Decoding Dreams with Dr Leslie Ellis: What They Are Trying To Tell You
In this enlightening conversation, Dr. Leslie Ellis, a leading expert in dreams and unconscious processes, explores the powerful role dreams play in understanding our emotional landscape. She explains how dreams function as a unique form of consciousness, revealing feelings and experiences we may avoid or suppress in waking life. The discussion dives deep into the nature of nightmares, their connection to trauma, and the often-overlooked therapeutic potential of dream work. Dr. Ellis emphasizes the importance of recognizing personal metaphors in dreams rather than relying on universal symbols, and she outlines practical ways to work with dream imagery for emotional healing.
In The Media
The Intense Mind with Imi Lo
Dream Therapy: What Is Your Dream Telling You?
Today we will talk about the fascinating world of dreams with Dr. Leslie Ellis, an expert in dream therapy and analysis. In this conversation, explore the significance of dreams in our lives, how they can serve as a window into our unconscious, and their potential to guide us through emotional healing. Dr. Ellis will share insights into the neuroscience of dreaming, the role of Jungian symbolism, and how dreams can help us process emotions, trauma, and even PTSD.
What Your Mind is Processing at Night Dr. Leslie Ellis
Ever wake up from a dream that felt more real than life—or confusingly symbolic? This episode explores why dreams become more vivid during times of stress or transition, how they mirror emotional processing, and what they might be trying to communicate. You’ll learn gentle, accessible ways to begin making sense of your inner world.
Beyond Trauma
The Trauma Therapist
I recently had the honour of an invitation to guest host on Guy MacPherson’s wonderful podcast, The Trauma Therapist. If you are a therapist and not already following Guy, I highly recommend you do so. In my guest post, I interview a former student who is doing many great things in the realm of trauma therapy and embodiment. Click the link below to listen to my conversation with Ailey Jolie.
How can your nightmare be your friend?
Dr Leslie Ellis explains why nightmares might be shouting for your attention, showing what is unmetabolized in your psyche and maybe even telling you what is needed to help that process. “The antidote is often within the dream itself,” she says. She tells us about her embodied dreamwork method for “imagining the dream forward” to discover a new way through the dream, allowing it to complete in a way that doesn’t disturb your sleep.
As part of her mission to de-mystify nightmare treatment and dreamwork in general, Dr Ellis talks to us about her long experience in working with dreams and nightmares, including her doctoral research on treating the trauma-related dreams of refugees. And she shares her knowledge and enthusiasm for the Focusing work of Eugene Gendlin.
For the Dream of the Week, she shares a delightful dream of a red fox that may or may not be as tame as it appears.
Interview on CBC's The Current
I am always happy to speak with the media about dreams. In this episode, aired Oct. 16, Matt Galloway talks to me and a sleep expert about how Canadians are falling short on sleep and dreams.
Working with dreams and nightmares from a focusing-oriented perspective.
Sophie Glikson interviews Dr. Leslie Ellis: Working with dreams and nightmares from a focusing-oriented perspective. This half-hour interview, posted in summer 2023, covers Leslie’s current thoughts about how to work with nightmares. From here, you can peruse the Focusing-Oriented Therapies channel for much more from Gendlin and other focusing experts.
The Unveil Podcast
Episode 74: A Clinician’s Guide to Dreams, Nightmares, using Dreams for Somatic Awareness and Processing – and Working Deeply with our Dreams Selves with Dr. Leslie Ellis
PTSD, NighTMares & SlEEp With Dr Leslie Ellis
The Sleep Whisperer Podcast – May 24, 2022
An episode about PTSD, Nightmares & Sleep With Dr Leslie Ellis.
WORKING with DREAMS and NIGHTMARES in CLINICAL PRACTICE
Mind Body Training Institute – May 11, 2022
In this webinar, Dr. Leslie Ellis will guide you through the basic skills for working with dreams in an experiential way. She will also describe some simple steps to help reduce the frequency and distress related to client nightmares.
Why do we dream?
Whether we can remember them or not, we all have dreams. How active are our brains when we sleep? Are our dreams telling us something? And, what explains recurring dreams? Mike gets answers from psychologist and author who specializes in dreams, Ian Wallace, and psychotherapist, Dr. Leslie Ellis.
Nightmares and the Nervous System presentation
The topic of how the autonomic nervous system and our dreams are related was greeted with lots of interest and curiosity at the recent meeting of the ‘Polyvagal Approach to Trauma and Addiction group‘ hosted by Jan Winhall and the Polyvagal Institute. In this talk, I presented the evidence I have gathered that links nightmares and the nervous system. I also discussed implications for treatment and fielded many great questions.
There Are NO BAD DREAMS
In this TED-like talk for a Dream Salon in Vancouver, Dr. Leslie Ellis talks about how ALL NIGHTMARES have healing potential, even the worst trauma dreams.
On The FLUID And CO-CREATIVE Nature Of EXPERIENTIAL DREAMWORK
Exploring DREAMS and NIGHTMARES
Dr. Leslie Ellis is with Angela Caruk in a conversation to talk about the clinical use of dreams and why you should pay attention to them.
A Guide to DREAM THERAPY
Dr. Leslie Ellis is with Michael Ostrolenk speaking on the value of engaging clients in dream work, as it helps point out salient emotional concerns, helps limit biased conscious editing, provides new perspectives on issues, and can serve as a diagnostic tool.
Insights Into What Dreams Are About
This interview with Dr. Michael Breus, “The Sleep Doctor” features an impromptu dreamwork session with Michael — who asks about the classic high-school anxiety dream.
What your DREAMS are trying to TELL YOU
Dr. Leslie Ellis joins Jason Wachob to discuss how to interpret your dreams. Plus how to actually remember your dreams, why you should daydream for better sleep, how to use your dreams to make practical decisions, and how to interpret your dreams without a therapist.
Focusing & TRAUMA Treatment
Guy Macpherson of The Trauma Therapist Project podcast goes beyond treatment methods. He asks his guests to talk about how they learned their craft, what drew us personally to the work, and about some of the mistakes we made along the way.
Insights Into What Dreams Are About
This interview with Dr. Michael Breus, “The Sleep Doctor” features an impromptu dreamwork session with Michael — who asks about the classic high-school anxiety dream.
What your DREAMS are trying to TELL YOU
Dr. Ellis joins Jason Wachob to discuss how to interpret your dreams. Plus how to actually remember your dreams, why you should daydream for better sleep, how to use your dreams to make practical decisions, and how to interpret your dreams without a therapist.
