Freedom in Jail: A Reflection on Pigeons, Paper, and Paradise

Target Audience: For anyone interested in exploring the experience of losing and gaining one’s outer and inner freedom. 

Description: Nearly all of us have experienced some form of “lock down” during the past year of the pandemic. This Webinar offers you an opportunity to learn more about Roberto Assagioli’s reflections on the deeper meaning of ‘freedom’ – a word that is bandied about without much thought – from advertising soda drinks to promoting war.

The concept of freedom will be explored through Assagioli’s autobiographical account Freedom in Jail. This book outlines Assagioli’s own experience before, during and after his own imprisonment in Regina Coeli prison by the Italian fascist regime in 1940. Freedom in Jail offers insights into Assagioli’s understanding of true “inner freedom, pure freedom … attained rising above the fetters, a sense of expansion ...”

We will begin with a presentation by Catherine Ann Lombard, the editor of Freedom in Jail, on how Assagioli described his time in prison, practiced his psychosynthesis concepts and techniques, and ultimately experienced his own personally transformation and self-realization. This will be followed by Q&A. Then we will break up into smaller groups and share our thoughts on a specific excerpt from the book. At the end, we will gather together as a larger group and share whatever insights we might have gained. 

Learning Objectives - Attendees will: 

• Hear about what happened to Assagioli before, during, and after his imprisonment.
• Become aware of the magnitude of Assagioli’s meditations on the concept of freedom.
• Read and reflect on a specific passage from Freedom in Jail. Engage with others in a smaller group on the passage in order to gain insights into one’s own experience of ‘imprisonment’ and ‘freedom.’
• Gain a deeper understanding of the concept of ‘freedom’ through the sharing of insights with the larger group as a whole.

Catherine has requested that you click on this link:Reading Freedom in Jail AAP Webinar Material.pdf and read the attached before attending the webinar and that you bring paper and something to write with.

Presenter: Catherine Ann Lombard is the researcher who edited, annotated and wrote the “Introduction” to Freedom in Jail.

Biography: Catherine Ann Lombard, M.A. is a psychosynthesis psychologist, practitioner and researcher. She has had numerous scientific articles published on psychosynthesis and is currently exploring the relationship between Roberto Assagioli and Rabindranath Tagore, the Bengali poet and Nobel Prize winner of Literature. She writes a bimonthly blog on psychosynthesis at LoveAndWill.com.

Registration is free to members and $25 to non-members - but wait!  Before you pay for this webinar, consider becoming a member and attend all our webinars for free.  To become a member, click here: https://aap-psychosynthesis.wildapricot.org/membership-aap/

Deadline to register is May 10, 2021.  You will receive Zoom instructions on May 11, 2021.  Please make sure to check your email on the 11th.