Active imagination

A purposive turning to the transpersonal unconscious which is not only the basis of the conscious mind but also the subjective or inner aspect of nature. In active imagination the "otherness" and genuine autonomy of an objective impersonal psyche is recognized. The images appearing during this activity must however be allowed to speak for themselves, with the ego's task to be an onlooker whilst simultaneously being involved. Recognition of the nature of the drama leads to experience of a new level of being, a world in which the ego participates not as director but as the actively experiencing one.

A concept developed by Jung and distinguished from Freudian free association technique which is based on the premise that all significant imagining represent the fulfilment of certain infantile wishes. It is also distinguished from ordinary conscious imagining (fancy, daydreams, reveries), namely passive fantasy dominated by the ego.