DREAM BULLETIN, JULY 2022: VOL 9:2
Editorial:
Dear <<First Name>>,
Welcome to our mid - winter bulletin in which we hope to provide some interesting dream-related reading while you all hunker down at home these cold and wet evenings. In this issue we present members’ reports from a number of meetings including our recent AGM, as well as our regular content covering articles, books, dream reports and upcoming events:
- This year’s AGM was held online and our president, Louise Belcher, reports on the election results, as well as my webinar on Teenagers’ Dreams as indicators of mental health issues as well as potential transformations.
- Two new members are welcomed onto the Executive Committee and one of them – Di Batchelor - introduces herself with a brief bio. She also offers to deliver a webinar on Robert Hoss’ method of dreamwork at some time in the future, which we look forward to.
- Margaret Bowater reports on a free online Jungian Dream Summit which she attended over Matariki Weekend. She also delivered highlights of this report at our recent online DNANZ monthly meeting on Monday 18th July, 7 - 8.30pm. Of particular interest was reference to the inclusion of myths and folktales connecting to the dream ego. Margaret also suggested we Google the Jung Platform which provides relevant articles from many of these speakers, at moderate fees.
- In Dream Corner Caroline, a psychotherapist, presents a personal dream account on nurturing a cold distressed cat, warming it up in her arms. She relates the dream to a healing re-awakening of her instincts, internalising a positive Mother archetype.
- In Book Corner Margaret Bowater reviews a very interesting article from Dreamtime Magazine on why brains dream. It explains the chemistry of the brain and how certain chemicals are down-regulated whilst another is activated to weave old memories and emotions with new, creating new stories.
- In Research Corner, whilst reviewing an article called Dreams, Synchrony and Synchronicity - Part One by Terry Marks-Tarlow, Jeni McGarry describes a highly complex theory of dreams as examples of fractals (infinitely complex patterns in dynamic systems).
- Finally, there is an outline of upcoming events and meetings.
Enjoy the articles that follow and I wish you all fruitful, enlightening dreaming.
by Margaret Bowater
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THE AGM
1. OUR ANNUAL MEETING – Brief Report
 Our 8th AGM was held on 13th June, on Zoom because of the prevalence of Covid this year. In her Annual Report, Louise described how we had had to cancel our Conference at St Francis Retreat  Centre, but replaced it with our first Webinar weekend, on Science and Soul in Dreams. Eric presented the Financial Report, still showing a healthy credit balance, after refunding everyone’s fees for accommodation.
- The Executive members were re-elected as follows:
President: Louise Belcher; Vice-President: Jeni McGarry; Secretary: Margaret Bowater; Treasurer: Eric Bowater; Members: Caroline Bensinger, Marie Brand, Bev Rosevear-Kaho, Margaret Thorne; plus two new members: Di Batchelor of Masterton, and Jill Griggs as representative of the Wellington group.
Our presenter for the evening’s webinar was Lynette Papp,  previously a senior School Guidance Counsellor, who now has a private supervision practice. The webinar was based on her work with teenagers’ dreams: “Windows of Opportunity” (as named by a student). Here is Louise’s report: Lynette is a very engaging presenter and highly experienced in working with teenagers’ dreams. She discussed two case-studies: one in which the night-mares revealed a serious risk of suicide; and one in which she supported a disabled student to move from despair to achievement and hope. This presentation highlighted a significant factor in the current drive to improve mental health in our society. Teenage nightmares not only reflect the struggles of teenagers in difficult social and family situations but also give warnings of potential suicidality. Lyn’s presentation was the highlight of our AGM, and very well received by all who attended.
Louise Belcher.
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2. INTRODUCING DI BATCHELOR
 Hi. My name is Di Batchelor. I live at Mt holdsworth, near Carterton, with my husband Chris Petersen and three dogs. I’ve been a teacher, DOC Island ranger, First Aid, fitness and Outdoor Recreation Instructor. I am currently Acting Manager for the local Trade Aid shop in Masterton. I’ve been a songwriter, author and illustrator, and my interests include Fungi, Herbs and of course Dreamwork. I began recording my dreams 20 years ago, and have been attending Dreamwork courses and Conferences since 2017. I completed the Applied Certificate in Dreamwork in 2021.
Di is preparing to deliver a webinar on Robert Hoss’s method of dreamwork.
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REPORT CORNER:
SPIRITUAL DREAMWORK A short report by Margaret Bowater
During NZ’s Matariki weekend, the Jung Platform in Europe presented a free Dream Summit on its website, consisting of a set of 12 hour-long video interviews with leading dream teachers in the Jungian tradition, spread across  four mornings. Most of the interviews were hosted by Machiel Klerk, cofounder of the Platform in 2011, who contributed perceptive questions and reflections to emphasise key points.
- I attended most of the sessions, curious to understand more of Jungian approaches to dreamwork, and picked up a number of guidelines to sharpen my own approach.
- The biggest difference I found was the inclusion of references to myths and folk-tales from the collective wisdom of the world’s cultural and spiritual traditions, offering potential parallels for the story of the dream ego presented by the dreamer. Jung’s underlying belief is that our dreams come to us from the deep Self or Centre of the dreamer – our connection with the Divine in the Otherworld – with the aim of supporting the soul’s growth into wholeness of being, which of course
 includes coming to terms with our Shadow side: not aiming to be Perfect, or Right about everything, but accepting our imperfections.Most of the presenters described collaborative dialogue with the dreamer about finding true meaning(s); and several emphasised the need to honour the dream by following up with action, so that the wisdom of the Otherworld is carried into this world.
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The DREAM SUMMIT – A Jungian Treat
A short Report by Margaret Bowater.
Here are a few comments on some of the speakers.
- Ashok Bedi, a Jungian analyst from India, educated there by Jesuit Catholics, then trained in medicine in the UK and psychiatry
 in Chicago, where he lives; author of several books, including “Path to the Soul.” He presented his integrated philosophy of Eastern and Western views of dreams. In his understanding, the Atman or personal soul is asleep in this material world but awake when dreaming. Dreams reconnect us with the greater, celestial Reality we come from.
Marie Brand was also impressed by Ashok Bedi’s teaching, noting in particular his observation of the “trajectory” layer of dreaming, in which the dream points a way forward in service of family, community or world: “Think how the dream prepares us for the future,” he says.
- Robert Waggoner, a Past-President of the International Assocn for the Study of Dreams and author of “Lucid Dreaming - Gateway to the Inner Self,” spoke persuasively about the power of lucid
 awareness to connect us directly with the “larger awareness” behind ordinary dreaming about our life-concerns. It enables us not to control our dreams but to steer them, like sailors on the sea. But we need to be clear when we ask for guidance, that we are focusing on our spiritual growth, not just material wishes. I have been reading his book with interest.
Michael Meade is an American mythologist who has studied the  myths of many indigenous cultures, and values the insights they carry. He believes that our Big Dreams come from “the Other World,” calling our souls to re-align with our true purpose.
The two women psychologists interviewed, Leslie Ellis and Kim Gillingham (below), both emphasised the need for involving the  body in the process of dreamwork, enabling the dreamer to enter the feelings of the character being explored. Leslie uses Integrative Focusing as her method, and Kim uses direct enactment, often coaching well-known film stars through dreamwork. (But neither of them mentioned the use of Psychodrama! - which is the most effective, in my experience).
Marie Brand watched the interview with Robert Romanyshyn, who likewise emphasised embodying dream figures before trying to interpret their meaning; and described how his dreams had guided him away from academic psychology into becoming a poet and lover of the world of Nature. “I have chosen my destiny by following my dreams,” he says, urging everyone to become “an agent of change,” on a global scale.
Three new analysts, a man and two women, demonstrated how they approached a couple of dreams sent in for “blind” analysis. In each case they paid close attention to the various elements of the dream, deducing probable circumstances, and then identified a theme or folk-tale that it seemed to relate to, as part of a process of spiritual development.
I found all of these interviews fascinating, especially their connection with the underlying theme of spiritual development. You can also look up courses by all these dream teachers on the Jung Platform, or simply on Google.
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DREAM REPORT: 
Re-awakening Instincts
The following dream comes from Caroline, a therapist who says that whenever a client brought a dream it proved a powerful tool to expand the work they were doing, sometimes even “an epiphany of healing.” This is one of her own:
I am somewhere in NZ or Canada, in a house I lived in as a teenager with my mother. She comes in with our cat – mine or hers, I don’t know which. It’s a nondescript colour, grey/black/cream, sodden and wet. Mum has it in a blanket, but I can see the poor creature is really cold. I take the cat, and put it on my forearms to give it maximum warmth and energy. I use my arms and hands to warm the cat. It starts purring. It sounds so reassuring. I wake, feeling reassured somehow.
I discussed the dream with my dream buddy. Together we arrived at these thoughts:
- The forearms indicate taking control, reaching out in my life.
- The cat can represent instincts, which I am reconstituting in my dream.
- There’s something in here about me claiming a sense of Self. If I can heal myself through caring for the cat, I can be more fully in the world.
- It also feels like an indicator of how I am experiencing positive aspects of my real Mother in the present. I don’t have to keep her at a distance any more. I can internalise a positive Mother archetype.
In sharing this dream, I want to show the healing that can be accessed through dreams.
-Caroline.
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BOOK CORNER
WHY DO BRAINS DREAM?
A recent issue of DREAMTIME Magazine (2022, Vol 39:1) carried an interesting  article by Antonio Zadra, a Professor of Psychology in Montreal, who recently co-authored a book with Robert Stickgold, a Harvard sleep scientist, When Brains Dream: Exploring the Science and Mystery of Sleep. They wrote that “For every two hours we spend awake, taking in new information, it appears as if the brain needs to shut down all of this input for an hour to make time to figure out what it all means.” They argue that dreams play a key role in this processing, especially the ability to imagine and explore new possibilities. They call their model of dreaming NEXTUP, ie Network Exploration to Understand Possibilities. In particular,
- Zadra explains how, during REM-sleep, the brain switches off norepinephrine (needed for focus), and increases acetylcholine, to allow wider exploration of associations to current emotional concerns, weaving older memories into the new, creating new stories.
- “When the brain dreams,” he writes, “it activates the neural networks that underlie both our sense of self and our conception of the world, thereby launching us into an immersive and ever-evolving inner journey.” This enables us to observe our reactions to these possibilities, and helps us choose a way forward in reality.
- A valuable contribution of this model is the way it can combine neuroscience with other dream theories to add credibility to the growing science of Dreaming.
Margaret Bowater
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RESEARCH CORNER
Article Review by Jeni McGarry: DREAMS AND SYNCHRONICITY 
While I was researching Synchronicity as a holistic approach to dreams, I came across an article in the Science of Psychotherapy called Dreaming, Synchrony and Synchronicity by Terry Marks-Tarlow. She is a Psychotherapist , Author, Researcher, Artist, Musician, Composer, and edited a book called Fractal Epistemology for a Scientific Psychology: Bridging the personal and transpersonal, by Friedman, Wolf and Shipiro.
- In the article “Dreams, Synchrony and Synchronicity,” Marks-Tarlow is utilising a fractal lens to show the progressive use of dreams in client work and uses a case study to demonstrate how the client’s process of evolution is captured in her dreams.
- She gives an historical perspective of how dreams have been revered throughout history from the Egyptians who had ‘dream temples’ to the Greek healers who used patients’ dreams as diagnostic tools. She also writes how science has been affected by dreams, quoting examples such as the benzene chemical ring postulated by Kekule after he dreamed a ring of snakes, and of how Jung discovered the collective unconscious after a dream in which he descended into the subterranean level of his house.
- Terry Marks-Tarlow has been captivated by the wonder and mystery of fractals, both in nature and mathematical modelling. She also wrote a book called Psyche Veil (2008) in which she explored chaos theory, complexity theory and fractal geometry.
- Marks -Tarlow demonstrates how fractal consciousness works, explaining how fractals contain the whole in its parts. By examining dream fragments you are participating in forming a structure to the dream, so that by the mere action of observing the dream, patterns are revealed in the moment that are also recognised in larger events occurring in the client’s life. She quotes research that shows how the brain processes information by highlighting Synchrony, a way of linking physiological micro-levels with psychological macro-levels through REM sleep, suggesting the borders between self and other are open.
- In reading this article I found that the science showing how dreams have the capacity to expand our consciousness was compelling, particularly how fractal consciousness is an integral feature in dreaming and how this explains the phenomenon of synchronicity……… “Dreams serve as powerful mirrors of the psyche through their holistic potential. Dreams emerge at the edge between conscious and unconscious processes to display fractal properties. A fractal epistemology posits boundary conditions as dynamic zones across different states and scales of existence. Rather than smooth and fixed like a cup cleanly separating inside from outside, fractal boundaries are semi-permeable and infinitely deep, at least in theory and on an endlessly iterating computer (Mandlebrot, 1977; Peitgen,1986; Schroeder, 1991).”
- What was very validating for me in reading this article, is how fractal-consciousness in dreams of her clients covers a vast psychological landscape from attachment wounds to transferences within the client-therapist relationship. In her case study she shows how by regaining secure attachment through the client-therapist relationship she enables improved client interpersonal skills that can lead to increasing self-regulation. In reading this article it reinforced for me how dreams reveal information that we know intuitively and are struggling to get a language for. There is more interaction in the non-verbal energy field than the verbal that allows healing to take place.
- In summary: using a fractal lens through which to view dreams is an effective tool in therapy. The main point is how connectivity between self-similarity is reflected in the parts of dreams that we recognise in the inner and outer world of how we operate. This article has definitely boosted my confidence in being an advocate of how effective dreaming is as a powerful tool in the transformative process of expanding our conscious awareness.
I can’t wait to read her book !!!!! Jeni McGarry
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LOOKING FORWARD:
We hope that you are each continuing to explore dreams in your own field of work and relationships, even though the pandemic is severely limiting our opportunities to get together in practical dream groups at this time. The Auckland and Wellington Dream Network members continue to hold monthly meetings, either in person or on Zoom; and the Network Exec are planning to run webinars on Zoom at intervals, when presenters are ready. These will be notified to you through our Contact List on Mail-Chimp.
You can also read more about us on our website: http://dreamnetworknz.weebly.com. Margaret Bowater’s next 101 workshop is scheduled for 14-15 October, at the Mercy Centre in Auckland. Details are available about her seminars on Margaret’s website: www.dreamwork.co.nz.
Wellington- area members can contact Jill Griggs, on jill.a.griggs@gmail.com for more information about workshops.
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Our website
Note: Karen Field, our Dream Network website manager, has recently upgraded it, with a new website address: www.dreamnetworknz.weebly.com It includes basic information about our organisation, notices about upcoming events, access to join the Contact List, articles about dreamwork, and archives of past Dream Bulletins.
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