Does anybody else use the technique of Active Imagination as part of their therapy process? It's another Jungian thing, like the Sand Tray thingy is. One of the main things I do with T is dream work, because I have such a rich and colorful dream life always have. I told her during my first appt that I figure my dreams are like they are because they're trying to tell me something, and all these months into working with my dreams, that was quite a prophetic statement on my part.

Anyway one of the things T has taught me to do is called Active Imagination, simplified you basically pick a particular part of a dream and you imagine yourself back in the dream and interact with it in your imagination while you're awake. Apparently I have a natural talent for it, who knew since I'd never heard of it before LOL but I do them a lot - usually sitting in front of the computer with my eyes closed and typing it as I go. Just wondered if anybody else has heard of this and/or has done it. The first time I tried it was in her office, with a particularly scary dream, I relaxed and centered, closed my eyes and just gave it a shot and dang - it worked too good - it was so intense I pulled myself right back out of it and sat there bawling for a couple minutes. I honestly was not expecting anything to happen at all, and then boom I was in it and I discovered I was already really good at it. I always share them with T because their content is just as helpful as going over my dreams. There's a great book she loaned me called "Inner Work:Using Dreams and Active Imagination For Personal Growth" by Robert A Johnson. I bought my own copy in fact LOL.

Ok well that was a long-winded post sorry if I bored ya'all! I was so excited that other people have done sand trays that I wanted to ask about this too!

[skysblue]

Wow, Artemis, that sounds fascinating. I've never heard of the technique. I had a terrible nightmare last night that put me in terror. It's the kind of nightmare that is not connected to anything of real life - kind of like demons after me or something like that. I can't imagine going back to dreams like that in my imagination and interacting with those frightening creatures. I want to completely forget about it.

On the other hand, I've had dreams that have been quite compelling and have given me insight. I'll ask my T about Active Imagination. Thanks for sharing.

My first T had me do this. I had this long complicated dream about a circus where all these children were being held prisoner and forced to perform by this abusive ringmaster. The little kids were too subdued and upset to perform, and just kept weeping. There was this one kid that was super abusive also and would beat the other children to please the ringmaster. Suddenly, this golden haired child swept in on horseback and took over the performing and was doing such a great that the ringmaster actually left the kids alone and left the tent. After the ringmaster left, the golden child went over to the abusive child and slit his throat (and even in the dream, I KNEW I was both the golden child and the abusive child). Then the gold child cut a slit in the tent and started just shoving the weeping children out of the tent to safety. Not abusively, but without any feeling, just scooping them up and shoving them out. The ringmaster came back in part way through and the golden child just beat the ringmaster to death.

So, I tell this whole dream to my T, and he introduces the idea that I am not just the golden child and the abusive child, I am ALL of the children. I rejected that kid completely. NO way were those weepy, whiny little creatures anything to do with me. Anyway, my T had me consciously work on comforting those whiny little creatures. I asked if I should try to stop killing the ringmaster. He said nope, ringmaster gets what he deserves. LOL.

Sky it is fascinating! I love doing them most of the time. In fact I even created a world in a sand tray that I go back to in Active Imagination often. It's way cool. I feel like I've unlocked a whole other world with this stuff.

Wow MKAC your dream sounds like some of mine!! So nice to know I'm not the only one that has dreams like that. By your use of the "golden haired" description I assume you dream in technicolor like I do too. Wild isn't it?!