|
Title: Free Association and Active Imagination vs. Meditation Post by: Jitendra Hydonus on May 18, 2022 11:29 am Free association is an important part of psychotherapy but different than meditation. It is an important difference because I believe that many of us use the time we are practicing meditation for the free association of thought. Thought being what we are hoping to extinguish in meditation. We are instead monitoring thought; observing the patterns of thought arising and redirecting our focus back to a mantra.
Title: Re: Free Association vs. Meditation Post by: Jitendra Hydonus on May 18, 2022 05:36 pm Free association is an important part of psychotherapy but different than meditation. It is an important difference because I believe that many of us use the time we are practicing meditation for the free association of thought. Thought being what we are hoping to extinguish in meditation. We are instead monitoring thought; observing the patterns of thought arising and redirecting our focus back to the mantra. 🤔 Most meditation that I follow does not involve the technique that Carl Jung uses below. However, I should point out that even in meditation there are no hard and fast rules. And I must admit that if, as I am meditating and experience ‘channeling’ or something creative that may be helpful to myself and others, I do not stop the flow of energy happening at those times. Active Imagination: Jung created the concept of active imagination as a way to describe bridging the gap between unconsciousness and consciousness. Using imagination, fantasy, dreams and meditation, a client is able bring their unconscious into the present through narrative or action. Active imagination relies on a client’s undirected observation of their imagination or dreams, not an intended image of their desires. https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/jungian-psychotherapy Title: Re: Free Association and Active Imagination vs. Meditation Post by: Jitendra Hydonus on Sep 10, 2023 11:23 pm A basic process in psychoanalysis and other forms of psychodynamic psychotherapy, in which the patient is encouraged to verbalize without censorship or selection whatever thoughts come to mind, no matter how embarrassing, illogical, or irrelevant. Free association - APA Dictionary of Psychology APA Dictionary of Psychology https://dictionary.apa.org › free-association The different functions of free association. | Download ... GoodTherapy | Free Association What is free association - My Exam Solution Compare this to active imagination; Active Imagination: Jung created the concept of active imagination as a way to describe bridging the gap between unconsciousness and consciousness. Using imagination, fantasy, dreams and meditation, a client is able bring their unconscious into the present through narrative or action. Active imagination relies on a client’s undirected observation of their imagination or dreams, not an intended image of their desires. https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/jungian-psychotherapy Although I find both these methods helpful to understanding…we may find that we are doing these therapeutic exercises and methods when practicing meditation. Which is quite different in the sense that we are using imagination in a specific way as we are attempting to transcend thought. There is a focus on thought in concentration on a Mantra or for instance energy going up and down the spine coupled with the inhalation and exhalation of the breath in meditation. |