Active imagination is a psychoanalytic technique employed during the process of individuation that involves examining archetypes as they emerge during talk therapy. A patient shares dreams or memories or speaks openly and freely while the psychoanalyst listens for recurring patterns and emerging symbols. Jung applies this technique to himself throughout Memories, Dreams, Reflections to buttress his illustration of Individuation as a Process of Personal Evolution.

Analytical psychology, or “Jungian psychology,” is a form of psychotherapy focused on uncovering archetypes within the unconscious through a process of individuation. Jung’s approaches evolved throughout his life, making it difficult to clearly define analytical psychology. Unlike the practice of Freud and his contemporaries, Jung emphasized a greater focus on spirituality and meaning making.

Jung’s approach to psychology involves a process of merging the conscious and subconscious. Central to this work is incorporating the anima and animus into the conscious experience. The anima represents the feminine aspect of a man’s psyche, and the animus is the masculine aspect of a woman’s psyche. The anima is associated with qualities like intuition and emotion, while the animus is linked to rationality, assertiveness, and logic. Through the process of individuation, these parts of the psyche can be brought forward to conscious experience and integrated into everyday life.