I'm in a dream sharing group. I love it. It is one of the most sacred events in my schedule. It's rare in modern life to find community that is so mutually supportive. I feel heard and helped. I listen and support others. I feel my need for caring human contact and I feel needed.
The group I'm part of is both a dream sharing group and a training group for fledgling dream workers. Most of us are health care practitioners of one kind or another. Almost all of us already do dream work with our patients and clients, or wish to.
Everyone who joins commits to a minimum of one term (3-4 months of monthly meetings). This way a feeling of group safety can develop. We have a core group of true regulars who have rarely missed a meeting over the past few years. A few others are semi-regular depending on work and travel schedules. New members are invited to simply observe for their first meeting. On their second visit they can bring a dream of their own to share, but not yet participate in feedback or facilitation of others' dreams.
At each group meeting we hear dreamers' reflections and follow-ups from response homework to dreams shared at last month's meeting. Next, 2-3 members share dreams. The group works with each dream in turn. Members share the role of dream worker, helping the dreamer to make a resonant connection between the dream and his or her waking life, and to develop a practical response to the dream ("what is the dream asking for?"). Chris Sowton is the group facilitator, providing guidance to group members in the dream work. We use the dreamreading method described in Chris' book. He regularly helps us get oriented, and often debriefs the dream with us, showing us how an individual dream fits in with the larger motif map.
To quote our facilitator, Chris Sowton, "if you're not already part of a dream group…would you like to be? If there isn't one up and running in your area already…would you consider trying to start one? Do you have clients or patients who you think might benefit from being in a dream group? If so do you have somewhere to send them?
"This was the subject of a recent radio interview I did with Patti Allen on her show Dream Investigator. In case you didn't catch it live -- here's the link, you can put it on your must-listen list..."
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/joycafenetwork/2013/06/03/patti-allen-dream-investigator-the-power-of-dream-sharing
Robert Bosnak's book "A Little Course in Dreams" includes two chapters describing working with dreams in a dream group. In the "Maggie in San Francisco" chapter and the "Underwater" chapter, Bosnak invites us to "attend" a few of these dream group sessions. Bosnak calls it a dream practicum. The group works on participant's dreams as a way of demonstrating and experience different ways of working with dreams. As always, with this book, I love the frank and revealing way he starts the "Maggie" session: "I've worked the whole day and I feel the aversion and repugnance that always comes up in me when I publicly work on dreams, because with dreams you never know. With most dreams, you get the feeling there's nothing you can do, and yet you've got to do something (p. 74)."
Bosnak begins by asking his class to check in. "How do your feet feel? Your legs? A little pain in the knees. Take another look. Your stomach, your heart, your neck. What kind of mood pervades you?... The purpose of this introspection is to know what's going on inside yourself, at least a little bit, so that you can detect changes while listening to a dream. A dream brings a certain atmosphere with it (p. 75)." This check takes about two minutes at the beginning of the practicum. More than just to mark the baseline, this quiet time also tunes the participants to the inner world and makes the room where the work will happen feel more intimate.
He asks Maggie to tell her dream twice. "First, I urge Maggie to tell us the dream I the present tense, not just as a story, but as a direct recollection... to function as a tour guide... as graphic and precise as possible (p. 76)." He notes that she closes her eyes to concentrate and that many of the other participants also have their eyes closed. (Medical professionals such as MDs or NDs tend to take notes during patient visits; one advantage of taking notes is that the dream worker can read the dreamer's own words back to them, in order to help achieve a connection with waking life; a disadvantage of note-taking is that it can make it harder for the practitioner to enter into the dream's atmosphere with the dreamer.)
After Maggie tells her dream (the first telling is on pages 76-77 and the second telling on pages 78-79), Bosnak asks the practicum participants to share their initial impressions. They may note things such as how detached Maggie seemed, or their own personal feeling of sadness at a key moment in the dream. When the dreamer is not very connected, the atmosphere and feelings may be transferred to those listening. Feeling bored while listening to a dream is another sign that that the dreamer is dissociating.
On the second telling, Bosnak asks his group to switch their attention from their own reactions to the details of Maggie's dream world. Now, what strikes the listeners about the images? What angle grabs their interest, calling them to ask questions? "The craving for associations is spontaneously coming to the surface. You hear the images and you begin to wonder about things you would really like to hear more about from the dreamer in order to be able to imagine the specific context (p. 80)." If a word association or pun comes up, it can be a great lead to follow, Bosnak adds, but first, stay close to the "reality of the dream images" - stick to the image and try to enter it; later it may help to associate more freely, but this is likely to lead toward the person's complexes rather than focusing in on what this dream in particular is trying to say. After listening (twice), it is time for associations that "remain directly bound to the dream elements (p. 81)." On the topic of asking questions, Bosnak recommends asking a more open, general question to begin, and gradually zoom in. Something like: "What comes to mind when you think of San Francisco," followed later by "Where are we in the city? Does that square in San Francisco remind you of anything (p.82)?" At the same time, the inner work of asking questions connects to "pushing" the dreamer more deeply "into the dream image, so that she experiences the dream from inside (p. 83)." The dreamer begins to connect more and more to the moods of the dream. To move beyond this point, to begin to help the dreamer connect the mood of the dream to the mood of her waking life or her childhood requires intimacy. "When working on dreams in a group setting," Bosnak explains, "it is of great importance to make an accurate assessment of how much intimacy a group can bear. The more personal the material that is brought into a group, the greater the cohesiveness of the group must be. Otherwise the dreamer soon feels that his or her very sensitive material is being exposed to a cold observing eye. In such a case, feelings of overwhelming shame can easily develop. Dreams can be worked on much more profoundly in a group where there is a cohesive bond of intimacy (p. 84)."
Part 4 of Gayle Delaney's book "Living Your Dreams" is called "Getting Your Show on the Road". This section leads with the book's chapter 12 (p. 291) and offers tips on how to start a dream group. She notes that people studying dreams "benefit tremendously from watching other dreams and interviewers struggle, and finally succeed, in posing artful questions that elicit insight without imposing external preconceptions (p. 292)." She compares working in a dream group to meeting up with other second-language students to practice speaking.
The groups that are part of Delany and Flowers' "dream center" meet for 1.5 hours weekly and participants attend for at least 1-2 years; many participants continue for much longer. She recommends finding assistance from an experienced professional, but if you can't find one in your area, she encourages dreamers to form groups based on the guidelines she outlines in this chapter. She suggests 4-6 members, all who keep a dream journal. My own experience with a larger group has been fantastic - although each member doesn't get to bring a dream as frequently (maybe once every 3 months at our monthly meetings), we get to hear and work on a dreams from a wider variety of dreamers. Delaney suggests meetings of 2-3 hours in length, between 1-4 sessions a month (depending on member schedules). She stresses the importance of a "nonjudgmental atmosphere of trust and joint adventure... established from the beginning (p. 293)" and of confidentiality.
Delany suggests that everyone bring their dream journal to meetings, and suggests opening with a preliminary discussion on what people have been reading, thinking or studying about dream work recently. In her groups, one dreamer brings a dream each session and the other members take turns interviewing. She says the best dreams to pick are recent ones with highly charged feelings or that are baffling for the dreamer. The facilitator coaches the interviewers and helps when they get stuck. "If the dream is told in the present tense and first person," Delaney explains, "the immediacy of the dream experience will be enhanced (p. 295)." Next, the dreamer describes any work they've done or discoveries they've already made about the dream. Interviewers take turns interviewing; other members are encouraged not to interrupt so as not to disrupt the train of thought. "The interview should be pursued until the dreamer has an "aha" or aesthetic experience of the dream (p. 296)," according to Delaney. She has noticed that interviews take longer in the beginning, and go more quickly as group members gain experience. Once the "aha" moment happens, it might be good to debrief: "Which attitudes, which questions, were most productive? Where did the interviewers lead the witness...? How best to rephrase awkward or pushy questions (p. 296)?" Delaney ends the dream group by inviting the dreamer to "relive the dream by telling it one more time with feeling (p. 297)."
The group I'm part of is both a dream sharing group and a training group for fledgling dream workers. Most of us are health care practitioners of one kind or another. Almost all of us already do dream work with our patients and clients, or wish to.
Everyone who joins commits to a minimum of one term (3-4 months of monthly meetings). This way a feeling of group safety can develop. We have a core group of true regulars who have rarely missed a meeting over the past few years. A few others are semi-regular depending on work and travel schedules. New members are invited to simply observe for their first meeting. On their second visit they can bring a dream of their own to share, but not yet participate in feedback or facilitation of others' dreams.
At each group meeting we hear dreamers' reflections and follow-ups from response homework to dreams shared at last month's meeting. Next, 2-3 members share dreams. The group works with each dream in turn. Members share the role of dream worker, helping the dreamer to make a resonant connection between the dream and his or her waking life, and to develop a practical response to the dream ("what is the dream asking for?"). Chris Sowton is the group facilitator, providing guidance to group members in the dream work. We use the dreamreading method described in Chris' book. He regularly helps us get oriented, and often debriefs the dream with us, showing us how an individual dream fits in with the larger motif map.
To quote our facilitator, Chris Sowton, "if you're not already part of a dream group…would you like to be? If there isn't one up and running in your area already…would you consider trying to start one? Do you have clients or patients who you think might benefit from being in a dream group? If so do you have somewhere to send them?
"This was the subject of a recent radio interview I did with Patti Allen on her show Dream Investigator. In case you didn't catch it live -- here's the link, you can put it on your must-listen list..."
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/joycafenetwork/2013/06/03/patti-allen-dream-investigator-the-power-of-dream-sharing
Robert Bosnak's book "A Little Course in Dreams" includes two chapters describing working with dreams in a dream group. In the "Maggie in San Francisco" chapter and the "Underwater" chapter, Bosnak invites us to "attend" a few of these dream group sessions. Bosnak calls it a dream practicum. The group works on participant's dreams as a way of demonstrating and experience different ways of working with dreams. As always, with this book, I love the frank and revealing way he starts the "Maggie" session: "I've worked the whole day and I feel the aversion and repugnance that always comes up in me when I publicly work on dreams, because with dreams you never know. With most dreams, you get the feeling there's nothing you can do, and yet you've got to do something (p. 74)."
Bosnak begins by asking his class to check in. "How do your feet feel? Your legs? A little pain in the knees. Take another look. Your stomach, your heart, your neck. What kind of mood pervades you?... The purpose of this introspection is to know what's going on inside yourself, at least a little bit, so that you can detect changes while listening to a dream. A dream brings a certain atmosphere with it (p. 75)." This check takes about two minutes at the beginning of the practicum. More than just to mark the baseline, this quiet time also tunes the participants to the inner world and makes the room where the work will happen feel more intimate.
He asks Maggie to tell her dream twice. "First, I urge Maggie to tell us the dream I the present tense, not just as a story, but as a direct recollection... to function as a tour guide... as graphic and precise as possible (p. 76)." He notes that she closes her eyes to concentrate and that many of the other participants also have their eyes closed. (Medical professionals such as MDs or NDs tend to take notes during patient visits; one advantage of taking notes is that the dream worker can read the dreamer's own words back to them, in order to help achieve a connection with waking life; a disadvantage of note-taking is that it can make it harder for the practitioner to enter into the dream's atmosphere with the dreamer.)
After Maggie tells her dream (the first telling is on pages 76-77 and the second telling on pages 78-79), Bosnak asks the practicum participants to share their initial impressions. They may note things such as how detached Maggie seemed, or their own personal feeling of sadness at a key moment in the dream. When the dreamer is not very connected, the atmosphere and feelings may be transferred to those listening. Feeling bored while listening to a dream is another sign that that the dreamer is dissociating.
On the second telling, Bosnak asks his group to switch their attention from their own reactions to the details of Maggie's dream world. Now, what strikes the listeners about the images? What angle grabs their interest, calling them to ask questions? "The craving for associations is spontaneously coming to the surface. You hear the images and you begin to wonder about things you would really like to hear more about from the dreamer in order to be able to imagine the specific context (p. 80)." If a word association or pun comes up, it can be a great lead to follow, Bosnak adds, but first, stay close to the "reality of the dream images" - stick to the image and try to enter it; later it may help to associate more freely, but this is likely to lead toward the person's complexes rather than focusing in on what this dream in particular is trying to say. After listening (twice), it is time for associations that "remain directly bound to the dream elements (p. 81)." On the topic of asking questions, Bosnak recommends asking a more open, general question to begin, and gradually zoom in. Something like: "What comes to mind when you think of San Francisco," followed later by "Where are we in the city? Does that square in San Francisco remind you of anything (p.82)?" At the same time, the inner work of asking questions connects to "pushing" the dreamer more deeply "into the dream image, so that she experiences the dream from inside (p. 83)." The dreamer begins to connect more and more to the moods of the dream. To move beyond this point, to begin to help the dreamer connect the mood of the dream to the mood of her waking life or her childhood requires intimacy. "When working on dreams in a group setting," Bosnak explains, "it is of great importance to make an accurate assessment of how much intimacy a group can bear. The more personal the material that is brought into a group, the greater the cohesiveness of the group must be. Otherwise the dreamer soon feels that his or her very sensitive material is being exposed to a cold observing eye. In such a case, feelings of overwhelming shame can easily develop. Dreams can be worked on much more profoundly in a group where there is a cohesive bond of intimacy (p. 84)."
Part 4 of Gayle Delaney's book "Living Your Dreams" is called "Getting Your Show on the Road". This section leads with the book's chapter 12 (p. 291) and offers tips on how to start a dream group. She notes that people studying dreams "benefit tremendously from watching other dreams and interviewers struggle, and finally succeed, in posing artful questions that elicit insight without imposing external preconceptions (p. 292)." She compares working in a dream group to meeting up with other second-language students to practice speaking.
The groups that are part of Delany and Flowers' "dream center" meet for 1.5 hours weekly and participants attend for at least 1-2 years; many participants continue for much longer. She recommends finding assistance from an experienced professional, but if you can't find one in your area, she encourages dreamers to form groups based on the guidelines she outlines in this chapter. She suggests 4-6 members, all who keep a dream journal. My own experience with a larger group has been fantastic - although each member doesn't get to bring a dream as frequently (maybe once every 3 months at our monthly meetings), we get to hear and work on a dreams from a wider variety of dreamers. Delaney suggests meetings of 2-3 hours in length, between 1-4 sessions a month (depending on member schedules). She stresses the importance of a "nonjudgmental atmosphere of trust and joint adventure... established from the beginning (p. 293)" and of confidentiality.
Delany suggests that everyone bring their dream journal to meetings, and suggests opening with a preliminary discussion on what people have been reading, thinking or studying about dream work recently. In her groups, one dreamer brings a dream each session and the other members take turns interviewing. She says the best dreams to pick are recent ones with highly charged feelings or that are baffling for the dreamer. The facilitator coaches the interviewers and helps when they get stuck. "If the dream is told in the present tense and first person," Delaney explains, "the immediacy of the dream experience will be enhanced (p. 295)." Next, the dreamer describes any work they've done or discoveries they've already made about the dream. Interviewers take turns interviewing; other members are encouraged not to interrupt so as not to disrupt the train of thought. "The interview should be pursued until the dreamer has an "aha" or aesthetic experience of the dream (p. 296)," according to Delaney. She has noticed that interviews take longer in the beginning, and go more quickly as group members gain experience. Once the "aha" moment happens, it might be good to debrief: "Which attitudes, which questions, were most productive? Where did the interviewers lead the witness...? How best to rephrase awkward or pushy questions (p. 296)?" Delaney ends the dream group by inviting the dreamer to "relive the dream by telling it one more time with feeling (p. 297)."