Focusing-Oriented Experiential Dreamwork
A 6-month Intensive With Dr. Leslie Ellis
This program is for those in the helping professions who are interested in learning to work with client dreams in a focusing-oriented way. It will appeal to those who want to learn more about focusing, those who want to add an embodied experiential element to their dreamwork practice, or for those new to both dream therapy and focusing. This course can be a stand-alone or part of the larger Integrative Focusing Therapy program which leads to certification as a focusing-oriented therapist (FOT).
An embodied experiential approach to dreams
The trend in working with dreams is toward a collaborative and experiential approach. In this embodied and focusing-oriented approach, dreamers are invited to deeply experience the rich tapestry of their dream worlds and discover for themselves what they dream may be asking or telling them. At the end of the program, students will not only be able to assist clients in experiencing their dreams in richly constructive ways, but they will also have an understanding of the fundamentals of focusing-oriented therapy.
Time: 09:30 AM to noon Pacific time
Dates: every 3rd Wednesday of the month, skipping December
Sept. 20, 2023
Oct. 18, 2023
Nov. 15, 2023
Jan. 17, 2024
Feb. 21, 2024
March 20, 2024
About Your Instructor
Dr. Leslie Ellis is a leading expert in the use of experiential and somatic approaches in psychotherapy, in particular for working with dreams, nightmares and the effects of trauma. She is the author of A Clinician’s Guide to Dream Therapy (Routledge, 2020) and offers many training opportunities in embodied, experiential dreamwork. She has a PhD in Clinical Psychology and worked as a therapist in private practice in Vancouver, BC for more than 25 years. She certifies clinicians to work with dreams and nightmares via her online training programs. This can also lead to certification with The Focusing Institute.
Session 1:
A brief introduction to Focusing (plus resources for beginning focusers)
Experiential practice, demo and overview on embodied experiential dreamwork
Session 2:
Finding help in a dream and other basics steps to begin a dreamwork practice
Dreamwork demo, instructions for dream partnerships and Q/A
Session 3:
Embodying dream elements and characters. Instruction, demo and practice
Session 4:
Dreaming the dream onward: adding active imagination and fluidity of dreamscape. Demo, practice session and Q/A
Session 5:
Working with disturbing dreams and nightmares. Applying what we have learned, maintaining safety, and understanding how the nervous system is implicated in dreaming.
Session 6:
An introduction and experience of working with dreams in groups. Q/A and closing.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The 6-month intensive has two objectives.
First, it is a condensed version of the longer program for those who do not want to invest in a full year of dream study (however it does not lead to certification in dreamwork). Many prospective students asked for a shorter, more affordable option to the one-year certification program, and this is it!
Second, it can be used for credit in the Integrative Focusing Therapy (IFT) program. It is a quicker option for those who want to become certified as focusing-oriented therapists with the International Focusing Institute. (However, the 1-year program can also be used for IFT credit.)
I am planning to offer an advanced dreamwork program for graduates of both the 6-month and 1-year options. I will develop a training option for those in the 6-month program that want to continue on to deepen their dreamwork practice and to be certified as a dreamwork specialist.
Readings, online instruction and dreamwork practice
The course will include assigned readings, and video instruction as well as structured practice with a dreamwork partner beginning after class session 2.
Required texts include:
A Clinician’s Guide to Dream Therapy by Dr. Leslie Ellis
Focusing by Eugene Gendlin
Let Your Body Interpret Your Dreams by Eugene Gendlin