Abstract

This paper presents two techniques of active imagination, embodied psyche and Internal Family Systems Therapy, as they were used in a drama therapy context with people who had suffered non-death loss. The practical context of this work is described, and the Jungian framework from which it is derived is presented. Ethnographic research method and ethics were used in conducting this research, forming a bridge between the roles of therapist and researcher. The links between ethnography in self-initiated change projects and therapy research are explored. Many verbatim transcripts from two case studies are used to illustrate embodied psyche and Internal Family Systems, and to discuss the application of these techniques in this context. The validity of the research is explored in terms of the ethnographic qualities of veracity, objectivity, and perspicacity. It is concluded that both active imagination techniques and the ethnographic approach to research are useful in creating structures and experiences supportive of personal responsibility and self-directed change.

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