Assagioli, the founder of Psychosynthesis, outlined nine critical stages that he believed constitute each of the elements needed in bringing about lasting change.
Here they are, with a short definition and explanation about each one. At the beginning of any plan to change something in our lives we need to pay attention to Purpose, Meaning and Values.
1. Purpose: Here we begin by clarifying our visions and dreams to ourselves, tuning into our intuition and ultimately identifying what the purpose is behind the goal we seek to undertake. Nothing can come into being without this initial stage.
2. Meaning: Crucial also at this point is to reflect on how our goals align with our sense of self. What does it mean for you to work towards this desired outcome rather than any other? Try to identify any gaps between your aspirations and your identity and values. If these can’t be bridged, then this may signify a betrayal of your true purpose.
3. Values: Ensure that your goals are in harmony with your core values. If there’s a mismatch between what you want to achieve and what you believe in, you’ll feel a sense of discord that may hinder your progress.
The next three stages, Intention, Deliberation and Choice, are where Assagioli believes we consolidate more clearly what we mean to do and begin to look at the actions necessary.
4. Intention: When we set a clear intention to manifest our dreams, there has to be a strong focus with other distractions pushed to one side for a time. Otherwise we may lack the commitment necessary to bring our vision to life.
5. Deliberation: This is where we may well get stuck thinking through the central idea of our goal and may need to take time to revisit our initial purpose, reflecting on whether anything needs to be adjusted. If it doesn’t truly align, there will be a back and forth, whilst goals are refined more fully.
6. Choice: When we make a conscious decision to pursue our dream, it almost always means letting go of certain things or experiencing loss of some sort along the way. Embrace your capacity to say “no” to anything that doesn’t serve your ultimate vision, in service of a greater “yes” to your new horizon.
The last three stages, Affirmation, Planning and Action are literally where the original dream comes out of the abstract and into the concrete!
7. Affirmation: Affirm and re-affirm to yourself what you intend to achieve. Doing so is part of reinforcing your commitment to your vision and enhances your belief in its eventual attainment, so that you move forward with conviction.
8. Planning: Develop a concrete plan outlining how you will get there: specify all necessary steps (and micro-steps), the resources you both have and need to acquire, and a realistic timeline to adhere to for success. Ensure that your action plan is specific, manageable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound.
9. Action: Following all of these steps, you’ve prepared fully for the birth of your dream(s) and ideas to come into reality and the decisive action you take to reach your goal is fully aligned to your original purpose. What has happened through these stages is a translation of your starting point inspiration into a tangible manifestation in the physical world!
This is a brief overview of a complex subject. Opening ourselves to our aspirations can be a transformative journey, illuminating not just the light of our dreams, but also the shadow that inevitably accompanies them – inner self-sabotaging voices or other parts of the self that defend us from failure, usually by preventing us from getting started.
Although these nine stages are clear and consecutive once they are fully understood and applied, life can easily intrude and throw us off course at any point. I like to think of these nine stages as a map or useful framework to revisit.
Setting targets and striving for change often unveils the cyclical patterns that may be hindering our progress. According to Assagioli, what we focus on tends to expand, and through repetition and affirmation, we reinforce our intentions, making them much more likely to manifest into reality.