Knowra Active imagination Active imagination Active imagination is a Jungian method in which a person engages consciously with images and figures arising from the unconscious, often through fantasy, drawing, or writing. It treats these images as material for sustained dialogue rather than passive observation.
Carl Jung : Swiss psychiatrist and founder of analytical psychology, whose theories include the collective unconscious and archetypes. Jung developed active imagination as a method within analytical psychology.
Unconscious mind : Mental processes and contents that are not currently accessible to conscious awareness. Active imagination engages material understood in Jungian terms as emerging from the unconscious.
The Red Book : Carl Jung’s illustrated record of imaginative experiences and reflections, composed chiefly between 1914 and 1930. It documents Jung’s sustained engagement with inner figures and imagery.
Sandplay therapy : A form of psychotherapy in which people create scenes in a sand tray using miniature figures. Like active imagination, it gives symbolic imagery a concrete form for reflection.
Guided imagery : A relaxation or therapeutic technique that uses directed mental images to support a chosen goal. Guided imagery typically follows an externally suggested direction rather than an image’s spontaneous course.
Jungian archetypes : Recurring forms and patterns in Jungian psychology that shape images, stories, and behavior. Archetypal patterns may appear as figures or motifs during active imagination.
Fantasy : Imagined scenes, events, or figures that arise apart from direct perception of the external world. Fantasy provides one medium for following inner images without treating them as external events.
Liber Novus : The Latin title of Carl Jung’s The Red Book, a work combining calligraphic text, images, and personal visions. Jung’s experiments that informed active imagination are central to this work.
Art therapy : A psychotherapeutic practice that uses visual art-making to support expression and exploration. Drawing can serve as a medium for engaging images arising during active imagination.
Hypnosis : A state of focused attention and increased responsiveness to suggestion, used in research and clinical practice. Hypnosis relies on suggestion, whereas active imagination emphasizes conscious engagement with emerging material.
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