Psychosynthesis is a psychotherapeutic approach that works with the whole person — our difficulties and past experiences, but also our creativity, potential, values and deeper sense of who we are.
I offer psychosynthesis psychotherapy in Dalston, East London, and online. I work particularly with people experiencing low self-esteem, self-doubt, a strong inner critic, people-pleasing, procrastination and self-sabotage, as well as those questioning their identity, direction, purpose or meaning in life.
Psychosynthesis can be especially helpful when you have some understanding of why you feel or behave as you do, yet still find yourself caught in patterns that are difficult to change.
What is psychosynthesis?
Psychosynthesis was developed by the Italian psychiatrist Roberto Assagioli. While influenced by psychoanalysis, it developed a broader view of human psychology — one that recognises both the wounds and conditioning of our past and our capacity for growth, choice, creativity and transformation.
From a psychosynthesis perspective, psychotherapy is therefore not only concerned with what is wrong or how to reduce symptoms. Difficulties can also invite us to understand ourselves more deeply and to discover aspects of ourselves that have been neglected, suppressed or have not yet had the opportunity to develop.
This does not mean romanticising suffering or suggesting that difficulties happen for a reason. Rather, it means remaining curious about what our experiences may reveal about our needs, conflicts, values and the direction in which our lives are seeking to develop.
The different parts of ourselves
One of the central ideas in psychosynthesis is that personality is made up of different parts, sometimes called subpersonalities.
You might recognise, for example, a perfectionist part that believes nothing you do is quite good enough; a people-pleasing part that finds it difficult to say no; an inner critic that constantly evaluates you; or a part that procrastinates whenever something feels difficult or exposing.
These parts can sometimes pull in very different directions.
One part of you may desperately want change while another resists it. You may want greater intimacy while another part protects you by keeping people at a distance. You may have ambitions and creative ideas while simultaneously finding yourself procrastinating or doubting whether you are good enough.
Psychotherapy gives us an opportunity to become curious about these different parts rather than judging or trying to get rid of them.
Often, behaviours that appear self-defeating have developed for understandable reasons. As we begin to understand what a part is trying to protect us from — and what it may need — our relationship with it can begin to change.
This aspect of psychosynthesis shares some similarities with contemporary forms of parts work such as Internal Family Systems (IFS), which also informs my therapeutic approach.
You are more than your thoughts and feelings
Another important psychosynthesis practice is disidentification.
When we are caught in anxiety, shame, self-criticism or fear, the experience can temporarily become our whole sense of who we are:
I am anxious.
I am a failure.
I am not good enough.
Psychosynthesis invites us to notice an important distinction: we have thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations and different parts of our personality, but none of these individually represents the whole of who we are.
Developing the capacity to observe our experience without being completely defined by it can create psychological space.
Instead of automatically being carried along by the inner critic, for example, we can begin to notice:
There is a part of me that is being very critical right now.
That small shift can open up greater compassion, perspective and choice.
Self, identity and becoming more fully yourself
At the heart of psychosynthesis is an exploration of identity.
Much of our sense of who we are develops through our relationships, family, culture and the adaptations we make in order to belong or feel safe. Some qualities become strongly developed while others may be pushed aside.
We can consequently reach adulthood with a relatively fixed idea of who we are and how we are supposed to live.
At certain points in life, however, that identity may begin to feel too small.
A career that once felt meaningful may no longer satisfy us. Relationships may expose patterns we can no longer ignore. Creative or spiritual longings may become more insistent. Or we may simply have a persistent feeling that something is missing despite appearing, externally, to have a good life.
Psychosynthesis sees these experiences not only as problems to solve but potentially as invitations towards a fuller relationship with ourselves.
Developing the Will
Psychosynthesis places particular importance on the Will.
Will does not simply mean willpower, discipline or forcing yourself to do things you do not want to do.
It is closer to our capacity to make conscious choices and to act upon them.
This becomes particularly relevant when working with procrastination, people pleasing, self-doubt or feeling stuck. We may discover that the difficulty is not that we have no will, but that different parts of us want different things.
Therapy can help us become more aware of these internal conflicts, clarify what genuinely matters to us and gradually strengthen our ability to choose how we want to respond.
In this sense, the development of Will is closely connected with greater freedom and personal responsibility.
A psychospiritual approach
Psychosynthesis is sometimes described as a psychospiritual or transpersonal psychotherapy because it allows room for questions that extend beyond symptom relief.
These might include questions such as:
Who am I beneath the roles I perform?
What really matters to me?
What gives my life meaning?
What kind of person do I want to become?
What wants to emerge or develop in my life?
For some people this includes spirituality, meditation, creativity or experiences that feel transcendent. For others it may simply mean exploring values, purpose, connection and what makes life feel genuinely meaningful.
You do not need to consider yourself spiritual to benefit from psychosynthesis.
The important thing is that therapy has room for the whole of your experience rather than requiring it to fit within a particular worldview.
How I work
Psychosynthesis provides the foundation for my work, but I practise integratively rather than following one model rigidly.
I also draw on psychodynamic and existential psychotherapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS) and other forms of parts work. Depending on what emerges in our work together, we may also use mindfulness, imagery, dreams or creative approaches.
The therapeutic relationship remains central.
Rather than applying techniques to you, I see psychotherapy as a collaborative exploration in which we become curious about your experience, the patterns that shape your life and the possibilities that may be trying to emerge.
Psychosynthesis Psychotherapy in Dalston, East London
I offer individual psychosynthesis psychotherapy and counselling for adults from my practice in Dalston, East London, as well as online.
You do not need to know anything about psychosynthesis before beginning therapy. Many people come because something in their life is difficult or no longer working and discover the approach through the therapeutic process.
If you are interested in exploring whether psychosynthesis psychotherapy might be right for you, you are welcome to book an initial session or contact me with any questions.
