DEEPENING INTO THE FELT SENSE OF DREAMS

An introduction to focusing-oriented dream exploration
By Dr. Leslie Ellis

March 17, 2023 from 1:00 – 2:30 pm Pacific time
A free (or pay-what-you-can) seminar

Engaging with dreams in an embodied, experiential way brings the depth of their meaning to life for the dreamer. This is not an intellectual exercise, but a somatic approach that is deeply informed by focusing, a gentle, profound method of embodied inquiry.

My students have told me again and again that focusing is what sets this method apart from other dream therapy approaches. Focusing was developed by philospher and psychologist Eugene Gendlin. Some of his unique contributions to working with dreams include finding help, bias control and applying his philosophy of the implicit to dreams.

DEEPENING INTO THE FELT SENSE OF DREAMS - [Recording]

An introduction to focusing-oriented dream exploration
By Dr. Leslie Ellis

March 17, 2023 from 1:00 – 2:30 pm Pacific time

In this workshop, I will touch into Gendlin’s philosophy about what dreams are and how to engage with them. He says dreams are always unfinished as because of this, when we re-enter them and allow them to carry forward, there is immense possiblity in this process. Gendlin said dreams bring ‘just what you need’ and I will explain what he meant by this.

In our last webinar, I spoke about how to find help from a dream, so in this one, I will spend a bit more time on bias control, a method Gendlin developed to help counter the natural bias we all have to read what we already know and expect into our dreams. In fact, dreams always bring something new, something from the edge of the implicit realm that wants to be known. They challenge us at times, so there is a temptation to avoid, ignore or prematurely think we understand what they’re about.

With a focusing approach to dreams, we slow down, feel the dream’s impact in our own bodies, and presume that we know nothing about this dream. We bracket out what we think we know, and listen to our internal, moment-to-moment felt sense about the dream, especially the parts of the dream we want to ignore. This is where the greatest growth comes from.

AGENDA FOR THE SESSION

A brief introduction to focusing, with experiential practice
Applying focusing to dreams: tracking the felt sense
Bias control, and how to use this with your own dreams
Demo and Q/A session

Get A Copy of the Recording..

ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Dr. Leslie Ellis

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. For more than 10 years she offered a Vancouver-based focusing certification program for practicing therapists. She now certifies clinicians to work with dreams and nightmares via an online program, and also teaches with the Jung Platform and Polyvagal Institute.

Dr. Leslie Ellis

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MORE TESTIMONIALS...

I am always trying to improve my programs, so I asked my most recent cohort how their comfort level and ways of working with dreams have changed over the past year as a result of participating in my Embodied Experiential Dreamwork program. It is so gratifying to hear how many deepened and freed up their relationship to dreams.

“This program teaches you a powerful way to work with your own dreams and those of others. My connection to my dream life has deepened considerably as result of this program. I have developed reverence for and love of my dreams, and I feel this has had the secondary impact of me increasing compassion and tenderness towards myself. I also have enjoyed working with others' dreams in group processes. It has brought heart-opening connection during these uncertain times.”

“Now that I’ve had direct experience of doing dreamwork as a client, I know that it works and I have a sense of what it feels like when it does work. I have more trust in the process as well as an intellectual framework and steps in a process that can guide me when doing this work with clients.”

“Now I am less worried about meaning or interpretation and more focused on experience and body sensations. In this new path, I found more creativity.”

“Leslie has a beautiful gift of creating an open and safe place for people to share dreams. Her presentation skills are top-notch. She never seems rushed, and presents in a clear and concise manner. This class was worth every penny. Not a single minute or dollar was wasted. Taking this class was one of the best decisions I ever made.”

“You will increase your confidence to work with your own dreams and the dreams of others. You will have a greater understanding of trauma-related nightmares and how to work with them… and you will be in the hands of an expert in dreams and dreamwork. Leslie is always looking for new research and keeping us updated during the course.”

“Loved it. I really appreciated the quality and content. It helped me grasp the concepts and bring them into practice… Leslie is an excellent instructor whose passion for dream work is contagious!”

“I would recommend this course without reserve. It gave much more confidence going forward with my own and others’ dreamwork.”