Dreamweaving: An Embodied Experiential Dream Group Process

We are dreaming together, always.

Introduction

I have been exploring and crafting a collective approach to group dreamwork for a couple of years now, and am reaching the point where I feel ready to share the process more widely… but still not quite ready for formal publication. I’m sharing it here for subscribers, and for feedback. I hope you are inspired to try it. Comments, questions, suggestions all welcome.

Abstract

Over many years of leading dream groups, I began to wish for a more inclusive method, one that has less of a singular focus on the presenting dreamer and their dream, and one less dependent on the group leader. Dream group processes tend to have a main facilitator guiding one dreamer through their dream, followed by an invitation to group members to offer their sense of the dream. Dreamweaving was conceived as an attempt to make dream group process a more collective one at as many stages as possible. It begins with a group invocation of a dream image, then a collective sharing of these dream snippets or daydreams. Further steps include group experiential exploration and processing of this diverse collection of dream experience and impressions. As the process unfolds, the collective dream begins to take on a life of its own as surprising connections between disparate dream images emerge.

Dream groups are a beautiful way to deepen into a dream, gathering a wider range of impressions and perspectives than we receive when we dive into our dream material alone or with a singular guide. I have led dream groups in many forms for decades, and love how the universality of dream images ultimately holds meaning and depth for all. Still, there is typically just one or two dreamers whose material is explored in any given session. Dreamweaving is a collective dream group process developed with the aim of being equally inclusive of all group members.

Dreamweaving in Brief

The method begins with an invocation, an inwardly experiential process for each group member to invite a short dream or fragment that seems to want attention. For example, if a group member has a long, complex dream they want to share, the process invites them to find the particular image from the dream that wants to be shared in this way. Or someone without a dream image could invite a waking dream character to spontaneously appear….