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Psychosynthesis: A Collection of Basic Writings
This is the seminal work by Dr. Roberto Assagioli, M.D. on a psychological model he developed called psychosynthesis. He was a contemporary and colleague of both Freud and Jung and had studied the work of both schools associated with them. He saw psychosynthesis as an evolution of the psychological thinking of the time to include all of a person's body, mind & spirit in the process of psychiatry, psychotherapy and self knowledge. This book contains many of his early writings describing psychosynthesis and its application to psychotherapy and self improvement. It is an essential work for understanding the principles, techniques and application of psychosynthesis both as applied in various clinical settings as well as for the personal growth of the reader.
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First published May 27, 1971
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
April 14, 2009
A ground-breaking book from one of the great unsung heroes of last century. Assagioli is not that well known but he founded an accessible approach to human psychology and therapy that was spiritual without dogma. That in itself is a remarkable achievement.
He was (from those who met him) a remarkable communicator. He was not - in my view - a brilliant writer and his books do show evidence of having been put together from the notes he habitually made. In other words this is perhaps not the best 'how to do it' book on Psychosynthesis (others like Piero Ferrucci have achieved that.
Yet this book is full of wonderful ideas for all those who are interested in human potential and psychology. It is well worth the effort required to work through it.
He was (from those who met him) a remarkable communicator. He was not - in my view - a brilliant writer and his books do show evidence of having been put together from the notes he habitually made. In other words this is perhaps not the best 'how to do it' book on Psychosynthesis (others like Piero Ferrucci have achieved that.
Yet this book is full of wonderful ideas for all those who are interested in human potential and psychology. It is well worth the effort required to work through it.
August 12, 2018
A bit difficult to get through. This is because the book is more like a collection of discussions which could be easier to understand and digest in audio book format.
April 28, 2010
It was finally catching hold of Roberto's reframing, decades after he had done the work, that I found a fashion to return to depth psychology. Being able to rethink how to present immediate struggles to my clients in words that fit to their moments proved helpful in fashions I'd not personally generated.
June 19, 2020
Primo e ultimo libro per me di Assagioli: retrogrado, moralista, misogino. Un libro non vecchssimo che sembra scritto nel 19° secolo.
October 8, 2022
ENGLISH REVIEW:
I came to know the figure of Assagioli at the same time as I was interested in Carl Jung. It is no coincidence as both have very similar views about the human being. Both are scientists who are known for looking not only at the body and mind but also at the spirit of man. Assagioli in particular developed his own method of psychotherapy which he called "Psychosynthesis". This book is a good introduction to his conception of the human being and his development.
He explains concepts surrounding his psychotherapeutic method such as transpersonal development, spiritual phases, processes and crises, and how to deal with such experiences. His point of view is very humanistic and sometimes even mystical. It was a curious read, despite being overly moralistic and retrograde at times, showing how broad the field of Psychology is and how diverse its many psychotherapeutic techniques are.
REVIEW EN ESPAÑOL:
Conocí la figura de Assagioli en la misma época en la que estaba interesado en Carl Jung. No es casualidad pues ambos tienen puntos de vista muy similares acerca del ser humano. Ambos son científicos que se les conoce por mirar no solo al cuerpo y la mente sino al espíritu del hombre. Assagioli en concreto desarrolló un método de psicoterapia propio al que bautizó como "Psicosíntesis". Este libro es una buena introducción a su concepción del ser humano y su desarrollo.
Explica conceptos que rodean a su método psicoterapéutico tales como el desarrollo transpersonal, las fases, procesos y crisis espirituales, y cómo afrontar dichas experiencias. Su punto de vista es muy humanístico y hasta en ocasiones místico. Fue una lectura curiosa, pese a ser excesivamente moralista y retrógrada en algunos momentos, que muestra lo amplio que es el campo de la Psicología y lo diverso de sus múltiples técnicas psicoterapéuticas.
I came to know the figure of Assagioli at the same time as I was interested in Carl Jung. It is no coincidence as both have very similar views about the human being. Both are scientists who are known for looking not only at the body and mind but also at the spirit of man. Assagioli in particular developed his own method of psychotherapy which he called "Psychosynthesis". This book is a good introduction to his conception of the human being and his development.
He explains concepts surrounding his psychotherapeutic method such as transpersonal development, spiritual phases, processes and crises, and how to deal with such experiences. His point of view is very humanistic and sometimes even mystical. It was a curious read, despite being overly moralistic and retrograde at times, showing how broad the field of Psychology is and how diverse its many psychotherapeutic techniques are.
REVIEW EN ESPAÑOL:
Conocí la figura de Assagioli en la misma época en la que estaba interesado en Carl Jung. No es casualidad pues ambos tienen puntos de vista muy similares acerca del ser humano. Ambos son científicos que se les conoce por mirar no solo al cuerpo y la mente sino al espíritu del hombre. Assagioli en concreto desarrolló un método de psicoterapia propio al que bautizó como "Psicosíntesis". Este libro es una buena introducción a su concepción del ser humano y su desarrollo.
Explica conceptos que rodean a su método psicoterapéutico tales como el desarrollo transpersonal, las fases, procesos y crisis espirituales, y cómo afrontar dichas experiencias. Su punto de vista es muy humanístico y hasta en ocasiones místico. Fue una lectura curiosa, pese a ser excesivamente moralista y retrógrada en algunos momentos, que muestra lo amplio que es el campo de la Psicología y lo diverso de sus múltiples técnicas psicoterapéuticas.
August 6, 2011
A must read for any Huber astrologers. The Hubers used Psychosynthesis as the foundation for their philosophy that drives the Huber Institute.
It is a great book for anyone intrested in psychology, our DNA patterns of behaviour and our environmental behaviour
It is a great book for anyone intrested in psychology, our DNA patterns of behaviour and our environmental behaviour
July 21, 2023
This Manual by Roberto Assagioli could be one of the more structured psychoanalytic work. It began with the delineation of the theory of psychosynthesis and then elaborated further with specific techniques that can be employed.
Psychosynthesis is another derivative from Freudian idea of the unconscious. Assagioli stipulated that the conflicting drives and inclinations hindered the growth of the Ego, and thus inciting the appearance of the psychopathology. His idea of psychoanalysis involves the dismantlement of the conflicting personality, the introjection of a new conception through therapy, and lastly the rebirth of an entirely new personality; thus the name of psychosynthesis.
Also central to his thoughts would be the idea of disidentification. In the midst of conflict, the Ego might project multiple identities that could be fraudulent and false; and thus the entire personality would be maladaptive. For an instance, the Ego could identify itself as a worker, and thus his entire life would be based on compulsivity. Or, on the other hand, the Ego could identify itself with its projection; the mask is now mistaken as the self itself. This is especially prominent in neurotic or borderline patients who have a very fragile sense of selfness, as soon as the illusion shattered, they fall into an abyss of despair. And so, Assagioli prescribed an exercise of disidentification that help to promote awareness to the patients that they are not their body, their feelings or their mental activities; in a way creating a “psychological distance”.
Assagioli’s conception of self and its therapeutic recommendations bordered on the risk of “psychologism”, that is interpreting psychic formulations as with biological processes. The progression from the mundane self to the higher self reminisce the genetic model of psychopathology. I appreciate the objective descriptions of active techniques prescribed; which is heavily on visualization. The rationale behind visualization would be the arising of gestalten, or psychic meanings from the exercises. Human generate meaning or understanding from psychic relations; just like we can create a face or shape out from the clouds or the wall imprintings. The exercises prescribed help to create new paths and avenues that can promote understanding of the patient’s condition.
Bu t the catch behind the many exercises prescribed, they heavily required both insight and enthusiasm from the patient’s part. We are currently stuck with a high-profile borderline patient with intense self harm ideations, very immune towards any kind of psychotherapy. Her splitting between the angelic professor with us, the evil cretin really did not help at all. And so, my team specialist agreed for me to conduct a disidentification therapy with the patient. Lo and behold, she has virtually zero ability of self-reflection, totally incapable of dissociating herself with the various identity she shackled herself with. After 45 minutes of exasperated trying, we ended the session, and even without immediate effect, the patient left the room with (I think) a grudgingly amazed from my persistence in trying.
Insight and participation from the patient is the determining factor of success in any kind of psychotherapy.
Psychosynthesis is another derivative from Freudian idea of the unconscious. Assagioli stipulated that the conflicting drives and inclinations hindered the growth of the Ego, and thus inciting the appearance of the psychopathology. His idea of psychoanalysis involves the dismantlement of the conflicting personality, the introjection of a new conception through therapy, and lastly the rebirth of an entirely new personality; thus the name of psychosynthesis.
Also central to his thoughts would be the idea of disidentification. In the midst of conflict, the Ego might project multiple identities that could be fraudulent and false; and thus the entire personality would be maladaptive. For an instance, the Ego could identify itself as a worker, and thus his entire life would be based on compulsivity. Or, on the other hand, the Ego could identify itself with its projection; the mask is now mistaken as the self itself. This is especially prominent in neurotic or borderline patients who have a very fragile sense of selfness, as soon as the illusion shattered, they fall into an abyss of despair. And so, Assagioli prescribed an exercise of disidentification that help to promote awareness to the patients that they are not their body, their feelings or their mental activities; in a way creating a “psychological distance”.
Assagioli’s conception of self and its therapeutic recommendations bordered on the risk of “psychologism”, that is interpreting psychic formulations as with biological processes. The progression from the mundane self to the higher self reminisce the genetic model of psychopathology. I appreciate the objective descriptions of active techniques prescribed; which is heavily on visualization. The rationale behind visualization would be the arising of gestalten, or psychic meanings from the exercises. Human generate meaning or understanding from psychic relations; just like we can create a face or shape out from the clouds or the wall imprintings. The exercises prescribed help to create new paths and avenues that can promote understanding of the patient’s condition.
Bu t the catch behind the many exercises prescribed, they heavily required both insight and enthusiasm from the patient’s part. We are currently stuck with a high-profile borderline patient with intense self harm ideations, very immune towards any kind of psychotherapy. Her splitting between the angelic professor with us, the evil cretin really did not help at all. And so, my team specialist agreed for me to conduct a disidentification therapy with the patient. Lo and behold, she has virtually zero ability of self-reflection, totally incapable of dissociating herself with the various identity she shackled herself with. After 45 minutes of exasperated trying, we ended the session, and even without immediate effect, the patient left the room with (I think) a grudgingly amazed from my persistence in trying.
Insight and participation from the patient is the determining factor of success in any kind of psychotherapy.
April 15, 2022
A brilliant and beautiful philosophy on advancing humanity and compassion. Of course, having composed it in the early 20th century, Assagioli has a few embarrassing blind spots regarding gender and sexuality. His work needs taken up, corrected, and evolved. The basis of his theory (echoing the work of Sabina Speilrein) was everything humanity needed at the time but was unable to hear it. We need this evermore now. Abraham Maslow tried again to bring it to us in the 1970s. Assagioli tells us that the way to overcome life’s trauma is not by re-suffering what is hidden in the unconscious as Freud would have us do, but to go beyond the unconscious and the waking conscious to the super-consciousness. This is as state we have all experienced in rare moments, such as when we hold our newborn child for the first time, fall into the arms of the love of our life, or encounter some other for whom in that moment we are in awe--not of the person but--of the wonder of life. In such moments we have a sudden, new perspective of our life and what we want to do with it. It is accompanied by the feeling of absolute compassion for others, even in the face of injustice. In such moments are released from ego-centered misery and offer our energy and resources in the service of the lives of others. It is a state of ultimate compassion that always comes with intense joy. We see this in Charles Dickens’ character Scrouge on Christmas morning. All the world is right in those tiny moments. Assagioli argues that the role of the psychologist is to teach us more than tolerating past memory but to reach transcendence in a state of subconsciousness where we experience absolute joy, where we marvel before the wonder of life. Research in psychiatry today is flirting with this idea through the use of hallucinogens. But they are not necessary as Maslow (coming a generation after Assagioli) argued in building on the work of Assagioli and Sabina Spielrein. These three recognized that we can reach the "peak experience," with the medication of pure thought alone. If psychiatry could have reached for this at the end of WWI when Sabina Speilrein and Assagioli were writing about it, what a different world we would all be in. Don’t be stuffy about his mistakes gender and sexuality. Chuckle, correct him, and mine the diamond under the coal.
January 8, 2023
Assagioli lived 1888–1975. This Penguin mass market paperback I have was printed the year after his death, and it's over 300 pages of, like, 9-point type? Fortunately I can still read it. Anyhow. This book contains a few short lists like "The 4 stages of X" but they're sprinkled deep within long paragraphs of wherever. It would have been visually helpfuller if he'd written them in dot-point lists.
For example, "stages toward Self-realization":
1st stage: "dissatisfaction, restlessness, and unconscious groping" — ennui and "looking for relief in wrong directions"
2nd stage: "emotional excitement or elation"
3rd stage: "vicissitudes" — "doubts and discouragement" — "anguish"
4th stage: "the 'incidents of ascent,' during the process of transmutation — which is the longest and most complicated"
I pulled these fragments out of the long paragraphs and put them into this format, and it wasn't obvious, and still the info remains unclear. It's tricky to "take notes" on this book.
I did smile at his warning of "the possible dangers of the exploration of the unconscious," mainly "the release of drives and emotions which were locked in the unconscious and which can flood the conscious ego before it is ready and prepared and competent to contain, control and utilize them. It is the situation of the 'apprentice sorcerer.'" I mean, this is true, but the reference to a "sorcerer" reminded me of Liber Null and Psychonaut: An Introduction to Chaos Magic, which, once seen, cannot be unseen.
I only got one useful takeaway: that it's useful to reflect on whether any given pattern of thinking that's unavailable to our conscious awareness is "better" or "worse" than our conscious thinking. The way Assagioli put it is: Everything that's not "conscious" is "un-conscious" by definition, but the word "unconscious" often suggests an inferior way of thinking, so if one wants to imply that the non-conscious way of thinking is superior, one could call it "superconscious." I think this terminology won't hold up, but the point is taken.
For example, "stages toward Self-realization":
1st stage: "dissatisfaction, restlessness, and unconscious groping" — ennui and "looking for relief in wrong directions"
2nd stage: "emotional excitement or elation"
3rd stage: "vicissitudes" — "doubts and discouragement" — "anguish"
4th stage: "the 'incidents of ascent,' during the process of transmutation — which is the longest and most complicated"
I pulled these fragments out of the long paragraphs and put them into this format, and it wasn't obvious, and still the info remains unclear. It's tricky to "take notes" on this book.
I did smile at his warning of "the possible dangers of the exploration of the unconscious," mainly "the release of drives and emotions which were locked in the unconscious and which can flood the conscious ego before it is ready and prepared and competent to contain, control and utilize them. It is the situation of the 'apprentice sorcerer.'" I mean, this is true, but the reference to a "sorcerer" reminded me of Liber Null and Psychonaut: An Introduction to Chaos Magic, which, once seen, cannot be unseen.
I only got one useful takeaway: that it's useful to reflect on whether any given pattern of thinking that's unavailable to our conscious awareness is "better" or "worse" than our conscious thinking. The way Assagioli put it is: Everything that's not "conscious" is "un-conscious" by definition, but the word "unconscious" often suggests an inferior way of thinking, so if one wants to imply that the non-conscious way of thinking is superior, one could call it "superconscious." I think this terminology won't hold up, but the point is taken.
December 13, 2023
This book contains a short section on terminology, the ideas to be presented, and other foundational ground laying. However, most of the book is on the practical side of the house. In this he lays out techniques for psychosynthesis involving the idea, rationality for that idea, techniques and procedures, applications and non-applications, and etc. I would like to point out the importance of keeping an eye on where and where not it should be applied. Due to the inclusion of all these factors for each technique there is a proper scientific detached viewpoint on most of these techniques with associated examples of working or not where applicable. This is the value of the book being mostly on these techniques and anyone from interested individuals, groups, therapists, and etc. can all take part.
However, the short third section on "Special Applications" I feel should be removed. While it can be interesting it is instead heavily opinionated and brings the quality down for me. The change is somewhat jarring and noticeable when you compare it to the prior two sections. There also ends up being redundancy in these sections due to it looking like random extra articles attached rather than a feeling of intended continuation of theme. Having said that they can still be used to benefit given the ideas and application, but it is noticeably "lesser" given the more attached nature of the author to these articles.
However, the short third section on "Special Applications" I feel should be removed. While it can be interesting it is instead heavily opinionated and brings the quality down for me. The change is somewhat jarring and noticeable when you compare it to the prior two sections. There also ends up being redundancy in these sections due to it looking like random extra articles attached rather than a feeling of intended continuation of theme. Having said that they can still be used to benefit given the ideas and application, but it is noticeably "lesser" given the more attached nature of the author to these articles.
December 28, 2018
This book was recommended to me by someone who had also read Eckhart Tolle and commented that Assagioli had incorporated some of Tolle's theories of spirituality into a psychological text. Psychosynthesis reads like a textbook as opposed to a narrative and he drew quite a bit on Freud and Jung in jumping off with his theory. Assagioli is one of the first psychiatrists to discuss humans as having not only a personality but also a "soul" for lack of better description. His theories are related to existential psychology, but he take a vastly more optimistic approach than existential psychologists (who are quite grim). Assagioli argues that humans can have a direct experience with the self and can also integrate into humanity as a whole, which seems a bit Jungian to me. Also, Assagioli's theory of individuals being part of "one humanity" echoes strongly of Buddhist teachings, which is probably why he was recommended to me as someone whose work echoed Tolle's. This book was a bit dry (because it reads as a textbook) but I'm nonetheless glad to have read it.
May 1, 2019
A synthesis of Frued, Jung, Maslow and others. A great introduction to meditation and the place of meditation deep within the history of psychotherapy. Not all of it has aged well, but it definitely predicted the direction of psychotherapy.
May 27, 2022
The content itself is insightful and the writing is quite clear and readable despite its age. It’s not however very well structured as a cover-to-cover read and is probably best suited as a study guide / reference text.
October 1, 2018
Tegenhanger van Freud. Hij bevindt wat Freud uit elkaar haalt
January 27, 2020
This would have valuable I was working as a therapist or in the field. I only picked up the book to gain knowledge but found it was more suited to diagnose.
August 25, 2023
Gran bella scoperta per me. Ottimo lavoro per introdursi agli argomenti di Assagioli. Ricco di spunti ed esercizi pratici. Assolutamente consigliato!
April 21, 2025
libro interessante, sotto certi aspetti; sotto altri estremamente datato
January 31, 2010
Really fascinating and revolutionary for its time until the stuff in the appendices about jazz music driving one insane and techniques for curing homosexuality.
April 13, 2017
The core of my work as a psychotherapist.
March 30, 2016
It is an amazing book from the founder of Psychosynthesis himself. Theory and practice together. Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews