Psychosynthesis is the vision of the whole person who, with his consciousness and will, manages to create a solid personality around his core. In order to then seek further spiritual horizons and become the best he can be…
By Kenneth Sorensen (2007)
The following article is an attempt to describe the key elements of Roberto Assagioli’s psychosynthesis. Note that it sometimes touches on abstract matters such as the higher nature of man, which can be difficult to convey in writing.
Psychosynthesis – the path to the self within you is a thought-provoking title. It is thought-provoking because psychology is supposed to be the “study of the soul”, but the Self or soul has often been a frowned upon concept that has been ignored and repressed by psychology. In Psychosynthesis, the concept of the Self is used instead of the soul, because the latter is often associated with religious associations, although these are concepts that probably cover the same inner experience and dimension.
Psychology began around the beginning of the 20th century, as a mainly scientific discipline that studied human behavior (behavioral psychology) and repressed drive life (psychoanalysis). Any talk about human higher spiritual potentials was considered unscientific metaphysics and religiosity. It was not until the 50s and 60s that humanistic psychology broke through as a reaction against the reductionist view of man that characterized the two aforementioned directions. They viewed man exclusively as biology and drives, while humanistic psychology pointed out that man was far more than that. It was especially Abraham Maslow’s research into self-actualized (extraordinary) people or cultural geniuses that opened the world’s eyes. In the sixties, humanistic psychology created an enormous interest in the higher and spiritual aspects of man, and out of that research and search, transpersonal psychology emerged, of which psychosynthesis is also a part.
It is, however, particularly noteworthy that Professor Roberto Assagioli, the man who created psychosynthesis, had actually been working with transpersonal psychology since the 1920s. In other words, he was 40 years ahead of his time. Roberto Assagioli was inspired by Freud and set out to bring psychoanalysis to Italy. But he broke with Freud, along with his contemporary friend CG Jung, because psychoanalysis was too limited in its view of humanity.
Roberto Assagioli considered psychosynthesis a science, even though it investigated the higher life of man’s consciousness. He believed that the study of religious and transcendent experience could be as scientifically founded as the study of man’s repressed emotional life. Psychosynthesis, however, is neither religion nor metaphysics, or in Assagioli’s words: “Psychosynthesis does not aim at or even attempt to give a metaphysical or theological explanation of the great mystery – it leads to the door, but stops there”. (Psychosynthesis)
Although psychosynthesis does not engage in speculations about the Self or the soul, for example, reincarnating or arising for eternal life, it does provide the methods for experiencing the Self, becoming a Self – a center of pure self-awareness and will. Psychosynthesis claims that there is sufficient scientific indication that man has a higher Self, or more truly, is a Self. Through the study of the enlightened geniuses of history and their descriptions of the transcendent layers of consciousness, it is possible to substantiate this hypothesis.
” The most beautiful and profound feeling we can experience is the sense of the mysterious; it is the source of all true science. He to whom this feeling is alien, he who can no longer wonder and be seized with awe, is as good as dead .”
Albert Einstein
Psychosynthesis & Assagioli’s oval diagram
For the sake of overview, I will now briefly explain Assagioli’s oval diagram, which is a graphic representation of the inner psychological constitution of man. It is an extension of the well-known model developed by Freud. Of course, this is only a model of reality and it is never completely true. In the following, I will partly base my work on his book Psychosynthesis, pp. 17-21:
Roberto Assagioli’s oval diagram
1. The lower unconscious is largely an expression of our past and history. This area is not immediately accessible to consciousness, but lies in the background and controls our behavior.
This is one of the most potent and powerful areas. We are probably, for better or worse, much more controlled by this area than we are often aware of. The lower unconscious is our unconscious response mechanism. This is where we act when we spontaneously react to life’s influences. It is an area that works strongly in connection with the Thalamus area of the brain and thus the autonomic nervous system. As children, we internalize all the feelings and thoughts that characterized our upbringing – our homely family atmosphere – in this area. These unconscious life strategies and life interpretations are, for better or worse, stored in our automatic response apparatus. From there, they largely control our unconscious and instinctive reactions to people and events in life.
It is as if our upbringing has equipped us with a certain piece of software that, like a microchip, regulates our behavior. This software can be changed if we consciously go in and reprogram it. This is where Psychosynthesis comes in. We can consciously go in and check the “inner software” to find inappropriate behavior patterns and then, through the many techniques of Psychosynthesis, create a better and more appropriate response mechanism.
It is actually a brilliant construction that nature has developed, especially when you know how it works. Knowledge of its function means that you can to a certain extent free yourself from it and use its mechanisms. It is not a utopian vision to imagine that you can actually teach yourself to react with wisdom and empathy completely automatically! Roberto Assagioli’s definition of this area tends to emphasize the difficult aspects of this area, but it should be remembered that the healthy reactions are also stored here.
According to Assagioli, the area includes:
a. The elementary psychological activities that direct the life of the body and the intelligent coordination of the body’s functions.
b. The basic driving forces and primitive urges.
c. Many complexes, charged with intense emotions.
d. Dreams and fantasies of a lower nature.
e. Lower, uncontrolled parapsychological processes.
f. Various pathological manifestations, such as phobias, compulsive urges and paranoid delusions.
Next, I would like to add that the authentic needs (Maslow’s pyramid of needs) that were not met in our upbringing are also repressed into this area and covered with guilt, shame and other taboo themes. These needs are often organized into actual sub-personalities – the inner child, etc.
I describe the basic drives that Assagioli refers to as: the drive for self-preservation, the sexual drive, the research instinct, the assertiveness instinct, the herd instinct.
2.The middle unconscious, which can be brought to consciousness when desired. Our conscious perception of ourselves here and now .
It is probably this area that all the various questionnaires and personality tests often explore. You can learn a great deal about yourself by analyzing everything you know, because often we are not fully aware of the totality of our knowledge.
According to Assagioli, this area is composed of the same psychological content that our daytime consciousness is normally occupied with. In this region, a digestion and assimilation of the psychological processes that daytime consciousness experiences takes place and from here they emerge into the light of consciousness – i.e. the field of consciousness, cf. below.
It is in the middle unconscious that all of our integrated personality elements, skills, resources and sub-personalities occur. These are the more or less conscious roles and identity perceptions that we have direct access to. If we are trained in techniques, these are resources that we have immediate access to, but which fade into the background when we are not using them. If we are a mother or father, this role is activated when we interact with our children, but fades into the background when we are at work. When we gain access to material from the higher or lower unconscious, integration and assimilation take place in this area.
3.The higher unconscious or superconscious.
From here we receive our higher intuitions and inspirations – artistic, philosophical, scientific, ethical (imperatives) and driving forces for humanitarian and heroic action. It is the source of the higher emotions, such as altruistic love, genius and states of contemplation, illumination and ecstasy. It is in these regions that we find the higher psychic functions and spiritual energies.
Contact with this area always gives a greater perspective on life, it puts us into a greater whole, where one can see one’s own small role in the fantastic play that all of life in its essence is. The great director (universal life) gives his instructions (enlightened ideas), which we can make ourselves receptive to through inspiration and thereby become conscious co-creators in life.
It is also in this field that the wisdom and plans of the higher Self for life appear as visions. It is what Patanjali calls the overshadowing “rain cloud of things to be known”. It is common for us to repress our highest potentials because we are afraid of the responsibilities that come with it – higher ethical conduct, etc. This has been called the “suppression of the sublime”. The higher unconscious also contains the many unrealized qualities of the Self: wisdom, joy, bliss, insight, etc.
4.The field of consciousness.
This term covers the area of the personality of which we are immediately aware. The continuous flow of sensations, images, thoughts, feelings, desires and impulses that we can observe, analyze and evaluate. This area is also called the “stream of consciousness”.
5.The conscious “I”
The I or the point of pure self-awareness is often clouded and confused by the psychic functions (thoughts, feelings, etc.) with which the I is preoccupied, but from which the I is very different.
The content of the field of consciousness is something quite different from the center of consciousness that observes this content. It can be compared to the difference between the white light projected onto a screen and the images that appear there. Most people, however, are not aware of this relationship. They identify themselves with the content they immediately experience in the field of consciousness – a thought, feeling, etc. This makes us say: “I am sad”, instead of the statement: “a feeling of sadness overwhelms me”. In the last statement there is a clear distinction between the I who experiences and that which is experienced.
Another way to describe the relationship between the field of consciousness and the conscious I is to consider the field of consciousness (the field of attention) as the cone of light a flashlight casts in a dark room. Where the I directs its attention (light), that which the light reveals emerges. These abstract definitions will be elaborated on later.
6.The Higher Self
We are now moving into some abstract and philosophical considerations that may be difficult to understand unless one is trained to distinguish between the many psychological functions that make up our being. But if the mystery of our deepest self were not difficult to describe, it would probably not be a mystery.
The conscious self often disappears completely, such as when we sleep, faint, or are under the influence of anesthesia or hypnosis.
When we wake up, the self returns, without anyone really knowing from where. This may lead us to the theory that there exists a permanent self “outside” or “above.” There is much testimony from people who have experienced this self. The self is unaffected by the conditions that the self experiences, and in fact the self can be perceived as a projection or reflection of the higher self.
One might say that the self is like a sun that sends its rays of light down through a dense cloud cover. There is light (consciousness) beneath the cloud cover, but the experience of the radiant reality in the Self’s own sky is hidden.
Our Higher Self is, according to Assagioli, part of the universal life in which we all live, move and have our being . Where the personal I is a projection of the transpersonal Self, the transpersonal Self is a projection of the universal Self. On the transpersonal level, we experience ourselves as part of the whole. We are consciously in tune with creation and all the other Selves that are manifested in creation. The transpersonal Self contains the very purpose of being alive. When we go into a truly deep contemplation of what the purpose of our life is, it is possible to penetrate completely to the source of consciousness.
This is where we can discover that there is a greater purpose to every life. That there is a will greater than the personal will that wants something in one’s life . In other words, there is a higher authority – a greater life – that wants to come to conscious expression in the individual human being. The experience of this greater , (meaning and purpose), announcing its arrival can at the same time mean that one experiences one’s own insignificant size, but at the same time also one’s unique and magnificent nature. The result is humility and a willingness to serve this greater life through one’s fellow human beings, as best one can in all one’s limitations.
The most precise definition of the higher Self is probably pure being, i.e. a state of complete detachment and identification with the greater being in whom we live, breathe and are. In the Self there is no activity, it is motionless being. One is a pure witness to the activity of creation. The processors in the higher unconscious are the result of this contemplation in which the Self finds itself. However, it is just as impossible to describe the Self as it is to describe a color to a blind person or the scent of a rose to a person who has never experienced it. The Self must first and foremost be experienced. I can recommend the truly profound article about the Self: Roberto Assagioli on the Self, but also Ken Wilber’s excellent book: One Taste.
7.The collective unconscious
The surrounding wall of the egg should be considered as delimiting but not separating. It functions as a membrane that delimits a cell and allows a constant and active exchange with the whole body. Every individual stands in a close psychological relationship with his surroundings, which intervenes in the individual psychic environment.
No human being is an isolated island, we are deeply connected to our fellow human beings because we share the same life. The collective unconscious is the transrelational layer that connects everyone with everyone. It is the sum of the human experiences that we are all born into and carry with us, as part of the cultural and civilizing influence we are subject to. The collective unconscious is all the lower as well as higher experiences that are embedded in our emotional and mental life of a particularly mythical nature . The idea of the father, the mother, the nation, God, man, nature, etc.
The “two” Selves and the bridge of consciousness
There are not two Selves, even though the conscious “I” is not aware of its higher source and counterpart and can therefore experience it as such. The Self is one and it manifests itself in different degrees of awareness or consciousness. The consciousness that the conscious I experiences is only a shadow of the light of the higher Self.
The ego is, in other words, a lower consciousness expression of a higher spiritual reality, the Self. The difference between the two can be explained as follows: “The ego” is the personal self-consciousness that experiences itself as separate from other individuals, while “the Self” is a higher and more holistic and transcendent consciousness, where the experience of unity with all other lives is prominent. This experience has been experienced by countless mystics and researchers.
They are connected by a bridge of consciousness – the dotted line between the Self and the I, through which the higher Self has projected its consciousness down into the world of the personality, where it is anchored in the brain. The best analogy to understand the relationship between higher and lower self (I) is that the higher Self is, in terms of consciousness, like an unfolded sun of consciousness. This higher consciousness is limited to an immense extent when it has to manifest itself through the psychological functions – thoughts, feelings and brain, so that the light (consciousness) that manifests through the brain is a weak reflection of the light on its own plane. If the Self is a 1000 w bulb, then the I may be a 50 w bulb depending on the development of the personality. The psychosynthesis process is precisely intended to create increased and higher consciousness and thus amplify the “light in the head.” See also the poster about the planes in the document psychosynthesis diagrams for download.
Main points of Psychosynthesis
With the oval diagram in mind, it is probably appropriate here and now to highlight some other main points contained in psychosynthesis. Roberto Assagioli gives in his book: Psychosynthesis p. 4 a number of definitions of the basic elements of psychosynthesis, from which I take some of them as a starting point. Psychosynthesis emphasizes:
1. The interior and on the concept and experience of identity. It examines and explores what is our true underlying identity.
2. The fact that every individual is in continuous development, it grows, while subsequently actualizing many latent potentials.
3. The central importance of meaning, especially the meaning and purpose that man gives to life.
4. Values, especially the ethical, aesthetic, philosophical and religious.
5. The fact that every individual is constantly confronted with choices and decisions and the subsequent responsibility that they entail.
6. The need to achieve a clear understanding of the motives that determine the choices and decisions.
7. The recognition of the depth of man and the seriousness of life, including the concern and suffering that must be confronted.
8. The emphasis is placed on the future and the dynamic factor that it exerts in the present.
9. The recognition of the unique man and the need for a differentiated psychosynthesis, which requires a different combination of therapeutic techniques and a new method for each person.
Psychosynthesis’ answer to: Who am I?
One of the greatest questions that psychology has attempted to answer is the question of our deepest identity. It is also the core question that psychosynthesis addresses. There is no doubt that the answers that Assagioli comes up with are quite abstract and, for most people, difficult to understand. But if one of life’s greatest puzzles didn’t require a little thought and contemplation, then it probably wouldn’t be a puzzle.
The distinctive feature of Assagioli’s model is that, firstly, he identifies a unique Self that is a contributing actor in identity formation.
We are not just the sum of our influences, as behavioral psychologists believe. Nor are we our experiences, although they have naturally helped shape our sense of identity.
But Assagioli defines the Self as self-awareness (pt.5), which has a realm of consciousness (pt.4). He clearly distinguishes between what we experience in our thoughts and feelings and the one who experiences – the conscious I. This is a very central assumption, which is elaborated on later.
As can be seen from the oval diagram, our central identity is also not the sum of the different types of unconscious (pt.1+2+3+7.) with which it works in connection.
For Assagioli, man is first and foremost a transcendent and permanent higher Self (point 6.), which is part of the universal Self and the ultimate reality.
This higher Self, towards which all growth and development (conscious as well as unconscious) is directed, works through ” the personal conscious self (point 5.) which must be understood as solely a reflection and projection of the higher Self (point 6) in the area of the personality “.
In conclusion, we can say that Assagioli’s concept of identity is based on the fact that we potentially possess a permanent higher Self, which operates through what he calls the conscious self or I. Hence the dotted line between the two selves.
We can also conclude that what we normally identify with, the sum of feelings, thoughts and urges we experience, is not the real identity, but only a kind of shadow identity. Becoming oneself and creating an identity is seen from that perspective a lifelong journey and psychosynthesis.
In a well-known psychosynthesis exercise called the Identification Exercise it is stated: “ I have a body, but I am not my body. … I have feelings, but I am not my feelings. … I have a mind, but I am not my mind. … I am a center of pure self-awareness and of will. ” (2-p.213-214).
For Assagioli, the idea of the higher Self is not pure philosophical or theological speculation – or, to put it in his own words: “May I emphasize the fact that the elements and functions that come from the superconscious, such as the aesthetic, ethical, religious experiences, intuition, inspiration, levels of mystical consciousness, are factual . … because they are effective and produce changes in both the inner and outer world. Therefore, they are possible to observe and experiment with through the use of scientific methods adapted to their nature.” (1-p.6).
Why is it called psychosynthesis?
It is perhaps now appropriate to briefly define why Assagioli chose to call his psychological system psychosynthesis.
As the word synthesis indicates, the intention is to gather all the psychological functions such as drives, emotions, thoughts, imagination, intuition around an integrating center, which he calls the Self, so that a synthesis – a unity – arises. This relationship is well illustrated in Assagioli’s star diagram.
Assagioli’s star chart
It is a general observation within psychology that humans are composed of a wide range of different psychological forces, which often pull us in different directions. Different needs and desires fight from the bottom of our being for our favor and help determine our destiny. These different psychological forces are called psychosynthesis subpersonalities. They are our different unconscious as well as conscious roles, patterns and reactions to life circumstances.
The relationship between the self and the subpersonalities can be described as the relationship between the Sun and the planets. The Sun is the central light source around which the planets revolve. The same applies to the Self, which is the consciousness and the light around which the subpersonalities revolve.
But most often this is not the case in the inner psychological reality. The vast majority of people live in a geocentric worldview rather than a heliocentric one. That is, they identify with the subpersonalities rather than consciousness. In this way, we become a satellite to ourselves and live in a great illusion.
It is a well-known phenomenon that many people identify with their work, with the result that they feel identityless when they retire or become unemployed. But we are much more than the roles that we fill and have taken on in life. This is the claim of psychosynthesis. There are also well-known examples of more unconscious identifications and sub-personalities that control our lives. The “Victim”, the “Martyr”, the “Judge”, the “Critic”, the “Helpless”, can be unconscious sub-personalities that prevent us from living fully.
The subpersonalities represent a number of psychological functions and forces that we can learn to direct and channel into constructive activities if we disidentify from them and learn to transform them.
It was Assagioli’s assumption that behind all these sub-personalities there is a permanent identity, which is precisely the “I” and the Self. He defined this “I” and “Self” as a center of pure self-consciousness and will.
Psychosynthesis and the will
In the process of psychosynthesis, knowledge of the function and qualities of the will is essential. Psychosynthesis considers “ the will as an essential function of the Self and as the necessary source or origin of all choices and decisions .” (1-p.5.) Therefore, the development of the will becomes a central task in any psychosynthesis process.
It is the contact with and development of this pure self-awareness and will that is one of the primary goals of psychosynthesis. As we discover in practice that it is we who can direct our emotions and needs towards the goals we wish to achieve, great freedom and joy arise.
The prerequisite for experiencing it is that we disidentify ourselves from all our inner images and sub-personalities. When this process is initiated more or less consciously, freedom and will arise . One can also call it the ability to make conscious choices . Assagioli explains it this way:
” We are dominated by everything our Self identifies with. We can dominate, direct everything that we can disidentify from .”
The conscious I can choose what it wants to identify with. If it directs its attention towards the true light-giver – the transpersonal Self – then it will experience itself as pure self-awareness and will. This is what meditation is fundamentally about. Shifting the focus from the content of consciousness to the source of consciousness.
By means of the willful manipulation of attention, we can control , regulate and monitor all the different psychological functions that operate within us. Of course, this sounds much easier than it actually is.
Assagioli describes the will and the Self as two sides of the same coin. When he speaks of the Self, he speaks of consciousness, when he speaks of the will, he speaks of the ability of this consciousness to control , direct and lead the many psychological forces of the Self towards a known goal.
If we were to use an analogy, we could say that the Self is the Captain who knows the destination. The Will is the helmsman who steers the ship to the goal. The Captain/Self knows why we want to express ourselves, the Will/helmsman knows how .
Assagioli also makes the point that it is not the will that provides the power to achieve the goal, but rather the will that harnesses all the other psychological functions by directing them towards the goal. Our many different needs and motivational factors use the will as fuel to achieve the goal. The psychological forces are in this way the wind, the ocean currents and the ship’s sails and rudder.
That is why it is important to have focus and direction in your life. The will is useless if we have not become aware of alternatives to the current life. Knowing yourself and where you want to go are prerequisites for using the will.
Once you have found a purpose and goal that realizes the purpose, the next phase is to apply the will to achieve that goal. The essence of my understanding of the will and Assagioli’s definition of it is:
“The amount of a person’s will can be defined as their ability to maintain the thought of a recognized goal until the goal is achieved (strong will). In this process, one must navigate intelligently, so that one achieves maximum effect with the least possible use of resources (intelligent will and economic awareness). The purpose that is sought to be realized must represent the best possible for the most people (good will). This avoids oppositional forces from the environment, etc., going against the efforts due to the lawfulness that Assagioli calls: The Law of Cause and Effect . It ensures that we always meet the consequences of our intentions. If they are evil, then our efforts lead to our own self-destruction.”
The will can be elaborated on far more than the above brief summary gives the impression. Assagioli’s book “The Act of Will” is a completely unique introduction to the stages of the act of will, its qualities and aspects. It can be highly recommended. Click here if you want to buy Act of Will.
Psychosynthesis is a path of development
The process of psychosynthesis is a self-evident striving towards greater wholeness and self-realization, so that the highest potentials within us can unfold, such as compassion, will, wisdom, beauty and community engagement.
Psychosynthesis is seen in this perspective far more than a therapeutic tool, it is a path of development where we gradually learn to unfold the highest human qualities through the many creative and meditative methods. It is a psychology that teaches us to contact the highest spiritual aspects without denying or repressing personal feelings and needs.
There are many people in spiritual circles who only want to experience ecstasy and spiritual heights. Assagioli always maintained, however, that before this contact is possible, we must and should undergo a heroic confrontation with the entire unconscious emotional and driving life. Our hidden vulnerabilities, aggressions, ambitions, fears and passions must first be experienced consciously and integrated . Otherwise, they will control our lives from the bottom of our being and distort the higher impressions in a selfish direction.
However, experiencing the hidden shadows is not the same as living them out . They must be identified, accepted, integrated, and transformed. Thus, it is the Self and the will that should in practice control these psychological forces – give them permission to express themselves consciously in an appropriate way, and direct these forces towards meaningful goals that the Self seeks to realize.
Different types of psychosynthesis
One can distinguish between different types of psychosynthesis that unfold continuously in human development. There is the personal psychosynthesis , where the individual gathers his psychological forces around the personal “I”. It is not possible here to describe the diverse methods that psychosynthesis uses to achieve this gathering and integration. But they are based on visualizations, meditation, role-playing, positive thinking, creative and expressive techniques such as free drawing and writing.
The personal psychosynthesis aims to build a strong personality that is in touch with its needs and can express them. Many people suffer from various types of inferiority and fear, for example, that prevent them from expressing themselves. The personal psychosynthesis is aimed at creating greater personal freedom of expression, as a preparation for the later transpersonal psychosynthesis .
Transpersonal psychosynthesis is a purposeful and scientifically based inner journey, towards the goal of realizing the highest spiritual potentials of man. It is scientific because the methods have been the subject of methodical testing over a long period of time, and seem to evoke the higher human potentials such as will, love, wisdom and beauty. But first and foremost the experience of oneself as a center of pure self-awareness and will.
However, transpersonal psychosynthesis also aims at a union with a greater universal life, with a greater will that wants something within us . Perhaps this was the experience Christ had in the Garden of Gethsemane, where he exclaimed: “not my will, but yours be done.”
How we become ourselves through four stages
Becoming ourselves is a journey that, seen from the perspective of psychosynthesis, involves a series of stages that do not necessarily follow one another, but unfold in parallel along the way. Assagioli sets them out as follows:
1. Insight into and understanding of one’s personality.
2. Mastering its various functions.
3. Realization of one’s true Self – and the discovery or creation of a unifying center.
4. Psychosynthesis: the reproduction or reconstruction of the personality around the new center. (1-p.21)
Let’s elaborate on the above points for a moment, I’m taking Psychosynthesis and pages 21-31 as my starting point.
1. Understanding one’s personality
It is not enough to simply make an “inventory list” of the already known characteristics and personality traits. We must also undertake, says Assagioli: ” an immense exploration of the vast unconscious regions “. This applies to both the deep and dark areas of the lower unconscious, but also the unconscious regions of the middle and higher unconscious, where our highest and hitherto unrealized potentials are located. This journey takes place through both individual daily reflection, meditation and actual psychotherapy.
2. Control over its various functions .
After discovering all the new sides of ourselves, we must gain control over them. The most effective method for this is through disidentification . Assagioli defines this process as follows: “ We are dominated by everything that our Self identifies with. We can dominate, direct everything that we can disidentify from .”
In this principle lies the secret of our slavery or freedom. Every time we identify ourselves with a “fault,” a fear, or any personal feeling or drive, we limit and paralyze ourselves. If instead, when we experience a limiting feeling, we say: “a wave of discouragement is trying to overwhelm me – or “an impulse of anger is trying to overpower me,” then the situation is completely different. Two opposing forces confront each other. On the one hand, our alert self and on the other, discouragement or anger. Even if the self were to lose power over these impulses, it is only a battle that is lost, not the battle itself. For the self can subsequently withdraw and prepare for other situations of the same kind. Psychosynthesis contributes a wealth of methods to build up its will and mentally train itself to deal with these difficulties.
3. Realization of the real Self – and the discovery or creation of a unifying center.
Assagioli says that it is not difficult to explain theoretically how we achieve conscious contact with the highest potentials within us, but in the real world it is an immense amount of work and not everyone is prepared for it. In favorable cases it is possible for some to achieve the so-called “peak experiences” through the normal course of life, but often the process is very slow. The path to full realization of our highest potentials involves many stages along the way, and those of us who are unable to create a direct contact with the Self in its essence can create an image and an ideal of the perfected personality in thought.
These mental ideal images, which can only be created through careful analysis of our values and reflection on our higher potentials, carry great power within them. One could also say that we must know what we could really be in order to become it. What is being talked about is a personal vision of who we would like to be. What characterizes successful top athletes, scientists, artists, etc. is that they are often carriers of a vision that, like a light, guides them through many difficulties to their goals.
Assagioli strongly warns against building unrealistic ideals, however. That’s why it’s also important to have completed the first stage so that you know your inner resources well.
4. Psychosynthesis: the reproduction or reconstruction of the personality around the new center.
When the uniting center has been found (the ideal character), we can form a new personality from it – coherent, organized and united. All the identified resources in the personality are now used towards achieving this goal. It is from this process that this psychology calls itself psychosynthesis. The goal is a complete fusion or synthesis of the personal and higher Self. A synthesis where the personal self-conscious I uses all its resources to identify with and express its highest potentials. The higher Self will always seek to express itself in a creative social commitment, because it is precisely an expression of the highest aesthetic, ethical and religious impulses that man possesses.
References:
1. Assagioli, Roberto , Psychosynthesis, Penguin Arkana, 1993.
2. Assagioli, Roberto; The Act of Will, Penguin Arkana, 1992.
3. Assagioli, Roberto: Transpersonal Development, Aquarius.
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