Exploration of the unconscious – 6

Spontaneous imagery – with an exercise

It is very important, in spontaneous imagination exercises, to take the position of the loving observer and give free rein to another part of us, deeper and more natural, whose language is indeed symbolic. All kinds of images can arise then. If you focus on a block or a difficulty, it is quite natural for unpleasant images to present themselves (for example, monsters of all kinds, repellent animals, witches etc.). Initially it is natural to be somewhat troubled by these psychic figures. However, they represent unresolved aspects of ourselves.

We should therefore, as Ferrucci (1982) indicates, “face these monstrous creatures; try to become familiar with them, to understand them, to listen to what they have to tell us. The key is always to have enough courage to face the negative image and enough patience to stay with it for a while. Then the image will be transformed.

This transformation can only take place when we let all the feelings associated with it emerge freely.(…) The essential point here is that it is not only the image that changes, which in itself would be almost irrelevant, but that its transformation brings with it a different way of seeing things and an influx of new emotions. And this inner transformation may have, in turn, a real impact on our behaviour.

Of course, we should not expect all this to happen automatically and immediately (even though sometimes that might be the case). If we really want the transformation to take root, it is good to visualise again the positive image that has emerged, even briefly and in the course of the day.”

SPONTANEOUS IMAGERY EXERCISE (Ferrucci, 1982)

Let your imagination spontaneously produce an image that concretely represents, for example, a state of mind such as fear. Then ask yourself the following questions:

  • what colour is it?
  • what shape does it have?
  • what does it feel like to the touch?
  • what does it smell like?
  • what sounds does it produce, and if it has a voice, what does it say?

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