Active Imagination Technique

What Is Active Imagination?

An active imagination is a process of understanding dreams and bridging the conscious ego and unconscious. It places heavy emphasis on dream interpretation and the contents of the unconscious. Active imagination works on Jungian psychology, which helps a person recognize their potential and work toward personal growth. The holistic approach contains many spiritual elements to achieve psychological healing and wellness. Swiss psychologist Carl Jung formally developed the mental practice.

Why Does Active Imagination Work?

According to psychologists, the mind is divided into conscious and unconscious parts. The conscious part is what one feels at the present moment, or the focus point of awareness, the ego. The unconscious part of the mind is a much larger field of awareness that deals with all the background processes, such as keeping the heart beating or storing memories. Active imagination encourages the conscious and the unconscious mind to communicate by making conscious attention explore the unconscious mind.

What Are Essentials of Active Imagination?

An active imagination is a mental technique that connects the subconscious mind with the contents of one's imagination. It connects one to their deeper self and reveals innermost feelings and desires. An unsettled problem can put pressure on the unconscious. The essential elements of active imagination include

• Disorientation.

• Confusion.

• Uncertainty.

• An insoluble problem.

• Lack of dream material.

What Are the Techniques of Active Imagination?

The goal is to experience and record the natural, spontaneous flow of the unconscious. Active imagination involves a four steps approach. First, care is taken to record the imagination as it flows out. The inner dialogue may be written, typed, or recorded and will help to reconstruct the experience. To avoid dressing up the imagination, avoid interruptions by the external world, and stay in the visionary state. An active imagination is best when attempted alone, in a quiet space with few distractions. People often recall a figure, object, or feeling from a dream or situation that is important to them.

• To Invite the Unconscious - To communicate with the unconscious, the person should relax in a comfortable position and empty the ego mind of all thoughts of the external world. Uncertain or invisible contents often cause conflict inside a person. These may be free-floating anger, worries, depression, or obsession that one feels but cannot say why. First, one can personify a personality's unseen content and question its identity. Asking the self questions such as; Where is the obsession? Who is obsessed? or What is its image? Surrender to the experience and do not control or push imagination in any direction.

• The Dialogue - The step involves letting the imagination flow and allowing the inner figures to have a life of their own. One may continue to note the radically different viewpoints from the unconscious mind. Many people do a fair amount of talking in their active imagination, exchanging viewpoints and working out a middle ground. An active imagination is a process of listening and should not be dominated or manipulated.

• The Values - The third step is that our ego must introduce values and ethical elements. It sets limits to protect the creative process from becoming inhuman or destructive. Ethical considerations must be made to bring the imaginative personifications of our active imagination.

• The Rituals - The last step brings the active imagination to a concrete physical experience. It allows all the images of unconsciousness to find their place and purpose in one's outer life. However, one must distinguish the inner imagination from the outer reality. The person must custom-make a ritual out of the raw materials of their inner self. The best ritual is physical, solitary, and silent, which must register deeply with the unconscious.

Can Active Imagination Be Dangerous?

Active imagination procedure possesses a high energy charge and is not a plaything.

• There is a danger of subliminal (influencing the mind though one is not aware of it) contents of the past may overpower and take possession of one's personality.

• Also, though authentic content is produced, the patient may sometimes add aesthetic interest to them. Consequently, the person gains nothing from it.

• The process of active imagination, if not done carefully, can cause a disconnection from reality.

How Active Imagination Techniques Help in Child Development?

Creativity and imaginative activities play a crucial role in a child's development, such as;

• Builds Social Skills - Active imagination helps a child to build valuable social skills. Children express their active imagination through pretend situations, where they develop their world and characters by emulating social skills observed in the real world. The child learns to cooperate and compromise with others.

• Cognitive Development - Playing in imaginative situations helps the child to solve problems, use appropriate language, and understand how the world around them works. This experience teaches them ways to keep things moving smoothly around them. The child learns to cope with difficult situations and to find a solution.

• Pretend Play - Engaging in pretend play gives the child an opportunity to become more comfortable with their body and helps them to improve necessary functions, such as motor skills and hand-eye coordination.

How Does Active Imagination Help Adults?

Using active imagination and creativity allows an adult to sharpen and use the learned skills consistently. The creative activities and the imaginative games played with others allow one to recharge their brains and help to connect with people around them. It allows one to explore new worlds outside their home, learn new things about themselves, and connect back to their child. It enables one to be more energized, sharp, and mentally and physically active.

Conclusion:

As quoted by Carl Jung, active imagination requires a state of trance - Halfway between sleep and waking. An active imagination is distinct from fantasy, as it communicates with the unconscious during waking hours so that one can rest more soundly at night. It is an excellent problem solver and makes creative thinkers and artists. Active imagination allows one to visualize what one wants and can obtain. Visualization or active imagination helps. A person reprograms their way of thinking and doing things.