Congratulations on deciding to start your own dream group! I'm sure it will be an adventure for you. Have you and your other group members worked in dream groups before? If so, you may want to talk about whether the format or techniques you are familiar with are ones you want to continue in the new group. If not, then you are wide open to suggestion!
Finding People
This can be challenging, but not impossible! You may first want to check with
friends to see
if
anyone has an interest in starting a group. If not, or if you don't find enough
people, you may want to try putting up a flyer at a local metaphysical bookstore.
You may also want to consider joining one of the Dream
Tree’s regional dreamers’ discussion lists – it is free, and a great way
to connect with people close to where you live, and let them know about your
desire to start (or join) a group.
Group Membership and Size How many people you want in the group? And does everyone gets to work a dream each time? If the group is meeting weekly, it's easier to wait to work one's own dream until the next time, but if the group meets twice a month, you may want to give everyone an opportunity each time to work a dream, otherwise it could be a month or more before someone gets a chance to work their own material. Personally I like to have 5-6 people in a group, including the designated facilitator, and meet for about 2 hours. That way everyone will have 20 minutes to work their material and interact with others while they are working theirs.
Time Commitment You may want to get a time commitment for the group before it begins (say 3-6 months at established dates and times) and ask people if they would like to contribute a nominal fee (such as $1 each meeting) to cover refreshments (sometimes paying helps people stay more committed). It sometimes takes a little while for a group to bond, but once it does the depth of the work that can be done is incredible, so if the meetings or attendance are haphazard it can defeat deeper connections within the group.
Group Leadership There are basically two kinds of groups: those without facilitators or leaders (known as "peer" groups), or those with leaders. Gayle Delaney in her book "Breakthrough Dreaming" offers a variety of dream interview techniques which can be used in a peer dream group, as well as suggestions on starting a group itself. In my experience, one of the things that sometimes can happen in peer dream groups is that, without someone being assigned (even in a rotating fashion) as a facilitator or interviewer, the group can become unfocused and the work less meaningful to all the dreamers, so, personally, I think it's important to have one person responsible each time for leading the dreamworking process, and assuring that the interactions and comments of others in the group are respectful and responsible. If you choose to have a leaderless group, you may want to read some of Jeremy Taylor's books (especially "Dream Work") to get an idea of how to keep things moving and maintain boundaries. (Another book, by the way, that I like for interviewing purposes, is Will Phillips book "Every Dreamers Handbook".)
Group Format and Process The format of the evening process should be considered and decided upon ahead of time. Most groups like to have some kind of a check-in or housekeeping period where, for 10 minutes or so, people can bring news to the group, share dream art or books, provide follow-up on something from the last meeting, or just share a life situation or event that is up for them. Some groups also spend a few minutes in silence or meditation to center on the work ahead, or light candles at the beginning of the group to bring something desireable in and extinguish them at the end of the group to let go of something pertinent to the dreamer. Having some kind of ritual helps to provide structure for the dreamwork itself.
Ground Rules or Guidelines
for the Group
It's important to lay down some "ground rules" for everyone at the beginning
of the group, addressing such issues as confidentiality, dreamer's authority
to interpret his/her own dream, respecting time limits and each other, and
taking responsibility for feedback given to a dreamer. These are the guidelines
I use in my dream groups:
We agree to:
1. Respect Confidentiality. To create a safe environment for opening up to each other's dreams, we agree that what is said in the group stays within the group. Sharing dreams is a deeply personal experience, and may sometimes reveal parts of ourselves that we need support in keeping private or confidential.
2. Respect the Dreamer's Knowing. Although a shared dream can become a collective experience, only the dreamer can interpret his/her dreams. We agree to respect the dreamer's own sense of what their dreams mean for them, and refrain from telling another person what we think their dream means. A dreamer has no obligation to share a dream, or discuss a dream which has been shared, if they do not wish to.
3. Take Responsibility for Our Feedback to Others. Any insights we may have about a shared dream are filtered through our own psyche and life experiences. We agree to frame our comments, feedback, and remarks to another dreamer in the first person context of "If this were my dream….", treating the dream as if it were our own for interpretive purposes.
4. Tell Our Dreams in the Present Tense. To foster a "here and now" feeling about a shared dream, we agree to tell (or read) our dreams as though they are occurring at the time of the telling. This allows everyone to become more involved in the feelings and energy of the dream as a living event. We also agree that the dream comes first - and that we will wait until after the dream is told to convey background, waking life information about, or surrounding the dream.
5. Attend and Participate. We agree to listen carefully and with our full awareness to dreams which are presented, and to avoid interrupting the dreamer for any reason. We also agree to ask questions, provide feedback, and express appreciation as appropriate to better understand the dream from our own personal perspective.
6. Experiment with Many Ways of Dreamworking. Just as each dream has many meanings, so there are many avenues we may take to approach understanding our dreams. We agree to be open to new techniques and ways to explore our dreams together.
7. Keep the Dream Alive Between Our Meetings. We agree to look for ways in which we can keep the dream energy flowing in our waking lives, and to share the results of that experimentation with each other when we meet again.
(c) Peggy Coats, The Dream Tree, 2000
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Starting Your Own Dream Group |