The Difference between the Autobiographical Self and Middle Unconscious?

The most famous psychosynthesist, Robert Assagioli articulated that our unconscious realm was comprised of three parts: higher, middle, and lower unconscious. I suppose that the function of the middle unconscious is the same as that of the autobiographical self which is proposed by Damasio Antonio. So, what’s the difference is there between both of them? Regarding the middle unconscious, Assagioli (1965) explained: “This is formed of psychological elements similar to those of our waking consciousness and easily accessible to it. In this inner region our various experiences are assimilated” (p. 17). In other words, we can easily access the realm and retrieve our memory stored in it. 

On the other hand, Damasio (1999) explains about the autobiographical self that we can accumulate new knowledge or experiences as a “something-to-be-known” in this consciousness, and he defines such memory in the following way: “Sets of memories which describe identity and person can be reactivated as a neural pattern and made explicit as images whenever needed” (p. 174). For me, the function of both the autobiographical self and middle unconscious seems the same.

Reference
1The Feeling of What Happens: Body and Emotion in the Making of Consciousness
2Psychosynthesis: A Collection of Basic Writings

Our Sub-Personalities???

Each of us has a lot of different selves within us according to the relationships with others for example a manager who works in a company, a mother who cherishes her children, and a student who study in a university; the list goes on. Put simply, we live our life playing a multiple roles every day. Regarding the characteristic of our sub-personalities, they are not unusual but normal. Also, Firman & Gila (2002) illustrate our sub-personalities in the following way: “Clearly, subpersonality formation seems a natural and healthy structuralization process of the human personality, a gift of the middle unconscious, the subsystems that make up the larger system of the personality as a whole” (p. 73). 

However, our sub-personalities sometimes become dysfunctional, and our wounded sub-personalities show up. When they come up within us, recognition-acceptance-inclusion-synthesis process (Firman & Gila, 2002) would be helpful to make our dysfunctional or wounded sub-personalities healthy and synthesize them in an appropriate way. (See the reference book in detail.)

Reference

Psychosynthesis: A Psychology of the Spirit (Suny Series in Transpersonal and Humanistic Psychology)

The Strengths and Limitations of Imagination Technique: Conclusion

This is the conclusion part about the strengths and limitations of Imagination Technique.

Conclusion

            Human beings have a tremendous power of imagination and there are plenty of merits in the technique of visualization.  However, it is not an almighty technique.  When we regard this technique as an omnipotent technique, we will fall into some traps such as the limitations of this technique pointed out in this paper.
            No matter how much we use only the technique of visualization in order to improve the ability to sink a putt about golf, we have to go to an actual golf course and to practice hard not only to use visualization.  Otherwise, we can never be a good golf player forever.            Therefore, it is so important to use this technique combined with other psychotherapy techniques, actual exercises, or appropriate medicines that we can enhance the effect of this technique and avoid the traps of this technique.  Lastly, we need to keep the following Wilber’s saying in our mind: Everything is right but partial (Wilber, 2000).  The technique of visualization has certainly various positive effects on us but its utilization is also partial not perfect.

The Strengths and Limitations of Imagination Technique: Limitations

I'd like to share the limitations of the technique of visualization below.  In fact, it was a little bit difficult to find the limitations because most practitioners or researchers focus on the only merits.  

Limitations

            Whereas there are a lot of researches, theses, and books about the merits of visualization, almost all of them don’t refer to the limitations of visualization.  However, any therapeutic techniques include their limitations and there are no perfect techniques in the world.  Therefore, this report refers to the limitations and reveals mainly four limitations in the technique of visualization.            First, many people tend to misunderstand the role of the technique of visualization.  As Assagioli (1965) pointed out, many people are likely to forget the purpose of psychosyntheis, in a word, integrating or synthesizing various human personalities into the true self (Firman and Gila, 2002) and most people tend to have an intense interest in this technique itself.  Most people, especially new agers, who overestimate human potentials, are likely to use this technique in order only to succeed in his or her life and to obtain super natural powers.
            Therefore, the technique of visualization is often used not to attain the true purpose of psychosyntheis but often used only to satisfy with his or her ego.  Whoever wants to use this technique can apply it very easily to the success in his or her life, but we need to think of the true purpose of this technique before using it.            Second, regarding the negative effect of the technique of visualization in the medical world, when this technique is used in a clinical practice, this technique tends to rely on the imagery ability of patients too much.  As a result, this technique will sometimes have a negative effect on the patients.  For example, when therapists use this technique for a patient who has low self-esteem and tends to visualize negative images, the careful use of this technique is required.  As indicated in the above section of the merit against cancer in this paper, if the patient visualized that his cancer tumors activated more aggressively and his symptom worsened, he could not only cure his cancer but also aggravate his symptom.
            Therefore, therapists need to understand whether the patient is a negative thinker or not before using this technique in the medical field.  Especially, if therapists apply this technique to the patients who suffer from a severe disease such as cancer, the improper use of this technique may lead to his or her death in the worst case.            Third, about dissociation, as Reyher (1978) implies, “Dissociation represents the inability to cognize (understanding via conceptual-verbal vehicles) negative conceptions (personifications) of one’s self and others because of prohibitively aversive dystonia.  Since these require conceptual-verbal vehicles for their comprehension, exclusive use of free imagery would be ineffective” (p. 78).
            Moreover, repression will be followed by dissociation because both of them are likely to arise from negative self-images.  Of course, the technique of visualization is usually used to improve self-esteem, but in the case of repression, this technique can cause a negative effect.
            Thus, when patients suffer from dissociation or repression, therapists should be careful to apply this technique, and need to use other techniques combined with the technique of visualization.      
            Fourth, the technique of visualization has a possibility to create a negative personality and negative unifying center (Firman and Gila, 2002, p. 201).  When a person who has traumatic experiences in his or her life uses this technique, he or she can not release the stored trauma but also re-experience his or her trauma.  That is because as Firman and Gila suggests, we always have both a negative shadow and a positive shadow in our unconsciousness, and this technique sometimes accesses to our lower unconsciousness which includes his or her hidden traumas.
            Therefore, before using this technique, the person who has a severe trauma in his or her lower unconsciousness needs to cure his or her primal wounds first by applying other psychosynthesis techniques.

 Reference:

Reference:

1 Psychosynthesis: A Collection of Basic Writings

2 The Mental Edge: Maximize Your Sports Potential with the Mind-Body Connection   [MENTAL EDGE] [Paperback]

3 Psychosynthesis: A Psychology of the Spirit (Suny Series in Transpersonal and Humanistic Psychology)

4 Creative Visualization: Use the Power of Your Imagination to Create What You Want in Your Life (Gawain, Shakti)

5 The Power of Human Imagination: New Methods in Psychotherapy

6 Healing Images: The Role of Imagination in Health (Imagery and Human Development Series (Unnumbered).)

7 The Elements of Visualization (Elements of ...)

8 The Power of Human Imagination: New Methods in Psychotherapy

9 A Theory of Everything: An Integral Vision for Business, Politics, Science and Spirituality

Strengths of the technique of visualization

The following is my paper about the strengths and limitations of the technique of visualization.

Strengths

First, regarding the positive effect of the technique of visualization in spiritual psychotherapy, in various religions in the world, a large number of spiritual techniques are based upon the use of the power of our visualization ability.  For example, shamanic healing techniques, Kabbalah in Judaism, Gnostic traditions in Christianity, Sufism in Islam, Tantric yoga in Hindu, and the meditation of visualization in Tibetan Buddhism (Sheikh, A, Kunzendorf, and Sheikh,K. 2003).  As those examples demonstrate, the technique of visualization has a long history and stems from various ancient wisdoms.

The common purpose of this technique in various religions is transcendence of human ego and human transformation.  To attain this purpose, practitioners try to look into their inner world eagerly by visualizing sacred symbols, images and so on.  Through the practice of this technique, paradoxically, the “concentration on experience can lead one to liberation from the constraints of that experience” (Greenleaf, 1978, p. 182).  Moreover, from the perspective of psychosynthesis, the technique of visualization can lead to the realization that we are disidentified with our experiences.  In regard to the disidentification of our experiences, Firman and Gila (2002) remark that we can obtain freedom by being aware of that we are not our emotions, feelings, and thoughts, in a word, by disidentifying from our experiences.  As a result, the key implication of this technique is that we objectify our various experiences and then we notice that “I” is not those experiences but just the experiencer (Firman and Gila, 2002).
The technique of visualization is useful to transcend our ego and transform ourselves. That is why this technique is used as an important spiritual practice and the center of practices in various world religions.
 Second, in regard to the positive effects of the technique of visualization in the sports world, there are many positive results of the research about this technique.  In fact, the story that a lot of superstars in the sports world, for example, Michael Jordan who was a basketball superstar and Jack Nicklaus, who was a most famous golf player used the technique of visualization, is well known.
The following experiment about a golf practice was conducted at Olympic Training Center in Colorado.  The first group was told to visualize the entire process from tapping a ball to sinking a putt.  The second group was guided to imagine failing a putt.  The last group was instructed to only practice a putter with no visualization.  After one week, although the players in the last group practicing just physically without using the technique of visualization enhanced their putting ability by 11 percent, the first group improved their success probability of a putt by 30 percent. On the other hand, the players in the second group who visualize a negative image lowered their putting ability by 21 percent (Baum, 1999).

Moreover, the research about the technique of visualization at Stanford University reported that three-dimensional visualized pictures had a strong impact on our physiological responses (Baum, 1999).  This research indicates that our mind is highly connected to our body and then our mind has an effect on our body positively or negatively.  As a result, the technique of visualization helps to improve our physical ability by imagining positive pictures in our mind.                                                                                   
Third, the technique of visualization has a positive effect not only in the field of spiritual psychotherapy and sports, but also in the medical field.  As Chiaramonte (1997) states that “Imagery and relaxation techniques have also been utilized within primary medical care settings in the treatment of medical conditions that are associated with stress, such as chronic pain, headaches, hypertension, and the emotional aspects of cancer” (as cited in Hall, 2003, p. 408).
  
The effect in the treatment of cancer is very remarkable and in fact, there are a lot of cases that patients of cancer cured their disease by using the technique of visualization.  For instance, Carl Simonton, who is a radiation oncologist, and Stephanie Matthew-Simonton, who is a psychotherapist, introduced a total treatment program of cancer which included the technique of visualization, a regular cancer medication, and psychotherapy to explore the emotional factors about the disease.  The Simontons conducted this program for a patient who suffered from a throat cancer in 1971.  The patient’s physical condition was so bad and his weight was reduced from 130 to 98 pounds.  In addition to that, he was told to have only five years left to live.  The treatment program of cancer using the technique of visualization was conducted for him three times a day.  Firstly, he was guided to concentrate on his each part of his body from head to toe, and to relax all his body.  Next, he imagined that he was in a comfortable place like in his house, or in beautiful green forests or wonderful sea.  Then, he visualized the cancer in his body vividly and imagined that his all cells were activated energetically against his cancer by using a radiation treatment.  Lastly, he visualized vividly that his cancer tumors were weakened and decreased.  As a result of this program, his cancer disappeared gradually and he began to recharge himself little by little.  Moreover, due to this visualization treatment, he didn’t suffer from negative side effects of the radiation treatment so much.  After two months of this program, he cured his cancer completely (Hall, 2003).
As a matter of course, not all diseases are healed by using only the technique of visualization, but the remarkable effect of this technique is proven scientifically.    

Reference:

1 Psychosynthesis: A Collection of Basic Writings

2 The Mental Edge: Maximize Your Sports Potential with the Mind-Body Connection   [MENTAL EDGE] [Paperback]

3 Psychosynthesis: A Psychology of the Spirit (Suny Series in Transpersonal and Humanistic Psychology)

4 Creative Visualization: Use the Power of Your Imagination to Create What You Want in Your Life (Gawain, Shakti)

5 The Power of Human Imagination: New Methods in Psychotherapy

6 Healing Images: The Role of Imagination in Health (Imagery and Human Development Series (Unnumbered).)

7 The Elements of Visualization (Elements of ...)

8 The Power of Human Imagination: New Methods in Psychotherapy

9 A Theory of Everything: An Integral Vision for Business, Politics, Science and Spirituality

The Strengths and Limitations of Imagination Technique: Introduction

The following is my paper about the strengths and limitations of the technique of visualization.

Introduction

Imagination is one of the beautiful abilities for human beings and we use it every moment unconsciously, but we are not usually aware of the fact (Gawain, 1978).  The technique of visualization is helpful to use our imagination in a conscious manner.
Although there are a lot of psychospiritual, therapeutic, and transformational techniques in psychosynthesis, among them, the technique of imagination plays an important role for other techniques in psychosyntheisis.  In regard to the human imagination, Assagioli (1965) stated that human imagination evoked our various memories, emotions, feelings, and thoughts at the same time, and the imagination in itself was synthetic.  In other words, as long as our imagination in itself is synthetic, the technique of imagination in itself is a synthetic technique.  That is why the technique of imagination is significant for psychosynthesis in that it can give rise to our various emotions, feelings, and thoughts and also it can synthesize them.

This paper focuses on the technique of visualization among various techniques of imagination.  That is because the technique of visualization is the important base of not only the techniques of the imagination, but also the other techniques in psychosynthesis (Assagioli, 1965).  Also, this paper discusses the various strengths and limitations of the technique of visualization.  As for the strengths of visualization, the technique of visualization is used in a lot of fields for example, spiritual psychotherapy, sports, and health, and also various positive effects are reported scientifically.  On the other hand, this paper reveals not only the strengths of visualization but also the limitations such as negative self-images.

Reference:

1 Psychosynthesis: A Collection of Basic Writings

2 The Mental Edge: Maximize Your Sports Potential with the Mind-Body Connection   [MENTAL EDGE] [Paperback]

3 Psychosynthesis: A Psychology of the Spirit (Suny Series in Transpersonal and Humanistic Psychology)

4 Creative Visualization: Use the Power of Your Imagination to Create What You Want in Your Life (Gawain, Shakti)

5 The Power of Human Imagination: New Methods in Psychotherapy

6 Healing Images: The Role of Imagination in Health (Imagery and Human Development Series (Unnumbered).)

7 The Elements of Visualization (Elements of ...)

8 The Power of Human Imagination: New Methods in Psychotherapy

9 A Theory of Everything: An Integral Vision for Business, Politics, Science and Spirituality

Addiction recovery process: More detail

I’d like to share more detail guidelines about addiction recovery process which I posted before yesterday.  The following citation is from my teacher’s resume.  If you face with some addictions, I think that this is so helpful.  Please see the following and try it.

The purpose of this process is to help people with addictions, or any habit they wish to change, integrate spirituality into the recovery process.  Materials: picture collection, drawing paper, and crayons or pens.
1 Have your client choose 1-2 pictures from the picture collection that represents their essence, higher power, spirit, or any language for their essential nature that they prefer.  If you use guided imagery, have the person imagine a symbol that represents same.  Take 3-5 minutes and have them reflect on this picture or symbol, helping them to build their connection to it.
2 Put the contemplation aside and have them focus on the addiction, talking about it first, and developing awareness of its impact in their life.  Next, have your client do a free drawing of their experience when they are engaged with their addiction.  Let them know that this is not an “artistic” process, but one to help them access deep layers of their psyches.  Encourage them not to evaluate or censor the drawing as they are creating it.  When they are complete, ask them to talk about the drawing and their process.
3 Shift attention to step one.  If you are using pictures, ask them to place the picture on or near the drawing.  Tell them (in your own words) that their higher power/spirit, etc. is available at all times, and can share guidance with regard to this issue in their life.  Encourage them to open to and receive this wisdom.  Discuss this experience with them when this is complete.

Reference: Susanne West’s resume.  Susanne is a professional coach, hypnotherapist, teacher and workshop leader.  Susanne West website.

Addiction recovery process

Today, I learned the 12 steps technique for an addiction recovery in the Psychosynthesis class.  I wrote an article about my addiction to using Inter Net yesterday, so I was surprised at this synchronicity!

My teacher told us the various definitions of addiction and each steps.  Especially, my teacher showed us the step two in detail.  Step two is a spiritual step and the way to practice its step is the following. 

1 Choose 1-2 pictures from the picture collection that represent your Higher Power, or Deeper Self, True Self, etc.  Develop a connection with the image.  I chose a picture which showed a baby surrounded by beautiful tulips.  For me, it represented my natural healing power. 

2 Shift attention to focusing on the addiction.  Become aware of its impact in your life.  Then draw it.  I’m sorry that the attached picture which I draw in the class is a little bit grotesque.  

3 Shift attention to picture representing Higher Power.  Let it have a voice.  Ask for direction.

After the above exercise, we shared our own addiction.  I won’t share my addiction in detail, but I have used a steroid cream for my atopy since I was 2 or 3 years old.  Now, I try to reduce the volume of the medicine.  That is because a steroid cream doesn’t cure atopy completely and it’s like a quick fix medicine, and I want to cure my disease using a human natural power not depending on artificial materials too much.  I’m interested in addiction recovery process, so I’ll learn this and the other steps more.

The limitation of a disidentification exercise

I posted the way to practice the disidentification technique and its merit, so I’d like to describe the limitation of a disidentification exercise.  As pointed out, there are some merits in this exercise, but it is also important for us to recognize the limitation of this exercise in an appropriate manner.  Assagioli (1965) stated that this technique should be used in a careful manner for the patients who tend to focus on their inner mental world too much such as self-exploration or self-reflection (p. 122).  Furthermore, we need to be especially careful of the following point:

Under the limitations and contra-indications of this technique it is important to consider certain dangers which may be present in cases such as borderline-psychotics, particularly when there is a condition of “de-personalization,” e.g., when a patient has the feeling that his body does not belong to him.  Then the added emphasis on “I am not the body” may further widen the split and run contrary to the fundamental idea of bio-psychosynthesis.  (Assagioli, 1965, p. 123)

We should use this technique not only looking at the useful aspect, but also understanding the above limitations in the proper way.

Reference: Psychosynthesis

The effect of "Disidentification exercise"

Yesterday, I introduced “disidentification exercise”, but I’d like to explain the psychological effect of a disidentification exercise in more detail.  After the class or reading text books, I suppose that the aim of a disidentification exercise is being aware of the fact that “I” is not sensations, emotions, or thoughts but “I” is a person who perceives those experiences as they are.  As Firman and Gila (2002) pointed out, ““I” is ever the one who is aware, the experiencer not the experience” (p. 97).  This sentence was very insightful for me because I usually regarded my sensations, emotions, and thoughts as “me.”  In a word, I was frequently apt to identify with these contents, and I realized that I was not my physical sensation, emotions, nor thoughts thorough this exercise.  In regard to the effect of a disidentification practices, there are mainly two important points in it.  The first, the main effect of this exercise is that:

The effect and results of the exercise are and should be of a liberating nature; and in fact those who use the technique successfully say that they obtain a sense of freedom, a sense of being, and a spontaneous control of the psychological contents with which they were previously completely identified.  (Assagioli, 1965, p. 120). 

In addition to that, Firman & Gila (2002) argue that we could notice that “I” is not objective things but always and forever subjective things (p. 100).  In my view, the merit of this exercise is significant in our modern society.  That is because a lot of knowledge or experiences are flooded into our daily life, and we are overwhelmed by them, as a result, most of us are inclined to identify with those contents.

Reference:

1 Psychosynthesis: A Psychology of the Spirit (Suny Series in Transpersonal and Humanistic Psychology)

2 Psychosynthesis

Disidentification exercise in psychosynthesis class

In the last psychosynthesis class, we practiced “disidentification exercise” for 10-15 minutes.  I was intrigued by this exercise, because this exercise was very useful in that we could be aware of true “I.”  “I” is not sensations, emotions, nor thoughts.  As Firman and Gila (2002) pointed out, “I” is not an experience but an “experiencer.”  Well, I want to share this exercise in brief.  Please see the following steps.

In the class, firstly, we paid attention to our breaths, took a breath deeply and slowly 4 or 5 times, and relaxed.  Secondly, while relaxing, we noticed that our various experiences such as sensations, emotions, and thoughts, etc. happened in us.  Thirdly, we affirmed and became aware of the fact that “I have a body, but I am not my body.”  The next affirmation was “I have an emotion, but I am not my emotion.”  The third was “I have a thought, but I am not the mind.”  Please affirm these sentences feeling fully your inner world.  In this way, we tried to dis-identify with our experiences occurred in our inner world.  After these affirmations, we felt our entire body, emotion, and mind.  Lastly, we concentrated on our breaths and finished.

Let’s try this psychosyntheis technique.  This exercise I showed you is written in an Assagioli's book but another disidentification exercise is described in a Firman and Gila's book.

Reference:

Psychosynthesis p116-117

Saw the light at the end of my first paper

Whew!  Eventually, I saw the light at end of my first writing assignment in Psychosynthesis class.  This paper does not require so heavy pages of me, but this is my first time to write in “APA” style.  APA style is the problem for me.  APA?  I’m already familiar with APA!!  That is because I frequently saw the word, “APA”, when I was an international tax consultant.  “What do you mean?” people may say to me.  Of course, that is a kind of my joke, and I know only the meaning of “APA” in the international tax world.  In the international tax world, APA means “Advance Pricing Agreement”, on the other hand, in the academic world, APA means “American Psychological Association.”  Needless to say, there is a big difference between them.  I’ll train APA style little by little to become a good writer.

Every journey begins with a single step!

Today's reading for my writing assignment in Psychosynthesis class

Today, I read some books for my writing assignment in Psychosynthesis class.  After the previous class, I was intrigued by “Dis-identification” and “Empathy”, so I looked for and read some books related to my topic.  However, there were few books about dis-identification… Only Assagioli or Firman and Gila covered this theme?

The followings are my reference books.

Reference:

1 Empathy in Counseling and Psychotherapy: Perspectives and Practices

2 Empathy Reconsidered: New Directions in Psychotherapy

3 Clinical Empathy

4 The Empathic Imagination

5 Empathic Attunement: The 'Technique' of Psychoanalytic Self Psychology

6 The Art and Practice of Compassion and Empathy

7 Empathy Fatigue: Healing the Mind, Body, and Spirit of Professional Counselors

8 The Empathic Ground