Safety is the treatment, but a moving target — and love is the answer
The following is a brief review of some key concepts from Clinical Applications of the Polyvagal Theory (Stephen Porges & Deb Dana, Eds., Norton, 2018). It is now well understood that until our trauma clients genuinely feel safe, no healing will take place. “Cues of safety are the treatment,” according to Dr. Stephen Porges. His Polyvagal
I was asked recently to recommend some books for new therapists. I offered my favorites, Irvin Yalom’s The Gift of Therapy, Eugene Gendlin’s Focusing, and Jacquelyn Small’s Becoming Naturally Therapeutic. They were not really what the intern was asking for, which was specific techniques, solutions and more certainty about what to say in sessions. I
Dream therapy works: Study shows diagnostic and transformative power of clinical work with dreams
In Angela’s dreams, there was always a similar theme. In them, she was climbing a mountain, an impossibly-steep slope that seemed to tower ever-higher so that no matter how hard she tried, she could never get to the top. Sometimes she met obstacles, weather, darkness, various elements that hindered her journey. Then one day, the
Whether and how to work with traumatic nightmares: An example from Auschwitz
Many therapists I am teaching to work with dreams have expressed hesitation in working directly with their clients’ most challenging nightmares. They express a concern that talking about these highly disturbing dreams will stir up their client’s fears, possibly reinforce them and generally make matters worse. In a recent blog post, I presented some evidence
Do we benefit from dreams whether we work them or not?
There are varying schools of thought about whether we can benefit from dreams even if we don’t work with them. At one end of the spectrum is the notion that dreams don’t do anything for us at all. At the other end is the idea that dreams are a piece of unfinished process that moves
Personal dreamwork example: Evolution dream
In the last couple of posts, I wrote some suggestions about working with your own dreams, and now I’m going to give you a personal example of what I’ve done with an impactful dream I’ve been carrying around with me for the past month or so. Other dreams have come and gone, but this one
Work with your own dreams using ‘bias control’
In the last post, I introduced a few ways to work with your own dreams: by writing them down and journaling about your impressions and associations, by drawing them and by embodying the emotion the bring and letting it stay with you to mull over. There is another way that is so useful it deserves
How to work with your own dreams: Stay engaged with them
I’m feeling celebratory because yesterday I pressed ‘SEND’ on the very last step in writing my book on the clinical use of dreams. Happy and tired, like I’ve just given birth – which, in a way, I have. Now I want this long-term labour of love to be read widely, and to reach those it’s
Nightmares are easily treatable, though too few seek help
Taken together, the nightmare studies presented at the recent (June 2019) conference for the International Association for the Study of Dreams (IASD) offer compelling reasons for those who suffer from nightmares to seek any kind of treatment, and as soon as possible. The studies suggest that virtually all nightmare treatments are effective, and that the