Dreamwork and groups both have their own particular benefits. Dreamwork encourages us to tap into creativity, intuition, and play --capacities that are native to us all, but that many of us don’t get to exercise enough. Groups, meanwhile, offer community, ritual, and a chance to deepen our relational skills.  

Maybe most profoundly, both dreams and groups offer potent ways to get beyond ourselves, and I find that these beyonds dovetail together beautifully. Dreams give us images and motivation to share what’s mysterious and ‘other’ within us. On hearing our dreams, our peers --with their different backgrounds and experiences-- may join us in our feelings, and may also recognize and help illuminate what we find strange. When the group is working its best, connecting with others can bridge us back to parts of ourselves we’re disconnected from. 

The process is rooted in the belief that everyone in the group has something different and valuable to contribute. So whether we’re “lending out” our own dreams or “borrowing” those of others (these are terms from “projective dreamwork,” which I use in group), each of us contributes something specific and personal to a collective project. The experience of this collaborative process can be as meaningful as any particular insight it inspires.

Group dreamwork is for those who are curious to try it! Past dreamwork experience is welcome, but not required; folks will be invited to draw from whatever ways of knowing (ethnic, spiritual, vocational, social, artistic, and otherwise) they have at hand. Diversity of all kinds is an asset, and the group will commit to upholding anti-oppressive norms. 

Participants are not required to be in therapy, though some may find this a useful adjunct. Because dreams can evoke intense feeling, group members should feel comfortable enough calibrating their own vulnerability, and be confident in their access to resources (and I can make referrals, if requested). I’ll speak with all potential group members at least once in advance to help ensure the practice is a good fit. 

As this is not a formal therapy group, the rules around conflict of interest are much less rigid. Participants can connect outside the group space if they choose, and are welcome to join with a friend (this can take the edge off a process that can feel vulnerable). My colleagues and acquaintances are also welcome to join. In order to maintain the boundaries of my therapy practice, however, I can’t accept any of my individual clients into my dreamwork groups.

No, this is not therapy, though it shares some key features. Like therapy, group dreamwork offers a supportive structure for introspection and exploration. And, as with many collective and/or creative activities, it encourages folks to connect with others, and to make meaning together, which itself tends to be a real boon for emotional and spiritual well-being.

Certain models of therapy do inform my perspective on dreamwork; notably, these tend to be those that make their methods accessible outside of professionalized settings. These include Internal Family Systems, Focusing, and Narrative Therapy. I’m versed in psychoanalytical approaches too, and share analyst (and dreamgroup innovator) Montague Ullman’s conviction “that dream work should extend beyond the consulting room to the public at large.” 

Another phrase I read years ago sticks with me: “half clinical and half literary” (this was in a book review for Olivia Laing’s The Lonely City). I hope to bring a spirit like this to my group dreamwork facilitation. I’ll certainly draw on my therapist skills, and my training in group facilitation, to offer a safe-enough container for feeling and connection. Equally, my academic background in philosophy and my writing practice (largely in poetry; sometimes in criticism) will inform how I lead, as will any number of relational roles and social locations I occupy.

I live in, and host virtual sessions from, Tiohtià:ke/ Mooniyang/ Montreal. This is unceded Indigenous territory that has long been a gathering place for the Haudenosaunee and the Anishinaabeg. The Kanien’kehá:ka Nation in particular are recognized as the longtime stewards of this place “where the currents divide/unite” (this is a translation of Tiohtià:ke). Folks joining dream groups from elsewhere are invited to use this tool to learn more about the land where they live.

Acknowledging the land we meet from is part of an embodied and decolonial approach to dreamwork. This approach also cues us to consider our dreams as natural, living phenomena; to relate to them in ways that don’t seek to master or exploit; and to respect that many cultures beside and before us (including those whose land we live on, and/or those of our ancestors) had and have their own sacred traditions of sharing dreams.

Feel free to consult this program from my most recent dream salon (printable booklet here). It’ll give you an introduction to the main principles I use in group dreamwork, and includes a “group script” template (this just serves as a starting point; the process is always evolving). 

And here’s a list of (just some!) accessible, relevant resources: Robert Bosnak’s A Little Course on Dreams ; Leslie Ellis’ online resources; Ione’s Listening to Dreams ; Clarissa Pinkola Estes’ The Beginner’s Guide to Dream Interpretation ; Richard Schwartz’s No Bad Parts ; Lisa Marciano, Deb Stewart, and Joseph Lee’s Dream Wise (and their podcast).

If you have recommendations (particularly for resources from outside the Western psychological perspective) please feel free to send them along!