Our Imagination and The Repressed Unconscious
The imagination is a gateway to the depths of human experience, and an accessible tool to reconnect with the parts of us actively repressed. We can consult our imagination in times of needed clarity and to obtain visceral wisdom that surpasses the ordinary cognitive mind. In her book, Transformative Imagery: Cultivating the Imagination for Healing, Change, and Growth, Leslie Davenport describes imagination as “the rediscovery of the subconscious mind”. Throughout history, cultures have used imagination to connect with mind, body, and spirit in a way the transcends ordinary consciousness. Our imagination can help us reclaim the repressed parts of us that feel disconnected, and create new meanings, symbols, and words that reflects a more whole and interconnected existence. It is already within us.
In my favorite ecopsychology text to date, Fisher (2013) describes the repressed unconscious as our response to the rejection we experience from other humans regarding our ideas and beliefs, therefore molding and informing our relationship to the world in a distorted and disconnected way. He compares fantasy and imagination, calling fantasy largely a manifestation of disconnection and lack of personal experience, whereas, imagination is steeped in experience and real interaction. It seems like we tend to have strong opinions about topics we really do not know much about. All fantasy. Fisher suggests that we have lost intimate contact with other people, animals, and plants through failure of everyday contact and lack of imagination.
Cultivating meaningful personal experiences shifts our fantasies of the world into lived experience and strengthens imagination. The more experience we have in life, the more complex our existence becomes, and perhaps, the more we are able to imagine the world in a truthful and rational way. Fantasy turned experiential creates an imaginative state where anything is possible and new more grounded understandings can emerge.
To Our Health,
Britt
