Public Programs
Active Imagination With Music [WORKSHOP]
by Rich Ryan
March 14, 2026 @ 9:00 am – 1:30 pm MDT
Music is the most direct and mysterious way of conveying and evoking feeling. It is a way of connecting one consciousness to another. I think the nearest thing to telepathy is making music together. –Oliver Sacks
Carl Jung discovered the process he later named Active Imagination during his “encounter with his unconscious.” This journey led him to a 16-year project that ultimately culminated in the creation of The Red Book. Active Imagination has been elaborated upon and utilized through writing, painting, drawing, dancing, and sandplay. However, the application of Active Imagination through music has not been extensively explored or documented.
Music offers a rich projective field for engaging with the unconscious and the process of individuation. It functions as an archetypal and instinctive phenomenon, operating autonomously within the psyche.
The Friday evening program will demonstrate that music serves as a portal to the unconscious and acts as an archetypal force for accessing the collective unconscious. I invite you to explore this idea with me and share a musical experience through Jung’s method of Active Imagination by listening to music together.
In the Saturday workshop, we will delve deeper into the Active Imagination process using several short, selected pieces of music. Materials will be available for you to respond to your experiences through drawing and writing, and one particular piece of music will serve as a prompt for movement, dance, or spontaneous expression.
RICH RYAN, PhD LCSW trained at the Jung Institute of Los Angeles where he is a member analyst. He is also a member of the Interregional Society of Jungian Analysts and the C. G. Jung Institute of Santa Fe, where he is the incoming (2025) president and teaches in the Analyst Training Program. Rich is licensed in New Mexico and California and currently practices in Santa Fe and California. He is available for supervision, consultation, and analysis in person or by telehealth.
Get Tickets to Register
Select one of the ticket options below. Online registration ends on Friday, March 13, 2026 at 9:00 am Mountain Time.
This event is in-person ONLY.
In-person Location
contact@santafejung.org
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