here that I can’t get into (breathes deeply). It has the aroma of something that is growing. It has the potential for growth. It is the source of promoting growth… which nourishes man and gives us strength. It is the beginning of nourishment, of this vegetal growth which can absorb power from the earth and the sun and give man strength. It has elements of something that is growing. ( Note : In my opinion, the patient was in contact with certain fundamental energies. In fact, it would be quite interesting if we could translate many religious ideas into energies). Yes, yes, it has a wonderful power, but it is not a direct source for man. It must draw nourishment from the sun and from the elements of the earth in order to transform it into something that man can use, and… it must have other energies added to it. But I like it; it shows me that this is also part of the life processes; it makes one think of all the elements that contribute to the whole of life. It has an incredible power and… life potential for all things that grow. There is a great potential present that has never been recognized, never tapped. There are many beautiful things; flowers and all the infinite colors that can grow from this and the flavors that can come from that… and food and the aromas to the senses… There is an infinite source of life in this.
T : Identify with this source of life in the same way that you identified with the blue source of intellectual creativity.
P : Yes, I find that this is the nourishing source; that which the body draws upon to grow; and this emanation is what is converted through physical activity into the strength that we need (breathes very deeply). It is the source of growth; the growing, expanding potential that nourishes us, and is … the relationship that man has with his surrounding growth in nature. Man really lives and is able to sustain life through his use of this strengthening, energizing force. It is the thing that sustains life and growth in all areas … It is a very vital thing (breathes deeply).
T : ( Note : I felt at this point that the patient had sufficiently absorbed this experience; and after all, we only have a certain amount of time in a given session.) Let’s try a different color, a different luminescent trace.
P : There is a red trace, a vibrant red color. When I enter it, I experience it as heat and radiance!! It is the thing that fire was created from, and it is an energy. It has dangerous qualities; (breathes deeply) it is consuming, but also life-giving. We cannot live without it, but we cannot live without controlling it either. ( Note: This can represent the energy of will and power, life itself, an energy that can be used destructively or constructively).
T : How are you feeling? What kind of feelings does it give you?
P : There is warmth and a feeling that I must know it, learn about it and have it (breathes deeply). I must understand how to use it. ( Note: Remember that this man is relatively passive, a sometimes withdrawn person who has difficulty asserting himself). But I must not let it consume me (said with great feeling). It almost chokes my breath if I breathe too deeply … I must remain conscious and keep in touch with the other tracks. I will not allow this one to consume me. It has incredible power; (breathes deeply) … it can suffocate, as much as it can burn. I feel its warmth and radiance as a great potential. There is much in it that I want to know more about, but it can be dangerous … I feel that I must move to a place where this track is close to the other tracks. I need the blue for intelligence to keep my head clear. The red must not consume the green; it can mix with it. They all mix, but I cannot allow one to become too big at the expense of the others. I want to know more about each of them, but I must keep in touch with them all. ( Note: This is a symbolic recognition of the need for psychosynthesis. In symbolic language the patient says: “I must unite all the forces within me”). I see a yellow trace mixing with the red (breathes deeply). I can see the yellow light! (breathes deeply) … it is yellow and white; it is the radiance. It is almost the source of light itself, and it is its light. With that I can see the others. I think the others radiate from this. This is the source; it is the light, and because of that the others give off their reflective light, their fluorescence. It is golden-white glowing. Oh! (almost groans) I am afraid!
T : ( Note: This awe before contact with a symbolic representation of the spiritual Self occurs often.) What are you afraid of?
P : This is… (breathes deeply), this one has it all (breathes very deeply and quickly and lets out some screams), I’m afraid to find the source from which this springs, my spirit… my life will be swallowed up, will be taken back. It’s life itself!
T : You can experience it and keep your identity. You can know that you are part of that light and at the same time are an independent being.
P : (breathes heavily) This is the source of the spiritual (deep sigh).
T : You are a light in a greater light.
P : Yes, I can (the patient wrings his hands and touches his neck). I have the feeling of … a feeling that my soul or spiritual element, or whatever it is, that it is neither intelligence nor physical body nor physical strength, nor heat; it is absorbed in and can become one with this elemental light, this source of all radiance. I had an urge to have a strong identity with it, but I feel that I must maintain my own identity. I must not become numb and dissolve into it … into this ….
T : Can you approach this light?
P : Hmm. Hmm.
T : Seek to approach the source of this light more and more.
P : Yes, Yes!
T : And become one with it, (pause) and know that you have this light within you too.
P : I can feel it, it is in me! But I believe that I can now prevent it from leaving me, and it must be in me. This is all. This is the life, the life element that exists in all life; the thing that lives and is transferred from one form of existence to another. This is the spark, the life element that … continues and … grows and changes and enters into combination with other things … This is the spiritual source.
T : Can you penetrate into that light, closer to the innermost center of this light?
P : (after a long pause) Yes! This light comes from the very center of … the interweaving, the living in the other lights. It is the radiant center (breathes deeply). It is very strange. I can see it in the center, but it is not some small center; it is a center that is; no, I cannot describe it. It is a radiance that comes from a source that is a center, and the ultimately infinite. The little dot that marks the center and grows smaller and more radiant to an infinitely small dot that is so small, and yet so great that it is everything! … The infinitely small source is infinitely great! It is a dot that contains everything , but which is infinitely small!! I cannot describe it! In this little dot everything is present. It is the all! It is that; it is one!
T : ( Note: The experience of symbolic contact with the spiritual Self is often accompanied by this resolution and synthesis of the poles of opposites. According to Maslow[12], this “dichotomy-transcendence” is one of the features of the cognition of being, i.e., in the cognition of the world as we perceive it in peak experiences.) All is one?
P : All is one, the source and beginning of all. Everything that will ever develop is there; but it is as potentials, just as the great tree exists as potential in the little seed… so this infinitesimal dot can be traced back to the origin of all things. It is the thing that shapes all growth and all forms, all development. It is the germ, the seed I grew from, which my father carried from his mother and father, and it came to him through them and to them from their parents. And the infinitesimal source is contained here in this infinitesimal dot that I can see. I am in a very, very small dot, infinitesimal dot in that infinitesimal dot… I am a point of light in that point of light… The direction and programming of all life comes from that little dot! I can see that everything is contained there, but it is like looking through this dot into all creation, because everything is there. It is infinite. The infinitely large is combined in the infinitely small.
T : Now identify yourself with this dot and visualize how all these different colored traces radiate from you and through you and how they blend. (Note: This intervention aims to promote integration and synthesis).
P : That’s right! They all come to me through everything around me that I touch, see, feel and don’t feel, and of which I am not conscious. They come from the air I breathe, from the food I eat, from the heat and light. They come from the sun; and this clearest of all, the spiritual trace, is here; it is always here!
T : That is what mixes them all. (Note: The spiritual Self is the unifying, coordinating link).
P : Yes! Yes! That’s it! They all blend and integrate in me and through me, and I still have the clear source which is the unifying link; it is the force which is somehow the guiding and directing pattern… It is combined and connected with everything I come into contact with… All beings have this same radiance. It is a ray which comes as a ray of radiance; and which is always there and will be there… Other bodies, other beings arise to replace forms which change, but the spiritual light remains; it is the continuous which is present in all life. ( Note: An experienced contact with this inner light enables the individual to sense the light in others and to recognize their ultimate unity as expressions of the same life force. Although this is experienced more intensely in the peak experience itself, it can lead to a greater ability to relate authentically to others from the core of one’s being to the core of other beings, where it is recognized that all are part of the same life. Not only improved human relationships, but also a constructive philosophy of life can emerge from such experiences.)
T : From this center, with this realization, you can control your life, knowing that you are part of the universe.
P : Yes; Yes! I feel that I must be aware of it and hold it. I must know more. I must learn more about it and let it guide me. I must learn … to let it do what it is supposed to do … I am … an organism that must carry out the will and unfold the life pattern that comes from this source … I must maintain a contact so that my actions, my thinking, my physical movements and my voice are in accordance with the intention of that program in the direction of greater and greater growth. This spirituality, this light, this source … is moving towards fulfillment, and I am part of the plan that is moving towards fulfillment. ( Note: The patient seems to be contacting the idea of Self-realization and actualization within the framework of an overall psycho-spiritual development).
T : Remembering that a part of the source is always within you, at the core of your inner being, you now move up towards the surface of the ocean and observe the changes in the rays and creatures that you see around you as you move upwards.
P : Hm, hmm. It’s very different now that I’m coming out… there’s no darkness, no oppressive feeling of fear or lack of direction or speculation about what it is. I can feel myself coming out. I’m standing on top of the dome. I’m in my element. This is not the bottom of the ocean unless I’m a creature made to fit this element… I’m now… one of the elements! Everything around me is now a friendly atmosphere. It’s light and there’s warmth and I feel alive! I don’t feel like an air-breathing creature on the bottom of the ocean… I feel elated. I feel like the elements are now my natural element… this ocean mud. If this is mud from the bottom of the ocean, it’s natural to me… I have a feeling that it’s fresh, wonderful air! Maybe I’ve become a creature that adapts to the elements. It may be – anything is possible… I feel wonderfully exhilarated moving in an element of warmth… It feels right! Things are as they should be and I move upward with ease. I rise, rise, but the light follows me. I have a feeling of going through what I have gone through before, but as a different being ( Note the transformative power of this experience). I am part of this element in which I move.
T : Continue up to the surface….
P : I have a feeling of being attuned to the element I am in… the feeling of rising, going up, up, up – it is just like flying or being lifted on air. But I now know that I am coming up to the surface of the sea… I am now on the surface of the sea, but I am not swimming, I am walking! I can do that. Water is my element. It seems that I am in complete control. I am in the sunlight, in the air. I walk on the water as if anything is possible because everything is in harmony, everything is as it should be! Everything fits into the pattern as it should. There is no separation between the elements… the air is good, the water is good, the earth is good, the sun is good. Everything comes together in me to support, to give life and warmth and strength! Hm! (breathes deeply).
T : Now move towards the beach.
P : Hm, hm (after a pause) Yes, I’m now moving onto the beach and going back to where I came from (pause, takes a deep breath).
T : As you stand on the beach, you look at the beach and tell me what you see and feel.
P : It looks the same as it did before, but with a new feeling. I wiggle my toes in the sand and feel the sand because it feels good. It’s there to support my body, and the sun is warm and invigorating, and the air is good. I breathe the air, and the surf is still moving, almost as if it were alive. It has a rhythm as if it had its own breath… and the sand and the hills that I can see past are all part of the life-giving forces ( Note: The patient feels one with the physical side of life as well, and as a result of this experience he no longer cuts himself off from a sensory connection. He experiences oneness with the universe without loss of identity. The experience of oneness between body and spirit, between physical matter and spiritual essence, as well as the creative resolution of the apparent conflict between a heightened sense of individual identity and a sense of universality that extends beyond the personal egocentric self, are characteristic of a true contact with the spiritual Self, which leads to a living realization of one’s ultimate oneness with all life). There are people around me; children playing in the sand, and I enjoy watching them. They are almost my sons and daughters; they are part of me. I have a different feeling towards them. They are not other people’s children; they are my children, and there are the young people on the beach. They are almost like an extension of myself. It’s almost like they are other parts of me, because we are all part of the same great source, the source of all life! Hmm! I can look at them with a different understanding.
T : Take a few deep breaths and stretch your arms and legs; (pause) feel the weight of your body against the floor. You can now remove the blindfold (pause) and when you feel ready, you can stand up.
P : (gets up) That was quite a journey!
T : We can talk about that next time. It will be valuable for you to write down as much of it as you can remember, not only … what you said, but also some of the inner experiences … that you may not have had a chance to describe in detail; and also what significance it may have for you as a person and in your own life.
P : Yes! There is a lot! ( Note: An active participation on the part of the patient in understanding the inner meaning of his experience, and a joint review with the therapist with a view to extracting insights in a following session are useful in the interpretation and assimilation of the experience to promote the development of its potentials in the patient’s life. The psychotherapeutic process thus consists of repeated and sometimes overlapping cycles of analysis and synthesis).
T : OK (the therapist stops the tape recorder).
P : ( Note: The following remarks from the patient as he left the room were written down by the therapist immediately after the patient had left.) The reality of the experience! It was almost like a dream experience, except that I could move around; I had a sense of myself. At first I felt irritated by the people on the beach. They were noisy and annoying. But I had a different feeling when I came back. ( Note: Another characteristic of a genuine contact with the spiritual Self, the inner core, the real Self of man, is the transformative power of the experience, its inherent ability to give—in the activities of daily life—a felt inner experience of an integral connectedness with others, of oneness with the whole human family.)
Notes:
[1] Karen Horney: Neurosis and Self-Realization . New York: Norton, 1950).
[2] See Abraham H. Maslow, Towards an Existential Psychology, New Nordisk Forlag, 1976.
[3] Herbert Fingarette, The Transformation of the Self . New York: Basic Books, 1963.
[4] See, for example, Richard K. Bucke, Cosmic Consciousness: A Study of the Development of the Human Mind. New York: Dutton, 1923. New Hyde Park NY: University Books, 1961 edition.
[5] For a more complete description of this process, see R. Assagioli: Dynamic Psychology and Psychosynthesis (1959) and Self-Realization and Psychological Disorders (1961), published by The Psychosynthesis Research Foundation. The articles are included in the book: Psychosynthesis.
[6] Published by Presses Universitaires de France (the French university press) in Paris in 1945
[7] Published in 1961 by Editions du Mont-Blanc, Geneva, Switzerland
[8] The article is included in the book Psychosynthesis by Roberto Assagioli, Living Wisdom, 2005
[9] After this lecture, JH van den Berg’s article An Existential Explanation of the Guided Daydream in Psychotherapy was published in Vol. II, No. 1, Winter 1962, in The Review of Existential Psychology and Psychiatry , pages 5-35.
[10] VE Frankl: “Logos and Existence in Psychotherapy”, American Journal of Psychotherapy 1953, 7, 8-15. “On Logotherapy and Existential Analysis”, American Journal of Psychotherapy 1958, 18, 28-37. (Viktor Frankl)
[11] Abraham H. Maslow, “Lessons from Peak-Experiences,” Journal of Humanistic Psychology , vol. 2, no. 1, spring 1962, pp. 9-18
[12] Abraham H. Maslow: Notes on Being Psychology, Journal of Humanistic Psychology , vol. 2, no. 2, fall 1962, pp. 47-71
____________
How to proceed
Here is a page on other psychosynthesis exercises
The book The Soul of Psychosynthesis reviews the most important psychosynthesis techniques in connection with psychotherapy.
Here you can receive seven free meditations where you develop different aspects of yourself.
Also read the article Psychosynthesis an integral psychology
