Ira Progoff on Active Imagination

Ira Progoff brought Jungian Active Imagination out of Jungian Analysis and slipped it into use under the aegis of his journal writing workshops. Never calling it Active Imagination, Progoff made it the central method of intuitively analyzing one's own diary- like entries into his special journal format. Workshop participants were (and still are after Dr. Progoff's death), how to "sit in stillness" and move into "Twilight Imaging":

"The key to Twilight Imaging lies in the fact that it takes place in the twilight state between waking and sleeping. We find that by working actively in that intermediate state of consciousness, we are able to reach depths of ourselves with which it is very difficult to make contact by any other means." (At A Journal Workshop:The Basic Text & Guide For Using The Intensive Journal, pp. 77-78)

Progoff's technique is the same as Jung's and the Jungians that followed him, but he did make a major contribution by tying it to the issues and process of our life. His writings show how to use Twilight Imaging to explore such life issues as: our past, the paths taken or not taken, our body image, our image of our work/workplace, our family and friends, our dreams, and events. He also turns beyond our issues to open dialogue with what he calls our source of inner wisdom. He carries this use of Active Imagination forward into a second book on the journaling approach called, The Practice of Process Meditation. These writings were deepened by development of several short meditative pieces helps guide the reader to "the twilight state between waking and sleeping."

(See our bookstore for many of these titles and see the Progoff Web site for more information on journaling workshops.)