ABSTRACT
The Introduction to Dreaming, Healing and Imaginative Arts Practice sets outs the aims, personal voice, theoretical underpinning, practical application and structure of the book. The aim is to encourage readers to use their dreams as a resource for creative growth and personal healing. The Introduction explains that a personal voice and form of address is used throughout the book but especially in the practical exercises so that communication is more direct and accessible. Several thinkers are used to fuel ideas for interpreting and working with dream content; however, Gaston Bachelard, Michel Foucault, Sigmund Freud, James Hillman, Carl Gustav Jung, Friedrich Nietzsche and Maurice Merleau-Ponty provide frequent inspiration. Although Freud’s ideas loom large in this book, I explain that I do not subscribe to his overtly sexual interpretation, but instead I consider Freud’s theories in a whole of life and death cycle. The need for imagery in dream work is emphasised in the Introduction and the book’s abundant use of images which are generously provided by students and artists is discussed.
The Introduction explains that the book is primarily a practical resource with numerous exercises designed to address dream experiences. As such Dreaming, Healing and Imaginative Arts practice is written for the general public, practitioners in creative therapies, and students of art and psychology. The book is divided into six chapters, each dealing with different topics, briefly outlined in the Introduction. Each chapter has a list of references which also serve as a resource for further study and exploration. The nature of dreaming and methods of recording the images are the focus of the first chapter. Questions of identity and understanding the self through dreaming are dealt with in the second chapter. The third chapter situates the dreaming self in a place and space and provides exercises for creating a safe space. The fourth chapter considers movement dreams, and what different types of movement might tell us about our psyche. The fifth chapter addresses the ambiguous object in dreams; here exercises from the Surrealists are adapted for understanding the uncanny nature of things in our dreaming and imagination. The sixth chapter brings us firmly into our bodies with a focus upon sensory memories and dreams. The Conclusion gives wings to the faith intrinsic to this book and reminds us that we are not alone. The introductory explanation of all chapters sets the scene for creative explorations with a variety of materials that incorporate mindful approaches to connecting with our unconscious so that we may find courage and peace.
