Inner Work: Using Dreams & Active
Imagination for Personal Growth, by Robert A. Johnson,
240 pages,
HarperSanFrancisco, ISBN 0062504312
(1989)
Johnson offers a useable method for
exploring one’s own unconscious via “The Four-Step Approach to Active
Imagination” He is also the author of this work, which I haven’t read but
looks valuable:
Owning
Your Own Shadow : Understanding the Dark Side of the Psyche, 128 pages, HarperSanFrancsisco, ISBN 0062507540 (1993)
Welcome
to the Magic Theater: A Handbook for Exploring Dreams, by
Dick McLeester, 123 pages, Food for Thought Publications (1976)
A
very entertaining and useful approach to self-discovery through dream
journaling and non-nonsense interpretation. My favorite on the subject.
Jung
on Active Imagination, by C.G. Jung, Joan Chodorow, editor, 200 pages, Princeton
University Press
From Amazon.com:
“All the
creative art psychotherapies (art, dance, music, drama, poetry) can trace
their roots to C. G. Jung's early work on active imagination. Joan Chodorow
here offers a collection of Jung's writings on active imagination, gathered
together for the first time. Jung developed this concept between the years
1913 and 1916, following his break with Freud. During this time, he was
disoriented and experienced intense inner turmoil --he suffered from lethargy
and fears, and his moods threatened to overwhelm him. Jung searched for a
method to heal himself from within, and finally decided to engage with the
impulses and images of his unconscious. It was through the rediscovery of the
symbolic play of his childhood that Jung was able to reconnect with his
creative spirit. In a 1925 seminar and again in his memoirs, he tells the
remarkable story of his experiments during this time that led to his
self-healing. Jung learned to develop an ongoing relationship with his lively
creative spirit through the power of imagination and fantasies. He termed this
therapeutic method "active imagination."
This
method is based on the natural healing function of the imagination, and its
many expressions. Chodorow clearly presents the texts, and sets them in the
proper context. She also interweaves her discussion of Jung's writings and
ideas with contributions from Jungian authors and artists.”
Mind
Games: The Guide to Inner Space, by Robert Masters and Jean Houston, 246 pages, Viking (1972)
Group
exercises in altered states of consciousness.
http://www.hws.edu/studentlife/resources/counseling/relax.asp
“The
first exercise...will direct you to systematically relax your major muscle
groups by briefly flexing your muscles and then slowly releasing the tension.
It begins by having you flex your facial muscles, and continues with your neck
and shoulders, and on down to your arms, abdomen, and legs. The exercise ends
by directing you to breathe deeply and slowly as you review parts of your
body. The recording is about nine minutes long.
The
second exercise, called a ‘Combination Relaxation Exercise,’ blends
several relaxation techniques, which used together can have a synergistic
effect in creating a deep relaxation experience....In this exercise, you will
progressively release tension from your major muscle groups, and then will be
guided in using deep breathing, affirming statements, and the visualization of
a ‘safe place’ to achieve a relaxed state. The recording is about 15
minutes long.”
Grounding
and Centering
http://www.fortunecity.com/greenfield/tigris/567/id31.htm
A
Wiccan website has some worthwhile exercise scripts for those who wish to
incorporate an awareness of energy in their practice. One of the
visualizations, imagining oneself as an acorn growing into an oak tree, using
chakras, is particularly vivid.
Essays
by Skian McGuire on BDSM, Metaphor and Shadowplay
Grief, Ghosts, and Shadowplay
A Shape to Hang Things On
Pain Itself
TOP DOG PRESS