All the creative art psychotherapies (art, dance, music, drama, poetry)
can trace their roots to C. G. Jung's early work on active imagination.
Joan Chodorow here offers a collection of Jung's writings on active
imagination, gathered together for the first time. Jung developed this
concept between the years 1913 and 1916, following his break with Freud.
During this time, he was disoriented and experienced intense inner
turmoil --he suffered from lethargy and fears, and his moods threatened
to overwhelm him. Jung searched for a method to heal himself from
within, and finally decided to engage with the impulses and images of
his unconscious. It was through the rediscovery of the symbolic play of
his childhood that Jung was able to reconnect with his creative spirit.
In a 1925 seminar and again in his memoirs, he tells the remarkable
story of his experiments during this time that led to his self-healing.
Jung learned to develop an ongoing relationship with his lively creative
spirit through the power of imagination and fantasies. He termed this
therapeutic method "active imagination."
This method is based on the natural healing function of the imagination,
and its many expressions. Chodorow clearly presents the texts, and sets
them in the proper context. She also interweaves her discussion of
Jung's writings and ideas with contributions from Jungian authors and
artists.
