★ "Knowing oneself" is not just an idea but a fascinating, effective, and ingenious practice. Renowned psychologist and founder of Imagery Dialogue Therapy, Zhu Jianjun, guides you to thoroughly uncover the hidden aspects of yourself.
★ The core feature of the Imagery Dialogue Therapy developed by the author is its use of imagination to help you find and clearly see your true self through various mental images.
★ This book contains numerous psychological games and case stories, presented in formats like the "Exercise Treasure Chest" and "Story Sections," to help readers quickly master the correct methods of self-awareness.

Are you troubled by not understanding your talents and strengths? Unable to make better choices in work and life?
Do you hesitate to fully commit to intimate relationships, fearing the loss of yourself?
Are you unable to get along well with yourself? Often experiencing internal conflict and exhaustion?
Do you suspect you may have a psychological disorder, yet remain stuck in unresolved distress?
Is there a huge difference between how others perceive you and how you see yourself? Finding little help in others' experiences?
Do you often say "live your own life" yet struggle to accurately describe who "you" really are?
When you merely keep the idea of "knowing yourself" in your mind, it will remain forever out of reach. The only solution is to recognize that it is a methodical, strategic, and achievable process—and to choose a truly powerful tool for it.
This book teaches you to skillfully start from your primal thinking, bypass all external interference, and directly access your inner world. Through vivid and intriguing imaginative adventure games, you will dissect and see yourself piece by piece, ultimately taking full control of your own improvement.
When you intimately accompany and truly approach yourself in a simple, effective, and marvelous way, you will find that the seemingly most difficult thing in the world—"knowing yourself"—is actually this simple.

The vast inner world holds a secret: it has its own unique way of cognition and expression, waiting for you to discover.
If you miss it, you will struggle and face obstacles on the path of self-awareness; if you find it, you will effortlessly become the master of yourself, as if guided by divine help.
Imagery Dialogue Therapy thoroughly reveals this core mystery to you—
The mind is a uniquely characterful "primitive being," interacting with you through primal thinking and imagery.
Using light to symbolize kindness and justice, rugged mountain paths to symbolize a bumpy life... Every image or scene you see in wild imagination is the language of the mind and the most authentic version of yourself.
When you learn to communicate with it in the language of the mind, you are destined to receive rich rewards: gaining the love and support you lack, adopting better behavioral patterns, weakening or resolving psychological complexes... More importantly, with strong self-awareness and self-control, you will finally have a surprising encounter with yourself.

Zhu Jianjun

Zhu Jianjun is a renowned psychologist and one of China’s earliest and most distinguished practitioners in the field of psychotherapy, with over 30 years of dedicated experience in psychological counseling. As the Director of the Imagery Dialogue Therapy Division under the Mental Health Committee of the Chinese Federation of Social Work, Deputy Director of the Ecology and Environmental Psychology Committee at the Chinese Society of Social Psychology, Founder and First Chair of the Psychology Department at Beijing Forestry University, as well as a Professor at the same institution, Zhu has played a pivotal role in advancing psychological research and practice in China.

In the 1990s, he pioneered "Imagery Dialogue Therapy", an indigenous Chinese psychotherapeutic approach, making him the second scholar in China—following Dr. Zhong Youbin (founder of "Cognitive Insight Therapy")—to independently develop an original method of psychological counseling and treatment. To date, Zhu has authored more than 30 books spanning diverse domains, including not only psychotherapy and counseling but also cultural psychology, psychohistory, environmental psychology and criminal psychology. His notable works include "Who Are You, Really?", "Self-Knowledge", "The Medicine Tree", "Dream Interpretation" and "Journey Through the Castle of the Mind".

​Part I: Welcome to Your Imagery World​​ // 001

​​Part 01: Imagery and Primal Cognition​​ // 007
No.1 Perceiving All Things—Imagery Is Everywhere // 008
No.2 The Thin Line Between Madness and Genius // 015
No.3 The Logic of Primal Thinking // 017
No.4 Why We Shouldn’t Call Artists Mad // 019

​​Part 02: Life Is a River: The Flow and Blockage of Vitality​​ // 027
No.1 The Generation of Vitality // 028
No.2 When Vitality Cannot Bloom: Suppression and Indulgence // 032
No.3 Suppression and Indulgence Manifested as Imagery // 036

​​Part 03: Mental Obstacles—Why the Mind "Falls Ill"​​ // 043
No.1 Emotional Knots: Complexes Are Emotional Blockages // 043
No.2 Instincts Are Universal Complexes // 045
No.3 Complexes and Instincts Manifest as Imagery // 047
No.4 Psychoanalysis Unties Knots: Making the Unconscious Conscious // 049
No.5 Redirecting and Transforming the Flow of Emotions // 051

​​Part 04: Imagery Can Regulate the Mind​​ // 057
No.1 Imagery Connects with Emotions // 057
No.2 "Dialogue from Below": Imagery Dialogue Is "Underground Work" // 060
No.3 Lingering Images: Persistent Imagery Shapes Mood // 062
No.4 Paradise Lost: The Formation of Psychological Barriers // 065
No.5 "Shaking Off Again and Again": The Maintenance of Psychological Barriers // 071
No.6 Changing Imagery Changes the Person // 077

​​Part II: Exploring the Hidden Self​​ // 085

​​Part 05: Conducting Psychological Counseling with Imagery Dialogue​​ // 087
No.1 Introduction Method: Dreaming Together with the Client // 088
No.2 Initial Imagery Explores Different Psychological Facets // 089
No.3 What the Client’s Imagery Reveals // 092
No.4 Two Ways Counselors Participate in Imagery Dialogue // 094
No.5 Repeated Imagination and Reinforcement: The "Out with the Old, In with the New" Method // 097
No.6 Distinguishing Imagination from Reality: Bringing "Treasure from the Sea Floor" Back to "Land" // 098
No.7 Why Imagery Dialogue Works // 100

​​Part 06: Understanding the Meaning of Imagery​​ // 110
No.1 Living Pictographs // 110
No.2 The Spirit in the Heart—Archetypes // 113
No.3 Alchemy in the Mind: The Transmutation of Mental Elements // 120
No.4 Symbolic Meanings of Various Imagery // 129
No.5 Exposing Disguises: Symbols Related to "Sexuality" // 146
No.6 Keen Eyes—How to Identify Imagery // 148

​​Part 07: Practical Imagery Dialogue—Psychotherapy and Counseling​​ // 155
No.1 Flexible Use of Initial Imagery // 156
No.2 Making Imagery More Beautiful // 158
No.3 Heart-to-Heart Connection: Empathy in Imagery Dialogue // 165
No.4 He’s Not Who You Think He Is: Direct Transference // 170
No.5 Why I Can’t See Imagery: Direct Resistance // 172
No.6 Telepathy: Imagery as a Bridge to Understanding // 175
No.7 Guiding Imagination with "Unusual" Language // 177
No.8 Before Helping Others: First Rectify Yourself // 179
No.9 The Personality Can Be Further Divided // 184

​​Part 08: Treating Psychological Disorders with Imagery Dialogue​​ // 190
No.1 Using Imagery Dialogue Techniques to Treat Various Neuroses // 190
No.2 Physical Illness Is Also a Mental Issue: Treating Psychosomatic Diseases // 201
No.3 Healing Through Play: Treating Psychological Disorders in Children // 204
No.4 Overcoming Sexual Inferiority: Treating Sexual Psychological Disorders // 206
No.5 Improving Intimate Relationships: Marriage Counseling // 209

​​Part 09: Features and Innovations of Imagery Dialogue​​ // 216
No.1 Directly Targeting the Heart // 216
No.2 Comparison and Integration with Other Psychotherapies // 219
No.3 An Important Reminder: The Trouble with Misusing Imagery Dialogue // 223

​​Part III: Gaining the Power to Improve​​ // 233

​​Part 10: Savoring the World with Heart​​ // 234
No.1 Learning with Full Dedication: Courage Is Crucial // 235
No.2 The Birth of the Phoenix: A Complete Woman Shines Brightly // 237
No.3 The Success and Failure of Bodebanximituo: On Empathy // 240
No.4 Rivers and Channels: All Rivers Flow to the Sea // 243
No.5 Clinging and Enduring: Attitudes Toward Fearful Imagery // 246
No.6 Starting with a Wife Complaining About Her Husband: Diverting Energy from the "River of Energy" // 248
No.7 Speaking to the Heart: Your Heart Will Not Deceive You // 251
No.8 Mastery Techniques: Psychological Defense Mechanisms // 253
No.9 If the Mountain Won’t Come: Enhancing Self-Control // 254
No.10 Unity of Opposites in the Mind: Learning the Doctrine of the Mean // 257
No.11 The Mind Is a Song: The Tone and Color of Emotions // 260
No.12 Can the Psychological World Do Whatever It Wants? // 264
No.13 Psychology Also Needs "Encryption": Don’t Say What’s Harmful to Others // 266

​​Part 11: Imagery Practice Treasure Chest​​ // 271
No.1 "Viewing the House": A Method to Enhance Self-Awareness // 272
No.2 Finding Your Own "Guardian" // 275
No.3 The Path to Liberation from Pain: Nourishing Trees and Golden Sunshine // 277
No.4 Building Better Interpersonal Relationships: Visiting and Sharing // 281

​​Part 12: Imagery Interpretation—Fate and Destiny in Stories​​ // 290
No.1 The Tragedy of the Kindhearted: Loving Yourself Is Also Important // 291
No.2 The Mystery of Turandot: Women Hurt by Men // 294
No.3 Why Sun Wukong Went to Heaven: The Rebellion of the Inferior // 297
No.4 Who Imprisoned Bai Suzhen Under the Pagoda: Fear of Wives and Sexual Dysfunction // 299

​​References​​ // 305
​​Afterword​​ // 307