A brief discussion by Assagioli about the areas where psychosynthesis can be applied. The main areas are education, therapy and interpersonal psychosynthesis.
By Roberto Assagioli , translation Britt Jakielski
Dear friends, I would like to give you an introduction to the many possibilities of psychosynthesis. In view of the time available to us, it is only possible to give a brief overview of the various aspects and to mention them briefly, but I would also like to hand over the text of my introduction to you so that you can use it in connection with your speeches, written comments and various initiatives. If possible, we can meet later to go through them together.
The meetings, both here at the Institute and in your respective centers, will consist of lessons and exercises, where the emphasis will always be on the exercises. As for the lessons, the themes could be as follows: First, a presentation with comments from my latest book “Principles and Methods of Therapeutic Psychosynthesis”. Next, the theme of the will, which some of you have already started on. I will hand over the translation of new chapters to you; that is, those of the chapters that you do not already have in your papers from the last few years. This could be the start of what I call in the book “The Will Project”. There is also a questionnaire for you, a starting tool from the Psychology of the Will. You can choose the other themes yourself. In general, I would advise you to limit yourself, so to speak, to the area of psychosynthesis, which – as I will show later – is broad. You could also talk about some of the professionals who are positive towards psychosynthesis: Maslow, Frankl and Rogers.
It is appropriate in connection with the presentation of the book to say that it is not only about therapy. The techniques and exercises described can also be used in individual psychosynthesis (self-training) and in psychosynthesis teaching. We are increasingly experiencing that there are no clear boundaries, nor any important differences, between a healthy person and a person who is sick. In fact, as you know, someone has said with obvious exaggeration that “there are no sick people”, but that it is society that is “sick” and makes those who are dominated by it sick.
Depending on local conditions and possibilities, it could be a good idea to do this separately, or divided into two courses: One for beginners, which is a basic course that explains the basic theses, principles and attitudes of psychosynthesis. And one for others who have participated for some time, where the more comprehensive development possibilities are discussed.
I would like to talk here about the possible applications of psychosynthesis:
· First and foremost within training and self-training, where we start with ourselves and continue throughout life.
· Secondly, the area of education.
· Thirdly, the therapeutic area, which can be divided into the specialized, i.e. for those who work with neuropsychiatric disorders, and the generic and psychosomatic area for doctors who recognize the interaction between the body and the psyche.
· Fourth, the interpersonal area – relationships between people – which primarily concerns relationships between couples, but also the relationship between parents and children, teachers and students, employers and employees, and – in general – between those who lead others and those who are led.
· Fifth, the social-individual area between groups of people, from the family group to the different groups we are part of; professional, national, etc., with a slant towards human psychosynthesis.
It is of course not possible in a one-year program – nor in a multi-year program – to fully implement the activity in all these areas. Each center can choose the area(s) it deems necessary based on preferences and dispositions, and on the basis of the environment and local possibilities.
It is important within each area to distinguish between the personal and the transpersonal realm. In many cases one can or should limit oneself to personal psychosynthesis without entering the transpersonal realm. But optimally, when possible, one can also speak of the transpersonal realm; first and foremost because people with all their questions force us to do so. We must always remember that transpersonal experiences are real, and in light of this they can be investigated scientifically, i.e. empirically and objectively through a scientific method in the broadest sense of the word.
What is interesting, but also difficult, is the study of those cases which may be called “mixed,” i.e. where it concerns the reactions of the personality to the influx of transpersonal energy on the one hand, and aspirations and tendencies of the personality in relation to transpersonal goals on the other. We can say that in a higher octave there is a complex interaction analogous to that which takes place between the body and the psyche.
Many of us believe that closer ties should be developed, first of all between the different centers in Italy, and then to the associations, institutes and centers worldwide. One method for this is to mutually invite the staff of one center to speak for the staff of another center.
Another development would be to prioritize the creation of centers where such do not yet exist. The ideal situation would be that there would be a center in each administrative center of a region, and in many smaller areas as well. But there is no need to rush, as it all depends on WHO is able to lead these centers. Before choosing a location, it is therefore important to find or train a person who can promote and lead the activities of such a center. Normally, the organization follows suit and must be available for the “live part” of the work.
Then there will be great opportunities for development: to work in new areas or in those that have not been the subject of special development until now. First of all, psychosynthesis in the educational field, primarily within the family, and then introduced to schools at all levels from elementary schools to universities. Children often and willingly perform basic exercises such as silence, visualization, etc.
Finally, publishing written material is an effective method of spreading psychosynthesis: first and foremost through book reviews; then through articles in various magazines and journals, and through translations. Here too, it would be appropriate to have good communication to avoid the same work being done twice. It would be appropriate to continue the free distribution of books and brochures to libraries and cultural institutions, first “Harmony in Life through Psychosynthesis”, which is of more general interest, and then the brochures aimed at different environments.
This brings us to the fundamental problem, namely the preparation of those who will be responsible for it. It is important here to distinguish between the three main groups of actors:
· Those who work in the general field of disseminating psychosynthesis and who do not need a specialized certification: If they have one, that is fine, but it is sufficient that they have a thorough knowledge of psychosynthesis.
· Those who work in the field of education, and where it is necessary to have teachers who work in the school area, or psychologists who carry out psychological tests, and who – in this context – can carry out a comprehensive psychosynthesis.
· The therapeutic area is the most difficult. There is something new in this area, as you will know: the Ministry of Public Education is preparing a wave of psychosynthesis therapists, which will also include non-medical psychotherapists. We must remember that the majority of psychotherapists are not trained doctors, but generally psychoanalysts. The same applies to Jung’s successors: many of them are not doctors. It is therefore appropriate that psychotherapists trained in psychosynthesis also come forward and become standard-bearers for psychoanalysts, for Jung’s successors and others.
This has given rise to the foundation of an “Association for Therapeutic Psychosynthesis”. I would like to make it clear that this Association is well suited to legalizing psychosynthesis and making it publicly recognized; but it must be completely independent of the Istituto di Psicosintesi, since the latter – being registered as a non-profit charitable organization – is a cultural institution and therefore cannot carry out any kind of therapy. It is therefore good that the Association is completely independent of the Institute. Some of you can certainly work in both areas, but in a clearly defined way.
In this forum we can exchange ideas and suggestions about what has been discussed.
(Board meeting of the Association of Italian Psychosynthesis Centers, December 1973).
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