Active
Imagination
“The
face you turn to the unconscious is the face it turns back to you.”
Lucie
Magnus, Jungian Analyst
I
attended a Jung After Work lecture last night. Analyst Lucie Magnus talked
about active imagination, which is a technique valued by Dr. Jung in which one
dialogs with dream images. Dream figures are often oblique, or there may be no
words of explanation in the dream—only a scene or a figure. For those of us who
take an interest in our dreams, understanding their message is important.
The
technique of active imagination is one of asking questions and listening within
for the answers and is similar to Fritz Pearls’ empty chair technique. One
holds the dream image in mind and asks questions such as “Who are you?” (if we
don’t recognize them), or “What do you want to tell me?” “Why are you in my
dream?” If you don’t understand what the answer means, you might ask that as
well. The answers often come quickly. When they don’t, examine the blockage
with more questions. The example Lucie used was when a client described running
into a wall. She guided with questions about the wall: “How tall is it?” Is
there a door in it?” “Can you climb over?” The suggestion of ways around the
block are often productive.
Active
imagination is a dialog between the conscious mind and the unconscious mind
from which our dreams arise. Engaging with dream images and figures can help us
broaden our understanding of what our unconscious or subconscious mind is
trying to show us. The key is to allow the answers to come as they do, not
forced, and not avoided. Just listen and trust the answers. Also, keep in mind
the quote above—if you can face the unconscious with trust and vulnerability,
it will return the favor. It you face it with fear it will give you fear
responses.
There is one caveat to
active imagination: there is a danger of being “beguiled” with the images in
the unconscious mind. If one wants to avoid what is going on in their everyday
life, or if the dream world is more interesting to them, they can become so
absorbed with it that they want to stay there. An example that comes to mind is
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland—that little girl spent far too much time down
the rabbit hole and almost got her head chopped off—a reference to losing one’s
grip on reality. Therefore, it’s important to keep one’s feet firmly planted,
to stay grounded in this here-and-now world. Too much time spent gazing into
the imaginative world can lead to dissociation.
On the other hand, when
we allow our unconscious mind to inform us of things our conscious mind cannot
or will not see, we create space for expansion of self-understanding. When we
incorporate the information, we know far more about ourselves, what our true motivations
are, and perhaps, why we behave in certain mystifying ways. And knowing oneself—all
of oneself—is key to living authentically.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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