How To Journal With Active Imagination

12.12.25

In my last article, I mercilessly criticized using shadow work prompts as they’re often ineffective and have no real foundation in Jungian Psychology.

However, I’m not against journaling.

In fact, if you do it in a specific way, it can be incredibly beneficial, and you’ll never need to rely on prompts again.

Carl Jung’s incredible body of work culminated in his Active Imagination technique.

People often discuss this method, focusing exclusively on imagery and fantasies, but they forget that the psyche is structured around 4 functions.

This means a psychic image has 4 layers: thinking, feeling, sensation, and intuition.

Moreover, the crux of Active Imagination is being able to make the unconscious objective and give it shape. Be it through music, painting, fantasies, writing, or even dancing.

The second step is to analyze and confront this material from a conscious perspective.

In this light, to establish a living dialogue with the unconscious through journaling, we must achieve the flow of automatic writing.

In other words, we must learn how to freely pour our unconscious feelings, perceptions, intuition, and thinking patterns onto the paper.

That way, we can gain insight into the shadow complexes and archetypal patterns governing our behaviors and decisions.

Here’s how this works.

The Power of Narrative

The personal shadow is mainly formed by complexes. Carl Jung refers to them as the architects of every symptom.

These complexes produce fixed narratives in our minds that distort our interpretation of reality and shape our behaviors and decisions.

The less conscious we are about them, the more power they have over our conscious mind.

That’s why being able to recognize these narratives is so valuable.

Once they’re conscious, they become more malleable, we can question them, and find new solutions.

We can finally have authorship.

Journaling Effectively

The first step is training yourself to achieve the flow of automatic writing.

You literally just have to take pen and paper and start writing nonstop about whatever is going through your mind.

The first goal is to bridge the gap between your thoughts and how fast you can write.

Eventually, your hand will “acquire life,” and you’ll be surprised by the new sentences appearing on paper.

Personally, I like to focus on a few departure points:

• Affects (aka triggers).
• Dream fragments.
• A genuine question.
• Spontaneous fantasies.
• A narrative or repeating pattern.

I keep one of these in mind, allow the feelings to overtake my body, and start writing.

Sometimes I have to push for a few minutes writing gibberish, while other times, everything comes fast.

Once I have something concrete, I lead with more questions.

I focus on 3 key elements:

• Why and how was the narrative constructed, and if there are any attached memories?.
• How is this narrative serving me in the present moment?.
• How am I actively contributing to keeping it alive?.

An important key is to not identify with what’s on paper and approach it as an observer, as your ego-complex must be intact for this practice.

That’s why Active Imagination is so distinctive, as it’s about having a back and forth with the unconscious, challenging the material, and acquiring new perspectives.

Also, it’s very possible to begin seeing imagery or even “hearing” something during this practice. In this moment, I try to describe what I’m seeing or even ask questions directly.

Jung says shadow complexes and archetypes have the nature of being personified.

In other words, that feeling of shame, guilt, excitement, or your repressed creativity can take the form of a person or a creature.

During the writing session, you can actively engage with it.

Inner Work Must Be Embodied

But in the end, this whole process is only valid if you apply your insights to better your real life and relationships.

Otherwise, it’s pure mental masturbation and no better than a generic shadow work prompt.

If I may share a personal example.

In the past year, I had many Active Imagination experiences in which I was presented with a sword. After engaging with this image, I understood I was being called to write.

The sword often symbolizes the Logos, the verb, and the written word. This creative element was asking to be integrated.

But inner work must be embodied with practical actions.

That’s why I changed my schedule, rearranged clients, and even my business structure so I could write as often as possible.

I ended up writing 120+ articles, and that’s how my book PISTIS – Demystifying Jungian Psychology came to be.

Now, over 300 people have a physical copy in their homes, which is absolutely insane!

To conclude, every time we seek insight into the myth of the unconscious, our responsibility increases.

• Read Next – Demystifying Shadow Work Series

Rafael Krüger – Live an Audacious Life

Whenever you’re ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:

Mentorship – Catalyze your personal transformation with 1 on 1 sessions. Master your psychology, relationships, and business.

Audacity University – Master Jungian Psychology in 1 year: Become your own analyst or integrate these tools into your professional practice.

Katabasis – The Shadow Integration Manual – My best-selling and accessible course will teach you how to disrupt the unconscious patterns keeping you stuck and integrate the shadow.