Outline -  The way of working known as the Peer Dream Group came
about from our experience that dreams are largely self explanatory if
approached in the right way. An exterior expert or authority is not
necessary for a profound experience of and insight into dreams if
certain rules are respected and used. The dreamer is the ultimate
expert on their own dream, and when treated as such, and supported
in their investigation of their dream drama, they can powerfully explore
and manifest the resources of their inner life..

Fundamentals of Practice -  The suggestions that follow have arisen
from thirty years of dream work. They have been particularly tested
with a number of small groups, and are usually employed with groups
of three to five people, but sometimes with just two people working
together..

        Find a partner you can relax with who can give sympathetic
and non intrusive support. Agree with the partner that any confidences
disclosed during the dream exploration will not be told to others..

        The dreamer tells the dream. It is sometimes helpful, if they
tell it in the first person present, as if they were experiencing the
dream as they are telling it. The telling of the dream can include any
relevant information, such as immediate associations, or events
directly linked with the dream..

Example - This is my dream. I am driving my car, alone. I can see a
female friend and stop to offer her a lift. I partly want her to be
impressed by my new car. She looks at me. Now she tells me she
doesn't want a lift and I am watching her walk off with a man I do not
know. ................... I have recently bought the car I am driving in the
dream. I like it very much and like to have my friends ride in it. (Joel)

        The helpers now ask the dreamer questions to clarify for
themselves the imagery and drama of the dream..

Example - You didn't describe the street you were driving along. Was
it a shopping centre or quiet place?

It was quite a crowded road, with people, not so many cars. I think
this was also connected with my feeling of wanting to be seen in my
new car..

Are you attracted to your female friend?

Yes..
        The dreamer next chooses one of the characters or images in
the dream to explore. The character can be themselves as they
appear in the dream, or any of the other people or things. It is
important to realise that it does not matter if the character is someone
known or not, or whether they are young or old. The character needs
to be treated as an aspect of their dream, and not as  if they were the
living person exterior to the dream..

        In choosing an image to work with, such as a tree, cat, place,
or an environment like the street in the example dream, it must again
be treated as it appears in the dream, not as it may appear in real life..
One can take any image from the dream to work with..

        The dreamer stands in the role of the character or image they
are using. So if they chose to be the car in the example dream, they
would close their eyes, enter into the feeling sense and imagery of
the dream, and describe him or herself as the car..

        Example - I am a car. Joel has recently purchased me, and
he is driving me, largely because he feels I will help him gain respect
from other people. I am quite a large car, and have a lot of power. But
even with all this energy I do not make my own decisions. I am
directed by Joel's desires and wishes, and enable him to fulfil them
more readily..

        From this short description it can already be seen there is a
suggestion the car represents Joel's emotional and physical energy,
directed by his desires and decisions..

        The helpers now ask questions of the dreamer who stays in
the role of the dream character or image. The questions must be
directly related to the role the dreamer is in. So Joel, in the role of the
car, could be asked - Are you a second-hand or new car? Who was
driving you before Joel? Do you feel that Joel handles you well? What
does it feel like to be directed where to go all the time? Do you have
places you would like to go?

        Joel should be helped to remain in role. If he slips out of it
and stops describing himself as the car, gently remind him he is
speaking as the car. Also the questions should be asked with an
awareness of time necessary for the dreamer's adequate response..
So do not hurry the questions to the point where the dreamer cannot
properly explore his or her associations and feeling responses. If
emotions are stimulated by a question allow the dreamer to discover
what the emotion is connected to. By this is meant that an emotion is
usually a response to something, and therefore gives information
concerning what is moving us deeply..

        If a line of questioning is producing promising results, do not
lead the dreamer off in another direction. For instance Joel may have
been asked if he wants to get out of his car and follow the woman,
and show some feelings about this. A question such as 'Are there any
shops in this street'? would take him completely away from such
feelings..

        To help ask relevant questions it is useful to be interested in
the dreamer and their dream. Have a questioning mind in relationship
to the dream. So do not have already fixed opinions about it. Be like a
detective gradually unfolding the information and emotions behind the
dream..

        As the dreamer answering the questions, let your helpers
also know what you feel in response to their questions, or what
memories or associations occur when a particular part of the dream
is being explored..

        Example - Joel: When you asked me if I want to follow the
woman I immediately realised that in real life I am holding myself
back from letting my feelings about her show..

        When you have come to the end of what you can ask about
the dream image, the dreamer should be asked to summarise what
they have understood or gathered from what they have said or felt in
response to the questions. To summarise effectively gather the
essence of what you have said about the symbol and express it in
everyday language. Imagine you are explaining to someone who
knows nothing about yourself or the dream. Bring the dream out of its
symbols into everyday comments about yourself..

        Example - A man dreamt about a grey, dull office. When he
looked at what he said about the office, he rephrased it by saying,
"The dream depicts the grey unimaginative social environment I grew
up in after the second world war. It shaped the way I now think, and I
want to change it toward more freedom of imagination and creativity..

        Work through each of the symbols  in the dream within the
available time..

        A dream that leaves the dreamer unsatisfied, or in a difficult
place, can usefully be approached with the following technique..

 ALTER THE DREAM TO FIND GREATER SATISFACTION. Imagine
yourself in the dream and continue it as a fantasy or daydream. Alter
the dream in any way that satisfies. Experiment with it, play with it,
until you find a fuller sense of self expression. This is like getting back
into the dream, but now you are awake, and are able to see what is
going on with more awareness..

Example - If you are being chased and are running away, you may
have realised through the questions that you are running away from,
or avoiding, directly meeting an anxiety you have about work. So now
you can imagine turning around and meeting whatever it is chasing
you, and acting out in your imagination some way of meeting it as the
image..

Or if you discover a room in your house you have never seen before,
you can now enter it in your imagination and find out what it feels like
- in other words what part of yourself you are finding..

BELOW ARE GIVEN A FEW FURTHER PIECES OF INFORMATION
WHICH MIGHT HELP IN ANY DREAMWORK YOU UNDERTAKE..

THE DREAMER  - Our current 'self image' is displayed by what we do
in our dreams. If we are the active and central character in our
dreams, then we have a positive, confident image of ourself. The role
we place ourself in is also the one we feel at home with, or one which
is habitual to us. If we are constantly a victim in our dreams, we need
to consider whether we are living such a role in everyday life. Dreams
may help us look at our self image from a more detached viewpoint..
We can look back on what we do in a dream more easily than we can
on our everyday waking behaviour. This helps us understand our
attitudes or stance, a very growth promoting experience. It is
important to understand the  viewpoint of the other dream characters
also. Although they depict views other than our dominant ones, they
enlarge us through acquaintance..

 THE ADVENTURE OF THE DREAM WORLD - Dreams give us a
doorway into a strange and wonderful world. Although it appears to
have many of the features of our waking world such as people,
animals, objects and places, it is nevertheless full of subtle surprises
and differences. To enter this world while asleep leaves us largely
unaware of its possibilities. To take waking awareness into our
entrance, as happens when we explore a dream through dream
processing, unfolds the magic impact of what we meet..

When we open the door of dreams in this way we begin a journey. It
has stages, problems to surmount, and things to  learn, just like any
journey. Many people have already travelled before us, and there are
books such as Alice in Wonderland; The Odyssey; Exploring Inner
Space; and Altered States of Consciousness, which describe
journeys and the terrain ..
Although we might meet the heights of religious experience as well
as the depths of human despair on the journey, in simple terms it is
primarily a journey into a confrontation with our own potential, our
own fear, our own prison bars of thought and habit, our own ability to
lift perception beyond what we have known before, and look at the
world, and our life in it, from new perspectives. It is a journey toward
greater maturity in which we face the humbling vision of our own
littleness; the moving encounter with the vulnerable child we once
were; the cleaning out of the store cupboards of resentment, hurt and
anger; the DIY of conscious renewal of our identity; and the meeting
with Love as we experience ourself as a living participant in the
wonder of life. We look at birth, we meet death, we gaze into the vast
depths of space out of which our being has arisen. Then we find
ourselves seeing the faces of the other human beings we live with,
and recognising we are all on the journey, and we only have each
other. Realising we are all waves on a shoreless sea - from no port
we move to no destination - we understand our self responsibility, and
consider what we will to do with the momentum of our life..

POSTURES MOVEMENT AND BODY LANGUAGE Even in everyday
life, the way we hold and position our body, the inclination of chest
and head, the movement of hands, are a means of communication..
The apparently intuitive information in some dreams, when
investigated, can be traced to an unconscious insight into the
language of the living body. We all have this ability to understand
body language, but it seems to be something which is inherited from
our ancient forebears, perhaps developed to an intense degree as a
survival need prior to the growth of verbal language. It therefore
remains a largely unconscious ability. In our dreams, however, it is a
major factor in how the dream is structured..

When exploring a dream it can often be extremely useful to imagine
yourself making the movement or posture in the dream to see if you
can define what the feeling quality is, or what you are saying non
verbally. It can often be of value to make the movement or take up the
posture physically instead of in imagination. By comparing the
movement/posture with another one, it can help to clarify its quality..

Example: "Marilyn was experiencing emotional pain connected with
her impending divorce. Marilyn had dreamt of seeing a dinosaur
standing in her path, devouring all who approached it. We explored it
by having Marilyn find a body posture and movements which for her
expressed the feeling of the dinosaur.  In doing so Marilyn did not
sense anger or aggression, but she did feel like a predator which
always had to TAKE to gain her own needs. This feeling immediately
reminded her of her family life as a child. She remembered when she
was sent shopping as a very young child of three or four, as well as
buying what she had been asked, she purchased some sweets for
herself. When she arrived home she was treated as if she had done a
terrible thing, and that was where she began to feel like a predator.  It
seemed to her as if her own needs were always gained at the
expense of someone else..

With this awareness, she could now see that the dinosaur standing in
her path clearly related to her present situation. Bargaining to gain a
realistic share of the house and property jointly owned by her
husband and herself, felt to her as if she were gaining her needs at
his expense, like a predator. That made her feel so awful, she was
almost ready to allow her husband to take all, leaving her without
house or money to start again. Her awareness of where the feelings
arose from, and the unrealistic part they played in her life, allowed her
to relate to the situation with less pain and more wisdom." From Mind
and Movement, Tony Crisp, Daniel..

IDENTITY AND DREAMS - To have a sense of personal existence
distinct from others may be unique to human beings, and in large
measure due to the learning of language. Jung and Neumann's
studies of the historical development of identity suggest, in an
evolutionary sense, that having an 'I' is still a very newly acquired
function. This makes it vulnerable. It is also noticeably something
which develops during childhood and reaches different levels of
maturity during adulthood. Although it is our central experience, it
remains an enigma - a will o' the wisp which loses itself in dreams
and sleep, yet is so dominant and sure in waking..

In dreams, our sense of self - our ego, personality or identity - is
depicted by our own body, or sometimes simply by the sense of our
own existence as an observer. In most dreams our 'I' goes through a
series of experiences just as we do in waking life, seeing things
through our physical eyes, touching with our hands, and so on. But
occasionally we watch our own body and other people as if from a
detached point of bodiless awareness. If we accept that dreams
portray in images our conception of self, then dreams suggest that
our identity largely depends upon having a body, its gender, health,
quality, the social position we are born into, and our relationship with
others. In fact we know that if a person loses their legs, becomes
paralysed, loses childbearing ability or is made redundant, they face
an identity crisis. But the bodiless experience of self shows the
human possibility of sensing self as having separate existence from
the biological processes, ones state of health, and social standing. In
its most naked form, the  'I' may be simply a sense of its own
existence, without body awareness..

Dreams also show our sense of self, either in the body or naked of it,
as surrounded by a community of beings and objects separate from
the dreamer, and frequently with a will of their own. If we place the
dreamer in the centre of a circle and put all their dream characters,
animals and objects around them; and if we transformed these
objects and beings into the things they depicted, such as sexuality,
thinking, will, emotions, intuition, social pressure, etc., we would see
what a diverse mass of influences the ego stands in the middle of. It
also becomes obvious that our 'I' sees these things as outside itself in
nearly all dreams. Even its own internal urges to love or make love
may be shown as external creatures it has a multitude of ways it
relates to them. If we take the word psyche to mean our sense of self,
then in our dreams we often see our psyche at war with the sources
of its own existence, and trying to find its way through a most
extraordinary adventure - the adventure of consciousness.  One of the
functions of dreams can therefore be thought to be that of aiding the
survival of the psyche in facing the multitude of influences in life - and
even in death..

Another aspect of self which is depicted so vividly in dreams is the
way we create our own Heaven or Hell in life. When we realise each
aspect of the dream, each emotion, each landscape and environment
are materialisations of our own feeling states, we begin to see how
we live in the midst of a world - thoughts, feelings, values,
judgements, fears - largely of our own making. Whatever we think or
feel, even in the depths of our being, becomes a material fact of
experience in our dream. It is almost certainly this inner universe
religion speaks of as heaven or hell. Finding some degree of
direction, mastery or harmony within this world of our own being, is
the great work of individuation or maturity..

INCUBATION - The dream process is quite amenable to suggestion
and conscious influence. It is quite helpful to think of this action as
similar to the process of memory. In seeking information from
memory we hold a question or idea in consciousness, the resulting
associated memories or information are largely spontaneous. The
question held directs what information is taken from the enormous
pool of memory. A question might even call together scattered pieces
of information which are then put together into a new composite, a
new realisation. So the process is not only recall of existing memory,
but creative. It may also access skills, such as the ability to subtract
one number from another..

Because of these factors our conscious queries can influence the
process of dreaming, causing them to respond. As dreams have
access to our full memory our creative potential as well as learnt
skills, such response to concerns or queries are often of great value..

To make use of this, first consider the query as fully as possible while
awake. Look at it from as many viewpoints as possible, talk it over
with others. Make note of the areas that are already clear, and what
still remains to be clarified. Just before going to sleep, use imagery to
put your question to your unconscious resources.  Imagine standing
before a circle of gentle light - a symbol of ones total self - and asking
it for the information sought. Then, as if you have asked a question of
a wise friend, create a relaxed state as if listening for the considered
reply. In most cases, dreams which follow will in some way be a
response to what is sought, though not necessarily in the way
imagined..
 

PLOT OF THE DREAM - In attempting to understand our dreams, it is
important to honour their drama or plot. Dreams appear to be very
specific in the way they use the characters, objects and environs
occurring in them..

Example: "I was walking up a steep hill on a sunny day when my
husband came running down the hill with blood pouring from his right
arm. He couldn't stop running. As he passed me he called to me for
help. I was happy and peaceful and  ignored him. I calmly watched
him running fast down the hill, then continued on my way." Joyce C..

Out of the infinite number of situations Joyce could have dreamt
about, this was the one produced. Why? There are many factors
which appear to determine what we dream. How events of the day
influenced us; what stage of personal growth we are meeting - we
might be in the stage of struggling for independence; problems being
met; relationship situations; past business such as childhood traumas
still to be integrated; are some of them..

If Joyce had dreamt she and her husband were walking up the hill the
whole message of the dream would have been different. If we can
accept that dream images are, as Freud stated, a form of thinking,
then the change in imagery would be a changed concept. If the
language of dreams is expressed in its images, then the meaning
stated is specific to the imagery used..

In processing our dreams, it is therefore  profitable to look at the plot
to see what it suggests. It can be helpful to change the situation as
we have done with Joyce's. Imagining Joyce walking up the hill on a
sunny day arm in arm with her husband suggests a happy
relationship. This emphasises the situation of independence and lack
of support for her husband which appears in the real dream. Seeing
our dreams as if they were snatches from a film or play, and asking
ourself what feelings or human situations they depict, can aid us to
clarify them. As a piece of drama, Joyce's dream says she sees, but
does not respond to her husband's plight..

Our internal 'dream producer' has an amazing sense of the subtle
meanings of movement, positioning, and relationship between the
elements used. Some of these are subtle. A way of becoming more
aware of what information our dream contains, is to use visualisation..
Sit comfortably and imagine yourself back in the dream. Replay it just
as it was. Remember the whole thing slowly, going through it again
while awake. As you do so, be aware of what it feels like in each
scene or event; what do the interactions suggest; what does it feel
like in the other roles? We can even practice this with other people's
dreams. If we imagine ourself in Joyce's dream, and replay it just as
she describes it, one may arrive at a feeling of detachment from the
husband. If we stand in the husband's role we may feel a great need
which is not responded to as we go 'down hill fast'. In this way we
gather a great deal of 'unspoken' information from dreams..

Dream Processing

The following series of questions, if answered freely and flowingly,
lead to a greater degree of dream insight. It is important to speak or
write down any memories, fantasies or thoughts which are evoked by
the questions. The techniques given, such as Taking the Dream
Forward, are skills which can be learnt, so may need practice. We
call this approach DREAM PROCESSING. It aims at gathering the
information embedded in ones dreams, not in  interpreting them..

1 - WHAT IS THE BACKGROUND TO THE DREAM? The most
important aspects of your everyday life may have influenced the
dream or feature in it. Briefly consider any aspects of your life which
connect with what appears in the dream..

Example: "I have a plane to catch. I get to the plane but  the suitcase
is never big enough for my clothing which I have left behind. I am
always anxious about stuff left behind. I wake still with the feeling of
anxiety." Jane. LBC..

When asked, Jane said plane flights had been a big feature of her
life. She had moved home often, travelling to different parts of the
world, leaving friends and loved ones behind. The information in the
dream is therefore how deeply she feels about losing important
people and environments in her life..
 

2 - WHAT IS THE MAIN ACTION IN THE DREAM? There is often an
overall activity such as walking, looking, worrying, building something,
or trying to escape.  Define what it is and consider if it is expressive of
something you are doing in waking life. Activities such as walking or
building a house, need to be seen as generalisations. Walking can
simply represent taking a direction in life..

Example: "I am standing by myself when two men suddenly run
toward me. I immediately go down onto all fours and run away - in the
manner of a monkey."

The main action here is to not stand up. This applied to the dreamer
not 'standing up' to other peoples apparent aggression, and maybe
even running away from his own strength..

3 - WHAT IS YOUR ROLE IN THE DREAM? Are you a friend, lover,
soldier, dictator, watcher or participant in the dream? Consider this in
relationship with your everyday life, especially in connection with how
the dream presents it..

4 - ARE YOU ACTIVE OR PASSIVE IN THE DREAM? By passive is
meant not taking the leading role, being only an observer, being
directed by other people and events. If you are passive, consider if
you live a similar attitude in your
life..

5 - WHAT DO YOU FEEL IN THE DREAM? Define what is felt
emotionally and physically. In the physical sense are you tired, cold,
relaxed or hungry? In the emotional sense did you feel sad, angry,
lost, tender or frightened anywhere in the dream? This helps clarify
what feeling area the dream is dealing with. It is important also to
define whether the feelings in the dream were satisfyingly expressed
or whether held back. If held back they need fuller expression..

6 - IS THERE A 'BECAUSE' FACTOR IN THE DREAM? In many
dreams something happens, fails to happen, or appears, because!
For instance, trapped in a room you find a door to escape through. All
is dark beyond and you do not go through the door 'because' you are
frightened of the dark. In this case the because factor is fear. The
dream also suggests you are trapped in an unsatisfying life situation
through fear of opportunity or the unknown..

7 - AM I MEETING THE THINGS I FEAR IN MY DREAM? Because a
dream is an entirely inward thing, we create it completely out of our
own internal feelings, images, creativity, habits and insights. So even
the monsters of our dream are a part of ourself. If we run from them it
is only aspects of ourself we are avoiding. Through defining what
feelings occur in the dream you may be able to clarify what it is you
are avoiding..

8 - WHAT DOES THE DREAM MEAN?  We alone create the dream
while asleep. Therefore, by looking at each symbol or aspect of the
dream, we can discover from what feelings, thoughts or experience,
what drive or what insight we have created the drama of the dream. In
a playful relaxed way, express whatever you think, feel, remember or
fantasy when you hold each symbol in mind. Say or write it all, even
the seemingly trivial or `dangerous' bits. It helps to act the part of each
thing if you can. For instance as a house you might describe yourself
as "a bit old, but with open doors for family and friends to come in and
out. I feel solid and dependable, but I sense there is something
hidden in my cellar." Such statements portray oneself graphically..
Consider whatever information you gather as descriptive of your
waking life. Try to summarise it, as this will aid the gaining of insight..

9 - TRY AMPLIFYING YOUR DREAM. You will need the help of one
or two friends to use this method. The basis is to take the role of each
part of the dream, as described above. This may seem strange at
first, but persist. Supposing your name is Julia and you dreamt you
were carrying an umbrella, but failed to use it even though it was
raining, you would talk in the first person present - "I am an umbrella..
Julia is carrying me but for some reason doesn't use me." Having
finished saying what you could about yourself, your friend(s then ask
you questions about yourself as the dream figure or object. These
questions need to be simple and directly about the dream symbol. So
they could ask - Are you an old umbrella? Does Julia know she is
carrying you? What  is your function as an umbrella? Are you big
enough to shelter Julia and someone else? - and so on. The aim of
the questions is to draw out information about the symbol being
explored. If it is a known person or object you are in the role of - your
father for instance - the replies to the questions need to be answered
from the point of view of what happened in the dream, rather than as
in real life. Listen to what you are saying about yourself as the dream
symbol, and when your questioner(s has finished, review your
statements to see if you can see how they refer to your life and
yourself..

If you are asking the questions, even if you have ideas regarding the
dream, do not attempt to interpret. Put your ideas into simple
questions the dreamer can respond to. Maintain a sense of curiosity
and attempt to understand - to make the dream plain in an everyday
language sense. Lead the dreamer toward seeing what the dream
means through the questions. When you have exhausted your
questions ask the dreamer to summarise what they have gathered
from their replies..

10 - LOOKING AT THE 'I' - If you have written the dream down, look to
see where you have used the word 'I'. For instance a man dreaming
about running toward tunnels said "I had to decide which tunnel to
enter." If this is simplified we can see that the person is saying they
were making a decision. Take note of whatever is said after the word
'I' - whether I want; I was willing; I considered; I left it behind, etc. -
and consider what connection such things have to everyday life. What
decisions  in waking life was the man making who dreamt of tunnels
for example?

11 - CAN I ALTER THE DREAM TO FIND GREATER
SATISFACTION? Imagine yourself in the dream and continue it as a
fantasy or daydream. Alter the dream in any way that satisfies..
Experiment with it, play with it, until you find a fuller sense of self
expression. It is very important to note whether any emotions such as
anger or hostility are in the dream but not fully expressed. If so, let
yourself imagine a full expression of the emotions. It may be that as
this is practised more feeling is openly expressed in subsequent
dreams. This is healthy, allowing such emotions to be vented and
redirected into satisfying ways, individually and socially. In doing this
do not ignore any feelings of resistance, pleasure or anxiety..
Satisfaction occurs only as we learn to acknowledge and integrate
resistances and anxieties into what we express. This is a very
important step. It gradually changes those of our habits which trap us
in lack of satisfaction, poor creativity or inability to resolve problems..

12 - SUMMARY - To summarise effectively gather the essence of
what you have said about each symbol and the dream as a whole and
express it in everyday language. Imagine you are explaining to
someone who knows nothing about yourself or the dream. Bring the
dream out of its symbols into everyday comments about yourself.  A
man dreamt about a grey, dull office. When he looked at what he said
about the office, he rephrased it by saying, "The dream depicts the
grey unimaginative social environment I grew up in after the second
world war. It shaped the way I now think, and I want to change it
toward more freedom of imagination and creativity..

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Further information on using the techniques described can be found
in Tony Crisp's work THE INSTANT DREAM BOOK, published by
C.W. Daniel. Most of the notes herein were taken from his book
DREAM DICTIONARY, published by Macdonald under their Optima
imprint, and by Dell in USA.  MIND AND MOVEMENT and
LIBERATING THE BODY, also by Tony Crisp and published by Daniel
and Aquarian, describe how the dream process can flow into a form
of self expression while awake..

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Suggested Further Reading:

DECODING YOUR DREAMS By Robert Langs, published by Unwin Hyman..

MAN AND HIS SYMBOLS By Carl Jung. It is in paperback, excellent reading..

DREAM SHARING By Robin Shohet, published by Thorson..

DREAM POWER By Ann Faraday..

INNER JOURNEYS Written by Teresa Rennick. Published by the Turnstone Press..

MYSELF AND I. Written by Constance Newland..

MODERN MAN IN SEARCH OF A SOUL Carl Jung..