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About Psychosynthesis |
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About Psychosynthesis Psychosynthesis was founded by Roberto Assagioli (1888 -1974) an Italian doctor who was the first practitioner of psychoanalysis in Italy. Assagioli built on the ideas of Freud and later, Jung, to develop the approach to psychotherapy that is now Psychosynthesis. Since his death in 1974 many schools and psychotherapy institutes have further developed this approach. Catalyst counsellors use the models and techniques that have been developed and taught at The Institute of Psychosynthesis London Psychosynthesis is a remarkable framework that supports us as we travel on our own unique journey to unlock our creativity and full potential. It supports the integration of disparate parts of the psyche and personality and is the key to building more positive and productive relationships in our professional and personal lives. Psychosynthesis asserts that when we seek counselling we need to accept and work with destructive and negative thought and behaviour patterns that exist at both a conscious and unconscious level. This in turn will lead to greater freedom of choice to better orchestrate and integrate parts of our personality which hitherto may have clashed or competed, limiting our effectiveness in some areas of our life. The result is to create more satisfying, positive and productive relationships in our personal and work lives. Assagioli viewed life as an evolutionary journey of development. Life furnishes us with opportunities and challenges which we can use as catalysts for growth and the ever increasing fulfilment of our potential. It is a framework and support process that helps us anchor our values into concrete steps to ‘walk our talk.’ He also emphasised the recognition of the soul and our spiritual being as a well spring for our psychological health and well being. This does not mean ‘Soul’ or ‘Spiritual’ as bound in the narrow confines of a particular religion or creed, the sense is more akin to the deeper values and energies that emanate from our core being, and give us our unique identity in this life. In essence these are the values that make our heart beat with passion giving us a joy and zest for living. Modern psychology and psychotherapies often assert that what motivates human behaviour are the archetypes of ‘love’ or ‘will’ i.e. our behaviours will be engineered to seek love, or self assertion and the acquisition of personal power. Psychosynthesis sees both archetypes as central to our well being and seeks to establish healthy discernment to choose that which is appropriate to the moment. Assagioli and psychosynthesis have developed tools and processes that support the development of personal will and true choice over our actions in support of our deeper convictions and values. Many psychological approaches and psychotherapies work to help us to become aware of why we feel a certain way. However, awareness alone does not ultimately catalyse us to change our behaviour or experience. We can get stuck in limiting cycles of thought and corresponding action when similar experiences re-present themselves. In psychosynthesis the concept of will is not just a narrow understanding of will power or the sense of a suffocating straightjacket constructed from Victorian values or a masochistic sense of denial and duty. Assagioli wrote a whole book (see The Act of Will) on the processes and dynamics that drive our will and direct our energies. Assagioli and subsequent psychosynthesis practitioners, illustrate an amazing dichotomy at the heart of our existence which creates a huge feeling of impotence and dissatisfaction with modern life. As technology progresses at ever faster rates to augment the immense power and control we can exercise over the natural world and it’s available resources it’s gadgets offer the allure of omnipotence and instant gratification. Psychosynthesis provides maps and guides to orient ourselves on our unique personal journey to self discovery, helping us chart our inner energies and processes, harness our will so we can catalyse personal change and greater freedom of choice and behaviour.
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