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application form)
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a pdf version of our distance learning psychosynthesis brochure (includes
application form)
Want to know more
about Psychosynthesis?
Psychosynthesis brings together the two traditions of psychology and mysticism.
Psychology is then infused with a sense of soul and meaning, whilst the
mystery traditions benefit from the grounding and reflective qualities of
psychology.
Psychosynthesis is a practical system which is not about the application
of techniques, but learning to live with a vision that comes from deep within
oneself.
What is Psychosynthesis?
(a longer answer)
What group based courses do you offer?
What books can I read about Psychosynthesis?
Do you have any articles I can read
about Psychosynthesis topics?
Can I have Psychosynthesis counselling
or therapy?
Do you have links to other Psychosynthesis
sites?
Anything we haven't covered, please let us know
Available Now!
The Something and Nothing
of Death
a source of inspiration,
enabling you to face
the prospect of death
with a new spirit
of inquiry
Available Now!
Psychosynthesis:
The Elements and Beyond
everything ypu need
to understand and use
the visions and technques
of psychosynthesis
Available Now!
Kabbalah for Life
How to use
the power and wisdom
of this ancient tradition
Psychosynthesis is a comprehensive approach to self-realization and the
development of human potential. The essential aim of Psychosynthesis is
to help people discover their true spiritual nature, then to effectively
utilize this discovery in everyday life. Psychosynthesis helps us to realize
our creative potential, increase our ability to function harmoniously in
the modern world, and improve the quality of all our relationships.
Psychosynthesis is a particular kind of psychotherapy, yet it is more than
just psychotherapy. It is a collection of techniques and exercises designed
to help us move away from what we don't want in our lives and towards what
we do. It is not just a theory, but is a practical, working method that
integrates principles and techniques from many approaches to personal growth.
Unlike some other therapies, however, it has no fixed idea of what someone
'should' be like - indeed, with Psychosynthesis, it is quite the contrary.
It is only successful when we have become more what we want to be like.
This is not in the sense of gratifying unbalanced or partial desires, but
when we have become more able to be ourselves in whatever situation we find
ourselves, and to do what we want to do when we tune into our innermost
sense of self and purpose. So Psychosynthesis is a kind of therapy, and
it is a method of self improvement, but more than this, it is also a process
that co-operates with the unfolding evolution of all nature. It aims to
bring awareness, wholeness and connection to the process of evolution as
it happens in each of us.
Psychosynthesis has been described as 'a psychology with a soul', and this
is what distinguishes it from many other forms of psychotherapy. Emphasizing
the value of intuition, inspiration and creative insight, it is a form of
'transpersonal psychology'. Whilst it concentrates on the personality, it
also includes the realms usually ascribed to more mystical or esoteric doctrines.
Yet, whilst it explores these areas that we could call spiritual, it in
no way imposes any form of doctrine or belief system upon the person using
it. Psychosynthesis is not a religion, nor would it ever want to be. Although
once you start doing Psychosynthesis it becomes a way of life, one of its
greatest qualities is that it allows you to be and do whatever you want.
So it is equally suitable for Christians, Buddhists, Pagans, Moslems, atheists,
agnostics - indeed, anyone at all.
Psychosynthesis is a way of understanding our lives, of helping us to know
ourselves and trust in our own processes of growth and unfoldment. But Psychosynthesis
does not deal only with the individual, for each of us is part of many different
groups of people, including our families, our friends, our work mates, and
so on. We are also members of a society and of the one human family that
covers the whole planet.
Psychosynthesis honours both the individual and the groups of which the
individual is a part. Partly because of this inclusive attitude, and partly
by the nature of its transpersonal connection, Psychosynthesis is not a
way of putting ourselves above or over anyone else. We can honour and utilise
our own wishes and power but not at the expense of other people. Psychosynthesis
does not rigidly analyse or label people and it is expected that we will
not do this either.
Many people in our modern world suffer from either one or both of two main
crises. Firstly, there is the 'crisis of meaning'. Particularly in the western
world but increasingly over the whole planet, many people live in an existential
vacuum, where life has lost its meaning (beyond, at the best, the purely
material). Psychosynthesis helps with the healing of this 'illness'. The
second crisis is that of 'duality' - we do not know ourselves as whole,
single entities, but are constantly torn between different desires and wishes.
Psychosynthesis also works on the healing of this crisis through moving
all the parts that make us up towards a clearer harmony - synthesis in fact.
Psychosynthesis recognises that each of us is constantly growing. This viewpoint
helps to put meaning and value back into life, and helps us make decisions
about who we are and what we want. It can also help us realise our responsibility
both to ourselves and the world as a whole. It can add a dynamic sense of
self to the present moment, and a sense of meaning to ourselves and to our
future.
Psychosynthesis can help you to 'know yourself' in the fullest sense of
these words. In our modern world situation there is much strife between
people on an individual and collective level. The state of our world on
an ecological level is so poor due to the greed of some people and the mindlessness
of others. There often seems to be such an appalling lack of care and understanding
and so much unbalance, particularly in the interaction between people. Anything
which helps people know themselves better, both as individuals and in the
context of living a life in accord with others, has to be useful.
Psychosynthesis includes the whole person, which is composed of the personality
plus the spiritual realms, including The Self which is, in this sense, our
connection to the divine (whether that is seen as some outside energy or
ultimately within us). Using Psychosynthesis we can learn to grow on all
these levels - so we can develop as a personality and find more effective
ways to experience life and to express ourselves. We can also grow in our
connection to the transpersonal realms, thus unleashing more positive, beneficial
qualities into our lives. We find more effective ways of utilizing our creative
energies. Creativity, in the Psychosynthesis sense, is not just about drawing,
painting, making music, sculpting or whatever (although it is these things
as well), but acknowledges the fact that we are all creative in our own
ways. With the right attitude we can be as equally creative doing housework
as in painting a masterpiece, in changing a baby's nappy as in encouraging
it to walk and talk.
Everything in nature appears to be evolving towards increased wholeness.
This could even be considered to be the definition of evolution. Psychosynthesis
co-operates with this process. An atom comes together with other atoms to
form a molecule, and these form cells, which then group into tissues which
become organs that make up a whole body. A similar process of synthesis
can be seen in our psychological world, too, as all the parts of us come
together to make us into one, whole person. We can use Psychosynthesis to
help us explore all these parts so we become more centred and able to function
more effectively. If one molecule was at war with another, and your heart
didn't agree with your lungs, you'd have problems. So it is with the psychological
functions too - when our sensations, feelings, thoughts, emotions, imagination,
intuition, everything that makes us up, are harmoniously synthesized, then
we work well and without conflict.
© Will Parfitt 2008 (v8.1)