While Jung emphasized the importance of fantasy and play to psychic development, he also recognized that fantasies also need to be actively transformed and symbolically represented for any significant transformation to occur. In this workshop series, we will use a fantastic short story and actively engage with color and brushes as a means of helping our inner images become alive and more conscious. Individuals will be encouraged to further amplify their images through personal reflection such as writing and sharing with the group. We will discuss ways of implementing painting as a form of active imagination in the context of analytic work.
This workshop does not require any artistic training or capacities and is for adults only.
Learning Objectives:
- Demonstrate how symbolic content can be expressed through painting images of the unconscious;
- Describe how evoking symbols from the unconscious can have a healing effect by helping patients become more aware of underlying conflicts and defensive functions;
- Give an example of how utilizing active imagination can be of value during times of emotional transition;
- Describe factors that contribute towards the development of a symbolic attitude;
- Describe how creating an image with the hands can evoke a more active attitude towards psychological conflict;
- Describe how bringing unconscious images into consciousness can be used to strengthen ego development;
- Describe how to amplify an image within a group process;
- Describe the evolution of symbols over a period of guided imagery.