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For
Roberta Ossana, editor, Dream
Network, upon request. Noreen,
the ‘Roving Reporter,’ has the scoop! Association
for the Study of Dreams (ASD) presents
Extraordinary
Dreams from Crisis to Creativity
Cincinnati
Regional Program April
27, 2002 Noreen
Wessling (edited
by Jim FitzPatrick) It was one of
those soggy but fresh Spring days as I headed for ASD’s first ever day
long regional workshop in Cincinnati, Ohio. My friend, Jody
Grundy, was responsible for pulling this off, as instigator and
coordinator for this program. The list of presenters was eye-opening – Stanley Krippner, Jane White-Lewis, Roger Knudson, Betty A. Hollin,
Sara Ridberg, Valley Reed and special guest, Rita Dwyer. Let me introduce
myself -- Noreen Wessling, owner of 7
Arts Studio in Milford, Ohio, a Contributing Editor of Dream Network and
current member of ASD. Roberta
Ossana, my friend and the editor of Dream
Network, recently cajoled me into attending this ASD Cincinnati
workshop as a ‘roving reporter’ to take photos and tape interviews
of the goings-on to put together as an article for Dream Network and
hopefully ASD. This
sounded like fun to me, so I asked my friend, Jim, if he’d like to
take videos for the occasion and he was willing. I’ll let him tell you
of his adventures! I checked all this out with Jody and she was
delighted at the opportunity to combine energies of ASD and DN. So, with my
small Canon digital camera a constant companion, a little tape recorder
stuck unobtrusively in my pocket and Jim loaded down with all the video
equipment, we settled in to collect stories and pictures from the ASD
Panel.
Rita
Dwyer
Stanley Krippner
Jody Grundy
Jane White-Lewis
Robert Knudson
Betty Hollin This
included a fascinating, ‘no-notes’ talk on “International
Dreamwork” by the illustrious Stanley
Krippner. Followed by “National Conference & Nightmare
Hotline” by Jungian analyst (who reminds me of Maria Von
Franz!) then Roger Knudson gave us an earful with “Dream Education,”
and yes, it’s still Freud is
trivial and who is Jung? in the Intro Psychology books in college. Betty Hollin sparked our interest in the upcoming national ASD in
Boston and talked on “Midwest Dreaming.” At the last minute,
Jody was able to talk Rita Dwyer
to join us. It was iffy because Rita was about to become a grandmother
at any time. Lucky for us, the baby held off and we were treated to a
day with Rita. This
was followed by “A Dream Loves a Dream,” when we did a
half-hour of personal dream sharing in small groups. I enjoyed being
part of a group while Jim left his video and took an hour walk. Both
good choices! Next came the
boxed lunches – chicken or veggie sandwiches, chips, sodas or mineral
water and little cake thingies – and time to chat and mingle with
celebrities of the dream day – my camera and tape recorder going full
steam. Our
next treat was Dream Theatre – Live!
Dream
Theater presented by a
vivacious young lady, Sara Ridberg, whose enthusiasm for enticing
children to enact their dreams is a true talent. However, she found it a
bit more difficult to pull adults out of the audience to play act. Kind
of like pulling molars! Once they got on a roll though, you could hardly
stop the action. Then
there was Hannah! She was our Dream Child in Residence – In fact, she
was the only child! Ten years
old and a living dream; just
about every time Sara would ask for a volunteer to act out some dream
part, up would shoot Hannah’s hand. She was everyone’s darlin,’ I
do believe. Later
in the afternoon Jane White-Lewis shared with us some of her experiences
leading dream groups in tough inner city schools, Opening the Way –
To Create & Survive. A
final treat for the day was Dream Dance: The Crow & the Phoenix, which was a premiere of an
original story and dance by Valley
Reed and the Cincinnati
Dancers.
Amy, one of the Cincinnati Dancers What fun! This innovative half hour show
took off to a fine start when one of the dancers, dressed as a crow,
unexpectedly jumped out from behind the curtain in a great black leap of
flight. The show continued to warm my heart as appreciation for the
creativity within our dream life soared in me. So,
all this as a means of introduction, let me now share with you some of
my favorite interviews and photographs from this Day of Dreams. INTERVIEWS
HANNAH DASENBROCK
GAMMON
(dream child of the day – our ten year old wonder!)
HannahNoreen:
(interviews Hannah, age 10, in the restroom) How do you like it
so far Hannah? Hannah:
I like it. N:
What was your favorite story? H:
The one about papayas (this is where a girl was healed after
eating papayas that were recommend to her in a dream). N:
Wasn’t that neat! If you had a dream about that, would you go
eat papayas? H:
No. N:
Gosh, I would if it would heal me. H: I’m not sick! VALLEY REED (Dream Dance – “The
Crow and the Phoenix”)
Noreen:
Here’s one of our dancers (still in the restroom). Hello
Valley. What is the theme of The Crow and the Phoenix
dream dance? Valley:
Well, it’s based on a fairy tale that I wrote. The images came
from several dreams I’ve had over the past few years. N: Do you have your own dance
troupe? V: I’ve danced with a number
of troupes in the Dallas area and have done a number of other things
including improvisation and performing art theater and dance theater –
a combination of jazz, modern and African styles of dance. N:
We have a mostly African-drum “Drums
For Fun” group every month at my home in Milford. Just had a group
last night actually. V: Yeah, I like to drum as
well. N:
Come on over and join us sometime. Are you close? V:
(laughs) I’m from Dallas, Texas SALLY MOORE (Coordinator, Greater Cincinnati Friends of Jung
Sally Moore Noreen:
Hello Sally, good to see you again. It’s been a long time since
we last met. What is your official title these days? Sally:
I’m Coordinator for The Greater Cincinnati Friends
of Jung. N:
You’ve been doing this for how long? S: A long time! Our
group has been together for over ten years and there was another
group before that. Take the two groups and it’s about twenty years
we’re had our Friends
of Jung. N: So, how does this work
these days? Do you have weekly groups? S:
No, we just have 2 or 3 sporadic events each through Spring and
the Fall. N: Oh, do you have something
coming up soon? S:
On October 5, we have Dick
Sweeney, a Cincinnati-based Jungian Analyst, talking on Emotional
Intelligence. That’s a Saturday morning workshop for 3
hours. Then on November 2, we have Roger
Brooke, Clinical Psychologist, giving a 4-hour workshop on Freud
and Jung and the Oedipus Complex. N:
That should be a wild time! Do you know Jan
Zalla? (Jan is a Certified Jungian Analyst working in the Cincinnati
area) S: Oh yes, she’s a wonderful person. N:
Do you ever ask her to give a workshop for you? S:
Yes. Last year we presented a video, Appointment
with the Wise Old Dog, and we had Jan on the panel to represent
the Jungian point of view. She’s a great friend and helper for us.
(for information on purchasing this video, please contact Sally:
513-984-2059) N:
That’s great. I detect an English accent here. Where were you
born? S: London. N:
Ah, yes, I was born in Edinburgh, Scotland S:
REALLY! (big surprised
voice) N:
Watch out. The Brits are here! (laugh) Dream Sharing
Group
with
Noreen and Jody in the middle
Dream Sharing Noreen Interviews CHRIS
Noreen:
How do dreams matter in your life, Chris? Chris:
Boy, I don’t think I have a short answer to that question.
Maybe I’ll have a better idea after today N:
Were you very young when you remember dreaming? C:
Yeah, the first dream I remember was probably from kindergarten.
I remember having a dream of being in the backyard of my house with my
brother in the grass on a sunny day, doing summersaults down our hill in
the back yard, laughing. And it was vivid on the morning that I woke up
and it’s vivid now. I’m 43 now! N:
That was your very first remembered dream? C:
Yes. It’s a great dream to start with. N:
You wouldn’t want to live without your dreams would you? C: No, definitely not. *
* * * * * * Noreen
Interviews JILL
N:
Hi Jill. What brings you here? J:
I’ve heard about this organization a long time ago when I was
in a clinical program and wanted to come to one of these conferences. N:
Well, what do you think so far? It’s almost lunch time and we
had a good morning. J:
Wonderful, wonderful! I like the balance of listening and
interacting. N: And how old were you when
you first remembered your dreams? J: I
know that I had a recurring dream of black spiders in my bed and
hating that. Waking up feeling very uncomfortable. I stopped having that
dream after I worked out things with my mother more. N:
Oh, you associate black spiders with Mama? J & N in
unison:
Well, we probably don’t want to get into that right now!
(smile) J:
I wouldn’t want to be without my dreams. They are SO important
to me. N: What would be missing if
you didn’t have awareness of your dreams? J:
The best things that come in my life are either from my
meditations or my dreams. I find out things I could have said to people,
done with people, things I could have done differently myself and ideas
for creativity projects. I would have missed a lot of that without my
dreams JOAN THOMAS (Psychologist and Dream
Worker from Cincinnati))
N:
Who do we have here … Joan Thomas, my old buddy. What are you
up to these days? Joan:
Well, I’m working a little bit and playing a lot. Enjoying my
semi-retirement and looking for my next step in life. N:
Are
your dreams helping to direct you there? J:
NO! (big laughs) My
next step in life is to pay attention again so I can get some knowledge
where I should go.
N:
Are you taking a personal dream sabbatical? J:
(laughs again) I’m still dreaming and enjoying my dreams then I
just let them go. They are
like birds being let out of their cages in order to fly away. N:
That’s
a fascinating perspective Joan. Certainly, my dream recall goes in
cycles and it used to bother me when I didn’t have any dreams
journaled for weeks at a time. Now I’m more willing to let it be what
it is. So, lately you haven’t been working with the dreams you do
remember, you just let them go, right? J:
That’s what I’ve been doing. N:
So what has been the outcome of doing that? J:
(laughs) There hasn’t been any outcome yet. N:
OK,
how do you feel doing that as opposed to how you used to work with
dreams? J:
I think I needed to let my dreams go
for a while because I wanted to do other things and enjoy other
parts of my life, but I think I was drawn to this workshop because I’m
beginning to feel the urge to come back and do some deeper work with my
dream world. N:
This points to what I’ve suspected – that sometimes we
just need to pull away from what we’ve been very intense about, and
rest. Then we’re all fired up again and ready to open to a new level. J:
Well, that’s what I think is happening but I can’t say for
sure yet. It does feel like it’s time to bring back my dreams to
honor them. N:
Are
you still working with clients? J:
Yes I am. N:
And
are you using dream work with them? J:
With some clients I do dream work, not with everybody. It’s a
part of my work but it’s not all of my work. N:
So even when you were on your personal dream sabbatical you
were still continuing to include dream work/play with some of your
clients? J:
Yes. N:
No
wonder you deserved a break then!
Ellen Thomas Arnold Noreen:
Look who we have here, Ellen Thomas Arnold, my friend from Robert
Moss workshop days in Grailville. Good to see you here. What do you
think of this dream day so far? Ellen:
Oh I think it’s great. This afternoon we’re going to be doing
some Dream Theater
and Dream Dance. N: You look like a dancer? Do
you like to dance? E: I love to dance every chance I get and I’m kind of draggy today because I danced way too late last night. N: I knew it ! You look like a
dancer. We’ve got some big names here today don’t we? E: Yes, I might just
have to join The Association for the Study of Dreams. N: Yeah, I just joined again
myself. Ten years ago I belonged to ASD and went to Santa Cruz for a
dream week. That was quite splendid. Such a beautiful place to hang out
and my fondest memory was meeting Fariba
Bogzaran and experiencing the mesmerizing drumming she led in her
workshop. She even sent me a drum from India at my request and showed me
how to be in a ritual space with it. I’ve never stopped drumming
since. Fariba also showed us how to make masks of our own faces which I
wore at the wild Dream Ball. Good
talking with you again Ellen and keep on dancing. __________________________________________________________________ STANLEY KRIPPNER (International
Dreamwork)
Stanley Krippner Noreen:
Thanks for autographing my copy of your new book, Extraordinary Dreams and How
to Work with Them. I can’t wait to delve into it.
Stanley, are you enjoying yourself? Stanley:
Yes, I’m having a delightful time here today. N: May I ask you one question? S: Yes. N: You told us today that you
have been to 90 countries. Which of the peoples of those countries have
a way of dreaming most different from people in the United States? S: Of
course, for that question I have to go to some of the native
indigenous traditions and I’ve worked a great deal with Native
Americans in both North and South America. I’ve written an article
about this in the journal, Dreaming. Before
Westerners arrived in the Americas, dreams were very important to
indigenous people and they saw them basically as another world … a
world where they could learn a lot, be instructed a lot, and this
tradition is still being carried on by some of the native people in
South America that I visited. And, literally, some of these people do
gather together as families to work on dreams several times a week. N: They really do that! S: Yes, they really do
that in some parts of the world. N: We have a lot to learn
don’t we? S: Oh, yes, we have a
lot to learn from native people and I hope that we learn it before they
disappear. N: Me too. Can I take a close
up picture of you? S: Of
course. N: Thanks. Let’s go for it. (Click!)
SARA RIDBERG (Dream Theater – Live)
Dream Theater in Action
The Guys Acting Out Noreen:
How did you get into what you do – this marvelous theater work
with dreams, especially with children? Sara:
These are a combination of my loves – theater, children and
working with kids and dreams and I just thought I’d find a way to
combine them. N: I’ve not seen anything
quite like what you do here. It’s wonderful. When you were a kid did
you act out your dreams? S: No, I kept a journal
since I was 9. Not a dream journal, just a regular journal diary. My dad
was a psychologist and every once in a while I would tell him my dream.
He was interested and would interpret my dream. Things like that. N: It seems to me that you are
a natural actress … S: Oh neat! Yeah, I was
always dancing, singing, performing in this and that. N: What is your greatest wish right now regarding how to proceed with this talent you have? S: My wish is to have Dreamplayers
be a national company that tours the country, going into schools, doing
these workshops, providing kids an outlet to create from their dreams,
then put on productions, show their creations, even in art galleries,
and for adults in the community to really realize the value of Dreamplayers.
I’d have people in different areas
of the country leading these workshops. I wish for a BIG organization
(Sara spreads her arms very wide). N: Are you local? S: No, I live in New
York City. N: Oh, darn, I have some
people I want to put in contact with you here. S: That’s OK. One of
the great things about coming here is meeting people like you
who can talk about Dreamplayers
and maybe make a few contacts and then I could come back to Cincinnati
to do a couple of workshops in the future. N: You go it. I’ll talk it
up. Dreams, kids and theater are such a fine combo. Thank you for being
here. JANE WHITE-LEWIS, Certified Jungian Analyst (National Conference & Nightmare Hotline)
Jane White-Lewis Noreen:
I was fascinated by what you were telling the group about how you
worked for years in the most despicable part of your city where life was
horrible, doing what you could to bring dreamwork to have some real
impact for good within the school system. Challenging to say the least.
Are you still doing this? Jane:
I am, but I’m not doing it this year. I’ve done it for the
past ten years – a quarter each year, half a semester. I’m
co-chairman of the ASD conference this year, plus I have a full analytic
practice so I decided to take a break. N: Is this inner city dream
work something you want to go back to sometime? J: I do. I think I
may try a different school, I’m not really sure. There were a lot of
problems in the school. I really don’t know, although I think I
probably will. N: It sounds to me like
you’ve done a tremendous amount in the field of dreaming already, what
do you want to do that you haven’t done yet? J: Well, I think I
want to write more. I’d like to go back to some of the work I started
related to dreams. And also I’d like to write what I’ve been doing
in the schools. N: Yes, I’m thinking that
would be a fine contribution. J: Right. You
know, to be able to get teachers, whether they are just including a
section on dreams or
whether it’s going to be some dream course – some guide, would be in
the right direction. Over the years I’m constantly discovering new
material, and some things work better than others. I haven’t seen
anything like what I’m proposing in print and I’ve had to start from
scratch, so I thought it could be helpful. N: Yeah, I haven’t either. I
don’t know of anyone who has tackled this subject as intensely and
with the depth and skill that you possess. J: I wasn’t able
in my search to find anybody else. I’ve certainly made mistakes in the
process. There are so many variables. I’d like to do more … like
today, hearing Sara speak about the work that she’s done (Dream
Theatre –Live). I’d like to do that with a group of adolescents
but it would be difficult unless I had small groups. I think it’s a
great idea. N: I’m so intrigued with
your work with these children. Is there one experience that you recall
from your 10 years of working with them that was the most impacting
within your psyche … kind of scary or exceptionally wonderful
…whatever stands out most in your memory? J: Well, the one
that comes to mind immediately, perhaps because I just spoke about it ,
was the young boy whom the teacher said couldn’t write at all. Yet
when he was writing up his dream and his feelings about it, sort
of expanding on it as a starting point of an essay, he wrote well. It
was extraordinary. It was amazing to see what he was capable of doing. N: So telling isn’t it.
What can happen if the person is just given the space and safety
to express … to be true to what they are feeling. J: Well, right,
I’m not so judgmental about the literary form and I think in a way,
anybody can write if they can talk.
N: Wow! Thank you. JODY GRUNDY (Coordinator of ASD Cincinnati Regional
Program,
Jody Grundy Noreen:
Hey Jody, how are you doing almost at the end of this auspicious
day? Jody:
I feel really great. I feel really full. Wonderful! This dance
was such a realization (The Crow & the Phoenix) for me too. It been quite a journey
with Valley and our relationship, from sharing dreams on the World’s
Dreams Peace Bridge to all of it, you know .. to
becoming a story, to my asking her and to this actually happening.
N: Did I get it right. Is this the first time you presented an ASD Regional meeting here in Cincinnati? J: Yes. It’s our
first ever here. I tried in Indianapolis but it didn’t quite happen.
Then a try in Cathedral City and that didn’t happen either. So we
joined forces to some degree and this is the first Regional here. N: Hurrah!
You did a splendid job of pulling this off Jody – you and your team.
Thank you. RITA DWYER (Dreamworker par
excellence: Past president of ASD)
Rita Dwyer Noreen:
OK Rita, here is Roberta Ossana’s ‘roving reporter’ ready
to talk to you. What do you think of this day now that is almost over? Rita:
It’s been marvelous – more than I ever expected and Jody was
responsible for it, plus Roger and Betty and all the other people that
helped facilitate – the dancers – a wide array that shows what
dreamers can do and are doing. N: Really,
it blows my mind to contemplate the possibilities of it all. What would
you most like to see your own dreamwork and play move into? R: My own dreamwork? Well, I
don’t know exactly. I let it come to me. I don’t plan too much and
it seems that my dream-maker sends what it sends and I say “YES.” N: I like that. Where does it seem to be wanting to take you? R: Well, this Fall I’m doing
a workshop with a Parisian brother who is an artist. N: Parisian? R: Yes. An order in the
Catholic Church. N: Oh, I get it, a Parisian Brother! R: He is a very fine artist.
There is also a woman who is in our Parish and is one of those people
who council those ill and dying. We’ll be doing a workshop together, a
retreat actually, called Images of God. I
love that we can combine dreamwork and artwork. Dreams, meditations …
that kind of thing. N: Sounds
wonderful! Are you going to
write that experience up somewhere? R: Oh, I could I suppose.
I’ve not done the workshop yet (smiles). That comes first. I just like
to move here and there when the spirit moves me. N: Rita, now what are your own
personal favorite ways of
playing with your dreams apart from the intellectual delving? R: I like using clay for one
thing. N: Mmmm!
(sound of approval!) R: This can be something very
powerful for me … doing something with my hands. N: I can see you doing this
and your little clay sculptures gracing your home.
R: And I like having the
insights and energies that come to me from working with clay. I like
drawing too. I think it’s just a different perspective. N: Do you think the appeal of
clay for you is due to it’s 3-dimensional aspect, plus the feeling of
playing in the mud, the earth, more like a child – or what? R: Well, I like to take one
piece – a lump – and form it into something. This is tricky, but in
not separating it, it takes shape as it seems to want to do and I can get some really
fine insight from that. I tend to be a scientist by training. A person
who likes to take things apart, be very precise, patterned and
organized. Yet with clay work I just let ‘it’ take me. N: So, are you a fan of Rodin
or Henry Moore? Who are your favorite sculptors? R: I like most all sculpture
including ancient work. I love to see works from other cultures. Those
that seem to be rough or crude by our standards certainly can express
spirit and charm. N: Yes, some of that includes
my favorite art … the primitive. OK, now to switch gears a little Rita
… Are you excited, I know I am, with the possibilities of the
Internet. In spite of being a deposit for tremendous ‘garbage’, it
is also staggering to think of all the positively wonderful connections
we can make worldwide with this technology. Are you finding that the
Internet is a potent avenue for your dreamsharing? R: I do indeed. I find it at
times a little annoying because there is so much and I just can’t keep
up with it – with all the contacts and connections. But I do love that
part of it that I’m now better connected with people that before might
have taken me from one ASD conference to another before I would see them
again, whereas now we chat regularly and write more freely (on email).
Writing letters the old way is a different mindset. More cumbersome. N: I know just what you mean.
I expect you to keep on doing great and wondrous things. R: I do want to write a book
sometime. That’s something I’ve talked about for years. N: You’ve
never done that? R: I’ve done writing, but
not a book I want to write. I’ve done outlines and all that but I’ve
never given myself enough token time to write my book. N: I want one of your first
autographed copies, OK! I know you don’t plan ahead much but do you
think in the next 2 or 3 years you’ll write your book? R: Oh, I hope to. I don’t
have much time left. I’m 68. Time is moving on. N: So what! I don’t think
that’s going to be a problem. R: Well, I hope not but you
never know. N:
I’m looking forward to your book and I’m glad we got to
meet at last. I’ve admired you from far and wide for many a year and
now we’ve connected. That’s rich. GROUP PHOTOS
Waiting
for The Panel to begin
The Panel is hoping Rita Dwyer will show soon. She does!
Bookstore: Jim, video guy, in
foreground eyeing Stanley Krippner’s new book JIM’S
MIS-ADVENTURES AS VOLUNTEER VIDEO-GUY
by
Jim My work at the conference assumed an ambiguous aspect.
Videotaping a conference requires no advanced skills. One merely
positions the camera to best capture whatever particular talking head
makes noise at any moment.
The selection of an amateur, however,
makes the likelihood of disaster much more likely than naught! I will not bore you… I failed miserably
as a video technician. Well, actually, the video part is clear and crisp
(albeit a good bit of focus flutter exists as the auto-focus strived to
determine what exactly to focus upon!). But, unfortunately, no sound,
not even the whirl of the camera’s tape heads, exists on the video.
Just lovely color and crisp images of silently moving mouths. Over the past few weeks since the horror
(“The Horror! The Horror!” [Kurtz last words in Conrad’s The Heart of Darkness and Coppola’s Apocalypse Now for all you trivia buffs.]), I have decided how to
salvage what remains. First, I will create a sepia tint over the images.
I can also adjust the image so that it has a bit of a jerk to it. In
this way, I encourage people to assume that the images were made perhaps
eighty years ago. Then I need only insert a few carefully selected
captions (of an ornate, faintly baroque aspect) and certainly not a soul
well realize my error. Hmm… Perhaps I could enter it in Bob
Redford’s movie fete as a documentary and then… and then the Cannes
Film Festival. Provence, France in May. How great would that be! Huh? (Suggestion:
Perhaps this would make a good sidebar to
Noreen’s
main
text…. Jim) POSTSCRIPT
Happy yet
exhausted, Jim and I bade our farewells, loaded up our gear and headed
for the door. We came to a screeching halt, however, upon meeting a
deluge of storming rain between us and our car. “Let’s run for it
with plastic bags to cover our heads,” we yelled in unison. We made
it! And so did the first regional ASD Workshop in Cincinnati, Ohio.
BIO: NoreenFW@cinci.rr.com
I would like to thank
Roberta Ossana of the Dream Network for suggesting Jim and I 'cover'
this Dream Event. Dream Network is a
Copyright ©2002 Noreen
Wessling |
