The Short Version
No credible source — whether Maslow's original framework or contemporary scholarship — supports the idea that flow states and deliberate downshifting are sufficient conditions for self-actualization. Maslow's model requires at least general satisfaction of physiological, safety, belonging, and esteem needs before self-actualization becomes accessible, and defines it as an ongoing realization of one's full potential, not merely experiencing flow. The claim reverses the causal relationship: flow is a characteristic of self-actualized individuals, not a mechanism that produces self-actualization.