ABSTRACT
Embodied Imagination (EI) is a specific technique of working with dreams in which the concept of embodiment is central. Creative imagination in the form of dreaming comes to us in images, quasi-physical presences, which we can sense most fully with our body. There is evidence that these images represent our earliest memories, which were originally experienced bodily. Embodying these images help us reenter these memories, giving us the opportunity to recontextualize them.
During the work of EI, the therapist guides the patient to embody (feel in his body) several images in his dream. Images are carefully chosen by the therapist, usually combining an image which represents the patient’s habitual or usual consciousness and several which are alien or other than how the patient views himself and his world. These images are then used to create a composite, which the patient practices in the weeks to come. Using principles from chaos theory, this technique builds a network of images of increasing complexity so change can occur. New networks and patterns of behavior are created.
Working at the level of the body, EI creates meaning on an implicit rather than explicit level; meaning is embedded in the images themselves and how they unconsciously work together to create new patterns. EI is specifically designed to expand and enhance the imagination. In addition to its use with patients, this powerful technique is also used with actors, directors, writers, scientists and artists to solve artistic and scientific problems.
