Wendy Swan Boeken

Delving into the therapeutic technique of active imagination, this book explores how unconscious images can be expressed through various artistic forms to aid individuation. It centers on Tina Keller, a physician who worked closely with C. G. Jung and his associate Toni Wolff, documenting her experiences from 1915 to 1928. The research is grounded in primary documents in both English and German, and it also addresses historiography in psychology, Jung's views on active imagination, and early 20th-century psychotherapeutics, making it a valuable resource for those interested in Jungian studies.

This book in the history of psychoanalysis investigates C. G. Jung's psychotherapeutic technique of active imagination, a state of consciousness in which images from the unconscious are brought to the surface and expressed in a number of forms - painting, writing, sculpting - to help the individual work through and give form to psychological energy released during the process of individuation. As a case study, this research highlights the life work of Tina Keller, a physician who was intimately involved with the technique of active imagination while in analysis with Jung (1915-1924) and his primary associate, Toni Wolff (1924-1928). All research materials are investigated through an examination of primary documents, both published and unpublished, in English and German. The book includes chapters on a contemporary approach to historiography in psychology, a review of Jung's statements on active imagination, psychotherapeutics at the turn of the 20th century, and finally, on Tina Keller's analyses with Jung and Wolff. Anyone interested in a historical approach to Jung studies will find this book interesting and illuminating.