The unconscious – which in some regards can be said to possess infantile, primitive and archaic characteristics – tends to speak through images and favours therefore the language of drawing. Assagioli (cit. in Caldironi, 2004, p. 65 e p. 100) defines the technique of free drawing as “a continuous dialogue with all aspects of the unconscious, opening the door to the unconscious so that it can communicate with us.” It is important to cultivate towards our unconscious an attitude of acceptance and inner listening, and to give it expression, rather than keeping it imprisoned or turning our backs on it with our extroversion.

Free drawing is perhaps the easiest and most practical technique, as well as the most fruitful and innocuous way, to become aware of what is eluding us. Assagioli went so far as to consider it “more beneficial than working on dreams”, because when we are drawing there is always a watchful conscience that, while not interfering, observes. Moreover, the act of drawing is of value in and for itself; even when what is produced is not especially significant, drawing constitutes an effective discharge, offering the various levels of the unconscious the opportunity to manifest themselves.

In this respect, it should be pointed out that, if in Psychoanalysis the focus is on complexes and lower unconscious discharges, in Psychosynthesis equal, if not more, importance is given to the messages coming from the middle and, above all, from the higher unconscious. The free drawing technique is therefore also used to promote or actively encourage the influx of transpersonal elements into the waking consciousness. In this sense it often leads to surprising results, to veritable “communications” from the superconscious (Assagioli, 2007, p. 42).

PRACTICAL TIPS

Another very effective drawing exercise is the mandala technique. Drawing mandalas is seen to facilitate the relationship and integration between unconscious and conscious dimensions, self-expression and organisation of the different psychic parts into a whole, harmoniously organised around a centre (psychosynthesis).

• Daily mandala (Bocconi, Lacerna, 2001, p.196)

Every day, within your chosen time-frame (e.g. for a week, a month etc.), draw a mandala. A mandala is a graphic representation of the cosmos. It can be extremely simple or very elaborate, but always develops from a centre and radiates towards the periphery. The simplest form of mandala is a circle with a well-marked centre, or a circle with two diameters intersecting in a cross. It is important for the image to be symmetrical and develop harmoniously from the centre outward. It doesn’t matter how we draw our mandala, we might use colours and markers, or just a pencil, the drawing can be very ornate or simple and pared down. This may depend on the time we have available and our mood on the day. It is preferable to draw your mandala as soon as you wake up in the morning, but if that feels too rushed, you can do it in the evening also. However, it is recommended you try at least a few times to do your mandala in the morning and notice the difference between morning and evening mandalas. It is also important to stick to a certain daily ritual: gather yourself for a few minutes before starting, maybe light some incense or a candle, and approach the task with care and respect. I advise against looking at your previous mandalas before starting a new one, so as not to be influenced by them. It may be nice to collect all our mandalas in a special, carefully chosen notebook. At the end of the experiment, looking back through the mandalas we have drawn day after day can be quite revelatory, especially if we pay attention to the dates and the psychological state we were in at that time.

For more:

• Know, Love, Transform yourself (Vol. I), Psychosynthesis books (pp. 186-190) – Buy now
• Know, Love, Transform yourself (Vol. II) – Buy now