Active imagination: what it is and how to try it

Sometimes an image sticks with you: a figure from a dream, a house you have never seen, a scene that keeps returning when you close your eyes. Usually we either ignore such images or try to decode them: "this means that". Active imagination suggests a third way – to stay with the image, let it move, and talk to it.

Where the idea comes from

The term was introduced by the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung in the early twentieth century. He noticed that images from dreams and fantasies can continue "living" if you give them attention while awake. Instead of interpreting a dream figure, Jung suggested turning to it with a question and watching what happens next – as if the scene were continuing on its own.

Jung saw this as a way to make contact with the parts of ourselves we are not aware of. You do not need to share his whole theory to find the practice useful: at its simplest, active imagination is a structured daydream with curiosity instead of a goal.

How it differs from ordinary daydreaming

• You do not steer. In a daydream we usually arrange things the way we like. In active imagination you let the image act on its own and notice what it does.
• You take part. You are not only a viewer: you can ask the figure who it is, what it wants, why it is here – and wait for an answer.
• You record. Afterwards you write, draw, or tell what happened. Without that, the experience fades like an ordinary dream.

A gentle way to try it

1. Choose an image. Take one that already has some charge for you: a scene from a recent dream, a recurring picture, or simply how a current mood looks if you imagine it as a place.
2. Settle. Sit comfortably, close your eyes, breathe slowly for a minute. You are not trying to relax perfectly – only to slow down.
3. Look closely. Describe the image to yourself in detail: light, colours, sounds, temperature. Details anchor attention.
4. Let it move. Wait. Something will shift: a door opens, a figure turns, the weather changes. Do not force it and do not correct it.
5. Ask. If there is a figure, ask it something simple: "Who are you?", "What do you need?". Notice the first answer that comes, even if it seems strange.
6. Come back and record. Open your eyes. Tell what happened out loud or write it down, then ask yourself: what in my life does this remind me of?

Ten minutes are enough. If the image becomes frightening or overwhelming, stop, open your eyes, and look around the room: you are always in control of when to end.

What it can give

People who practise active imagination describe it as a way to understand mixed feelings, to soften an inner conflict, or to find a creative idea. Images say things that are hard to put into words: an angry dog guarding a door can tell you more about a boundary than an hour of reasoning.

It is not a cure and not a test – and if you are dealing with trauma or a mental health condition, it is better to explore these images with a therapist trained in such methods.

Where Aish fits

Aish grew out of a similar idea: images of the inner world become clearer when you tell them out loud and see them. You can describe a dream or an image that stayed with you, and Aish will ask about the details – the light, the figures, the feeling – and then show it as a picture, a comic, or a short video. Seeing the scene outside your head is often the first step to understanding what it is about.