Psychosynthesis

Psychosynthesis is a framework and approach to psychology developed by Italian psychiatrist Roberto Assagioli. It is "one of the prime forces in transpersonal psychology." It "stretches beyond the boundaries of personal psychology and individuality by postulating a deeper center of identity: the Self, our essential Being. The Self includes, but transcends, our personal day-to-day consciousness, leading to an enhanced sense of life direction and purpose." Along with the idea of a spiritual or transpersonal Self, Psychosynthesis emphasizes "the value placed upon exploration of creative potential, and the hypothesis that each individual has a purpose in life.

Psychosynthesis considers the Self an "ontological reality," a Being, often referred to as the "Higher Self." It is a stable center or core of life. By contrast, the personal self, the self-conscious “I” that is our everyday sense of identity, is actually a reflection of the Self in the normal person. Psychosynthesis sees each individual as unique in terms of purpose in life, and places value on the exploration of human potential, combining spiritual development with psychological healing and including the life journey of an individual or their unique path to self-realization. Psychosynthesis is actively used in the efforts of individuals toward personal self-actualization and transpersonal Self-realization, but is also used by professionals around the world in the contexts of life coaching and psychotherapy. It has also been used in other contexts, including medicine, education, environmental design, community and organizations.

Psychosynthesis as a whole, with all its implications and developments . . . [is not] a particular psychological doctrine, nor a single technical procedure. It is, first and foremost, a dynamic and even a dramatic conception of our psychological life, which it portrays as a constant interplay and conflict between the many different and contrasting forces and a unifying center which ever tends to control, harmonize and utilize them. Psychosynthesis is, further, a plastic combination of several methods of inner action aiming, first, at the development and perfection of the personality, and then at its harmonious co-ordination and increasing unification with its Spiritual Self. These phases may be called, respectively, “personal psychosynthesis” and “spiritual psychosynthesis.”

“Speaking of Synthesis means approaching the guiding principle of Assagiolian psychology, both the means and the goal of the entire psychosynthetic pathway. . . Synthesis is a process that involves the creation of a relationship between two or more elements through a third entity, in order to create a new reality.

The integrative framework of psychosynthesis began with Sigmund Freud's theory of the unconscious, which it expands and modifies as a method of investigation, while rejecting the specific theories of sexuality, etc. held by Freud. Psychosynthesis also has some similarities with Existential psychology, Analytical Psychology and Humanistic Psychology. Among other uses, psychosynthesis can be used to address psychological distress and intra-psychic and interpersonal conflicts. Psychosynthesis has a strong presence in the fields of coaching and especially psychotherapy, some of which can be referenced in the external links and training centers listed at the bottom of this page. For Assagioli, synthesis is “a trend that is the expression of a universal principle” whose manifestation can be found in all aspects of reality: from the world of inorganic matter to the organic vegetable and animals worlds, from the psychic world of emotions and ideas to the world of interpersonal and social relationships, to the spiritual worlds.