Abstract Index Conference Index

ABSTRACT

Panel: Psi Dreams: Normalizing the "Paranormal" Through Practical Applications,
Rita Dwyer, (Chair), Vienna, VA.

Since earliest times, cross-time and cross-culturally, records were made of dreams which were seen as unusually important and acted upon, exceptional dream experiences which included instances of precognition, telepathy, spiritual guidance, miraculous healings, visits from the deceased, warnings and premonitions, among others. These phenomena are still occurring today but our scientifically oriented culture has labeled them anomalous or paranormal, NOT normal, not to be considered seriously.

Yet they are VERY normal and very helpful, as in one panelist's experiences with the US government's remote viewing project for finding political prisoners, downed aircraft, and other uses he may be unable to share for security reasons. A physicist, he will share insights based on the historic past and current quantum physics theories, and his ideas about the connection of time, synchronicity and psi events, as well as what we can do in the NOW to access these gifts which are ours, though often disowned.

Dreams may provide innovative answers to stalled and stale waking life problems, whether in business and industry, in creative ventures of every sort, in personal and interpersonal relationships, or in mundane choices, without there ever being what might be considered a remarkable psi component on recall. Though some psi dreams have a numinous quality and messages we can find and follow, many are quite ordinary-seeming though still encoded with psi content. There is sometimes an obvious calling, creative flow, warning or invitation from beyond the ordinary that is worthy of addressing and expressing, a psi connection deep within self that is seeking recognition in order to function, not only well, but heroically and inspirationally to others.

Deeper looks will be taken into practical ways to use this psi information we are given such as prodromal dreams, other health warnings and advice for treatment, for transitions such as birth, when we might dream of the birth of our future children, as well as the other end of the spectrum, our possible deaths which we can sometimes avoid, or to ease the final passage for ourselves and our loved ones. We'll discuss how can we use these dreaming gifts in an interpersonal way, dedicating our dreams to another to find answers to current problems, such as with the tried and true Dream Helper Ceremony.

Beyond this current worldspace, there is yet another level, where numinous events occur and divine guidance appears without asking, with miracles ready for the manifesting. All of these topics will be explored but time will be allotted for participants to share some of their own experiences and advice.

Individual Presenters, Titles, Abstracts:

Marc Barasch, Boulder, CO: Transformative Dreams of Health and Healing

The Greek fathers of modern medicine, Galen and Hippocrates, counseled physicians and patients to pay close attention to their dreams. Even Freud noted that subliminal cues from the body might manifest in symbolic "prodromal" dreams, and there is a small but growing minority of medical professionals willing to consider dreams as a possible adjunct to conventional diagnoses. But besides the inherent trickiness of interpreting dream-symbols when someone's health or even life is at stake, dreams often seem more bent upon spiritual growth than physical cure: What is good for the soul and salubrious for the body, they seem to say, are not necessarily identical. Looking at dreams of illness and healing, it is striking how often they seem to comment on an "inner agenda" embedded or reflected in a physiological process. No matter what, dreams seem to say, mind and body are inextricably wed.
(Marc Barasch is the author of Healing Dreams, The Healing Path, and coauthor of Remarkable Recovery. He has been an editor at Psychology Today and Natural Health magazines, and is a former editor in chief of New Age Journal. He is also an internationally known lecturer, TV writer, and film producer.

Rita Dwyer, Vienna, VA (Chair):Transition Dreams: Life and Death

Dreams light our way from birth to death and beyond. Transitions will be discussed, with a particular emphasis on the practical use of dreams of death and dying. The view that dreams of death are purely metaphoric is supplanted by studies which show that we are often given warnings of serious illness and death, events which can be avoided if appropriate measures are taken. However, even when death is inevitable as it is for everyone, dreams can be helpful in preparing for the passage from this physical existence. Dreams seem to provide the hope of continuity of consciousness beyond this life, and to provide comfort for those who are grieving. The value of using dreams in settings such as Hospice, nursing homes and senior centers, bereavement groups, etc. will be discussed.
(Rita Dwyer is a former research chemist, coauthor of papers and patents in the aerospace field, ASD Founding Life Member, Chair of the Board (1987-90), Past President (1992-93), Executive Officer(1993-99). A founder and facilitator of the Metro D.C. Dream Community, Rita is also a writer, lecturer, and certified pastoral counselor. )
Dale Graff, M.S., Prince Frederick, MD: Precognition and Synchronicity:
Implications for Actionability of Psi Dreams and Remote Viewing

This presentation explains (1) that our natural psi abilities are potentially available to anyone at most any time; (2) that psi information can be perceived in a variety of ways depending on needs, circumstances and cognitive preferences; and that (3) taking action on psi data is not uncommon and can be successful.

To illustrate these observations, I provide examples from the parapsychological research literature, from STARGATE operational projects and from personal experiences that include spontaneous incidents and experimental successes.The various types of paranormal experiences can be referred to as psi phenomena and include extrasensory (ESP), remote viewing, precognition or other terms. To add theoretical credibility to psi, I explain how certain theories and findings in quantum physics, such as quantum synchronicity, provide clues as to how psi phenomena might occur. Findings from parapsychological research show how psychological and neurophysiological factors are variables in the psi process, and provide clues on how best to understand and apply psi data.

To illustrate the actionability of our natural psi talent, I use examples from the extensive spontaneous case studies performed by Dr. Louisa Rhine and cite my own observations that support a scanning model for psi. In this model, psi can occur anytime but is most apparent and most easily available to most people when asleep and dreaming. However, psi can also be experienced while awake, which is a practical requirement for most applications. The STARGATE program used primarily an awake state for remote viewing, although other type psi experiences occasionally occurred spontaneously.

To illustrate the variety of ways psi can occur I consider both conscious perception and unconscious responses as avenues for psi to manifest. Conscious perception refers to remote viewing or the perception of psi through any other sensory mode. This includes dreams, since a remembered psi dream becomes a conscious experience. Unconscious psi perception refers to psi motivated action through hunches, intuitions and synchronicities. I explain how synchronicity is a form of psi that operates subconsciously to nudge our path, or the paths of others, into a meaningful intersection.

The key to understanding the actionability of psi is to be aware of the ways in which psi data can be achieved or responded to, and to develop appropriate action strategies. I show how remote viewing data was evaluated and applied in examples from STARGATE and describe a few of my own intuitive hunches and precognitive dream experiences that were acted upon, some potentially life saving; I explain why precognition is the most common spontaneous psi experience. I relate synchronicity with precognition and suggest that synchronicity is also a common "actionable" psi experience and is probably the most robust psi effect available to anyone.

Thus, given synchronicity as evidence of an ongoing scanning activity, then other forms of psi such as remote viewing, and psi dreams, can also be available. Psi is only a synchronicity, or dream away.

My examples include the use of precognition to locate a fugitive and the use of ordinary and lucid dreams to identify where a hostage was being held.
I conclude by reminding participants that being open to psi in whatever form it may manifest can certainly enhance efficiency in professional, personal or social activities, but most important: it can be life saving.

(Dale Graff is an internationally recognized lecturer, writer and researcher on psi topics. He is a physicist and a former director of project STARGATE, the government program for research and applications of remote viewing phenomena, and the author of Tracks in the Psychic Wilderness and River Dreams.)

Rosemary Ellen Guiley, Arnold, MD: Miraculous Dreaming

Historical and contemporary anecdotal evidence shows that miraculous events can occur in dreams, changing life in dramatic ways. In the classical world, healing dreams were documented. In the literature of the saints, we find many cases of bilocation, healing and mutliplication of material things (such as money or food) occurring in dreams followed by physical validation of the dream event. Many contemporary accounts point to the same phenomena.

The presentation will examine these key questions: What is it about the nature of dreams than enables miracles to occur, and would they occur without dreams? Is there anything we can do to foster miraculous dreaming? What sort of "miraculous dream action plan" can we formulate?

The panel presentation will coordinate with, but not duplicate, my proposed workshop on "High Dreamwork for Spiritual Guidance."

(Rosemary is the author of Dreamwork for the Soul, The Encyclopedia of Dreams, Dreamspeak: How to Understand the Messages in Your Dreams, Breakthrough Intuition and A Miracle in Your Pocket, as well as 20 other books on spiritual, metaphysical and inspirational subjects. She is a member of the ASD Board of Directors and a lay facilitator of numerous dream workshops. )

Anjali Hazarika, Ph.D., India--Use of Dreams and Intuition in Business/Industry

Creativity is an essential ingredient in business. It does not always mean new products or services. It may just be new ways of marketing and new ways of delivering. Creativity requires stepping outside the boundaries. Recent advances in information and communications technologies are breaking the boundaries between countries and cultures, between domains of different disciplines. The area of operations of business is limitless just as the area of operation of dreams and intuition. This presentation will highlight how elective dreams can be used to find creative solutions to business problems, to develop knowledge capital and to stimulate creativity of individuals, teams and organizations.
(Dr. Hazarika is currently the Director of the National Petroleum Management Programme, a learning network of oil industry organizations in India. As a management trainer and corporate consultant Dr. Hazarika introduces business executives to the art and practice of dreamwork and the Founder President of the Forum of Women in Public Sector.

Robert Van de Castle, Ph.D., Charlottesville, VA: Interpersonal Psi Dreaming--The Dream Helper Ceremony

When we have personal dreams in which we experience some form of interaction with significant others , it can often lead to valuable insights about important aspects of our relationship with that individual, In the Dream Helper Ceremony that Henry Reed and I
co-developed , the goal is to incubate interpersonal dreams containing appropriate metaphorical images that will enable a designated target person to better understand their interactions with the significant others in their lives . Several examples will be given of how others have been helped through this practical application of psychic dreaming.

(Robert Van de Castle is Professor Emeritus of the Health Sciences Center at the University of Virginia. He is a former president of ASD (1985-6), a former president of the Parapsychological Association. (1970), co-author with Calvin Hall of The Content Analysis of Dreams (1966), the author of Our Dreaming Mind (1994), and Consulting Editor of the SUNY Press Series on Dreams.)