ON-DEMAND COURSE

Active Imagination 

Jungian Psychology
TEACHERS
Ken James
TOPIC
Jungian
Format
4 Class Course
DURATION
6 hours

Payment options: Credit Card or PayPal.

Learn active imagination with Ken James: Meet the images moving your soul

Dr. Kenneth James is a senior Jungian analyst and treasured teacher.

In this course, he teaches the technique of active imagination. Active Imagination is a profound method developed by Carl Jung, the Swiss psychiatrist. It invites us into the depths of our unconscious mind, offering a way to explore the rich landscape of our psyche. 

Jungian psychology sees the psyche as a vast and intricate world, filled with dream images, emotions, and archetypes. Through Active Imagination, our conscious mind meets the unconscious, engaging in a dialogue that can lead to deep transformation.

Carl Jung believed that the unconscious mind is not just a repository of repressed material but a dynamic source of creativity and wisdom. When we engage in Active Imagination, we open the door to this inner world, allowing the healing and creative unconscious content to surface and be integrated into our consciousness. Ken James helps us choose the right material and the best methods to initiate and sustain active imagination sessions. 

Join Ken to spot, track and nourish the images moving through you, the images that shape you. 

Active Imagination Course

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Most of us need a guide when approaching the unknown worlds of our deep inner lives. Dr. Ken James is among the best. He’s a warm, wise and witty mentor who helps bring the mysteries of the imagination within our reach. He makes slippery concepts about the unconscious clear and handy.

In this course, Ken James will present the Jungian technique of active imagination. C.G. Jung developed the technique of active imagination to enable his analysands to dream their dreams onward. Jung found that “… images that emerge from the unconscious have their own vitality … (and) present scenarios that proceed according to their own logic.” (Jung, CW 18, paras.396, 397). 

The actual technique of active imagination is very simple. It starts by relaxing the body and focusing the mind on a particular image, usually from a dream. The person then takes that image and allows it to unfold in their mind’s eye. Gently, the person may interact with the image to see where it might lead or what it might reveal.

This method has proven effective in addressing a wide range of psychological issues, from depression and anxiety to understanding the roots of mental illness. It is also valuable for healing and engaging in creative work. We can explore what the figures of the psyche have to say about themselves. These images, emotions, and archetypal figures of the unconscious are not random; they carry specific messages that can guide us in our inner work. The process requires patience and openness, as the unconscious mind reveals its secrets in its own time.

Ken will also discuss how to choose the appropriate material for active imagination. He’ll explore the methods employed to initiate and sustain active imagination sessions, as well as how to end them. He’ll offer tips about recording the results of the experience and how to keep it alive. 

Examples of Jung’s own work with active imagination will be discussed. Practical exercises will be offered during class. A handout with guidelines will also be made available.

Active imagination is a profound and dynamic tool. The person who uses it wisely may have a direct experience of how the unconscious can move and shape the process of individuation.

This program functions as a core module within our comprehensive Key Concepts in Jungian Psychology Learning Path. Through that specialized bundle, you can study this course together with Ken James's other masterclasses: Complexes & Archetypes, Introduction to Synchronicity, Introduction to Jungian Typology

This program is ideal if you want to be able to

  • Understand how active imagination is used in Jungian analysis.
  • Know various methods to stimulate and maintain active imagination.
  • Learn to relate with discernment to unconscious material rather than being pushed and pulled by it.
  • Close a session carefully and record it to keep it alive

Active Imagination Class Descriptions 

Class 1: What is Active Imagination?

How did Jung develop the method? How is active imagination different from simple fantasy, and daydreaming? This first class will offer a background on the uses of active imagination as well as examine conditions under which active imagination is not advised. We will also consider the appropriate material to use for active imagination. Participants will be instructed on performing an active imagination during the intervening time between this class and the next class and keeping notes about the active imagination. Material from both The Red Book and The Black Books will be considered as examples of how Jung himself practiced and documented the method of active imagination.

Class 2: Active Imagination as a Therapeutic Tool

Barbara Hannah’s exposition of the method of active imagination will be discussed. The use of active imagination as a therapeutic tool will be considered in light of Hannah’s publication of the case study Anna Marjula: The Healing Influence of Active Imagination in a Specific Case of Neurosis. Jung counseled Ms. Hannah not to publish the material without additional information about the method, and the rationale for this admonition will be discussed. This practice is a form of inner work, where we move beyond passive fantasy into a more active engagement with our psyche.

Active Imagination differs from mere daydreaming or fantasizing. While fantasy can often be a passive escape, Active Imagination is a conscious and intentional process. It involves engaging with inner figures and dream images that emerge from the unconscious. These figures might appear in dreams or come forward during moments of reflection or the creative process. By actively interacting with them, we begin to understand the deeper meaning behind these images, figures, and symbols. Questions about the first active imagination assignment will be discussed, and another assignment will be provided.

Class 3: Active Imagination and the Transcendent Function

The class opens with a look at Jung’s concept of the transcendent function and its role in the process of individuation. Next, Ken shares his original diagram showing the relations between the ego, personal unconscious, collective unconscious, complexes and archetypes. He also presents the movements of the transcendent function as related to the figure and points of the Enneagram.

Class 4: Variations on the Method of Active Imagination

The use of music, art, and movement to stimulate and sustain active imagination will be examined in this class. Ken will discuss the use of natural and pharmacological substances to produce images. He will offer clear delineations between Jung’s method and other more contemporary ways of activating images from the unconscious for healing and individuation.

Course reviews

Clear, useful beginning guide to Active Imagination with a likable teacher. (Angela)

The best part for me was the clarifications of Jung's ideas about AI and Ken's clear transfer of Jung's ideas using analogies that were relevant and neutral. (Preran)

Ken James introduction and structure of the course was very beautifully organized. It is a very difficult process to follow. But Active Imagination helps one truly understand the unconscious through writing and meditation. An ongoing process to remain friendly with the unknown. Many thanks to Ken. (Christopher)

Ken is an engaging and thoughtful instructor.I learned a technique that gave me greater insight and helped me with my personal development. (Anita)

ABout the teacher

ken james

Kenneth James, Ph.D. is a Jungian analyst in private practice in Chicago, Illinois. He received a Ph.D. in Communicative Sciences and Disorders from Northwestern University, and a Diploma in Analytical Psychology from the C.G. Jung Institute of Chicago. Along the way, he studied vocal music at the American Conservatory of Music, and learned a modality of music therapy known as The Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music at the Institute for Consciousness and Music in Baltimore, Maryland.

What you will receive

*You will receive a certificate of completion, but it’s not from an official accrediting body. Please check if it will be accepted by the organization you wish to use it with.
4 video & 4 audio recordings
Companion Guide, Handouts
Auto-generated Subtitles
Certificate of completion*
Available in English

Scholarships

We here at Jung Platform want to make these programs available to anyone. If you would love to participate yet can’t pay for the full course, then please send us an email at scholarships@jungplatform.com and describe why you feel you qualify for a scholarship, how much you can pay, and what you will do to help the Jung Platform promote this and other programs.

The Jung Platform Guarantee

We stand by our programs. If within 30 days of your purchase or the live course start, you're not satisfied, we offer a replacement or a full refund.

More Courses by This Teacher



Learn more about Carl Jung and the individuation process on our dedicated Individuation page.

All Jung Platform Courses

Jung Platform offers several hundred courses, talks, and certificate programs on Jungian psychology, shadow work, dreamwork, archetypes, and individuation. Whether you are just beginning or have studied Jung for years, there is a next step waiting for you.

ACTIVE IMAGINATION- frequent asked questions

Are there any circumstances or conditions under which practicing Active Imagination is not recommended?

Yes. While Carl Jung’s technique of Active Imagination is a profound tool for self-discovery, it requires a strong, well-grounded conscious ego to safely navigate. Dr. Ken James outlines specific conditions under which the practice is not advised. Such as during acute psychological crises, severe trauma processing without clinical supervision, or when an individual struggles to distinguish inner fantasy from outer reality. Class 1 establishes these exact psychological guardrails to ensure your inner work remains entirely safe.

How does Active Imagination differ from ordinary daydreaming, passive fantasy, or creative visualization?

While passive daydreaming or fantasy allows the conscious mind to drift as an escape, Active Imagination is a highly conscious, intentional process. In this practice, you do not script or control the narrative. Instead, you enter the unconscious landscape alertly, allowing inner figures and dream images to speak and act autonomously while your conscious ego engages them in a literal, living dialogue.

What kind of material or inner images should I use to start an Active Imagination session?

The most effective way to start is by focusing on an image that already holds psychological energy for you. Ken James teaches you how to select appropriate entry points, which usually include vivid dream images, strong arising emotions, or distinct archetypal motifs that emerge during reflection. By anchoring your focus on these existing fragments of the psyche, you can safely open a doorway into deeper unconscious patterns.

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Course overview