When Ivan Ordiner and Amanda Matiussi invited me to participate in this event on the “Seeds of Psychosynthesis”, they asked me about what I would like to talk about. The transformation of bio-psychic energies immediately came to mind. I then started to consider my reasons for wanting to address this particular topic. And this is how I would like to start this talk: sharing my reflections with you.

THE REASONS AND THE CONTEXT

There are some more immediate reasons. The transformation of impulsive and affective energies is a topic that has always interested me greatly and that I have been exploring in depth for quite some time. This interest stems, above all, from personal experience. I am a very passionate woman and because of that, life has provided me with plenty of material to work with… and every day brings new opportunities!

I am also interested in the subject for professional reasons, of course. As a psychotherapist, I often accompany people who have difficulty managing their impulses, expressing themselves assertively and effectively, or self-regulating particularly intense and painful emotional states.

However, as I reflected further on this – and especially as I reread what Assagioli wrote on the subject – I realised that there is a much broader reason why this issue (which should really be a daily practice, and a regular disposition) is so fundamental. This is especially true at this historical conjuncture; with everything we have been facing for the past year as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

To get to the heart of this broader motivation, I would like to start with what Roberto Assagioli himself wrote in two lectures entitled Transformation of Psychic Energies (1963) and Transmutation of Combative Energies (1965)[1]. Let us look in particular at how he opens and closes these two writings, how he “frames” them.

The first paragraph of the 1963 lecture reads as follows:

“The topic I will discuss today is one of the most important, given its usefulness, indeed the urgent need for its practical application, both individually and collectively, and also given its importance for the psycho-spiritual evolution of humankind. (…)”

While the last paragraph concludes:

‘The field is immense, the opportunities for utilising individual and collective energies are innumerable. Everyone, to some extent, can participate in this great mobilisation of the dynamic energies of humanity for constructive and creative purposes. In this way, and only in this way, can we prevent those powerful forces from exploding into wars or destructive social struggles. That mobilisation, on the other hand, can achieve the intended aim  (…) of uniting everyone in a harmonious planetary organism, to create a world synthesis, to bring about a new and higher truly human civilisation, safer and quicker.’

The 1965 lecture, on the other hand, opens with these words:

“I spoke in a previous lecture about interindividual psychosynthesis as a necessary basis for cooperation. Today I will begin to develop this broad theme, focusing in particular on one of the major obstacles to psychosynthesis and cooperation: combativeness and aggression. The two most effective ways to eliminate these obstacles are: first, the transmutation and sublimation of combative energies; second, their neutralisation through the evocation of energies opposed to them, such as benevolence, solidarity and love.”

And in the last paragraph of the same writing, Assagioli concludes by reiterating the importance of evoking energies, complementary to the impulsive and combative ones (i.e. benevolence, love, solidarity, etc.), which can:

‘[raise] us to the luminous and largely unexplored regions of the superconscious, to the summit of our being, to the Self (…) which is the most powerful energy for creating communion between human beings, the Psychosynthesis of Humanity.’

Assagioli makes it very clear that the ultimate goal of the work of transmuting bio-psychic energies is to create a “harmonious planetary organism”, a “world synthesis”, that “Psychosynthesis of Humanity” which is the final goal of interpersonal, relational psychosynthesis.

“A COMMUNITY OF DESTINY FOR ALL HUMANITY”

Assagioli wrote these words almost 60 years ago, but, as I said before, this work has never been so relevant, so “important, necessary and urgent” as in this particular historical period. Why is this? What truly characterises this historical period?

Over the last year, I have had the opportunity to reflect on this question during several international psychosynthesis meetings (Psychosynthesis Coaching Symposium and World Day of Psychosynthesis) and also while writing an article entitled A bold vision for a better World (read the article).

In these situations, I found myself emphasising that what seems most salient in our era most is not so much the various wars (economic and otherwise), profound social and gender inequalities, accelerating climate change, mass migration, epidemics, etc. After all, if we think about it, wars, inequalities, migration and epidemics have always been part of human history. What really seems to characterise our time is the global impact these events have had. In fact, they no longer involve only individual groups of human beings or limited geographical areas but affect the entire planet and all living beings that inhabit it.

In truth, experts have been talking about the process of globalisation and the progressive increase in interconnectivity for several decades now: first and foremost at the level of economy and trade, at a technological level, but also, inevitably, at an environmental, ecological and health-care level, at a social, cultural and political level, etc.

As we all know very well, however, something has happened in the last year that has triggered a difficult and, in many ways, traumatic collective awareness of this process. I am referring, of course, to the pandemic. Over the last year, the reality of the process of globalisation and the resulting deepening of interconnection at a planetary level, from a somewhat abstract subject – mainly the preserve of economists, scientists and philosophers – has suddenly become an everyday experience that none of us can escape.

And, having also become aware of its traumatic connotations (think of the loss of loved ones in extremely painful circumstances, the obstacles to contact and relationship, the limitations in our freedom of movement, the fear of contagion, the serious economic repercussions, etc.), very intense instinctive and emotional responses are inevitably triggered, both individually and collectively. This brings me back to the theme of our evening.

However, this pandemic can also be an extraordinary opportunity to realise that – beyond our different affiliations, local, regional and national identities, etc., which must be respected and valued – there is now what Morin calls “a community of destiny for all humanity”. We can therefore use this pandemic to become aware that, again quoting Morin, “we are children and citizens of the same Earth-Homeland”. And to actively collaborate with this state of affairs.

THE ONGOING LABOUR AND THE NEED FOR OUR ACTIVE PARTICIPATION

The image that came to my mind is that of labour:

• from a collective point of view, we are witnessing the birth of that increasingly interconnected “planetary organism” that Assagioli spoke of in his writings on the transformation of bio-psychic energies;
• and on an individual level, we are witnessing the labour that the awareness of this state of affairs generates in each of us.

As we all know, labour is an intense, painful and delicate period, which can herald wonderful opportunities and the birth of something new, but which also involves great risks. It is a period of light and shadow. We hope that everything will go well, but we cannot be sure… and we might at times want an epidural. Understandably so. Instead, it is important that each of us commits to doing our part. As Assagioli reminds us:

‘Everyone, to some extent, can participate in this great mobilisation (…) which will make the success of the attempt (…) to unite everyone in a harmonious planetary organism to implement a new and higher truly human civilisation safer and faster.’

In fact, another thing that has struck me about this last year is precisely the responsibility that each of us has been called upon to assume in the global pandemic scenario. We are constantly reminded that our behaviour, our movements, our actions have a precise effect on the spread of infection.

Again, I am not really saying anything new. Every choice we make has specific effects. It has always been so.  But what is new is that this pandemic has emphasised our direct responsibility, our power, the cause-and-effect relationship between the actions of individuals and the global situation.

CONCLUSIONS

I wanted to say this as an introduction to our evening: when we work on transforming our bio-psychic energies, let us remember that we are not only concerned with our own healing, well-being and personal development (which are of course very important), or with the well-being of the small groups to which we belong (which is equally important), but that we are also actively contributing to the well-being and development of the entire human community, and not only that, but to all living beings inhabiting this planet. We are actively participating in this ongoing labour: a task that is more “important, necessary and urgent” than ever at this stage, when the contractions seem to be getting closer and closer.

This global perspective can help us, I hope, to give a broader meaning and significance to the transformation of energies that we are trying to achieve in our small inner laboratory. It can help us understand the immense value that this process also has for the community, even more so in this particular historical period in which we are constantly reminded of the importance of physical disinfection. Should we not perhaps pay the same attention, or even more attention, to psychological disinfection?

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[1] R. Assagioli, Trasformazione delle energie psichiche (Transformation of Psychic Energies), Istituto di Psicosintesi, Florence, 1963 and R. Assagioli “Trasmutazione delle energie combattive” (Transmutation of Combative Energies), Istituto di Psicosintesi, Florence, 1965.