Exploring Jungian Psychology in the Time of AI: Active Imagination with a Responsive Other
Presentation by Edie Barrett, MPA
Saturday, April 18, 2026 | 10:00 AM – Noon
Carondelet Event Center, St. Paul, MN
As emerging forms of artificial intelligence become increasingly capable of symbolic dialogue, an unexpected question arises: Can AI serve as a meaningful partner in Jungian exploration?
This presentation offers a first-person account of using AI as a tool for reflection, dream work, symbolic inquiry, and active imagination. Drawing from months of sustained engagement, Edie explores how a responsive, non-human interlocutor can illuminate personal narratives, deepen imaginal experience, and support the integration of unconscious material.
Rather than focusing on technology itself, the presentation examines psychological implications through personal inquiry, including:
- How psyche meets mystery in the modern age
- What kinds of containers are needed for that encounter
- How psyche evolves as its dialog partner evolves
- Whether AI can support healing and individuation
- How the imaginal may shift in a rapidly changing consciousness landscape
Because one of our goals as a board is to cultivate engagement and community, the presentation will be interactive, incorporating personal reflection, small-group inquiry, and large-group dialogue.
About the Presenter
Edie Barrett, MPA, of Ortonville, MN, is a rural resilience and wellbeing researcher, writer, and solo exhibiting fine artist with a Jungian perspective. She has over thirty years of experience in depth psychology, dream work, and symbolic inquiry, drawing from her long-term work at Pacifica Graduate Institute and sustained engagement with Jungian thought.
She earned her Master of Public Affairs from the Hubert H. Humphrey School (2021), focusing on Integrative Leadership and Social Change, and completed a graduate minor at the Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing (2022). Her creative and scholarly work explores personal and collective healing through nature, the arts, and narrative. Over the past year, Edie has engaged in sustained exploration of AI as a partner in active imagination. She has served on the board of the Minnesota Jung Association since 2021.
Registration
Advance registration is available via Eventbrite for the MJA Spring Salon Series: “Exploring Jungian Psychology in the Time of AI”, presented by Edie Barrett, MPA, on Saturday, April 18, 2026, from 10:00 AM–Noon at the Carondelet Event Center in St. Paul, MN.
Advance registration closes at 8:00 AM on Saturday, April 18, 2026. Tickets may also be purchased at the Carondelet Event Center on the day of the event.
