Slowing down, going deeper - yes to your wise words. And so very hard to do, especially the slowing down , for me. Not because of work pressures, I am retired. but life pressures never stop, they just change:). In dream work, and Focusing, and all sorts of contemplation, bringing patient presence to what is wanting attention, is sooo important. How to slow down, especially when paying attention , in inner work, often, to me, seems driven by the same solution focussed, efficiency focussed values that drive most of modern life. In Focusing, I have found Describing - my body sensations, images that emerge, a really helpful way to deepen my process. I like to take a lot of time with this, to get to know more, to show my interest and kind curiosity, in this way. So, as well as describing the physical sensations I am noticing, I sometimes ask 'if this sensation had a colour/temperature/texture/scent/taste, what would that be?' The response has to come from the right brain/imaginal space , already a win :), and these responses are often helpful, and doorways into deeper understanding. Re deeper process, I really like a little book by Dr Yoram Kaufmann, 'The Way of the Image'. Kaufmann is a Jungian analyst. He describes in the book spending 3 hours (!) discussing with a patient an image in the patient's dream. seems a bit over the top, but at the end of the session, the patient was free of a very long term phobia. My theory is that Kaufmann's patience, listening and guiding the patient in this slow exploration of an image, facilitated a profound 'conversation' the client had with their inner experiencing - thoughts, memories, beliefs, sensations etc.
Interesting… so many of your comments resonate. I do love the inquiry that engages our creative, non-analytic way of being, and I also see these as doorways to a more expansive, less hurried way of engaging with our senses. I also want to say that I have had a similar experience to Kaufman (and will revisit The Way of the Image, thank you). I once spent a great deal of time engaging with a client’s image of a dog at a picnic, not really ever discovering its ‘true meaning’. But after that, a lifelong phobia of hers simply disappeared. My great mentor, Eugene Gendlin, would call these non-logical steps. It’s how all truly new ideas, and novel paths forward are found.
How interesting - that you had the same experience as Kaufmann with a client, exploring an image in depth, and somehow ….a phobia resolved. That is amazing, and hard to explain :). I think there are some relevant aspects about aspects of the inner relationship, which also involves the therapist/analyst where relevant. A field is constellated in this relational field , as my Jungian teacher, Dr Michael Conforti, expresses it. A metaphor I like to use to explain this inner/ I tea and interpersonal relationship is meeting someone new at a coffee shop. They want to meet with you, so they turn up ( a dream image snags our attention , or repeats , or a body sensation forms around an issue we are curious about , or blocked in some way, have emotions around that don’t seem inn proportion to the related event etc. ). So in that first meeting, we both / we all take in a lot of information , checking each other out - all the sensory inputs are important. And of course, we are curious ( all of us), and want to know more. So, as we know in real life ( mostly:)), we don’t immediately jump in and say something like ‘Hello, nice to meet you, now tell me your deepest, darkest secrets’. !! But sometimes Focusing and analytic sessions go like this. Ann Weiser Cornell used to suggest ( maybe still does) asking ‘it’ in there , when there is emotion involved ‘ is it ok for me to be with this’. Some people then add finding the right distance a helpful step in this ‘getting to know you/it’ step . You are no doubt aware of all these nuances, but I’m taking the long way round to suggest that the lengthy describing, pottering around various associations etc. , teasing out memories etc. Is a body-centred and led way of allowing a slow, relaxed getting to know you phase for all involved, with no pressure. And, ambling our way around an image , allows for the non-linear, non-logical, whimsical, even fun way of being with what emerges, which can, as you and Kauffman have shared , lead to profound change. I’m sure the clients felt the time and approach was money well spent:)
This resonates with me. The older I get, the more I sympathize with the old witch of the woods trope: a cabin deep in the woods, all alone, save a few cats and chickens? Sign me up! Substack is my place for slowness, too. I'm done bending over backwards for algorithms.
I've had dreams about that cabin in the woods -- rustic, woodsy, definitely cats! I hear you about the algorithms and have stepped off the content train. Fortunately Substack does not seem to mind.
This piece really hit home for me. The imagery of being present with a loving friend or companion is a strong ingredient of a fulfilling relationship and life.
I wonder though (I am a new and grateful guest of your work) how you fit nightmares into the dreamscape? I appreciate the thoughts of playful curiosity and creativity that pleasant dreams can often offer, but the reality of intrusive dreams that linger on (sometimes for days or even weeks…) doesn’t quite resonate in the same way.
I wonder if you have thoughts about what might be helpful or productive in this cycle?
Thank you for sharing. I enjoy your posts and the experiential and research base it reflects. ☮️💜☮️
Thanks so much Tiesa, glad the piece resonated for you. I have written extensively on nightmares — probably the fullest treatment is in book, A Clinician’s Guide to Dream Therapy (Routledge, 2025). Here is a substack piece to get you started - I just removed the paywall. https://dreamsdemystified.substack.com/p/why-do-nightmares-repeat?r=1tgqjy
Thank you, I appreciate this so much. Something in me often scolds my wandering mind, and this piece helps me rejoice instead. Do you know the song Waste by Phish? I only just discovered it. I might be able to pin it here. Just hanging in a beach chair…
I think you need to choose the track from the whole album, (eponymous album!)
It's middle of winter here in Australia and I am very conscious of slowing down and aligning to the season. Loved your article Leslie. Always so well put together.
I look forward to learning from you. My dream life is prolific, often prophetic and has been my best source of healing trauma but admittedly I know there's still so much to learn about the dreaming process itself. I'm really glad I subscribed to you and when my husband and I recover from this last year that drained *everything* I will become a paid subscriber. Thank you for your work.💙
Thank you for this comment, so inspiring for me. I am really happy to hear that you have such an amazing dream life and that you find my writings helpful. I will keep them coming!
Slowing down, going deeper - yes to your wise words. And so very hard to do, especially the slowing down , for me. Not because of work pressures, I am retired. but life pressures never stop, they just change:). In dream work, and Focusing, and all sorts of contemplation, bringing patient presence to what is wanting attention, is sooo important. How to slow down, especially when paying attention , in inner work, often, to me, seems driven by the same solution focussed, efficiency focussed values that drive most of modern life. In Focusing, I have found Describing - my body sensations, images that emerge, a really helpful way to deepen my process. I like to take a lot of time with this, to get to know more, to show my interest and kind curiosity, in this way. So, as well as describing the physical sensations I am noticing, I sometimes ask 'if this sensation had a colour/temperature/texture/scent/taste, what would that be?' The response has to come from the right brain/imaginal space , already a win :), and these responses are often helpful, and doorways into deeper understanding. Re deeper process, I really like a little book by Dr Yoram Kaufmann, 'The Way of the Image'. Kaufmann is a Jungian analyst. He describes in the book spending 3 hours (!) discussing with a patient an image in the patient's dream. seems a bit over the top, but at the end of the session, the patient was free of a very long term phobia. My theory is that Kaufmann's patience, listening and guiding the patient in this slow exploration of an image, facilitated a profound 'conversation' the client had with their inner experiencing - thoughts, memories, beliefs, sensations etc.
Interesting… so many of your comments resonate. I do love the inquiry that engages our creative, non-analytic way of being, and I also see these as doorways to a more expansive, less hurried way of engaging with our senses. I also want to say that I have had a similar experience to Kaufman (and will revisit The Way of the Image, thank you). I once spent a great deal of time engaging with a client’s image of a dog at a picnic, not really ever discovering its ‘true meaning’. But after that, a lifelong phobia of hers simply disappeared. My great mentor, Eugene Gendlin, would call these non-logical steps. It’s how all truly new ideas, and novel paths forward are found.
How interesting - that you had the same experience as Kaufmann with a client, exploring an image in depth, and somehow ….a phobia resolved. That is amazing, and hard to explain :). I think there are some relevant aspects about aspects of the inner relationship, which also involves the therapist/analyst where relevant. A field is constellated in this relational field , as my Jungian teacher, Dr Michael Conforti, expresses it. A metaphor I like to use to explain this inner/ I tea and interpersonal relationship is meeting someone new at a coffee shop. They want to meet with you, so they turn up ( a dream image snags our attention , or repeats , or a body sensation forms around an issue we are curious about , or blocked in some way, have emotions around that don’t seem inn proportion to the related event etc. ). So in that first meeting, we both / we all take in a lot of information , checking each other out - all the sensory inputs are important. And of course, we are curious ( all of us), and want to know more. So, as we know in real life ( mostly:)), we don’t immediately jump in and say something like ‘Hello, nice to meet you, now tell me your deepest, darkest secrets’. !! But sometimes Focusing and analytic sessions go like this. Ann Weiser Cornell used to suggest ( maybe still does) asking ‘it’ in there , when there is emotion involved ‘ is it ok for me to be with this’. Some people then add finding the right distance a helpful step in this ‘getting to know you/it’ step . You are no doubt aware of all these nuances, but I’m taking the long way round to suggest that the lengthy describing, pottering around various associations etc. , teasing out memories etc. Is a body-centred and led way of allowing a slow, relaxed getting to know you phase for all involved, with no pressure. And, ambling our way around an image , allows for the non-linear, non-logical, whimsical, even fun way of being with what emerges, which can, as you and Kauffman have shared , lead to profound change. I’m sure the clients felt the time and approach was money well spent:)
This resonates with me. The older I get, the more I sympathize with the old witch of the woods trope: a cabin deep in the woods, all alone, save a few cats and chickens? Sign me up! Substack is my place for slowness, too. I'm done bending over backwards for algorithms.
Enjoy your peaceful new home.
I've had dreams about that cabin in the woods -- rustic, woodsy, definitely cats! I hear you about the algorithms and have stepped off the content train. Fortunately Substack does not seem to mind.
This piece really hit home for me. The imagery of being present with a loving friend or companion is a strong ingredient of a fulfilling relationship and life.
I wonder though (I am a new and grateful guest of your work) how you fit nightmares into the dreamscape? I appreciate the thoughts of playful curiosity and creativity that pleasant dreams can often offer, but the reality of intrusive dreams that linger on (sometimes for days or even weeks…) doesn’t quite resonate in the same way.
I wonder if you have thoughts about what might be helpful or productive in this cycle?
Thank you for sharing. I enjoy your posts and the experiential and research base it reflects. ☮️💜☮️
Thanks so much Tiesa, glad the piece resonated for you. I have written extensively on nightmares — probably the fullest treatment is in book, A Clinician’s Guide to Dream Therapy (Routledge, 2025). Here is a substack piece to get you started - I just removed the paywall. https://dreamsdemystified.substack.com/p/why-do-nightmares-repeat?r=1tgqjy
Thank you! I appreciate you.
Thank you, I appreciate this so much. Something in me often scolds my wandering mind, and this piece helps me rejoice instead. Do you know the song Waste by Phish? I only just discovered it. I might be able to pin it here. Just hanging in a beach chair…
I think you need to choose the track from the whole album, (eponymous album!)
https://music.apple.com/us/album/waste/73235919?i=73235718
Thank you! I’ll have a listen…
It's middle of winter here in Australia and I am very conscious of slowing down and aligning to the season. Loved your article Leslie. Always so well put together.
Thank you Dan. Yes, the seasons sure can help with finding a humane rhythm.
I look forward to learning from you. My dream life is prolific, often prophetic and has been my best source of healing trauma but admittedly I know there's still so much to learn about the dreaming process itself. I'm really glad I subscribed to you and when my husband and I recover from this last year that drained *everything* I will become a paid subscriber. Thank you for your work.💙
Thank you for this comment, so inspiring for me. I am really happy to hear that you have such an amazing dream life and that you find my writings helpful. I will keep them coming!