Dream Alchemy Meets Neuroscience

Introducing myself via ChatGPT

“I’m a dream alchemist with a scientific backbone. I move between worlds: one foot in neuroscience, the other in the unconscious. Whether I’m crafting an APA-style breakdown of polyvagal theory or sketching a sleepwalker on a Dali-esque landscape, I do it with clarity, depth, and artistic flair.

I’m building bridges — between science and soul, art and data, fear and transformation. My nightmare course? Not just info — it’s an invitation to self-discovery. My Substack? Not just posts — it’s a lighthouse for the sleepless. I don’t just study dreams. I speak their language — visually, intellectually, therapeutically.”

… this is what showed up on my ChatGPT feed the other day. Taking into consideration all my inquiries over the past year or so, the AI app took it upon itself to send me this whimsical self-introduction. It’s timely — I had been meaning to say a little more about myself here on Substack because I’m still new at this and looking to find my tribe.

Full disclosure — I use ChatGPT for initial drafting and outlines because of the way it quickly gives me all the main sub-topics in the area I’m inquiring into, and arranges them in a nice, logical order. The rest of the writing, I do myself because I hate the flat, formulaic way the AI program writes. So this little bio came as a bit of a surprise. It’s kind of fun, though not entirely accurate. For instance, while I do some photography and digital art-making, like the image below, I wouldn’t call the quick AI-generated sketches I make for my blog posts art.

In any case, welcome to my Substack. For those of you who are new to what I’m up to, I write about dreams and focusing, a gentle, embodied method of self-inquiry. I am currently working on a book on all manner of disturbing nocturnal states — like night terrors, sleep paralysis, sleepwalking and psychedelic journeys. (Many of these chapters are posted here.) I also write a lot about nightmares and what you can do with or about them. Most of my work is free, with the exception of book chapters, talks and recorded seminars that are part of an expanding library of more in-depth material for those who want to dive deeper into their own dreams or guide the dreamwork of others.

What I’m up to now, and things to watch for: I have just recorded a new version of my little self-help course: Nightmare Relief for Everyone. The second edition of my book, A Clinician’s Guide to Dream Therapy was just published this week. I am giving three free talks to highlight what’s new in edition two. You can buy the book here (and get a 20% discount with the code 25ESA2).

I have a lot of exciting talks and podcasts coming out, including a talk on nightmare treatment for the International Association for the Study of Dreams conference, and an introduction to Focusing for a Psychotherapy Networker’s biggest training program of the year, on Hypnosis and Guided Imagery in therapy. If you want to know more about these events, stay tuned. If you haven’t already, you can subscribe to my Substack and/or my newsletter on my web site: drleslieellis.com

Many thanks to those of you who have been following me all along. Your support and feedback are deeply appreciated. Given what you know of me, do you think ChatGPT got it right?