The Act of Imagination: Psychosynthesis Psychotherapy in Experiential Context

This book expands upon the importance of imagination in psychosynthesis psychotherapy, going beyond a narrow focus on scripted visualizations to present a broad, image-based approach to therapy and everyday life.

Instead of assuming images to be only subjective-personal mental pictures, separated from a purely objective reality, the “act of imagination” is shown to connect self and world, via a synthesis of feelings, thoughts, sensations, perceptions, and actions.

Healing and transformation are created not, as is often presumed, by the replacement of fantasy with reality, but rather, with the cultivation of imaginative life itself within normal everyday experiences.

The result is a radical clarification of the theoretical distinctiveness and experiential context of psychosynthesis psychotherapy.

With clear explanations of how to put the theory into practice, supported by case-study examples, therapist-client transcripts, and a comprehensive discussion of the original teachings of Roberto Assagioli (the founder of psychosynthesis) alongside writings from contemporary figures in the field, this groundbreaking work will be of interest to both experienced practitioners and newcomers to psychosynthesis.

Praise For ‘The Act of Imagination’

This is a book on psychosynthesis with a difference, emphasizing the individual’s lived experience and, in this sense, takes the reader on a remarkable journey. It elucidates several highly held values in psychosynthesis—that it is empirical and to be validated according to how it fits one’s experience, rather than a doctrine or dogma to be swallowed. It also provides a context for psychosynthesis, the ground it stands on and a container for which to approach psychosynthesis theory. Allan is thinking outside the box with this writing, inviting the reader to contemplate how they know what is true for them and how they make sense of their life’s journey. It requires us to read with a confluence of our head and our heart, providing a refreshing approach to learning. The Act of Imagination demonstrates a deep and profound insight into the true depths of psychosynthesis, and of the meaning of synthesis, especially in terms of presenting it as an eco-system, which I know Assagioli would have loved.

~ Diana Whitmore, author of Psychosynthesis Counselling in Action

Allan Frater’s The Act of Imagination is a contemporary, original description of psychosynthesis, with a wealth of examples and useful explanations, and a lucid view of its apparent contradictions, its secret gifts and promises. It evidently comes from an insider’s knowledge of the material. Allan is not only a capable therapist but also a fine writer. I learned quite a bit from this book.

~ Piero Ferrucci, author, The Art and Science of Psychotherapy: In Search of Inner Freedom

The Act of Imagination is an original, refreshing, and revitalizing read. Allan Frater offers us a meticulous and incisive exposition of the essential context and dynamics of psychosynthesis. Weaving together the experiential with the conceptual, the foundational process of “synthesis” is illuminated as the motive force at the heart of all psychological life. The book does well to avoid the linguistic abstraction that sometimes clouds the rigour and precision of Assagioli’s conception. Indeed, it both honours and develops Assagioli’s articulation of psychosynthesis, drawing upon parallels with contemporary ecological principles and systems theory. Put simply, it is the clearest exposition of psychosynthesis I have read in my 20 years of practice as a psychotherapist. A must-read for students and practitioners alike.

~ Susan Holliday, author of Hidden Wonders of the Human Heart: How to See Through Your Sorrow

The Act of Imagination is an extremely thoughtful contribution to the evolving literature of psychosynthesis. Its central argument is disarmingly simple yet philosophically ambitious: psychosynthesis is not a doctrine but an experience defined by synthesis — by bringing together diverse aspects of the human psyche into an organic whole. This is a book written by a practitioner who has wrestled with psychosynthesis from the inside — its brilliance, its contradictions, and its living history. A rich, intellectually honest, and forward-looking text that can deepen our understanding of Psychosynthesis while refusing to domesticate it. It will be especially valuable to practitioners who want not just to learn Psychosynthesis, but to think about it, question it, and most importantly — experience it.

~ Phillip Carr-Gomm, author of The Gift of the Night: A Six-Step Program for Better Sleep

Assagioli said that psychosynthesis takes us to the doorway of the Mystery; the rest is up to us. Allan Frater charts how, as we approach the doorway, inevitably we find it shifting deeper into endless mystery. If it is acts of will that keep us moving, he suggests, it is acts of imagination that keep us oriented and inspired. This milestone in the literature will bring practitioners and newcomers alike to a profound reassessment and appreciation of the depth and vitality of psychosynthesis, and how essential the creativity of imagination is for these liminal times.

~ Mark Skelding, Chair of The Association for the Advancement of Psychosynthesis

The Act of Imagination is a clear and profound work that invites the reader to explore psychosynthesis—not as a closed system of theories or techniques but as a living experience, an open and dynamic process, an inner adventure that is constantly renewing itself. Rather than attempting to determine what the “correct” presentation of psychosynthesis should be, Allan Frater is more immediately and realistically concerned with showing us that “placing limits upon psychosynthesis is not possible or even desirable”, and with giving meaning to all the diversity and difference that characterize it. It is an approach that captures the very essence of the psychosynthetic teaching, and in this particular historical moment renews its incredible relevance. Congratulations to the author for this fine work!

~ Petra Guggisberg Nocelli, author of Know, Love, Transform Yourself: Theory, Techniques and New Developments in Psychosynthesis and The Way of Psychosynthesis 

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