A female sitting at the end of a bizarre garden on a spiral landscape. All items in the scene are 3D

Therapeutic Dreamwork

dreams are like a letter from home baked in a pie

This is how the author and Jungian psychoanalyst Clarissa Pinkola Estés describes dreams.  Dream-sharing has a central place in many traditions, where dreams are treasured as a valuable source of wisdom and insight.

Working with dreams in therapy can offer glimpses into our unconscious processes. When viewed as as a tool to aid self-awareness our dreams can shed light on our hopes, wishes and longings as well as illuminating our underlying feelings, fears and preoccupations.

Dreams are a rich and frequently overlooked gift to ourselves. Attending to our dreams can unlock our creativity and help us find solutions to difficult problems. When dreams are shared in a therapeutic group, in addition to personal insights they often bring to light wider social, cultural and existential concerns. Dream-sharing groups allow us to tap into the individual, the social and the collective unconscious, learn from the perspectives of others and seek and receive support, insights and containment from the group as a whole.

Dreams speak to us in the language of symbol and metaphor and through dialogue, elaboration and associations in the safety of a therapeutic group the dream symbols can be explored and new layers of meaning discovered.

Personal interest in dreams and dreamwork

I have a long-standing interest in dreams and drea-work as route into the unconscious and a source of creativity.  In my individual and group work, I encourage the use of creative techniques to explore dream material.  I set up my Creative Dreamers group during the COVID-19 pandemic, as a way of bringing  people together and creating connections, through the sharing of dreams.

I am fascinated by overlaps between mythology, folklore, fairytale and dreams and their timeless quality.  My current reading and research is centred on social dreaming and I am exploring the ways in which our dreams are shaped by place, community, culture, history and social environment.

My approach to working therapeutically with dreams, draws mainly on transactional analysis and my wide-ranging interests in art, spirituality, story-telling and the symbolic.  All of my therapeutic groupwork is further informed by group analytic theory and practice.

Creative dreamers group

Creative Dreamers is a therapeutic dream-sharing group. This group offers a welcoming space for anyone interested in working with their dreams through sharing and dialogue with others. The group meets online and sessions are held fortnightly.

Dream-sharing is a way to connect with others as we explore unconscious material, in the context of our internal world, our social and cultural environment and our relationships with others.  This can have a range of therapeutic benefits including overcoming feelings of anxiety, loneliness and grief and building greater self-confidence, resourcefulness and sense of belonging.

Dreams are an under-used creative resource. They contain the personal, the social and the archetypal. They offer clues to our deepest feelings and desires. The language of dreams is symbol and metaphor. Like a letter baked in a pie, dreams can hold layers of meaning some immediately obvious, some hidden just beneath the surface.

Working with your dreams and the dreams of others, in a confidential, therapeutic space,  provides opportunities to:  

  • Reflect on past and current events. 
  • Observe and process strong feelings.
  • Explore social and cultural influences. 
  • Consider issues of community, identity and belonging. 
  • Work through problems and difficulties.
  • Make new connections. 
  • Gain from the varied perspectives and experiences of fellow group members. 
  • Ignite your creative spark! 

How does it work?

I offer an online creative dreamers group which meets fortnightly on Wednesday evenings for 90 minutes.  The maximum group size is eight, plus me as group conductor.  I am currently accepting enquiries to join the waiting list for this established online group.  

I am also accepting enquiries for an in-person dream-sharing group. If you are based in the Greater Manchester area and able to commit to attending  fortnightly. in-person sessions please contact me for more information.

In between meetings, group members are invited to experiment with keeping a dream journal. To support your journaling and to help you explore the creative potential of your dreams, there will be opportunities to work with mark-making, collage and poem-making.

As a member of one of my therapeutic dream-sharing groups, you will be provided with a range of resources to help with self-reflection and the opportunity to learn and apply some models from transactional analysis (TA).  

Who is the creative dreamers group for?

To benefit from this group you will be:

  • Curious about dreams.
  • Willing to listen respectfully to the dreams of others.
  • Open to sharing some of your own dreams. 
  • Able to commit to some individual sessions with me to prepare for joining the group.
  • Willing and able to attend regular fortnightly sessions.
  • Able to respect the confidentiality of the group.

When we work with dreams we are working with unconscious material. This can bring up the shadow aspects of the self, the difficult, the painful and the destructive as well as the playful, the creative and the delightful. In a dream-sharing group,  we will encounter a wide range of dream material and associated feelings, memories and experiences.  The group offers a safe and containing space for this material to be discussed, processed and made digestible.

Next steps

If you would like to explore joining a dream-sharing group, we will meet for an initial consultation. This is an opportunity for you to:

  • Tell me more about yourself.
  • Learn about dream sharing groups and my approach.

We will think together about your background, current situation and past experiences of groups. This will help us work out if this type of group is right for you at this time.  The initial consultation is free.

If we decide to go ahead, we will schedule some 1:1 sessions to think more about what you would like to achieve from participating in a dream-sharing group and to help you prepare for joining.

Fees

The current fee for Creative Dreamers Online is £28 per 90 minute session.  Please enquire about in-person fees.

Interested in joining a therapeutic dream-sharing group?

If you're interested in dreams and dreaming and would like to experience working with dreams in a group. I have some spaces opening up in my online group, so please enquire now about joining this established group.

Alternatively, I am planning  a new  therapeutic dream-sharing group beginning in 2026.  This in-person group will meet twice monthly, on Wednesday evenings, at a venue in Wigan town centre.   If you are able to travel to Wigan and can commit to attending regular, fortnightly sessions, please get in touch now for more information.

Find out more

Contact me to find out more about joining a therapeutic dream sharing group.