Dream Work
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 dreams can shed light on our hopes, wishes and longings as well as illuminating our underlying fears and preoccupations.
Dreams can unlock our creativity and help us find solutions to difficult problems. When dreams are shared in a therapeutic group, they often bring to light wider social, cultural and existential concerns. Dream-sharing groups allow us to tap into the social and collective unconscious, learn from the perspectives of others and seek containment from the group as a whole.
Creative Dreamers Group
Creative Dreamers is a therapeutic dream-sharing group. This group offers a welcoming space for anyone interested in working with dreams through sharing and dialogue with others.
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 and sense of belonging.
Dreams are an under-used creative resource. They contain the personal, the social and the archetypal. 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 new enquiries for this group.
In between meetings, group members are invited to experiment with keeping a dream journal.
The group will be provided with resources to help with self-reflection and the opportunity to learn and apply some models from transactional analysis (TA).
Who is a creatives dreamers group for?
To benefit from this group you will be:
- Interested in 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.
- Able to attend regularly and respect the confidentiality of the group.
If you would like to explore joining a 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.
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.
My current fee for online 1:1 therapy sessions is £60 per 50 minute session.
The fee for Creative Dreamers is £28 per 90 minute session.
Find out more
Contact me to find out more about joining a therapeutic dream sharing group.