Abstracts I - R

Abstracts I - R

 

Dream Epiphanies: Engaging the Deep Mysteries of Matter  

Karen Jaenke, PhD, core faculty member at the Institute of Imaginal Studies, Petaluma, California, USA; private dream consultant. Her somatic approach to dreams focuses on their role in recovering deep personal and collective memory, unfolding personal destiny and soul potential, and healing personal and collective imbalances of our time.  

Abstract 

Mindful of our ecological crisis requiring renewed respect for earth mother/mater/matter, this presentation examines several extraordinary dreams which offer openings into the mysteries of matter. Matter reveals its secrets to the dreamer, from opposite ends along the dense-subtle continuum. Participation in these epiphanies brings heightened states of contraction and expansion. 

The first of these “matter dreams” penetrates into the mystery of the most dense form of matter encountered in our everyday lives, the stones. The “stones dream” emerged synchronistically on the morning of a pilgrimage to an ancient, sacred rock-carving site in northern Norway. The stones dream reveals the superabundance of energy, vitality and joy present in the densest concentrations of matter naturally occurring on earth. The stones dream reveals the unfathomable energies compressed into matter, confirming the physicists’ knowledge that matter equals energy or spirit. 

A second dream reveals matter in its smallest unit, as a single particle, loosed from all bondage to other matter, traveling solitarily at the far edge of the universe. Depositing the dreamer inside the life force of a single particle, this second “matter dream” offers entrance into the mystery of matter at the opposite end of the continuum, where new space is being unfurled. Transcending time and space, the dream reaches across a continuum as vast as the universe itself.  

While the stones dream transports the dreamer inside forms of existence more dense than the human body, revealing unfathomable concentrations of energy, aliveness, and indeed joy, compressed and hidden within dense material reality, the particle dream reveals the exquisite freedom and joy of the single particle, loosed from all bondage to other matter. The particle dream connects with ultimate spaciousness and expansiveness.

The stones dream and the particle dream, taken together, herald the presence of joy at extreme opposite ends of the material continuum, from its tightly compressed state packed into the density of hard rock, to the tiniest speck of matter, in its freest and most unfettered spaciousness, journeying away from all solidity, extending space, at the farthest reaches of the cosmos. Together these dreams reveal the most marvelous truth: that across the entire spectrum of reality, from most dense to most subtle, the presence of living joy is to be discovered. Joy exists across the continuum of the cosmos, vibrating within the heartbeat of all forms of matter and being. 

Entering the mysteries of matter means being at home in the universe, across the continuum from dense to subtle. Such awareness bestows renewed respect for matter, and for our earth mother/mater. 

The presentation will also address somatic practices, teachings, and ways of being present to the mysteries of the bodily knowing, as revealed in dreams. Cultivating a relationship of respect to one’s body, and to the somatic dimension of dreams, forms a primary access point to human communion with the living matter/energy of the universe.

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Dreamwork: The Rashomon Approach 

David Jenkins, PhD, is the author of Dream RePlay: How to Transform Your Dream Life. He teaches classes on dreams and offers dream groups in Berkeley and Oakland, California. His PhD study of Emanuel Swedenborg's dreams led him to focus on the reality of the dream experience. He writes a weekly column which can be read at www.dreamoftheweek.com. 

Abstract 

In Kurosawa's film, "Rashomon," each person recounts a series of events from their own perspective. The various participants' accounts conflict. We are never sure who is telling "the truth" and we never actually learn "the truth."  

The parallels to dreamwork are considerable. One of the key features of the dream is that no one in the waking world can contradict the dreamer. In the group, one important way of working is for each member to tell the dream as though it were their own dream. The results can be quite startling. Not only does the dreamer resonate to some of these narratives but group members can identify with the dream and become deeply involved in its resolution. 

Group members assist the dreamer by taking on the dream situation, retelling it from their own perspective with all the variations that entails and considering how they might handle it. Rather than aiming for a consensus as to what the dream means, we want each member to discover their own, unique view of the dream, as exemplified by Akira Kurasawa’s masterpiece Rashomon. We expect that, when the theme of the dream recurs (as it is almost bound to), the dreamer will have access to more resources and hence the experience of future dreams will be different.  

This workshop will demonstrate an innovative, non-interpretive approach to dreamwork. We will use Gestalt, variations on the “If it were my dream…” technique, the “Movie method”, Completion and other techniques, see my website, www.DreamOfTheWeek.com   for a discussion of many of the techniques. 

The workshop will include an introduction, (possibly) working in pairs and working with the whole group. 

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Yoga Dreaming 

Clare Johnson, PhD, completed her PhD in Creative Writing with the University of Leeds, England. Her doctoral work focuses on the connection between lucid dreaming and the creative writing process, and she is an Associate Lecturer in Creative Writing with the Open University. She has practiced yoga all over the world for over 12 years. 

Abstract 

Clare Johnson has practiced Hatha and Raja yoga for over 12 years in countries including India, France, and Germany, and she is currently training with the Satsanga Yoga Centre in Lisbon. She is completing a PhD on the connection between lucid dreaming and the creative writing process, and has undertaken cutting edge research into the accessibility of dream imagery in trance states. 

Dreams – even the most magical ones – can seem to be ephemeral and easily forgotten. Yet simple yoga postures, combined with visualisation techniques, enable us to tap into their energy in very physical ways.  

In this relaxing and highly practical workshop, participants will experience the way in which yoga can lead to a calm, internally focused state which is optimal for calling upon inspiring dream images with which to enhance well-being and creativity. 

This workshop focuses on returning the dreamer’s positive dream energy to him/her, and the numerous possible benefits of this practice will be discussed in the workshop. These include enabling participants to cultivate a deeper connection with their dream energy, dissolve creative blocks, and increase compassionate awareness of the body. 

Participants will discover that yoga can facilitate access to dreams as a source of energy and creativity. No previous experience of yoga is necessary. Wear loose, comfortable clothing and bring a beautiful dream along! 

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Dreaming into Creative Writing 

Clare Johnson, PhD, completed her PhD in Creative Writing with the University of Leeds, England. Her doctoral work focuses on the connection between lucid dreaming and the creative writing process, and she is an Associate Lecturer in Creative Writing with the Open University. She has practiced yoga all over the world for over 12 years. 

Jean Campbell, from Virginia, is President of IASD. She is the author of Group Dreaming: Dreams to the Tenth Power. As CEO of the nonprofit organization, The iMAGE Project, she has worked with The World Dreams Peace Bridge to provide aid to the children of Iraq.  

Abstract 

Clare Johnson is currently completing a PhD in Creative Writing with the University of Leeds, England. Her thesis focuses on the connection between lucid dreaming and the creative writing process, and she is an Associate Lecturer in Creative Writing with the Open University.

Jean Campbell has written both fiction and nonfiction with the use of dreams, including dreaming an entire gang of Dream Scouts. She enjoys teaching the relationship between dreams and fiction writing. 

Dream images are vivid forms of mental imagery endowed with emotional meaning and they often layer back down to memories or associations which the writer can expand upon to create fiction.  

In this experiential workshop, participants will be introduced to a variety of techniques for working with dream imagery to inspire creative writing. They will become familiar with the ‘writer’s trance’; the relaxed, meditative state into which writers slip, and they will practice transforming dream characters into fictional ones, as well as teasing out the story kernel from their own dream images. 

Participants will discover that dream imagery can provide an endless source of creative inspiration, and that writing is itself an art form which lends itself to the imaginative exploration of dreams. 

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Assessing Metacognitive Skills in Waking and Sleep: A Psychometric Analysis of the Metacognitive, Affective, Cognitive Experience (MACE) Questionnaire 

Tracey L. Kahan, PhD, is Associate Professor at the Department of Psychology, Santa Clara University. Her research explores the relationship between dreaming and waking cognition, and has shown that waking and dreaming, especially REM dreaming, are more similar than different with respect to the occurrence of metacognitive skills such as reflective self-awareness, intentionality, and self-regulation.  

Kieran Sullivan, PhD, is Associate Professor at the Department of Psychology, Santa Clara University. She is a licensed clinical psychologist, teaches psychological assessment and works as a consultant on questionnaire development and evaluation. Her research interests also include the role of support in marriage and the prevention of marital distress. 

Abstract 

Purpose 

We evaluated the psychometric properties of the “Metacognitive, Affective, Cognitive Experience Questionnaire” (MACE), a research tool that has been used in several studies to assess metacognition in dreaming and waking experiences (e.g., Kahan, 2001; Kahan, LaBerge, Levitan, & Zimbardo, 1997; Kahan & LaBerge, 1996). Metacognition is defined as the awareness of one’s cognitive processes and the deliberate direction of them (Nelson & Narens, 1990).  

Method 

Participants came from two separate studies which used the MACE to assess metacognition in experiences sampled from waking and dreaming. Sample 1 included 26 high frequency dream recallers (> 4 dreams recalled per week)(Kahan, 2001), and sample 2 was 42 moderate frequency dream recallers (> 2 dreams recalled per week) (Kahan et al., 2006). 

We wished to evaluate the psychometric properties of the MACE independent of the target event rated in order to assess the internal consistency and factor structure of the instrument. As such, we computed a single MACE percentage score for each participant by adding the number of “yes” responses the participant gave for each question across their applications of the MACE and divided by the total number of applications (Ns = 6, 4, for Samples 1 and 2, respectively). An advantage of this measurement approach is that the resulting percentages represent continuous variables (with a possible range of 0 – 100), whereas a single application of the MACE produces dichotomous variables (0, 1). This approach also provides a comparable measure across the two samples. The psychometric analyses presented in this paper are thus based on 68 participants representing a total of 324 applications of the MACE.  

Results 

To assess the internal consistency of the instrument alpha coefficients were calculated using both samples. The MACE was found to have adequate internal consistency, alpha = .72 (Nunnelly, 1978).  

The 324 observations were subjected to exploratory factor analysis. This analysis yielded five factors with eigenvalues greater than 1.0. Together, the five factors accounted for 81% of the variance in the measure. All of the items had factor loadings of .68 or better and showed relatively small loadings on the remaining four factors (.32 or less). Variance accounted for by each factor was: 30% Factor 1 (Self-Monitoring); 17% Factor 2 (Intentionality); 13% Factor 3 (Monitoring of external environment); 11%Factor 4 (Monitoring of Reactions); and 10% Factor 5 (Self-Regulation).  

We expected weak, positive and significant correlations among the MACE dimensions, as all were expected to assess the general construct of metacognition but each was also designed to measure a distinct dimension of metacognition. Seven of the ten correlations fit this expected pattern, with correlations ranging from .27 - .37. The remaining three correlations were nonsignificant. As expected, none of the significant correlations was negative.  

Discussion 

We discuss the outcomes of the psychometric analysis of the MACE in relation to other previous and recent efforts to assess reflective awareness and other components of metacognition during dreaming (see, especially, Kahan, 1994; Kozmova & Wolman, 2006; Purcell, Moffitt, & Hoffmann, 1993). 

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Dimensions of Metacognition in Dreaming and Waking: Associations with Waking Mindfulness Skills

Tracey L. Kahan, Ph.D., Megan Thompson, Emily Luther, Danica Zold, Patrick Rugo, Jenny Imberi, and Anne Thompson.
 

Tracey L. Kahan, Ph.D., is Associate Professor Department of Psychology, Santa Clara University.  She is a faculty member of the SCU Psychology Department, Dr. Kahan's research explores the relationship between dreaming and waking cognition. Her research has shown that waking and dreaming, especially REM dreaming, are more similar than different with respect to the occurrence of metacognitive skills such as reflective self-awareness, intentionality, and self-regulation. 

Abstract: 


Purpose: The present study extends previous research on the relationship between dreaming and waking experience by considering whether participants' responses on the Metacognition, Affect, and Cognitive Experience (MACE) questionnaire (see, especially, Kahan, 2001) are associated with the scales of the Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills (KIMS)(Baer, Smith, & Allen, 2004).

Method:  Participants were 25 women and 17 men (M age = 21) who met selection criteria for stable sleep schedules and typical weekly dream recall. Participants attended an orientation session where they provided demographic information, completed a number of individual difference measures, including the KIMS, and received instruction in how to obtain experience samples from sleep and waking (see Kahan & LaBerge, 1996; Kahan, LaBerge, Levitan, & Zimbardo, 1997, for a detailed description of this sampling protocol).

The KIMS is a 39-item self-report questionnaire that assesses four mindfulness skills: observing, describing, acting with awareness, and accepting without judgment. The MACE (Kahan & LaBerge, 1996; Kahan et al., 1997; Kahan, 2001) obtains subjective ratings of the incidence of various metacognitive events during the experience sample. The 10-item questionnaire assesses several components of metacognition (after Nelson & Narens, 1990), including intentionality (e.g., "Did you focus for a period of time on accomplishing a particular task?"); monitoring (e.g., "Did you think about your own thoughts or feelings?" (or) "Did you think about what you were doing?"); and self-regulation (e.g., "Did you choose between two or more options?"). Participants respond to each question with "yes" or "no." For any question answered "yes," the participant provides a brief description of the relevant event that occurred during the experience sample.

Each participant obtained two dreaming and two waking experience samples. For a given sample, participants first recorded a narrative of the target event (dreaming or waking experience), and then completed the MACE with reference to the previously described experience.

Results:
Repeated measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) revealed a pattern of findings generally consistent with past research. Waking experiences had a higher incidence of some types of metacognition (e.g., choice), dreaming experiences had a higher incidence of other types of metacognition (e.g., thwarted intention), and no differences across waking and dreaming experiences were observed for, for example, internal commentary or focused attention.  
We also computed Pearson Product-Moment Correlation coefficients for the KIMS scales and the MACE questions, collapsed across dreaming and waking samples. Several significant correlations were observed between MACE questions and KIMS scales. For example, the KIMS scale "Describe" was reliably associated with MACE Question 2: "Did you comment to yourself about any person or event?" 
Implications:
The present study confirms previous findings of a robust pattern of similarities and differences in cognition and metacognition sampled from dreaming and waking experience, and extends this work by suggesting a possible relationship between trait measures of waking mindfulness skills (the KIMS) and measures of metacognition associated with experiences sampled from different states (e.g., waking, dreaming). Results are also discussed further in relation to continuity / discontinuity theories of dreaming.
 

 

 

Individual and Generic Aspects of Dreams 

David Kahn received his PhD in Physics from Yale University. He is currently on the faculty of Harvard Medical School in the Department of Psychiatry doing research on dreaming to help develop a neuropsychology of dreaming that can be used as a solid basis for a brain-based theory of psychiatry and normal mental experience.  

Allan Hobson, MD, is Professor in Psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School’s Department of Psychiatry. He has been doing research on the dreaming brain for more than 40 years.  

Abstract 

We tested the generic hypothesis that dreams from any one individual are no more alike than dreams from different individuals by collecting detailed dream reports from three groups of normal subjects. We shuffled the reports and asked judges to group them by individual authors. The judges were informed of the number of subjects and the number of dream reports each had contributed. Overall, of the three experiments conducted, the judges scored the reports correctly at only slightly better than chance level (in the first two studies) and slightly less than chance level (in the third study). Put another way the judges assigned dream reports to the wrong individual author in most of the cases. In other words, dreams may be as much like each other as they are the signature of any one particular dreamer. The 20 subjects were 10 male and 10 female students enrolled in the course Psychology E- 1450 at the Harvard University Extension School. They varied in age from 20-40 years and produced dream reports as part of a class exercise to help them appreciate the difference between the formal and content analytic approaches to dream science. 

Our study asks the question “Are dream reports reflective of the author’s specific concerns and history?” If so, can the individuality be detected in reports of the dreams? If not, do they reflect more generic and universal psychological issues? Our results, which we consider to be preliminary but clearly indicative, suggest that most dream reports cannot be used to identify the individuals that produced them. This finding lends weight to the surprising hypothesis that dreams are at least as species specific as they are individual specific. The data of our study do not support the widely held belief that all dream content is highly specific to individuals and suggests that the generic hypothesis should be taken more seriously. We are all emotional creatures and when cardinal emotions are activated in sleep our brains react by creating scenarios that integrate those feelings into the brain’s representation of our widely shared social experience. 

We will no doubt then be chided for not having provided the judges with any biographical material about our subjects. We carefully considered that option but rejected it thinking that the dreams themselves should be individualized if the individuality hypothesis was to be rigorously confirmed. 

An important caveat: we are not saying dreams have no meaning. We have always insisted that dream plot construction was emotionally salient. Now we might add to that caveat the suggestion that the emotional salience of dreams is itself at least as much generic as it is individual. We are all capable of experiencing anxiety, anger and elation, the three leading dream emotions and we all have a common set of cognitive responses to these emotions. Those cognitive responses now appear to be even more universal than we had imagined. 

In addition to using dreams to learn about an individual; we should look at dreaming to tell us about important common or generic aspects of human consciousness. 

Dreams, therefore, may identify humankind in general as much as they identify a specific individual. 

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Tibetan Dream Yoga, Mobilizing Transformation for Healing 

Pia Keiding, Lic Phil, Lic Sc, STM, is founding Director of CITHE, Brussels, transpersonal Danish psychotherapist leading post-graduate training courses throughout Europe. Amongst her many transpersonal trainings she holds a postgraduate degree, STM, in ‘Unity in Duality’ (Tibetan Philosophy/Psychology/Science of Mind). She is a lecturer at Leuven University and innumerable International Congresses. 

Abstract 

The present experiential workshop focuses on the use of Tibetan Dream Yoga as a way to deepen and possibly heal the strong emotions emerging in dreams and nightmares. The Tibetan philosophy and psychology view the dream state as being an ‘energy state', implying that this is a subtle state of being with less of a gap between body/mind, energy/matter and subject/object. The dream subject as well as the dream apparitions are seen as energy constellations of our mental structures and created reality. 

Late Tarab Tulku Rinpoche, Lharampa Geshe, Ph.D., developed profound psychotherapeutic methods, Unity in Duality (UD), partly based on the ancient Tibetan Dream Yoga, which include the technique of re-entering into the dream subject, also named the Dream-body. Originally, the Tibetan Yogi practiced different kinds of meditation in the 'lucid dream'-state as – due to its energy nature – it was reckoned to be an important bridge for self-development and for spiritual progress, gradually gaining insight into different layers of reality and transcending these. 

Having studied more than twenty years with Tarab Tulku, (including the degree S.T.M.) I have integrated this modern approach of ancient dream methods in real or imaginary dream states. I find the U.D. approach gives practitioners great opportunities through a transformational process – to directly and radically deal with underlying key problems, imprints (bac-chags), that otherwise unconsciously rule our lives. 

Being an energy-state in the Tibetan perspective the Dream-state also entails the possibility of intuitive insight into matters that are impenetrable from our otherwise materially bound conditions and solidly created reality.  

Psychotherapy clients are guided into a traditional deep Tibetan relaxation and then to re-enter into a strongly emotionally loaded dream scene or an everyday situation, to heal and transform limiting constructions and identities. 

To ensure the safety and ethical demands in the setting of a congress, I will introduce the Tibetan Dream Yoga after a deep Tibetan 'Bone-relaxation' within the approach 'individually inside the dreamer' for those who decide to participate. 

The doors will therefore be closed for undisturbed possibility to experience this kind of dream-work. Participants are encouraged to bring a dream or a waken-life experience with strong emotions.

Process of workshop: 

1.         Short introduction of the Unity in Duality Tibetan Buddhist Philosophy/Science of Mind;

2.         Introduction of the Tibetan Dream Yoga method;

3.         Common guided deep Tibetan ‘Bone-relaxation’;

4.         Personal inner experience of Tibetan Dream Yoga: re-entering into the dreambody;

5.         Exchange of the Dream Yoga inner experience for those who wish to do so;

6.         Discussion: including how to integrate this subject/object practice in every day life situations.

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Mind-Body Healing through Dreamwork 

E. W. Kellogg III, PhD, is a proficient lucid dreamer, and his long-standing interest in the phenomenology of dreaming led to the presentation of numerous papers and workshops on such topics as the lucidity continuum, lucid dream healing, and mutual dreaming. From 2002-2005, Ed organized and hosted IASD’s online PsiberDreaming Conference. 

Abstract 

Dreams have served as a source of healing for thousands of years, perhaps even tens of thousands of years. Through the centuries and across cultures people have continued believing in the healing power of dreams. In ancient Greece, the sick visited the temple of Aesclepius, with the expectation that they would either receive information in a dream to aid healing, or that they would receive a direct healing from the gods in the dream itself. With the advent of psychophysiology and biofeedback, scientific research now supports the idea not only that mind-body healing can take place, but that individuals can take a proactive role. This workshop will explore methods that participants can experiment with using both lucid and non-lucid dreaming to promote mind-body healing.  

The workshop will specifically look at three kinds of healing dreams: 1. Diagnostic healing dreams: prodromal, or even precognitive, dreams that show a developing situation in the body, either as something that has already begun to manifest, or as something that may manifest in the future. 2. Prescriptive healing dreams: dreams that provide information as to what to do to heal a condition, or of what not to do. These can range from changes in lifestyle, to alternative therapies, to conventional medical therapies, and can also provide information about timing, the competence of practitioners, and probable outcomes. 3. Curative healing dreams: dreams that heal a condition directly, through a mind-body-spirit integration effect, partially or completely. In most cases these dreams only begin a process that will take time to complete. Of course, dreams may not belong to only one category – some dreams could belong to two, or even all three. For example diagnostic healing dreams may also show the source of a developing condition. By acting appropriately, dreamers might stop, or even reverse, an ongoing dis-ease process at an early stage before it overtly manifests. This workshop will teach different techniques for setting up healing dreams, and for working with healing dreams. Also, participants will have an opportunity to set-up and design individual dream healing programs using a dream healing protocol key. 

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Who’s Having More Fun? An Investigation of Dreams with Sexual Content  

David B. King is a student at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. He recently completed his undergraduate degree in psychology and is now pursuing his Master’s degree under the supervision of Dr. Teresa DeCicco. His current research interests include dreams, spirituality, intelligence, sexuality, and health.  

Dr. Teresa L. DeCicco is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, specializing in personality, abnormal psychology, health and dreams and dreaming. Research and applied interests include personality, health and dreams, and dream imagery directly relating to the waking state. 

Abstract 

This study investigated dreams with sexual content and their relationship with: waking life sexual behaviours and attitudes; sexual fantasies, measured by the Index of Sexual Fantasy (Hurlbert & Apt, 1993); sexual daydreams, measured by the Sexual Daydreaming Scale (Giambra, 1977); and relationship satisfaction, measured by the Relationship Assessment Scale (Hendrick, Dicke, & Hendrick, 1998) and the Global Measure of Sexual Satisfaction (Lawrance & Byers, 1998). An original questionnaire was developed to account for the characteristics of participants’ average/typical dreams with sexual content. In addition, participants were asked to report a recent dream with sexual content and analyze it using the Storytelling Method of Dream Interpretation (DeCicco, 2006) in order to determine whether or not the dream was personally meaningful and/or related to their waking life. The dream reports were then analyzed by researchers using the Hall and Van de Castle (1966) method of content analysis. Preliminary analyses were based on a partial sample of 68 male and female undergraduate university students with a mean age of 20 years. 

An examination of typical sex dream characteristics revealed that 37% of participants have a sexual dream once a week, while 19% reported dreaming of sex 2-5 times per week. Furthermore, 50% indicated some level of bizarreness in their sex dreams, which was moderately related to the level of sexual activity in their waking lives. Only 7% reported reaching orgasm in all of their sex dreams, compared to 25% who reach orgasm in most and 32% who never reach orgasm in these types of dreams. Penile-vaginal intercourse appears to be the most common sexual behaviour in dreams with sexual content, while an overwhelming majority indicated never being alone in their sex dreams. Interestingly, those who reported higher sexual satisfaction in their relationships tended to dream more of their current sexual partner as the target of their sexual relations. In terms of content analysis, those who reported more aggressions in their sex dreams also reported more sexual interactions in their dreams. Across the reported sex dreams, a great deal of attention was paid to characters’ clothing and its removal. 

As a result of applying the Storytelling Method, 72% of participants reported that their sex dreams had meaning while 78% were able to relate the dreams to their waking lives. Of these participants, 49% gained further meaning regarding their romantic relationships (past, current, or potential) as a result of applying this method to their sex dreams. This is in contrast to only 21% who gained sex-related meaning from their sex dreams (i.e., insight regarding feelings about sex, sexual intimacy, or fantasies). Overall, findings provide a great deal of insight regarding the nature of dreams with sexual content. Results from the Storytelling Method of Dream Interpretation further suggest that sex dreams contain more meaning about waking life relationships than they do about waking life sex or sexual fantasies. These findings provide a firm starting point for further research on dreams with sexual content. 

Investigating dream attitudes and their relationship to dream content and waking life

David B. King is a student at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. He recently completed his undergraduate degree in psychology and is now pursuing his Master’s degree under the supervision of Dr. Teresa DeCicco. His current research interests include dreams, spirituality, intelligence, sexuality, and health.  

Abstract

This study investigated the current dream attitudes of university students and their relationship with waking life characteristics (physical health, mood, personality, and self-construal) and dream content. An original questionnaire was developed in order to survey dream attitudes.

An overwhelming majority of participants believed that dreams contain important/relevant information. A handful of participants were unsure, and a very small percentage did not believe this. The most frequent dream attitudes were that dreams contain information about decisions currently being made and relationships. These findings likely reflect the average age of the participants. Nevertheless, they suggest a common belief in continuity between waking life and dreams. Even individuals who do not believe that dreams contain important information still maintain the belief that dreams contain information about their waking life.

In terms of waking life characteristics, both metapersonal and independent individuals were more likely to believe that their dreams reflect their spiritual beliefs. Women were also more likely to believe that dreams reflect their spiritual beliefs. In spite of such findings, an overall lack of significant correlations between waking life measures and dream attitudes suggests that dream attitudes are independent of many waking day issues and events (such as health, mood, and personality). Other possible sources are discussed.

The question then arises: Are dream attitudes based on actual dream content? Preliminary findings suggest that this is not the case. Very few meaningful relationships were observed between dream content and dream attitudes, suggesting a general lack of awareness of dreams. These findings are discussed in light of the continuity hypothesis and recent findings supporting continuity between dreams and both physical health and mood.

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Key Issues in Higher Education Courses on Dreams 

Philip King, PhD, retired in 2006 as Professor of Quantitative Methods and Psychology at Hawaii Pacific University, where he taught courses on dreams. His research areas include dreams of health care professionals, connections between dream orientation and dream content, and existential themes expressed metaphorically through dream motifs. 

Kelly Bulkeley, PhD, is a Visiting Scholar at the Graduate Theological Union and teaches in JFKU’s Dream Studies Program in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is a Past President of IASD, and is author of The Wilderness of Dreams and The Wondering Brain, co-author of Dreaming Beyond Death, and editor of Dreams: A Reader and Soul, Psyche, Brain.  

Roger M. Knudson, PhD, is Director of Clinical Training in the PhD program in Clinical Psychology at Miami University. He has taught courses on dreams at Miami for over 25 years. His research focuses on the on-going significance of significant dreams. 

Bernard Welt, PhD, is author of Mythomania: Fantasies, Fables and Sheer Lies in Contemporary American Popular Art, and has taught an interdisciplinary course on dreaming for over twenty years at the Corcoran College of Art and Design. 

Abstract 

A university course is the most institutionalized and structured environment in which to teach about dreams. In this panel we will explore both the “nuts and bolts” of teaching an undergraduate or graduate dreams course and surrounding issues, concerns and considerations. 

We will look at the various contexts and expectations in which college courses operate. These contexts provide both opportunities and constraints. 

Think of a dreams course as operating in the bull’s eye of a target, surrounded by concentric circles. The outermost circle is the academic culture of higher education in the society. American colleges and universities display a wide range of resources, programs of study, academic standards and student abilities.  

The next contextual level is the type of college or university, which in the United States would include two year (community) colleges offering the associate of arts or sciences degree, four year colleges offering a bachelors degree, colleges or universities offering bachelor’s masters and perhaps professional degrees, and full-fledged research universities offering doctoral degrees.  

There are also non-credit continuing education and adult enrichment programs offered in otherwise degree-granting institutions. These often look for innovative courses appealing to segments of the general public, such as retirees. They may have a lesser bureaucratic gauntlet to run, tend to employ instructors from the outside, and as such may be more receptive to proposals for courses on dreams.  

The next closest contextual circle for dreams courses is the institutional perception of a subject matter still viewed in many quarters as exotic or even vaguely disreputable. There also may be an implicit (although incorrect) assumption that the subject of dreams is insufficiently grounded in empirical psychological theory and research, and comparable scholarship in other sciences and humanities. 

We suggest that prospective instructors present the course proposal in a syllabus with an extensive bibliography, to demonstrate the scholarly legitimacy of the subject matter, and their command of it.  

The next inner contextual circle for college dream courses is the set of majors, minors, programs of study, and pre-requisite course requirements within which the course is lodged.  

The next context to consider is that of the course parameters. What will be the class size? How many class contact hours does the course provide, over how many weeks, how many class meetings per week, and of what duration? Are the students lower or upper division? What is their range of majors, and the prerequisite courses they have taken? What skills needed for the course – e.g. empathic, analytical, quantitative, self-knowledge – do they have, and to what degree? What is their general intellectual level? What are their ages and life experiences outside the classroom? What is the gender distribution? Does the class include international students?  

A key issue is whether students’ dreams should be included at all in a dreams psychology course, and if so, to what extent. Recently Roger Knudson has questioned whether it is wise to expect undergraduate psychology students routinely to encounter their own dreams in a group sharing context. Perhaps some of them are too psychologically vulnerable for the experience to be positive rather than harmful. The issue is both ethical (what do the students expect when they sign up for the course) and clinical (will the experience be helpful or damaging?) Even if the experience of dealing with one’s own dreams in a dreams psychology course is overwhelmingly positive for the vast majority, it still may not be an appropriate practice to have dream sharing as a routine, required part of the course. Simply put, when students sign up for a psychology course, they are not necessarily bargaining for a quasi-therapeutic experience. 

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Ethical Practices in Dealing with Trauma Dreams:      Presenting Dreams 

Johanna King, PhD, is Past President of IASD and current member of the IASD Ethics Committee. Now retired, she was a licensed psychologist in three states, taught courses on dreams, and supervised clinical graduates. She has written and presented workshops on the use of dreams in treatment of sexual abuse. 

Carol Warner, MA, MSW, is a clinician in private practice. She has served IASD on the Board and as chair of the Ethics Committee. Her writing and presentations reflect her dual background in clinical work and religious studies. She is especially interested in the use of dreams in trauma treatment. 

Abstract

Persistent and sometimes horrific dreams and nightmares are often among the central presenting symptoms of the victim of sexual abuse and other trauma, whether the experience occurred in childhood or more recently   Even the diagnostic manual in common use lists persistent nightmares as a clinical feature of post traumatic stress disorder. Yet very few texts on the treatment of trauma have anything to say about the dreams themselves.  Only a few clinicians have been lucky enough to have been trained at one of the very few institutions that focus on dreams.  So what is the average clinician to do with these dreams?  

This workshop is aimed at the average clinician who in the course of his or her  practice, especially if he or she routinely deals with trauma (including sexual      abuse), hears many dreams and nightmares associated with the trauma.  The workshop is tailored to emphasize the ethical issues that may arise as these dreams are presented. 

The workshop will focus on how to respond to the trauma dream/nightmare, how to encourage the victim to use rather than reject the dream, and methods for working with the dreams.  It will also focus on the idea of the “emotional truth” of the dream, which is sometimes not consistent with the “waking” truth.   

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Improvisations on the Stage of the Dream 

Roger M. Knudson, PhD, is Director of Clinical Training in the PhD program in Clinical Psychology at Miami University. He has taught courses on dreams at Miami for over 25 years. His research focuses on the on-going significance of significant dreams. 

Paul Monson is a first year graduate student in the PhD program in Clinical Psychology at Miami University. He received his BA in psychology from the University of Oregon. His current research interests include dreamwork, imagination, and qualitative methods of inquiry.  

Gillian Finocan, MA, is a doctoral student in Clinical Psychology at Miami University. She received her BA in psychology from Middlebury College. As a qualitative researcher, she uses a performative writing approach to present experiences with dreams. Her dissertation focuses on the role of dreams in the process of recovery from the sudden traumatic death of a parent. 

Alexandra L. Adame, MA, is a graduate student pursuing her PhD in Clinical Psychology at Miami University. She received her BA in psychology from Mount Holyoke College. Her research interests include the psychiatric survivor movement, recovery from severe psychopathology, and archetypal approaches to dreams. 

Abstract 

In a paper recently published in Dreaming (Knudson, Adame, & Finocan, 2006) we argued that the study of the ongoing significance of significant dreams necessarily goes beyond quantitative methods for analyzing dream content to qualitative study of how the dream experience influences the dreamer’s meaning-making processes. A case study was presented to illustrate how the significant dream may serve as a catalyst for repositioning the dreamer’s self narrative relative to a cultural master narrative. In this paper we expand on this argument by drawing on Barclay’s (1994) suggestion that improvisational acts serve to reform a remembered self in an on-going way. The dream is one stage for playful improvisations in which the narrative self of the dreamer may be re-positioned, re-narrated, transformed. 

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Psycholinguistic Analysis of the Dream Reports of Children with Neuroses 

Korabelnikova Elena, PhD, graduate of Moscow Medical University, neurologist, psychotherapist, somnologist, a member of Moscow Somnological Center, collaborator of the Neurological Department of Moscow Medical Academy, Professor of the Psychological Department of the Institute of Medical Social Rahabilitation, member of PPL, author of two books on sleep and dreaming. 

Abstract 

In the case of dream analysis a dream report is the only source of information about the dream. We have a reason to suppose that dream stories produced by patients with different pathology contain linguistic signals of this desease. 

The main objective of the research was to determine specific changes in the cognitive structure of spontaneous discourse that could be viewed as signals of a neurosis by comparing Night Dream Stories told by neurotic and normal children (in Russian). 

We collected the corpus of audiotaped and transcribed Night Dream Stories told by 69 children with neurotic disorders and 60 normal children and presented them in the form of a database (electronic versions). Each narrative in the database is provided with the diagram of its rhetorical structure, using the apparatus based on the Rhetorical Structure Theory developed by William Mann and Sandra Thompson. 

We identify the differences in terms of story complexity (length, depth and branching), in terms of global discourse structure (deviations from the classical narrative schema “beginning-setting-complication-climax-denouement-coda”), and in terms of particular rhetorical relations employed, and suggest that discourse structure can shed light on the cognitive structures of the narrator’ minds. 

Thus, our research led to an important conclusion, namely, that neurotic and normal children produce narratives with significantly different hierarchical structure. The quantitative and qualitative results of our analysis as well as our data-base can serve as a practical source to help child psychologists in evaluating the type and gravity of neurotic disorders. 

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Welcoming the Night Visitors: The Experience of Felt Sense Visitation Dreams of the Dead 

Kevin Erik Kovelant is an MA candidate at John F. Kennedy University in Consciousness Studies and Dream Studies, finishing up his Master’s thesis on the experience of ‘felt sense’ in visitation dreams from the dead. His main areas of interest are Sufi dreamwork, and anomalous dream experiences. 

Abstract 

Throughout history and across cultures, dreamers have reported receiving visitations from the dead. In addition, the concepts of sleep/dreams and death have been linked, culturally, across many traditions, ranging from the twin Greek gods of Hypnos and Thanatos, to Muslim and Sufi traditions, to aboriginal traditions in Australia, and beyond. Even medical science has found correlates between circadian rhythms, and propensity for death among the terminally ill. With sleep and death so closely linked, is it any wonder that we dream of the dead? 

Many traditions, both spiritual (and even psychological) hold that at least some of these encounters, may in fact, be real. Anecdotes and historical records have been collected around the world, and over many centuries. What might be going on here? How can one tell if the experience is, in fact, real? Could something be going on beyond simple grief or bereavement? 

While visitation dreams show many similar features, it would be extremely ambitious to suggest that all dreams of the dead are somehow actual visitations. Too often, it becomes difficult to assess whether the deceased person in the dream might have actually been that person, or mere wishful projection. One area of inquiry that may prove to be helpful in solving the riddle of visitation dreams is the experience of “felt sense” that the deceased person in the dream was actually that person. This original research paper presents a qualitative study of this “felt sense” from a variety of dreamers, comparing the felt sense both during the dream, and upon waking. It also includes a heuristic component, based on the dream inquiry of the researcher, and his findings from his own experiences of visits from the dead. This paper will not conclusively solve the mystery of visitation dreams, but offers insight and tools for working with these dreams for those who wish to explore their nature further. By understanding how this “felt sense” is experienced, we can begin to look for ways to utilize it both in dreams, and waking, and to learn how we recognize the living and the dead in both states. 

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Cognitive Architecture in Dreams of Male And Female Dreamers 

Miloslava Kozmová, MA, is a doctoral student at Saybrook Graduate School, San Francisco, pursuing her PhD degree in psychology with concentration in consciousness and spirituality. Her interests include the research of subjective experiences; differences between the dreaming and waking consciousness; and the health-relevant informative value of the dream content. 

Richard N. Wolman, PhD, clinical psychologist, teacher, and researcher, is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School. He is the President and Research Director of PsychoMatrix, and his research focuses on spirituality; child custody; interaction of family and legal systems; psychotherapy; dreams; and child development. 

Abstract

Despite the occasional bizarre content of dreams, thinking that occurs during dreaming can be termed rational if it defined as “a mental process that utilizes an individual’s internal logic based on an idiosyncratic belief system. This mental process intervenes between sensory perception and the creation of meaning, and leads to a conclusion or to taking action” (Wolman & Kozmová, 2006, p. 7). In this sense, the quality of thinking within the dream may not differ from waking thought (Kahn & Hobson, 2004) and investigation of these differences contributes to our understanding of variations in dreaming and waking consciousness (Hobson, Pace-Schott, & Stickgold, 2000). 

The differences in occurrence of thought processes in dreaming based on personality, gender, age, educational level, culture of origin, and mental and physical health have not yet been addressed because of the general notion that in the dreaming state cognition is analogous to the “lack of directed thought” (Hobson, Pace-Schott & Stickgold, 2000, p. 842). Under our new conceptualization of thinking in dream as rational, however, these differences in thought processes discernable from reported dream narratives could be elucidated and collectively termed “cognitive architecture.” 

The present study addresses the question of whether, in the dream reports of males and females, there could be differences in the frequency of usage of eight types of rational thought postulated by Wolman & Kozmová (2006). We hypothesize that there are specific distinctions in the prevalence of categories of rational thought processes between these two groups of dreamers, and that delimiting and scoring the written narratives of dreams can demonstrate these differences. 

Participants in the study consisted of twenty unpaid volunteers, ten males (age 22-67) and ten females (age 24-52), who kept dream diaries for a period of 14 consecutive days. From each dream journal, we randomly selected four dreams with more then 100 words. From these dreams, we further randomly selected five rational thought units (“any part of a reported dream narrative that is coherent, and analyzes, explains, or elaborates the descriptive dreaming experience”; Wolman & Kozmová, 2006, p. 7). The selected 400 thought units served as a pool of statements scored by independent judges according to The Code Book of Rational Thought Processes developed by authors. 

The preliminary analysis based on available scores reveals that there are indeed differences in the thinking of male and female dreamers that are discernible from their dreaming narratives. For the both groups the predominantly used thought process was the analytical one, but the differences are observable in the usage of perceptual, executive, and operational thought (male dreamers) and in subjective thought and memory and time awareness thought (female dreamers). Based on these preliminary results, we suggest that there are group distinctions which could be further investigated in the relation to individuals’ personality, age, education, culture of origin, and cognitive changes in consciousness between waking and dreaming states. 

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Shamanic Dreams, Ritual Trance Experience, and Dream Incubation

Jurgen Werner Kremer, PhD is an executive editor of the journal  ReVision and teaches at the Santa Rosa Junior College as well as at Saybrook Institute Graduate School, Sonoma State University, and elsewhere. The focus of his work is shamanism, indigenous traditions, decolonization, and the recovery of indigenous consciousness.

Abstract

This experiential workshop explores the importance of dreams for shamanism using the presenter’s dreams as illustrations. Dreams can be instrumental in the recovery of indigenous states of consciousness and decolonization.  The second half of the workshop will be devoted to a ritual trance experience and dream incubation using drumming and overtone chanting.

 

Expressive Writing about Impactful Dreams that Follow Loss and Trauma 

Don Kuiken, PhD, Canada, professor; interested in dreaming, aesthetics, and phenomenological psychology. 

Tatiana LoVerso, BA, Canada, graduate student; counseling psychology, with special interest in recovery from trauma. 

Shelagh Dunn, MEd, Canada, graduate student; counseling psychology, with special interest in programs for adolescents.

Abstract 

Introduction 

Raphael and Martinuk (1997) contrasted the experience of trauma and loss, referring in part to differences between the impactful dreams that follow these two sources of distress. Dreams following trauma (typically nightmares) often focus on terrifying aspects of the traumatic event, while dreams following loss (typically existential dreams; cf. Busink & Kuiken, 1996) often focus on the sadness associated with separation from the deceased. There is also evidence that expressive writing, a common intervention among those who have experienced distressing life events (Sloan & Marx, 2004), has different consequences for people facing trauma than for those facing loss. Some research suggests, for example, that expressive writing among the bereaved provides relatively little benefit (Stroebe, Schut, & Stroebe, 2006). In an attempt to clarify these differences, the present study was designed to compare the effects of expressively writing about dreams related to trauma or loss. 

Methods 

Fifty university students who reported a significant loss or trauma within the preceding 12 months recorded an impactful dream. Instructions for writing about that dream either encouraged (a) objective description of what preceded, accompanied, or followed the dream (objective writing); (b) description of the feelings that preceded, accompanied, or followed the dream (emotional writing); or (c) description of freshly different feelings that emerged from reflection on what preceded, accompanied, or followed the dream (expressive writing). After the writing session, participants completed a questionnaire assessing (a) changes in mood, specifically, agitation (anger, anxiety) and depression (sadness, fatigue); (b) involvement (absorption) in dream-related imagery; (c) perceived responsibility for distress related to the loss or trauma; and (d) self-reported self-perceptual depth. 

Results 

A significant writing condition by loss/trauma interaction, F(1,44) = 4.986, p < .011, indicated that emotional writing and expressive writing accentuated agitation (anger, anxiety) in the trauma condition but not in the loss condition. Also, a significant writing condition by loss/trauma interaction, F(1,44) = 4.711, p < .035, indicated that, in the trauma condition but not in the loss condition, expressive writing instructions accentuated the possibility that the dreamer had unintentionally caused emotional pain. Together these results indicate that expressive writing about impactful dreams following trauma prompts agitated affirmation of personal responsibility for distress related to the traumatic event. 

Although there were no differences between conditions in absorption or self-perceptual depth, a significant loss/trauma (categorical) by absorption (continuous) interaction indicated that, independently of writing condition, participants in the loss condition who became absorbed in the writing task reported increased self-perceptual depth (r = .687, p < .001), although absorption was, if anything, inversely related to self-perceptual depth in the trauma condition (r = -.186, ns). 

Discussion 

By accentuating personal responsibility for unintended emotional pain, expressive writing about impactful dreams following trauma (nightmares) may reinstate the distress that is often reported immediately after awakening from nightmares (Miró, & Martínez, 2005), while expressive writing about impactful dreams following loss (existential dreams) may reinstate the sense of self-perceptual depth that immediately follows awakening from that dream type (Kuiken et al, in press). 

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Leading Groups by Honoring the Spirit of the Dream  

Justina Lasley, MA, is the author of Honoring the Dream: A Handbook for Dream Group Leaders and In My Dream…, a dream journal. Her special interest is in using dreams as a spiritual source for personal growth. She has led groups and presented lectures and workshops for dream group leaders. 

Abstract 

By working within a dream group, participants will share dreams and observe the process of successful dream group leadership. 

Participants will witness the dream’s power in helping individuals understand issues in their life which may otherwise block personal growth. We will focus on the importance of recognizing emotions within the dream and relating those to life, leading the dreamer to identify and understand personal emotions and live a richer and more fulfilled life. 

My special interest and research is in personal growth and individuation through dreamwork. Group work magnifies the impact of the individual’s dream and enhances the personal growth of the dreamer. Group dreamwork not only affects the dreamer, but also his or her family and friends--through the ripple effect of personal growth. 

Dream group leaders are rewarded as a volunteer, professional, or trained therapist. The success of the group depends on the leader’s ability and training. It is important that a leader be well prepared for the role. 

We will look at the following areas of group dreamwork: 

·           Benefits of dream groups

·           The role of leadership

·           Commitment to one’s own work

·           Organizing the dream group

·           Developing group guidelines

·           Creative methods of dreamwork

·           Group problem solving/ Challenges of group work

·           Creating a bond and safety in group work

·           Effects of energy and emotions in dreams and waking life

·           Resources to enhance leadership  

There are many techniques one can use to honor the spirit of the dream for members of the group, moving the unconscious to consciousness --ideas for listening, observing, experiencing, and honoring the dream. Through the workshop, I will share my experience of leading dream groups for over sixteen years, writing Honoring the Dream: A Handbook for Dream Group Leaders, and creating the Institute for Dream Studies, which offers a certification course for dreamwork leadership. 

There are many styles of leadership and types of groups. I will share my thoughts and experiences, while incorporating the work of many people who have shared with me. Time will be allowed for questions and for group sharing. 

If you are a group leader, I want to inspire you to enhance your work. If you are not a leader, I want to encourage you and give you the support you need to take the leap to leadership. 

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Reflective Awareness in Impactful Dreams and Dream-Induced Changes 

Ming-Ni Lee, MS, research interests include dreaming, mystical experiences, and transpersonal psychology. 

Don Kuiken, PhD, research interests include dreaming, aesthetics, and phenomenological psychology. 

Joanna Czupryn, BS, Canada, research interests include dreaming, reader response, and post-traumatic growth 

Abstract 

Despite the regularity with which the dreamer is completely involved in the dream drama, dreaming often involves reflective awareness in some form, including explicit lucidity (i.e., awareness of dreaming while dreaming), phenomena that are transitional to lucidity (e.g., dual self-representation), and phenomena that are subsidiary to lucidity (e.g., controlling the dream scenario). However, the asynchronous appearance of various aspects of reflective awareness during dreaming suggests the need for a more comprehensive approach. One approach (Purcell, Moffitt, & Hoffmann, 1993), grounded in Rossi’s (1985) framework, is to articulate “levels” of reflective awareness (e.g., no self-awareness, the recognition of anomalies, dual self-representation, explicit lucidity). However, these “levels” may actually represent qualitatively different patterns of reflective awareness. Consistent with this possibility, the objective of the present study was to (1) explore qualitatively different patterns of reflective awareness within dreams; (2) investigate the relationship between these patterns of reflective awareness and impactful dream types; and (3) examine the relationship between these patterns of reflective awareness and dream-induced changes in waking thoughts and feelings. 

Using cluster analysis, we identified 8 contrasting patterns of reflective awareness in impactful dreams, including the following three that contained explicit awareness of dreaming (i.e., explicit lucidity): 

1.         External self-observation, dual self-representation, ineffectual speech or movement, explicit awareness of dreaming (with failed subsidiary control), spontaneously changing feelings;

2.         External self-observation, dual self-representation, déjà vu (vague memory), explicit awareness of dreaming (with subsidiary control); and

3.         Intra-dream self-reflection, intra-dream intentionality, explicit awareness of dreaming (mindfulness), affective insight.

Although previous studies have indicated that explicit lucidity is not differentially distributed across impactful dream types (Busink & Kuiken, 1996; Kuiken, Lee, Eng, & Singh, in press; Kuiken & Sikora, 1993), we found that the preceding patterns of reflective awareness were differentially distributed. Specifically, existential dreams were more likely to be accompanied by pattern #1, above. Also, transcendent dreams were more likely to be accompanied by pattern #2, above. Nightmares, however, were not closely associated with any particular pattern of reflective awareness. 

We also found that dream-induced changes in self-perception, F(7,62)=2.29, p<.05, and dream-induced emergence of existential doubt, F(7,62)=2.34, p<.05, were significantly associated with the pattern of reflective awareness most commonly found in existential dreams (i.e., #1, above). Contrary to expectations, dream-induced spiritual release from life’s entanglements was not associated with the pattern of reflective awareness most commonly found in transcendent dreams (i.e., #2, above). 

To summarize, we found that the dream-induced self-perceptual changes and existential doubt reported after existential dreams may be mediated by a pattern of reflective awareness that is indigenous to this dream type. On the other hand, the pattern of reflective awareness indigenous to transcendent dreams did not predict the spiritual change typically associated with that dream type. We suspect that this may be attributable to unresolved issues in the measurement of the type of spiritual change that is induced by that dream type. 

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Interweaving the Strands of the Dream Circle: The Personal, Spiritual and Professional Journey of a 22-Year Dream Circle 

Marcia Lewin-Berlin, MA, MSW, LCSW, is a psychotherapist in private practice, a pediatric and adult Hospice Clinical Social Worker, a bereavement counselor and groupworker, and a program advisor for Master’s Program candidates at Lesley College in Cambridge, MA. 

Linda Schiller, MSW, LICSW, is a psychotherapist in private practice, an Assistant Professor at Boston University School of Social Work, and a faculty member in the Trauma Certificate Program. A national trainer in trauma, group work and dreamwork, she works from a multilayered orientation, incorporating energy medicine, expressive techniques, relational-cultural theory and body/mind/spirit interventions in her work.  

Elizabeth Kennedy, APRN, BC, is an Adult Nurse Practitioner and psychotherapist who has worked for the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health for 22 years. She has taught at MGH Institute of Graduate Professions and Simmons College.  

Suzie Abu-Jaber, MEd, CAES, is a master’s level educator, consultant and clinician who has specialized in visually impaired and multi-handicapped children for twenty years. She trains teachers and facilitates development of early intervention and preschool programs all over the world. 

Abstract 

This panel discussion will speak to how personal, professional and spiritual development is integrated within a long-term ongoing dream circle. All the panelists are in the helping professions, and use their personal experiences within the dream circle to enhance their professional work.  

The first theme to be explored is the development and maintenance of a long-term dream circle. Panel members will describe the history of this group and the ingredients that have promoted cohesion through change over time. We will include the kinds of supports that have evolved through the dreamwork and how this process has allowed the members to face the myriad of professional, personal and spiritual challenges over the years.  

We will discuss how we have created bridges between our personal experiences in the dream circle and our professional lives. Two levels of personal experience will be included: how the internal dreamwork itself is a source of our professional development, and how the experience of group membership deepens our levels of awareness in our professional venues.

The final area of discussion will focus on how the participation in an ongoing dream group can reveal the deep personal patterns that are only apparent over time. We will discuss how the spiritual context of dreams is revealed through intensive group exploration of multiple dreams over years of intimate discussion. Panelists will share how they have received inspirational spiritual guidance from their dreams assisted by the mystical group process.  

In our discussions we will integrate our experiences of mutual support and challenges over 20 years, creating an unusual level of trust and tolerance. Our willingness to explore the gains and pains of intensive dream exploration has deepened every aspect of our lives. 

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The Dream Reports of Animal Rights Activists  

Jacquie Lewis, PhD, is the Editor for IASD’s E-News. She began keeping a dream journal 35 years ago and is a founding member of a Chicago area dream group, which has been in existence for ten years. Her PhD dissertation explored the dreams of animal rights activists. 

Abstract 

This study examined the nighttime dream experiences of animal rights activists. The sample consisted of 284 activists who attended the Animal Rights 2004 conference in Washington DC. Participants completed the Hall and Van de Castle Most Recent Dream Survey (Domhoff, 1996). The data on dreams was compared to statistical norms on dream content developed by Hall and Van de Castle (Domhoff, 1996). Results indicated that activists reported animal dream characters at a much higher rate than the general population. Activists also overwhelmingly had more friendly animal dreams than the general public. Examples of dream reports, as well as the variety of animal species, are also discussed. 

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Case Report: The Interpretation of a Recurrent Dream Symbol as a Way of Exploring Interpersonal Relationships  

Simone Litsch is a psychiatrist and Sleep Medicine Fellow at the University of Michigan. She is interested in dream research and clinical application of the interpretation of dreams in psychotherapy and dreams to facilitate personal growth. 

Abstract 

This case report serves as an example of how the interpretation of a recurrent dream symbol facilitates the understanding of interpersonal dynamics. As a result the dreamer achieves a higher understanding of conscious awareness of an important aspect in an interpersonal relationship, triggered by the occurrence of a recurrent symbol in her dreams and the disappearance of the symbol after the conscious awareness of the feature of the relationship she was not aware of before interpretation of the symbol.  

Case report: The interpretation of a recurrent dream symbol as a way of exploring interpersonal relationships  

This is a case report about a woman who got involved in a romantic relationship with a man when a recurrent dream symbol of a snake appeared in her dreams leading her wondering whether the snake symbolized an important aspect of the relationship which she is not consciously aware of during the day. Shortly after starting seeing this man, she had recurrent dreams of a black snake in various forms in her dreams. It appeared as if the snake tried to make the dreamer aware of an important feature of the relationship she had with this man. The snake kept recurring in the dreams, oftentimes associated with an affect of that “something is wrong” or “a vague feeling of emotional concern” leading her to wonder after remembering these dreams whether there is some incongruence between perceived meaning or interpretation of the relationship and an important feature about the “real” nature of the person she was involved with. She liked this person on the conscious level and objectively there was no evidence that the person may not have been the way he portrayed himself, as caring and lonely. But because she kept having the dreams of a snake; oftentimes the snake would appear silently as an image next to the man in her dream, without words or other forms of communication, the snake would look at her in her dreams, in black color with black eyes, leaving her somewhat uncomfortable. The snake almost appeared as a symbol of “knowing”, “warning” without communication she picked up the atmosphere the snake created within the imagery of her dreams and the next morning she remembered the affect, leaving her wondering about the meaning about this recurrent object in her dreams. In other dream she was walking over snakes on a path in a forest, making her feel uncomfortable. 

She started thinking about whether she may be missing something in regards to the relationship with this man. Was her unconscious aware of something she did not know consciously? Something on the intuitional level which did not allow breaking into her consciousness during the day? 

In one dream, she had the dream that the snake actually bit her, leaving a mark on her arm and pain, after which she turned to her parents for comfort and nurturance, feeling abandoned and vulnerable. This dream actually preceded the conversation several days in which the man revealed to her that he indeed is dating other women on the side, when she inquired about this. The man revealed that he has been seeing other women and that he has been intimately involved with these women, leaving her with disappointment and hurt. After this conversation, the snake did not reappear in her dreams. Once a more honest and truthful picture of the relationship situation was achieved there were no more dreams of snakes. Did the snake fulfill the purpose of making her aware of the “true” nature of this relationship and therefore ceased to show up in her dreams after this revelation occurred? 

In this context, it is important to know or try to reveal what associations a person has with a certain symbol, be it from learning or experience as a child or at another developmental level of the person. Most likely, the symbol of a snake has different meaning for different people. In her case, once she confronted the person about her impression that he may not have been honest and when the person admitted he had been dishonest and unfaithful, the snakes did not recur in her dreams. She felt a sense of clarity within where she stands in the relationship with the man. She then remembered conversations she had with this man, and in retrospect, she became aware that some of the things she was told by him, were simply not true and that he apparently had lied to her on several occasions which she did not realize the time she was told the excuse or lie. And in retrospect, she remembered a dream that she could not open her eyes despite her efforts, after which she woke up, terrified about being blind and leaving her wondering about this strange dream. She remembered wondering whether she had a problem with her contact lenses or any other physical problem with her eyes. It was not until later when she was made aware of the man being dishonest with her, when she realized that this dream could have been a symbol of what she had suspected on a different level of her consciousness already, of symbolizing “being blind” to an important aspect of the relationship, the dishonesty of the person she was involved with. When interpreting an object or image appearing in a dream, there are different approaches in interpreting this. One could take the object on a concrete level –trying to find whether there is any connection to the snake as an animal as a possible random appearing dream object (e.g. after visiting a zoo or watching a documentary of a movie with snakes). In this context, the appearing snake could be a manifestation of a random appearing dream image, with no particular meaning to the dreamer. In this case, as the symbol recurred in different dreams during different nights, often in the direct context with imagery of the man as a person in her dreams, a more meaningful interpretation, looking at the recurrent dream object as a symbol, representing something unknown, which the dreamer is not consciously aware of or in denial of, appeared to be the nature of the dream symbol. 

In this case, the dream led the woman to achieve a more honest level of the relationship with the man she was dealing with in reality. 

Of course, the symbol of a snake can have different meaning or express a different underlying emotional affect in each given individual such as wisdom or sexuality, to name a few. In the case of this dreamer, however, the snake indicated a sense of betrayal, danger or symbol of being lied to. 

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Secrets of Interactive Dream Group Dynamics 

Athena Lou is a Dream Counselor and Reiki Master who helps dreamers discover the hidden meaning of their dreams and to positively apply this information in their personal growth, careers, relationships and healing. She is founder and principal of Belly Babes, a Hilo, Hawaii based belly dance troupe and Athena Dreams, a seminar and retreat development center.

Roger Martínez writes a column entitled, ‘The Dream Zone’. The column is published in the Addiction Professional magazine. This column focuses on addiction and counseling issues related to dreams. He is a licensed counselor and national certified addiction counselor. He has been presenting workshops on dreams and other counseling topics.  

Abstract 

The beauty of dreamwork is that there are so many possibilities. Working with dreams in a group setting can take on an entirely different feel than working with the dream by ones self or individually with a therapist or other dreamworker. This method of Group Dreamwork, Interactive Group Dreamwork, opens up other possibilities that are not always possible in working with dreams individually or in other settings. 

Many have written and spoken about making associations from ones dream images and to keep them from being static as a dream dictionary might do. Interactive Group Dreamwork takes this a step further by getting the dreamer to invite the dream group members to participate in their dream by physically being each of the characters and the symbols in the dream by taking the role of each of the characters and symbols. The characters are given their own life as they participate in the dialogue expressing possible feelings thoughts and ideas that they, as characters are experiencing while in the role. Once the characters and symbols of the dream are cast, a dialogue that involves the senses, in a way that Calvin Hall recognizes as a type of Dream Theater, takes place. This group collaboration invites the visual, tactile, and sound senses into the waking dream which can be advantageous in understanding a dream, its contents and the message the dream is attempting to send forth. 

The dreamer is able to get a new understanding of the message the dream brings simply by having a dialogue with each character of the dream and many times, is able to get valuable feedback from the dream characters. 

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Dreaming in 3-D Redux: Creating Dream Dioramas 

Nancy Lund, MA, is an artist and dreamworker whose dreaming is a creative and spiritual practice. She is a graphic artist and writer who was an assistant to JFK University’s Dream Studies Program from 1999-2006. She assisted or co-hosted IASD conferences in 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005. 

Maureen (Moe) Munroe is a dreamworker, artist and crafter. She co-owns the women’s clothing store Morning Glory in Burlingame, California, and is the fashion accessory designer and owner of Boho Fashion Accessories. She has been studying and doing dream interpretation since 1988. 

Abstract 

 

What is a dream diorama? 

The dream diorama is a three-dimensional art piece that is constructed inside a box to depict a dream scene. Two dimensional images and other objects are placed inside the box at various distances from the viewer to create the illusion of three dimensions. It is viewed through a hole in the side of the box. The diorama is traditionally made by children as a form of creative expression. In this way, the making of this type of art for many adults will reconnect them to their playful, uninhibited self and allow that self to interact with the dream. Since most dreamers write out their dreams in a journal and do not make art from them, this workshop will give them an opportunity to dialog with their dreams in a visual, playful manner.  

What is the importance of making a dream diorama? 

As dreaming is essentially a creative act, this workshop is designed to give conference participants an opportunity to explore their dreams through making dioramas. Since diorama making is a relatively unexplored area for dreamworkers, it promises to be a fruitful and exciting territory in which to inhabit. The workshop leaders will encourage and maintain an atmosphere of non-judgment and spontaneous, joyful creation. This creative journey will allow participants to connect with the subconscious material from their dreams in a hands-on experience and gain unexpected insights through the playful act of artmaking. Individuals will be guided to work with the transformations of their dream images into dioramas in order to deepen their understanding of their dreams. At the end of the workshop, participants will have a diorama they can take with them that will yield more insights and connections to the dream when reflected on at a later date. The completed diorama will allow participants a manifested, and therefore conscious, reminder of the inner experience of the dream and allow them to reenter the dream and the insights that were gained during the making of the piece and the sharing of their artmaking experience. 

How will the workshop be presented? 

The workshop leaders begin by showing some examples of dream dioramas and introducing a few techniques in diorama making. Participants then have the opportunity to create their own dioramas inspired from their dreams. At the conclusion of the workshop, for those who feel comfortable doing so, participants will be asked to share their dream, diorama and process of making their piece with the other group members. 

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Public Myths, Private Dreams and the Story of Two French Paintings 

Carol Luther is a liberal parish priest and professional dreamworker. Her work has appeared in The New York Review of Books and The Christian Century. She is currently at work on a novel about the Russian Revolution and the Indigenous peoples of Siberia and a curriculum on sustainable living. 

Abstract 

Joseph Campbell’s Power of Myth continues to delight and perplex seekers and storytellers of all backgrounds. Central to Campbell’s work is his famous statement, “The myth is the public dream and the dream is the private myth.”¹ I would like to argue that the analogy, while attractive, is true only to a point. Despite our tendency to romanticize it, myth is quite a bit more authoritarian than the benign phrase “public dream” suggests. Looked upon as the base narratives upon which reality is constructed, myths may be less cosmic narrative than the often hidden storylines of power structure. Myths tell societies what it means to be human, what makes a good man, what it means to be a good woman. They set standards to live up to. Myths establish hierarchies and define our place in nature. Israel has its Exodus myth. The United States has its foundation story, the plow that broke the plains, Manifest Destiny, exceptionalism, the belief in market forces. Campbell did most of his work at a time when the prevailing public myth was that there was no myth, only information, data, and fact. But even these are stories. Every propagandist, marketing consultant and inquisitor understands the power of myth. Read Dostoevsky. 

If public myth is so pervasive that it is often hard to even name, all too often do we brush off the truths of the night as “only a dream,” thus upsetting the balance between public and private narratives. I wonder whether this is wise. Dreams, because they are able to subvert closed systems and because they speak to the dreamer in a universal language tailored to her or his own experience, make it possible to discover and critique the public myth and ones place in it. In this paper, I explore the tension between public myth and private dream by exploring creative art, the place where Joseph Campbell believed the two worlds met. Over and against what Alasdair McIntyre called “The Enlightenment Project,” which privileges sensory and rational information over intuitive insight and wisdom, I take two examples of the Enlightenment’s public art: Francois Boucher’s “Vertumnus and Pomona” and Jacques Louis David’s “Oath of the Horatii” and explore them as if they were dreams. As it happens, when worked as dreams, these two paintings reveal a great deal about the rise of man, reason and power and the subsequent subjugation of women in the name of inalienable and republican rights.  

The study does not happen in a vacuum but like a good post modern romp is filtered through my own private experiences as a woman seeking a public identity in a world of “women’s lib” and encountering mystifying roadblocks along the way. 

1 Joseph Campbell with Bill Moyers. The Power of Myth, New York, Anchor Books, 1988, 48

 

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Creativity and Curiosity in Long-Term Journal-Keeping

Linda Lane Magallón, MBA, is a California public school educator with experience at both elementary school and college levels. She co-founded the Bay Area Dreamworkers Group as a professional exchange for the presentation and development of dreamwork techniques. She also created the playful Fly-By-Night Club research group.  

Sheila McNellis Asato, MA, USA, www.monkeybridgearts.com, is the founder of Monkey Bridge Arts, a center dedicated to the growth, transformation and healing of individuals and the community through art, dreaming and creative development. She also provides customized training in cross-cultural communication, with an emphasis on Japan, for Family Guidance International. 

Gloria Sturzenacker, MS, is an editor, writer, and graphic artist in New York City. She has developed a symbol system, Inner Guide Mapping, to track the multilayered interaction of internal and external experience. She serves on the board of IASD. 

Abstract 

At the 13th Annual IASD Conference, Dennis Schmidt chaired the first panel on long-term journaling and framed the personal dream journal as the fundamental instrument of dream study. His comments in 1996 served as a mission statement: 

"…In the tradition of the naturalists whose patient observations prepared the ways to elegant understandings of physics, chemistry, and biology, home journal keepers record and discover events and regularities that astonish and enlighten…Scholar and journal-keeper alike need to recognize that the personal journal is a uniquely sensitive instrument that may enlighten not only the individual dreamer but the whole field of dream study."  

Since then, journalers have met at every IASD conference to discuss long-term record keeping and continue our cross-fertilization. In 2007, the theme is creativity and connection.  

In “Dreaming – The Ki to Creative Transformation,” Sheila Asato will describe guidance she received for her master’s degree thesis that came in the form of unexpected associations between her watercolor paintings and dreams. These connections were not obvious until she looked at the visual imagery and the verbal text together, and then discovered new and surprising connections that helped her complete her master’s degree thesis in Human Development. 

Continuing her exploration of dream journals and creativity in past presentations, Linda Magallón provides "Hope For the Dream Art Underachiever." She tracks the steps she took to surmount creativity avoidance, from sketchy scratches in her journal to more elaborate projects such as the collages she did as targets for an IASD dream telepathy contest and the "Computer Cafe" web pages she created for an IASD conference.  

Gloria Sturzenacker has appeared on this panel more than half a dozen times since discovering that she shares with Dennis Schmidt and Cynthia Pearson a research interest in the "long-term coherence" that often reveals itself in long-term journal-keeping, especially when the dreamer follows her curiosity about odd dream elements. However, she has increasingly found "long-term" to be an inadequate description. Working with a handful of dreams, she’ll trace connections that also go wide and deep. 

Year after year, the ultimate objective of the long-term journal-keeping panel remains constant – to stress the importance of journal keeping and to highlight the unique and invaluable instrument that is the dream journal. 

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The Healing Power of Dreams in Serious Illness 

Catherine Alexander Mahler, MA, after recuperating from chemotherapy and surgery for breast cancer, which was diagnosed in 1999, attended the Master’s Program in Depth Psychology at Sonoma State University, earning an MA in psychology in 2002. She is currently a doctoral candidate at Pacifica Graduate Institute in the Clinical Psychology program.  

Abstract 

In this presentation, which is based on my thesis Becoming Gold: An Alchemical Journey through Cancer, the power of dreams as an innate Self-healing mechanism will be explored, both through the presenter’s personal experience and those of others with serious and life-threatening illnesses. Jung identified that there is a wholeness that is innate in all of us. Indeed, we have the potential for what various religious traditions have referred to this propensity for wholeness as the Kingdom of God within. Jung referred to this core as the Self.  

The Self is usually activated in mid-life, when the ego has finished mastering its tasks, in a process known as individuation. There are other times in a person’s life, perhaps even well before midlife, when the ego might be pushed out of the way, so the healing properties of the Self can occur. It is my experience and belief that this phenomenon often occurs when the ego is threatened with annihilation through serious, life-threatening illness.  

The Self is then allowed to take over and work on moving the individual towards psychic wholeness. A cure from the illness may not be possible, but the deep healing of the individual is possible when the individuation process is constellated. Wholeness then is not always equated with wellness, at least in a physical sense. Jung believed that individuation was a life long process. A serious illness may bring us new awareness of our own individuation process as well as greater insight into the tasks needed for the rest of our lives. The dreams we have both during and after an illness provide us with a glimpse into the Self at work. 

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Dream String Theory and Practice 

Ronald S. Malashock, Ph.D. is a Clinical Psychologist and Jungian Analyst in private practice in San Diego, CA.  In additional to individual practice, he currently leads innovative groups including Dream Destiny Transformation Group, and Getting To What Matters.  He can be contacted at Rmalashock@aol.com. 

Abstract 

This workshop explores the application of developments in quantum physics and string theory to our understanding of the nature of the psyche and dreams, and to the practice of dreamwork.  Quantum non-locality, the basic building blocks of “matter” and meaning, and the idea of the multiple dimensions of reality enrich and deepen our understanding of the origins and meaning of the dream.  Archetypal field theory will be explored as a means to amplify the context of dreams, and aid dreamers in applying the dream to their daily lives, issues and individuation process.  In the light of these new theoretical developments and experiments, we will explore such basic questions as:  What is the relationship between body and dreambody?  Who dreams the dream?  Where does the dream come from?  How does the research on intercessory prayer relate to dreaming and dreamwork?  What are the multiple dimensions of dreaming?   In the workshop, we will explore the techniques of active imagination (as a simultaneous experience of multiple dimensions of reality), dream mapping as an exploration of “dream strings,”  and poetry, art, collage, and sand tray techniques as an expansion of quantum possibilities.  Dream string theory and practice will be paralleled with the “soul cures” of shamanism, and Jung’s notion of “attaining to the numinous” as the real cure. 

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Where Children Learn About Dreams: School and Family Settings 

Mary Pat Mann PhD, is a writer and educational consultant. Her background includes instructional design, faculty development and educational research and evaluation in higher education, government and corporate settings. Dreams are a lifelong interest, dreamwork an emerging passion. 

Kate Adams PhD, is a Senior Lecturer in Education Studies in England. Her doctorate explored the dreams of a multi-faith sample of children aged 9-12. Her research interests include children’s significant dreams, how children find meaning in dreams and how teachers can use dreams in educational settings. 

Jette Fabiola Cabo is a freelance anthropologist and Chair of the Danish Association for the Study of Dreams. Her thesis explored 10-year-old Catalan girls' dream stories on power relations in school life. She currently conducts research in Copenhagen on how children benefit from dreamwork in the classroom and socially. 

Linda Lane Magallón, MBA, is a California public school educator with experience at both elementary school and college levels. She co-founded the Bay Area Dreamworkers Group as a professional exchange for the presentation and development of dreamwork techniques. She also created the playful Fly-By-Night Club research group. 

Valley Reed wrote The Crow and the Phoenix, which she choreographed, directed and performed with dancers at the 2001 Midwest Regional Conference. She was inspired by her daughter to write the dream story, and her son created the artwork for the program. She presented on the Children and Education Dreams Panel at the 2005 Bridgewater Conference. 

Abstracts 

Dreams in UK Classrooms (Kate Adams) 

This presentation offers an overview of dreams in the classroom from a UK perspective. It provides a background to the UK curriculum and explores areas of it in which teachers can, or could, legitimately introduce dreams into lessons. It argues that in the UK, calls for teachers to use dreams in the classroom must have direct relevance to the curriculum. Without this, teachers are unlikely to consider the idea. The presentation explores different reasons why teachers are often reluctant to discuss dreams with children and offers some possible solutions.  

Dreaming in Denmark (Jette Cabo) 

The central question in this presentation is how to teach teachers to teach dreamwork. This 4-month project was done in collaboration with four Danish-language teachers and 200 children ages 6-14 in a Copenhagen primary school. Dreamwork was applied in Danish-language lessons, drama, religion, history and math. We found that dreamwork represents a shortcut to help children develop the competencies to meet curriculum goals and master social norms and values. Danish teachers are often reluctant to discuss dreams with children and we found that establishing a narrative dream-framework can and will make teachers use dreams in the classroom. An overview of curriculum goals, lesson plans and methods is offered as well as the outcomes as seen by the teachers and children. 

Children's Dreams: From Reactive to Proactive Dreamwork (Linda Lane Magallón) 

The emerging medical paradigm is shifting from the curative to the preventive and proactive, a model dreamwork can follow. This evolution of dreamwork is described through developmental work in a family setting. Dreamwork can be introduced when a child seeks relief from nightmares. Reassurance that the parent is concerned serves as first aid. Answering questions, naming the phenomenon, and interpretive methods are helpful in different circumstances. Visualization techniques create a better