PSIBERDREAMING 2011 STILL HAPPENING!

The reason IASD gives new members a FREE PASS to the PsiberDreaming Conference all the way to October 9 is because even though the conference concludes on that day, there are still two full weeks during which the conference will be open on a read-only basis.

And what a good read it will be this year, as lucidity in all its forms is the main subject under discussion. The audience is every bit as important as the presenters in this information-packed conversation, which ranges from scientific studies to the purely experiential.

Almost 200 people are currently attending this conference, with almost equal numbers of new IASD members (36 during September!), members of the general public, and long-time PsiberDreaming devotees. Congratulations to all who promoted this conference through Facebook and other social media (like talking with friends). It worked! This PsiberDreaming Conference has the largest attendance ever. Thanks all!

REGISTER NOW for PsiberDreaming 2011 at www.asdreams.org/psi2011

ANNUAL CONFERENCE:  JUNE 22-26, 2012

Join us at the annual IASD conference as we go SALING ON THE SEA OF DREAMS at the Doubletree Hotel at the Berkeley Marina, Berkeley, California. This 29th Annual IASD Conference will feature three world-renowned keynote speakers, over 150 presenters from around the globe plus a chance to network or relax at our many evening receptions and social events including the dream art exhibition, the costume Dream Ball, the annual Dream Telepathy Contest, and a sunset sail on the “sea of dreams” - a special dessert cruise of the San Francisco Bay.

Patricia Garfield, Ph.D., Fred Alan Wolf, Ph.D., Tracey Kahan, Ph.D.

Hear the following keynoters speak: Patricia Garfield, Ph.D. is a pioneer and renowned expert in the study of dreams. She is a prize-winning author of eleven books on dreams. Her first bestseller Creative Dreaming (1974) is considered a classic. Fred Alan Wolf, Ph.D. aka Dr. Quantum (TM) is a world-renowned physicist, writer and lecturer who also conducts research on the relationship of quantum physics to consciousness. He is the author of 13 books and 3 CD courses. Tracey Kahan, Ph.D. is a full-time faculty member of the Psychology Department at Santa Clara University. Research conducted by Dr. Kahan and her colleagues has shown that waking and dreaming, especially REM dreaming, are more similar than different.

If you are interested in presenting a paper, workshop, symposium, panel, morning dream group or Research Hot-off-the-Press, use the online web based submission system at https://asdreams.org/2012  Deadline for submissions is December 15, 2011.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:  2012 CONFERENCE

Call for Volunteers - 29th Annual IASD Conference in Berkeley, June 22-26, 2012.

The International Association for the Study of Dreams (IASD) is looking for dedicated volunteers to help with its annual conference. IASD is an all-volunteer organization requiring many people to donate their time, however volunteers who work on-site for a dedicated number of hours may be eligible for a $50 Conference Admission.

Join a great group of people and enjoy five days among cutting-edge dreamers and researchers from around the world. On-site volunteers are involved in many activities including: staffing registration and information tables; acting as room monitors; providing audio-visual assistance; and helping with the art exhibit setup and monitoring. Most on-site volunteers are needed for various shifts in the hours from 8AM-8PM, 22 through 26 June 2012.

As an on-site volunteer you can also enjoy most of the conference. On-site volunteers work roughly 12 conference hours in order to attend the conference for a $50 fee. IASD also makes every effort to accommodate volunteers by assigning tasks and time preferences according to volunteer requests.

See the link on our conference site www.asdreams.org/2012 for a preview of the planned schedule structure. To get started, go to the Volunteer Page and fill out the Volunteer Request Form.

MEMBERSHIP NEWS

Spotlight on Spain
Jordi Barras Garcia, Regional Representative

Some years ago, I found the IASD while surfing the Internet. For me it was a gift to know that there was a global community of people who gave importance to dreams, because I had never found in my own country people who were really sensitive to the dream world. Although some of my acquaintances are psychologists who, like me, take into account the importance of dreams in their work, most of them had just left dreams out because dream analysis was considered a technique that, while useful, was also too complicated. It was a revelation to discover that there were other people organizing groups working with dreams, which was something I had long been doing. For me, this was the natural evolution of my first dream workshops, in which I taught the necessary guidelines for each person to work with personal dreams without assistance. Currently, I have always one or more dream circles going. Meanwhile, I regularly organize introductory workshops specifically devoted to lucid dreams. And more recently, I've started organizing dream incubation workshops.

In my clinical practice, I have never felt faithful to a specific psychotherapeutic orientation and have always felt the desire to select what I considered most valuable of them all. And that's the approach I’ve always taken with dreams, as well. If I feel it knocks on the doors of the dreamer’s soul, I'll use it. My influences are diverse (e.g. Jungian, Gestalt, transpersonal, etc.) and my desire is always to integrate the best of each of the perspectives. I endeavor to develop an intuitive method derived from the client’s own values and frame of reference. I've been interested in spreading the benefits of working with dreams for years. With this intention I started an informative project I called mondesomnis (“world of dreams”).

I have been participating in various radio and television programs. Among others, we had a series of 13 programs devoted to dreams, which airs in prime time on the main Catalan TV station. I have attended a multitude of conferences and workshops. Recently, I wrote a chapter on dreams in a book about health from different perspectives. I am also working on a book that brings together and systematizes what I've been discovering in dream work along the way. Meanwhile, I am collaborating with a well-known Spanish director to write a screenplay for a comedy in which the characters are dream circle members. I hope we'll start filming soon.

In the future, I hope to publicize the work of the IASD by organizing a regional conference in Barcelona. Until that day comes, I will continue to support IASD members and the interested public by providing lectures and workshops on request.

Call for IASD Board Nominations

The IASD nominating committee is soliciting recommendations for members to serve on the board of directors for the term beginning in July 2012. Nominees should be members in good standing who are willing to serve. Please send your recommendations to the Nominating Committee Chair, Scott Sparrow, gscotspar@gmail.com  by December 31, 2011.

Membership Inquires

Please feel free to contact Jennifer Parker, Scott Sparrow or Jeff Vovillia at any time with membership questions or concerns. We always welcome new volunteers. You are the future leaders of IASD and we want your energy, help, and visions.

Jennifer Parker: jenniferparker917@btinternet.com
Scott Sparrow, Membership Chair: gscotspar@gmail.com
Jeff Vovillia, Membership Assistant: jallenvov@yahoo.com

Regional Representatives

Please check the IASD website for up-to-date names and contact information for the regional representative in your area. The Regional Representative webpage is divided into regions, making your search more user-friendly. If you do not have a regional rep for your area, consider volunteering to become one! You could serve an important networking role for IASD.

To become a regional rep, contact Jennifer Parker, jenniferparker917@btinternet.com

Join IASD'S Facebook page and visit out new fan page

Be sure to join our Facebook group page! We have 413 friends and growing!
Please let your Facebook friends know about IASD’s group page, fan page (with 863 Likes) as well as its website. You can help us reach a lot of new people by taking a few minutes to post the urls of these three IASD sites on your Facebook page.

CALL FOR RESEARCH GRANT LETTERS OF INTENT

The Call for Research Grant Letters of Intent deadline of 15 October is only a week away. Go to http://www.dreamscience.org/iasd/2011call.htm for instructions. High quality quantitative and qualitative research letters of intent are invited in areas related to dreams and dreaming, including but not limited to: the neuroscience of dreaming, psychological studies of dreaming, and dream research in such fields as anthropology and cultural studies. Grants are offered through a partnership between IASD and the DreamScience foundation.

ANNOUNCEMENT OF IASD FALL BOARD MEETING

The IASD fall board meeting will be held by phone conference on Saturday October 29 and Sunday October 30, 2011.
Saturday: 12 noon to 3 pm. Sunday: 12 noon to 3:30 pm.
The times given are Eastern Time, USA. Please check your time zone.

Committee chairs are requested to submit their reports two weeks prior to the board meeting, by October 15. Reports should be submitted to the Board Chair, Jodine Grundy and to Jacquie Lewis, Secretary, who will compile them and disseminate them to the executive committee, board directors, committee chairs, the management team and past presidents. Members may request a copy of the reports which the secretary will provide after verifying member status. IASD board meetings are open to members who wish to attend as observers. Please contact the board chair for information on call-in procedure, if interested.

If there are any matters that members wish to bring to the attention of the board please write to the board chair who will communicate to the executive committee for consideration and disposition or inclusion in the board agenda.

We look forward to our fall meeting of the dedicated board and committee members and others who keep IASD running smoothly.

Jodine Grundy
IASD Board Chair

STUDENT AWARDS

Information about Student Awards submissions can be found on www.asdreams.org or call the IASD office at 209-724-0889. Deadline for submissions is March 15, 2012.

NEWS FROM AUSTRALIA

I am pleased to announce the formation of Dream Network Australia Inc. (DNA). We formed an association to share information, and to develop community and regional interest about dreams. We also have a goal to contribute to, and support ongoing study and research about dreams.

The DNA has been a work in progress for some time, and is the outcome of local initiative and shared interests. There has been great support and encouragement from IASD members, and I would particularly like to acknowledge the work of the members of the executive and regional committees.

It has already been a busy year, with lots of background activity and networking. The World Dreaming conference was a large event happening in Sydney in August 2011.

IASD helped sponsor an IASD event at the Conference that included Robbie Bosnak, Deirdre Barrett, other local IASD members, and Sally Gillespie and myself. Margaret Bowater, the IASD New Zealand regional representative also attended. The focus of the event was the “the current place of dreaming in psychotherapy.” The conference brought an international audience to Sydney. It was a great opportunity to bring focus to the work and activities of IASD, and to announce our first Australian regional IASD conference to be held in Sydney, April 19- 22, 2012.

Dream Network Australia is partnering with IASD to offer this event in our region. You can find out about the conference, about Dream Network Australia, how to register, and how to submit an abstract for presentation at www.dreamnetworkaustralia.com.au

We hope that you will follow us on Facebook, and look forward to welcoming you in person at the conference.

Susannah Benson
(Australian Regional IASD representative)

I dreamed of the moon touching the earth
and my heart knew we are all connected
by the light that runs and weaves through the universe
touching, healing, illuminating everything.

---by Raven

Happy Halloween!