PSIBERDREAMING CONCLUDES ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL CONFERENCE

This year's eleventh annual PsiberDreaming Conference, "The Eleventh Dimension," closed its doors on October 7 with a ‘read-only’ period that gave access to the forum until the end of October. However, while sharing dreams around the fire at the Outer Inn, participants concluded that they would be willing to stay on forever.

The popular online event hosted 217 participants from over 20 countries this year. Thirty-three of these were new IASD members who received attendance as a bonus for joining IASD between August 15 and the final day of the conference.

Audience participation on the PsiberDreaming forum was greater than ever this year as Psi Contest King, Ed Kellogg, introduced Joy Fatooh's new Group Remote Viewing Game: a "contest" based on cooperation among participants rather than actual competition. Results from this unique game, which produced results considerably higher than statistical norms, will be published in IASD's magazine, DreamTime.

Plans are already being made for PsiberDreaming 2013. If you are interested in presenting a paper or joining in as a conference volunteer, contact Host, Jean Campbell at jccampb@aol.com.

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 2013. Nominees should be members in good standing who are willing to serve. Please send your recommendations to Katja Valli, Nominating Committee Chair, at: katval@utu.fi  by December 31, 2012.

IASD STUDENT AWARDS FOR DREAM RELATED RESEARCH AND PROJECTS

We are pleased to announce that the anonymous donor who has generously provided funding for the Student Research Award for the past seven years has graciously agreed to provide matching funds for the 2013 competition! The IASD board of trustees will provide the balance of funds.

As in previous years, there will be two $500 awards. The first is for the best student submission of original scientific research on dreams and dreaming. The second is for the best submission of original historical, literary, artistic, or theoretical research. Undergraduate and graduate students are eligible to submit papers. Please view the following for additional details: https://asdreams.org/2013/callforstudent/

All participants must submit their presentations in electronic form, preferably through email to office@asdreams.org or if necessary by mailing the files, copied to a CD or a DVD, to the IASD office by March 15, 2013.

IASD-Student Research
1672 University Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94703 USA
Mark on any mailed box "OK to leave on porch."

Text submissions must not exceed 6,000 words. Participants should submit text in MS Word, and artwork in .jpg, .tif, or .pdf formats.

Participants may also electronically submit videos in AVI formats, or music in MIDI or MPS formats. In the case of papers with multiple authors – in terms of the ideas presented as well as the description of the results – the contestant must indicate clearly, in either the text of the paper or in an accompanying letter, what portions are the submitter’s work.

Submissions must include a copy of your student ID. Alternatively, you can fax a copy to the IASD Office at 1-209-724-0889, or scan and email an attachment to office@asdreams.org. Include a note or cover letter that this is for the IASD Student Research Award. Participants must specify which of the two awards they are applying for.

Winners will be announced at the IASD annual conference, which will be held at the Virginia Beach Resort & Conference Center, Virginia Beach, VA, June 21 - 25, during the General Membership Meeting. Check the schedule of conference events to find out the exact date and time.

Curtiss Hoffman
Student Research Awards Chair

MEMBERSHIP NEWS

From Membership Chair, Diane E. Greig

Recent quarterly findings indicate that membership has surged to over 700 this year (up from about 600 last year), continuing the upward trend from the last three years. This steady growth in membership is not only due to the Membership Committee’s endeavors, but also to the efforts of numerous volunteers in various committees. The annual conference with its media coverage, the PsiberDreaming conference, and three regional conferences brought in new members this year. In addition, IASD social networking sites and the new IASD brochure-invite increased membership. If you know someone who might enjoy the many facets of IASD, please encourage them to join. Knowledge and creativity are discovered in a diverse and growing population!

If you are interested in contributing to the Membership News, please do not hesitate to contact me: degreig2002@yahoo.ca

Be sure to join our Facebook group page. We have 625 friends and growing! In addition, let your Facebook friends know about IASD’s fan page (with 1289 Likes), and its website. Also, check out IASD’s new page on Google+.

4th IASD European Regional Conference:
The Dream Connection Post Conference Report

The September 7-9, 2012 conference took place in a haze of sunshine in the beautiful city of Bern, Switzerland, home to the artist Paul Klee (1879-1940). Presenters from 14 countries delivered 26 papers and 8 workshops that explored the role of dreaming in the areas of psychiatry, phenomenology, neuroscience, art and more.

Keynote speakers included philosopher Thomas Metzinger, who raised questions about minimal phenomenal selfhood, OBEs and lucid dreams; psychoanalyst Ralf Binswanger, who outlined a new approach to Freudian dream theory; and psychotherapist Lutz Wittmann, who shared his work on post-traumatic nightmares and Image Rehearsal Therapy.

There was a lucid dreaming track that ranged from lucid dream induction to lucid art, and a track that looked at the continuity between waking and dreaming. Art Funkhouser and Mark Blagrove led morning dream groups, and the workshops that ran parallel to the paper presentations gave participants the opportunity to come together imaginatively and therapeutically while experimenting with different dreamwork techniques.

At meal times, participants could amble into the historic town Centre to enjoy the sun and the river views, and on Saturday night we shared a traditional Swiss Raclette.

A new dreamer was born just days before the conference - Jola Sun, whose arrival made her father’s job as conference host a little more complicated! Her birth seemed an auspicious symbol for the spirit of discovery that was present throughout The Dream Connection.

Congratulations to host Daniel Erlacher and members of the conference team who expertly orchestrated and brought together writers, philosophers, clinical therapists, artists and scientists to create a buzzing forum for the exchange of information and ideas about dreaming. It was an outstanding result of regional cooperation and continuing regional development which made this conference a success.

Thanks to Clare Johnson who submitted the conference report.  

Current and Upcoming Regional Events 2012-2013

New England, USA Regional: “The Creative Power of Dreams”
January 12, 2013, Regis College, Weston, MA. Host: Curtiss Hoffman

For millennia, creative people in all cultures have relied upon their dreams for inspiration. Come and celebrate the creative power of dreams at this one-day IASD regional conference! Keynote speakers are Deirdre Barrett, the author of The Committee of Sleep, and Ernest Hartmann, the author of The Nature and Functions of Dreaming. In addition, there will be a performance of excerpts from Curtiss Hoffman’s Gilgamesh Cantata, based on dream texts from C.G. Jung’s Red Book and using musical themes derived from dreams. Additional speakers will present papers on various aspects of dreaming and creativity.

Pre-registration will be available by late October, as well as a more complete listing of speakers and topics and transportation information for getting to Regis College. Registration will be $68 for IASD members, $78 for non-members, and $48 for students and those with limited incomes. This fee includes registration and a catered lunch.

Contact: Curtiss Hoffman, teximus@comcast.net