Welcome Dreamers!

When: June 6th (Sundays through June 27th)
Time: 6:00 - 7:30pm
Where: Zoom
Who: Limit 5 participants
Price: $25 each session
Payment: Please pay through my website. Just go to the ‘RESOURCES’ link on the top right and then ‘PATIENT INFO’. Look for ‘Dream Time Group’.

Please call Dr. Shackelford at (210) 602-3002 with any questions. Leave a voicemail and she will call you back.

I will send a Zoom link to your email before the Session. Please have ready at your table:

1.  Computer 
2.  Water or tea or something other--your choice
3.  Your dream ( we will work on only one dream for this 4 week period)
4.  Dream journal and dream typed out that you want to work with.
5.  A drawing pad and color markers, crayons and or oil crayons etc.

Working With Your Dreams as They Work You
What follows is a step-by-step process for working with your dreams and learning how to dialogue with them and express their images:

1.  Keep a dream journal or large yellow pad with a big black magic marker by your bed.

2.  Upon first beginning to open your eyes, scribble down any images or story line that comes to you. Don’t worry about accuracy. There is no right way for your writing and scribble to look on the pad.

3.  After collecting your dream in this way, thank your dreamand then immediately using the images and word description you jotted down rewrite your dream in the present tense.You can use a computer or rewrite in your dream journal. 

4.  Write the dream story down in the present tense as in ”I am walking etc.” In this way we are honoring the dream process and becoming more aware of the fact that the dream is always present always being dreamed. It is only the limitations of our consciousness perspective that confines the dream to a last night when I was sleeping event. Now your dream is alive in your present waking life.

5.  Sit with the dream. Check in with your self. Ask your self these questions. What makes this dream remarkable, scary or mundane? What images or story in the dream is curious inspires you or makes you frightened. What about this dream calls to you, evokes strong feelings etc. Describe the dreams ambiance, (dark, light, moving, familiar, etc.).

6.  Lets look at the landscape of the dream. Is your dream a big picture landscape with deserts, oceans or a neighbor hood, city?

7.  In your imaginational psyche where would this particular dream hale from---from a kingdom, or content, is it a high or low place, hidden, mysterious, a cave or glade, garden, wilderness, a dangerous place or warm and welcoming. Describe the wholeness of the dream.

8.  Lets use active imagination to go to a lucid “twilight dreaming” exercise:

·     Repeat the dream story to yourself over and over.
·     Put yourself in the dream.
·     Close your eyes.
·     Feel the dream images wash over you and carry you alone in the images of the dream.
·     Allow yourself to sense, feel, see, smell and hear anything new in the dream.
·     Stay with what ever comes forward in your “twilight lucid dream state” 
·     You can write down what ever you experience after this lucid state.

9.  Pick an image from this twilight exercise and draw it. Anything will do even scribbles --- try to capture the mood evoked in your twilight lucid state.

10.  Ask the question. 
·     Is there any figure in the dream in need of special attention, is strange, scary, revolting.
·     How might this aspect of life, this figure be alienated, ignored, or represent some part of myself I have failed to honor.
·     What have I ignored? If we look at our dreams very carefully, we can more often than not find some disowned part of our psyche begging to be loved and seen.
·     Place yourself within this image and ask it, “ What do you have to say to me?” Try to only speak in the voice of the image rather than your own voice.  

11. Continue active imagination with this disowned image from your dream. Create a dialogue and ask this dream figure to forgive you if needed, using their language, for instance: a lost child cry, scared mouse hiding, abandoned pet seeking affection, can caged bird may want freedom etc. Work to make your emotionally charge image the message, this is the language of the psyche.

12. Be immersed in the dream images that resonate with you. What else might your dream image feel?  Try this exercise with whatever object, animal figure image, animate or inanimate, you feel most drawn to as you survey the landscape of you dream. You can draw, write songs, poetry, paint and dance around and sing, what ever evokes truth to you and feels right.

13.  Now choose to honor this dream image when you go home. Create a dream altar. Sit with this your dream images and active imagination work and dialogue with your dreams. Ask what they want. What figure, image or emotion is asking for, a prayer, a ritual, write draw, sing, dance, and honor your dream gift. Psyche will reward you attention to your dreams.

14. These notes: 
“Working with Your Dream Images as They Work you, “ are the insights, notes and writings of DR. Tiffany Baugher given in a workshop at the Houston Jung Center in 2011. She was my colleague, and friend and I thank her for her brilliant teachings and work in how to keep your dream work images present and alive bringing rich consciousness into waking lives. Thank you Tiffany for sharing your work so we can continue to contribute to the life of the dream.