Carl Jung Inspired Active Imagination New Version "Waking Dream"

Carl Jung taught a practice of cultivating a "waking dream" in order to access the wisdom of the subconscious. He called this technique “Active Imagination." An earlier video on this channel offers a similar version of this guided visualization with different music. Jung recorded his waking visions in his extraordinary illustrated journal, The Red Book. His meditative technique was recreated by MJ Dorian on his podcast Creative Codex. For deeper instruction, read "Inner Work: Using Dreams and Active Imagination for Personal Growth" by Robert A. Johnson. This meditation is a deep dive to be undertaken with care. If you have a history of schizophrenia or psychotic disorder, consult with your doctor before using this meditation. Relax and enjoy.
Tess Callahan, Ed.M., MFA, is a certified Mindfulness Meditation teacher and author of the novels APRIL & OLIVER and (forthcoming) DAWNLAND. She invites you to attune to your own creative powers through intimate inner listening. Her meditations draw from wisdom traditions, modern science, and teachers such as Adyashanti, Tara Brach, Pema Chodron, Andrew Holecek, Carl Jung, Byron Katie, Thomas Merton, and Jack Kornfield. You can find her novel writing at: tesscallahan.com/.
Insight Timer: insighttimer.com/tesscallahan
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/6OeiWFU...
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Music Credit: Christopher Lloyd Clarke: enlightenedaudio.com/
Photo Credit: Birger Strahl
DISCLAIMER: Meditation is not a substitute for professional psychological or medical healthcare or therapy. We do not accept any liability for any loss or damage incurred by you acting or not acting as a result of listening to any of these recordings. You acknowledge that you use the information provided at your own risk. Do not drive or operate dangerous equipment while listening.

[@jennyd3899]

I would love more of these!! I think I still need prompts to help start me but it’s so easy to slip into fluid action in my head

[@Bewithzee]

I love love the first version! Can’t wait to come back to this soon and give it a try 🧚🏼‍♀️ thank you! I always get taken through some really vivid meditations

[@TessCallahan]

Brightens my heart to hear this. I'm so glad this meditation has been working for you. Thanks for your kindness in commenting. I wish you well.

[@nerdfornature]

This was really powerful. Thank you.

[@TessCallahan]

So glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for commenting!

[@lifematters687]

Thanks. Helpful. First time an animal appeared for me😊

[@TessCallahan]

Lovely! So glad it worked for you, Maya. Thanks for commenting.

[@rene6790]

I tried this but I struggled to picture a setting right after I went through the tunnel. However I did get a vivid image of a centipede like creature with lobster claws and a human like face with a pointy nose. I tried to ask it questions and it just circled me with no reply

[@_footballtrivia]

Why am I always scared? I wanted to do it, but I always backed out at the very beginning.

[@TessCallahan]

No need to force anything. If you haven't meditated before, you might start with a simple, gentle one like this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aJ6VomZnlMqMrJIfeature=shared or this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h6WniZl9ecaXj7sfeature=shared. If you do decide to try Active Imagination, imagine a trusted companion by your side, such as a beloved dog or protector. Anytime it feels like too much, you can simply stop. Since everything here occurs inside your own imagination, there is no danger. Trust yourself and don't force anything. Thanks for your comment.

[@behailut9933]

After 10 min gap, the sudden getting in of the voice is very disturbing.

[@TessCallahan]

Many people like guidance in coming back up to surface level consciousness, thus the call back after 10 minutes. If you don't need that guidance, simply do the mediation on your own with no recording, which is after all the way Carl Jung did it when he invented this method for himself. Good luck!

[@Leonidas_Apollo]

Tess, I feel that this guided meditation is not as powerful as it could be, and it was frustrating to me for a reason I could not put my finger on until now. As a guided meditation, I am in a receptive state, not an active state. The most successful and effortless activr imagination guided meditations I've listened to TELL me "your shovel just hit something unexpected..." Rather than a feeling of "you shovel may have hit something, maybe not, who knows". Being told what happens prompts my unconscious to fill in the gap, and gives wild and vivid, profound journeys. Thank you for reading this, I really hope to see more from you and I love your work.

[@TessCallahan]

Hi there @ferocityxfelicity. (Love that name!) I appreciate your feedback. I once did a live version of this meditation in which I invited people to descend into the subconscious in whatever fashion they wished, such as digging, swimming, descending a spiral staircase, etc. Afterwards, one participant told me she felt adrift in the open endedness. She wanted to be brought to a specific landing pad, the way a scene in a good novel evokes your senses and makes you feel vitally present. (Revealing myself now as a novelist!) Some people have sharp visual imaginations and others, like those with aphantasia, can't visualize at all. Based on your comment, I bet on the VVIQ scale (Vividness of Visualization Imagery Questionnaire) you would score high. In this meditation, to accommodate all types of visualizers, I tried to give very specific cues in the beginning, like those you mentioned, for those whose imaginations are less vivid, and to leave ten minutes with no guidance at all, for those whose imaginations need no starter fluid. The sweet spot for every listener is different. In your case, you probably don't need to listen at all. Just do the practice on your own and notice over time if the the characters and setting gain consistency. No doubt your lively inner landscape will further reveal itself. Thank you so much for your useful feedback. It will definitely be in my mind as I make future meditations. I'd rather err on the side of open endedness than be prescriptive. As you say, "receptivity" is the key. Many thanks!

[@Leonidas_Apollo]

@@TessCallahan Awesome, thank you so much. I'll look into that VVIQ scale. Maybe mine is high, but I've definitely tried without any prompting or guidance and nothing happens either, I'd love to help come up with phrasing and nuance that really targets narrow bands in that spectrum so that people can identify their VVIQ score and save the playlist of guided meditations that's custom fit for them. That's a huge foundation to come up with a lot of content! Thank you again for your reply, I appreciate you and your time Tess!

[@TessCallahan]

@@Leonidas_Apollo Fascinating idea. Thanks for your input!

[@Leonidas_Apollo]

@@TessCallahan Always! We might work together in the next year or two, just a heads up 😂

[@rohansrivastava7016]

Nothing happened

[@TessCallahan]

Hi Rohan. It's fine if this meditation isn't for you, but if you wanted to give it another try, the most important aspect is to make sure you are deeply relaxed, letting yourself slip into a twilight state between wakefulness and sleep so that your conscious and subconscious minds can freely interact. Once you are in that state, you can ask questions into the dream space, such as "Who is here?" or "Show me what this place looks like" or "What do I most need to see or understand right now?" Active Imagination is not so much a process of what happens to you, but what you subconsciously make happen. A good way to make things happen is by asking questions, and then allowing yourself to be completely surprised by whatever arises in response. I hope that helps. Good luck!