Two Stages of Spontaneous Creativity

“There is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium, and it will be lost.”   ~ Martha Graham

Psychotherapist Susan Bello, creator of "The I.am.I Spontaneous Painting Process" sees symbols as psychic energy that exist in a dormant stage in the unconscious. Spontaneous art making in any form can catalyze and liberate the symbols of your authentic Self (true identity), and can support you to get in touch with your true direction in life.

If you paint or create with no concern for a beautiful end-product you can meet your internal source of inspiration, but first you will need to travel back through the trail of your unprocessed emotions.

Two Stages of Spontaneous Creativity 

Psychologist Roberto Assagiolo identified two stages in psychotherapeutic work, and I find his model also applies to the spontaneous creation process.

Personal Synthesis: First you must go through a period of "personal synthesis" in which your psychological and emotional issues are addressed and worked through.

Spontaneous Self-Expression: In the stage of personal synthesis, your spontaneous creativity will bring up symbols of your unfinished emotional imprints from the past - to be lovingly seen, reconciled, and integrated into your conscious awareness. This is the hard work of the human journey, but is well worth the reward of eventual liberation from painful patterns.

Spiritual Psychosynthesis: Once you feel integrated and self-loving enough in your personality structure, you will go through a period of "spiritual psychosynthesis." When you are no longer so preoccupied with unhealed emotional pain you will be able to disidentify with your personality structure. You can then re-identify primarily with the spiritual center of your being.

Spontaneous Self-Expression: In the stage of spiritual psychosynthesis, your spontaneous creativity will inform you of your greater potentials. At this stage, your art will offer symbolic encouragement to express your unique magnitude, and to engage in the larger repatterning from human personality to embodied soul.