Active Imagination
editActive imagination is defined as a form of meditation that takes place when an individual "comes to terms with an invisible, supernatural and apparently eternal reality" that otherwise takes place in the subconscious mind. The concept is treated very spiritually, and has also been defined as "a dialogue with the gods." [1]
Active imagination is noted to be difficult to transport oneself into, as the conscious mind, or imagination, completely separates itself from the body but holds the mind's focus, leaving the unconscious to take over control with things such as mundane tasks such as driving. Active imagination can also bring one's inner conflicts and restricted feelings out into the open, and that suggests that rather than existing as one personality in one body, we actually exist as multiple personalities at once, some in control while others sleep, and so forth. It is also suggested that, if these multiple inner personalities exist, Active Imagination is what keeps them level, because otherwise "the sheer multiplicity of our inner selves would overwhelm us." [2]
Further Reading
edit- Papadopoulos, Renos K. "Carl Gustav Jung: Psychopathology and Psychotherapy". London: 1992. ISBN 0-415-04830-3
- Hannah, Barbara. Encounters with the Soul: Active Imagination as Developed by C.G. Jung. Santa Monica: Sigo, 1981.
- Johnson, Robert A. Inner Work (1986) Harper & Row
- Jung, Carl. Jung on Active Imagination (1997) Princeton U. ISBN 0-691-01576-7
References
edit- ^ Papadopoulos, Renos (1992). Carl Justav Jung: Psychopathology and Psychotherapy. London: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-04830-3.
- ^ Johnson, Robert (1986). Inner Work: Using Dreams and Active Imagination for Personal Growth. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-250431-9.