Jung understood that the unconscious can express itself not only through dreams, but also through spontaneous writing, drawing, and movement. To this end, he developed the technique of active imagination in which patients use non-verbal forms of expression as a means to work with their unconscious symbolically. In this experiential workshop, we will focus on spontaneous drawing as a means of working with material from the personal unconscious, as well as the images of the collective unconscious. Please have access to paper, pencils, crayons, and/or markers for use in the workshop. No previous art experience is necessary.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe how spontaneous drawing can be utilized as a means of working with unconscious material;
• Describe what Jung believed about spontaneity and how he realized the need to develop this aspect for himself in terms of his personal growth and its relevance to psychotherapy;
• Describe how spontaneous drawing can be used as part of a diagnostic evaluation;
• Give an example of how to utilize spontaneous drawing in the context of a therapy session;
• Give an example of how spontaneous drawing can be utilized when working with trauma;
• Describe why it might be helpful for patients to draw images from their dreams;
• Compare the differences between writing vs drawing dream images;
• Give an example of how individuals from different age groups can utilize spontaneous drawing;
• Give an example of how to work with the symbolic material that emerges from spontaneous drawing;
• Give an example of how to differentiate between images from the personal vs the collective unconscious;
• Describe what Jung meant by the transcendent function;
• Describe why the transcendent function is an important achievement in psychological development;
• Give an example of how the transcendent function can be seen in spontaneous drawing.