Mindful Dreaming: Honoring the Tension of Opposites in our Dreams
David
Gordon, PhD, is a Clinical Psychologist from Norfolk, VA and
IASD Membership Chair. He has given workshops and presentations
throughout the US and Canada. His book pending publication,
Mindful Dreaming: Ten Steps to Mindfulness We Learn from our
Dreams, explores the lessons in mindfulness dreams teach us.
Abstract
This workshop
is based on the assumption that emotional and spiritual growth is
the result of learning how to negotiate the ever-present tension
of opposites between ego desires conditioned by family and society
versus the calling of our wiser Self to transcend these
conditioned thoughts and desires—the work of healing.
I have found that this tension is
expressed in five archetypal or universal conflicts present
throughout most dreams: Distraction versus solitude; control
versus surrender; attachment versus letting go; judgment versus
compassion; impatience versus acceptance of the present moment. It
is our responsibility to practice mindfulness of these conflicts
in waking life and our dreams encourage and guide us in this
effort while also reflecting the progress we are making—for better
or worse.
In this workshop I devote the first
30 minutes to a didactic presentation of the above paradigm. The
remainder of the workshop utilizes a Taylor or modified Ullman
group process approach to working with dreams volunteered by
participants. Workshop members are assisted in identifying the
five archetypal conflicts present in their dreams and are provided
with exercises in mindfulness to practice in waking life.
The dreamwork process is never
intrusive and group members are required to own all discussion of
a dream as projection: “If this were my dream... .”
