There are a number of important key themes used by Psychosynthesis therapists in their work with symbolic and imaginative material. Two were formulated by Désoille: the theme of ascent and descent. Richard Gerard presents a third theme, that of symbolic identification. Here the patient is asked to identify with all their symbolic representations.

Gerard considered it “the technique of Psychosynthesis par excellence because it makes the person able to integrate in themselves the totality of what exists, that is, the whole internal and external world” (Gerard, 1986, p. 7).

• When applied to images of people, this technique serves to increase our empathy.
• With natural imagery, such as rivers, stars, flowers, it tends to evoke feelings of intimate participation with the entire universe.
• Applied to repugnant and terrifying images, it helps us recover parts of ourselves that had until then been repressed or projected onto other people.
• In all cases, it leads to a more direct and deeper relationship with everything that exists inside and outside of us, and is therefore more useful and effective than any purely intellectual interpretation (Ferrucci, 1982).

Symbolic identification is particularly applicable to the resolution of psychosomatic tensions because identifying symbolically with body postures, physical gestures and body parts facilitates psychophysiological integration and helps clarify the psychic component in the treatment of psychosomatic disorders (Gerard, 1986, pp. 4-5, p. 8).

EXAMPLE OF SYMBOLIC IDENTIFICATION (Guggisberg Nocelli)

The client is asked to imagine that they are the person, animal, plant, object or natural element (river, sea, mountain, and so on) that they encountered in their visualisation or dream. The therapist helps them to feel and develop as spontaneously as possible the emotional content of the identification, even when identifying with an inanimate object, and to experience the scene from this point of view.

1. Choose the image you want to work with (it can be a dream image, a free drawing, an image that appeared during a guided visualisation, a metaphor that emerged during session, etc.).
2. Visualise the image. It can also be very useful to draw the image and then use the drawing as prompt to facilitate identification.
3. Identify with the image, imagine becoming the image.
4. Express freely what you are experiencing and what resonates with you, as you identify with the image.
5. As guide, you may help clients deepen their experience, using the star of psychic functions:

“Now that you have identified with (the animal, the plant, the object…):

• What happens in your body? What sensations are produced (if any?) Where? What kind of posture, gestures, movements are generated?
• Are any desires and needs activated?
• What emotions and feelings are triggered?
• What other images, if any, come to mind?
• What thoughts?
• Intuitions?

For more:

• Know, Love, Transform yourself (Vol. I), Psychosynthesis books (pp. 219-221) – Buy now
• Know, Love, Transform yourself (Vol. II) – Buy now