Resources - Matthew Gorner

Using Creative Expression in Psychosynthesis Therapy: Unlocking Inner Wisdom

10th May 2023 by Matthew

Psychosynthesis therapy is a holistic approach that combines psychology and spirituality to support individuals in their journey towards self-realization and personal growth. One powerful tool within this framework is the use of creative expression, which can help unlock inner wisdom and facilitate healing at a deep level. In this blog post, we will explore the transformative potential of creative expression in psychosynthesis therapy.

The Power of Creative Expression

Creative expression encompasses various forms, such as art, writing, music, movement, and drama. It provides an avenue for individuals to bypass the limitations of verbal language and tap into the rich tapestry of their emotions, experiences, and unconscious mind. By engaging in creative processes, clients can access deeper layers of their being and gain valuable insights and healing.

Unlocking Inner Wisdom

Creative expression acts as a bridge between the conscious and unconscious mind, allowing thoughts, feelings, and memories that are often hidden or buried to surface. Through art, for example, clients may explore and externalize their inner landscapes, desires, fears, and conflicts. This process can bring clarity and a heightened sense of self-awareness, revealing the inner wisdom that resides within each individual.

Non-Judgmental Self-Exploration

In psychosynthesis therapy, the emphasis is on creating a safe and non-judgmental space for clients to express themselves authentically. Creative expression offers an opportunity to explore and process emotions and experiences without fear of criticism or evaluation. This freedom allows individuals to delve into their subconscious, unravel complex emotions, and discover new perspectives and solutions to their challenges.

Integration of Subpersonalities

Psychosynthesis recognizes the presence of subpersonalities within each individual, representing different aspects of their psyche. Creative expression can aid in identifying, understanding, and integrating these subpersonalities. Through artistic expression or role-play, clients can give voice and form to these parts of themselves, facilitating dialogue and reconciliation between conflicting aspects. This process fosters inner harmony and empowers individuals to make choices aligned with their true selves.

Symbolic Language of the Unconscious

The language of the unconscious is often symbolic and metaphorical. Creative expression provides a medium for this symbolic language to manifest, enabling clients to explore their inner world beyond the limitations of linear thinking. Artistic creations or symbolic gestures can communicate deeper meanings that words alone may not fully capture. Therapists trained in psychosynthesis can assist clients in deciphering these symbols, bringing greater understanding and insight to their healing journey.

Cultivating Presence and Mindfulness

Engaging in creative expression requires individuals to be present in the moment and connect with their inner experiences. This practice cultivates mindfulness and deepens self-awareness, allowing clients to observe their thoughts, emotions, and sensations without judgment. Through creative expression, individuals can access their inner wisdom and intuition, guiding them towards their authentic selves and facilitating personal transformation.

In conclusion, creative expression is a powerful tool within the realm of psychosynthesis therapy. By engaging in various forms of artistic expression, individuals can unlock their inner wisdom, access deeper layers of themselves, and foster healing and growth. The non-judgmental exploration of creative processes allows for the integration of subpersonalities and the discovery of symbolic language of the unconscious. Ultimately, creative expression in psychosynthesis therapy empowers individuals to embark on a transformative journey towards self-realization, wholeness, and inner harmony.

Filed under: Psychotherapy

What to expect in the first session.

7th September 2019 by Matthew

It’s understandable to be nervous before counselling but knowing what to expect in the first session can calm some of those fears. It may have taken a lot to even make contact by email or phone with a counsellor and make that first appointment. Now you’re meeting the therapist for the first time and you will be sharing things about your life which you may not have shared before. You may perceive them as a professional and an ‘expert’ and be nervous about what to say or how to behave.

A bit like stage fright, the initial jitters will usually subside once you arrive. I will invite you into the counselling space and help you settle in and explain how the first session is structured. It’s a little different to a regular session in that I will ask you for some details such as your age, whether you’re in a relationship if you are working, pursuing any studies, whether you exercise, what your eating pattern is like, any spiritual or religious beliefs etc. I will ask you about what brings you to counselling and to describe the problems you are experiencing as much as you are comfortable with. It’s not necessary to divulge every detail in the first session as this can feel overwhelming, you are free to go at your own pace.

There will also be time for you to ask any questions you may have such as about the way in which I work. We will also be able to go through the practicalities such as a suitable day and time, payment and confidentiality.

In the unlikely event that you’re not a suitable fit for each other, a good counsellor will suggest that another therapist with a specific niche may be more helpful to you. I will ask whether you have a sense of whether you would like to begin sessions with me. You may wish to take some time before making arrangements for the following sessions or we can go ahead and agree to work with each other.

I hope this has allayed some worries about seeing a counsellor. If you feel ready to take the next step and arrange a first session, you can contact me via email or phone or fill in the form on my contact page.

Filed under: Psychotherapy

Why Do I Self-Sabotage? Understanding Your Inner Critic.

8th August 2019 by Matthew

Why we self-sabotage and making friends with the inner critic.

It’s not unusual to talk to yourself, sometimes known as having inner dialogue, and some people are more aware of this than others. It’s one of the ways the mind processes information and makes decisions. We often have competing desires and mixed feelings about things, for example wanting to go out and have fun versus the need to meet responsibilities.

These voices are influenced by the beliefs and values we have learned growing up. The way of speaking to ourselves can be like a supportive and encouraging parent, but often it can be harsh and admonishing. This voice can be thought of as our inner critic, continually berating us for not being good enough or being somehow ‘wrong’.

Often clients who come to me for help don’t realise how tough they are on themselves but all of them suffer in some way from the verbal abuse they are giving themselves. It’s understandable that people want to get rid of this voice and silence the inner critic but this is not possible or, somewhat surprisingly, is not actually desirable.

My approach is to see all the parts of ourselves as intrinsic to our being, even the ones that seem to be unhelpful or causing us pain. A great sense of relief cab come from realising that these parts of ourselves are actually trying to help, albeit in dysfunctional ways. This is because those parts of us were formed when we were infants in response to a situation which, at the time, we were unable to cope with. We adapted in the best way we could at the time. This part never really grew up and matured so it’s still trying to help us using the old programming of the younger part of ourselves..

Ignoring or fighting a part of ourselves, which is trying to help, often makes it try harder by becoming louder and angrier. Listening to this part and finding out what it really wants and needs allows it to feel heard and calm down. If we can begin to understand these parts of ourselves and come into a better relationship with them, they can grow into more helpful voices. The harsh internal critic can become an ally. The emotional energy that was previously being used to fight this part can now be released and used for more helpful purposes.

Working with a therapist can help identify these misaligned parts of ourselves and transform them into inner strengths. Integrating all the various parts of ourselves (mind, emotions, body) brings us into a more harmonious way of being and living. Things just seem easier and life can flow more smoothly. If you would like to talk with me about beginning to work on anything that is troubling you, we could arrange an initial session.

Filed under: Personal Development

Disidentification in Psychosynthesis: A Guided Self-Awareness Exercise.

22nd July 2018 by Matthew

https://youtu.be/_7nysqwIe74

In this video, we’ll be looking at the identification, disidentification and self-identification exercise from Roberto Assagioli who was the founder of psychosynthesis, a modality of transpersonal psychology and psychotherapy. I have modified the language to some degree and added phrases which I feel enhanced the meditation. Let me know what you think in the comments below.

In the first half I’ll explain

what the purpose of doing this exercise is
and an explanation of how it works
and what you can gain by practising it regularly

After that I’ll guide you through the exercise itself.

I’d recommend going through the whole video at least once to understand the process and then when you come back to it, you can skip forward to the meditation part. I’ll put the time at which the guided meditation begins in the description below so you can fast forward to that part when you’re familiar enough with it.

The exercise is a form of meditation which will increase your awareness of yourself as conscious and help to build your inner observer so that you can gain more insight into your internal life but this is without becoming carried away with thoughts, worry, daydreaming, emotions or physical sensations.

All animals, and, according to some traditions, all things have a level of consciousness but it’s only humans that are self-conscious, aware that we are aware. Even in us this can vary from being unconscious, when we are asleep for example or lost in a daydream to being super switched on and feeling fully alive and present.

The capacity to be as conscious as possible is rarely fully developed and not something we typically pay attention to, and when we do pay attention, our experience is often distorted because our consciousness is usually confused with what we are conscious of – the content in our minds, either our thoughts, our emotions, feelings or our body sensations.

With practice, it’s possible to gain a clearer understanding of ourselves and to be able to differentiate our consciousness from the contents of our awareness.

As we become more aware of ourselves as a point of conscious awareness, sometimes called the inner observer, or “I” consciousness, we realise that we are not our thoughts, our feelings or our body sensations. We have this internal experience but we are more than just a stream of these experiences.

As I learn to allow these things to quieten and fall away from my awareness, “I” am still here, observing and conscious but not caught up in the noise.

Most of us will be more preoccupied with one of the three main functions of the mind – thought, feeling or awareness of our body and it’s sensations.

Western culture places the most value on thinking and logic with the emphasis on educational achievement, being bright and high achieving at work. We live in a knowledge economy and are encouraged to work smarter and undertake continual personal development, which often just means learning more information.

It’s hardly surprising that most of us are identified with our minds and live “in our heads” tackling problems by thinking it through. Those who are identified with their minds are likely to describe themselves with intellectual constructs, even when asked how they feel. They often consider feelings and sensations as peripheral, or are largely unaware of having them. Many are identified with a role, and live, function, and experience themselves in terms of that role, such as mother, husband, student, business-man, teacher.

Other people are more identified with their bodies. They experience themselves, and often talk about themselves, mainly in physical and visual terms and are predominantly conscious of their body sensations such as hunger, being hot or cold, comfortable or uncomfortable and whether they are attractive or unattractive; in other words they function as if they were their bodies.

Others are identified with their feelings; they experience and describe their state of being in emotional terms. This is someone who is said follows their heart. They believe their feelings to be the central and most intimate part of themselves, while thoughts and sensations are perceived as more distant, perhaps somewhat separate.

It is also possible to become identified with a role in life or with an aspect of the personality. You may be identified with being a good boyfriend or girlfriend or with your job. It’s not unusual to become identified with a part of yourself such as an inner critic, saboteur, or helpless child. There are many others, some archetypal and some more particular to the individual. These identifications can be fleeting, only being triggered under certain circumstances or they may be more habitual and even the primary mode of being in the world.

Identification with only a part of our personality may become familiar and seem safer and can in fact be useful sometimes but it is very limiting. It prevents us from realising the experience of the ‘I’, the deep sense of self-identification, of knowing who we are. It excludes, or greatly decreases, the ability to identify with all the other parts of our personality, to enjoy them and utilise them to their full extent. Thus our ‘normal’ expression in the world is limited at any one time to only a fraction of what it can be.

The conscious – or even unconscious – realisation that we somehow do not have access to much of what is within us can cause frustration and painful feelings of inadequacy and failure. This is what is known as existential guilt. Feeling guilty that we are not living up to our potential as a whole and integrated human beings.

It is possible to learn to recognise these identifications and to chose to disidentify when we feel ourselves caught up. Ideally, we will be able to choose to identify with a helpful part of ourselves when required, such as playing the social butterfly at a party even though we may be feeling a little nervous and reticent or ‘in a bad mood’.

Learning to recognise and choose can best be done by a deliberate exercise of disidentification and self-identification. Through it we gain the freedom and the power of choice to be identified with, or disidentified from, any aspect of our personality, according to what seems to us most appropriate in each situation.

Thus we can learn to master, direct, and utilise all the elements and aspects of our personality, in an inclusive and harmonious synthesis.

Filed under: Psychosynthesis, Videos

How spiritual emergency is supported in the UK.

6th April 2018 by Matthew

The following is an excerpt from a report published by the Integral Transpersonal Journal on the provision of services aimed at those experiencing spiritual emergency.

Representatives of support networks were asked to reflect on the challenges faced in providing these services, especially in terms of integrating with other organisations and institutions.

The Spiritual Crisis Network is a small, not-for-profit organisation run by volunteers in the UK. Its main objectives are to provide email support, localpeer-led support groups, an online forum and to participate in conferences and research projects connected with Spiritual Crisis.

Formed in 2004, the network chose its name to specifically acknowledge the transpersonal dimension in psychological distress and to identify the organisation as addressing the needs of those in crisis rather than a wider audience of those interested in spiritual development but not in need of support.

Communication with the SCN is made primarily made through the website contact form and enquiries are from people experiencing a wide range of problems that they identify or suspect as having a spiritual cause or aspect to them. They are often struggling to cope with daily life and can be having distressing experiences but are still lucid enough to make contact through the website and enter into a dialogue with a support volunteer. It is a recognised issue that the means of contacting the organisation represents a barrier to access and we do not often receive communications from the most serious cases where the individual is experiencing severe psychological distress and dysfunction. Requests are sometimes received for residential care due to incapacitation and private facilities are available, but publicly funded services are extremely difficult to access in the United Kingdom.

From the feedback we receive, people really value having their difficult experience recognised as having a meaning and as possibly having positive growth potential. By contextualising the experience as something meaningful and to be engaged with and listed to, experiencers find their symptoms cause less psychological distress and more easily managed.

It is common for experiencers to have accessed conventional mental health services, either voluntarily or involuntarily and feel the treatment they received had a negative impact on their outcome. They often report not being listened to and having their symptoms seen as a disease and something to be suppressed and eradicated with powerful drugs.

Medication is often ineffective or counter-productive and other drugs are administered to mitigate unwanted side-effects.

There are few professionals within UK mental health services who use psychological models, which include the spiritual dimension. People who are making meaning and attempting to understand their symptoms using a spiritual frame of reference often feel unable to express themselves in this way when talking to professionals. There is a real or perceived expectation on the part of the experincer that using spiritual or religious language will not be accepted or understood and it will be used against them as part of a diagnosis of personality disorder. Even if practitioners are personally open to contextualising psychological suffering as having a spiritual aspect, they often feel unable to include this in assessment and treatment due to the negative reactions of colleagues and managers.

Some encouraging progress is being made in the National Health Service with the introduction of trials of new approaches such as Open Dialogue, first developed in Finland. This approach is more client-driven and systems based; a treatment plan can include any individuals in the client’s support network including alternative practitioners, holistic health workers, transpersonal therapists etc.

Although some religious institutions have a spiritual frame of reference, people contacting the SCN report that, in their experience, there is little understanding of psychological distress and so they are encouraged to contact mental health services when listening, talking and prayer do not provide relief. There are exceptions of course and an increasing number of individuals in religious groups recognise spiritual crisis as having psychological and spiritual aspects. One of the Spiritual Crisis Networks local peer support groups is run by a pastor and some of the Directors and volunteers identify as having a religious affiliation. However, religion is rarely the primary focus of people contacting the SCN and a specific religious connection or context is never suggested by responders to enquiries unless this is raised by the experiencer. It is common for enquiries to mention Kundalini but this is more connected to physical sensations and constraints on mobility rather than in the context of the Hindu religion or philosophy.

The Spiritual Crisis Network is often contacted by professionals wanting to offer their services and by experiencers wishing to contact a therapist. At present, it is not considered possible to provide details of individual therapists or other professionals due to the perception that this would constitute a recommendation and the SCN would be legally responsible and open to litigation. Enquiries from religious groups are rarely received and this barrier to accessing the service may be because there is no affiliation with any specific religious tradition.

The general lack of communication and cooperation between the traditionally more separate cultural institutions mentioned is experienced by the Spiritual Crisis Network and those contacting the service as detrimental to support provision and healthcare outcomes. By working with academics, clinicians and other professionals and with organisations such as the International Spiritual Emergence Network (ISEN), the SCN continues to encourage a more integrated and less pathologizing approach to psychological distress and to promote the re-appraisal of non-ordinary experiences as having a spiritual context.

Matthew Gorner is a Director of the Spiritual Crisis Network in the UK (www.spiritualcrisisnetwork.uk) and their representative member with the International Spiritual Emergence Network (ISEN). He works as a psychosynthesis counsellor in private practice in London, UK.

Filed under: Spirituality & Spiritual Emergence