Up: [[Active Imagination]] Created: 2022-03-07 Updated: 2025-05-08 **Primal Shout**: *I am powerful and potentially dangerous. Approach with respect!* Jung famously said that [[Psyche]] is the source of all good and all evil in the world. When you tap into the unconscious it’s not going to be a walk through beautiful meadows of sunshine and butterflies. If it is, there’s a good chance your ego is stage managing the scene. ## The Big Warnings ### Stay Away from the Extremes The first warning is to stay away from the extremes. At one end, if you go in thinking this is an entertaining party game, you’re either going to treat the experience flippantly and not actually do it, or you’ll get burned because your ego wasn’t prepared for the confrontation. At the other extreme, a psychosis is a possibility. Analyst [[Ken James]] defines psychosis as *a flooding of consciousness by unconscious material to the extent that the person who is experiencing that can’t distinguish between what’s coming from the deep unconscious and what is part of our sensory field.* This is highly unlikely unless you are someone who often confuses fantasy with reality. In that case, Active Imagination is, as the medics put it, contraindicated. ### Don’t Use Traumatic Memories There’s a reason dream images are preferred when [[Choosing a Seed Image]]. Dream images are what the deep parts of the psyche consider appropriate for us to be working on. And they are disguised well enough to protect us. ### Don’t Use Living People This one is so important it rates it’s own note. See [[Why Not Use a Living Person in Active Imagination]]. There are some exceptions. The big caution is to not use a living person who is currently in your life. It can be okay to use someone you don’t really know and don’t interact with frequently, especially if they’ve taken on an archetypal role for you, such as mentor. But, in general, the advice is to use symbolic figures such as images on Tarot cards or archetypal images from dreams, myths, or fairy tales. ## But for Most of Us These Smaller Cautions We’re much more likely to be exposed to challenging, confusing or highly emotional experiences during an Active Imagination, rather than the world’s evil! The key, as Jungian analyst > [!Orbit] [[Ashok Bedi]] was told in his training > Never start to do anything unless you know how to get out of it if it doesn’t work. You have to know how to safely exit the situation. Always set a timer. See [[Steps of Active Imagination]] Know that you’re always in control. If an image gets too frightening, it’s no failure to come out of it. Make a sandwich, go for a walk, remind yourself you’re in a body. If you have an intense emotional response, negative or positive, acknowledge it. Don’t ignore it. Don’t use Active Imagination as a replacement for therapy. Get help if you need it.