Dream Group Expression

Moving beyond words

Our goal is to find resolution within and out from our bodies for conflicts and challenges that we experience in waking life, conflicts whose deeper elements show up in our dreams.

The Dream Group Expression method of dream sharing helps people connect with their dreams through movement and body experiences, instead of just talking about them. This method allows participants to deeply understand their dreams and find personal insights that can help with real-life challenges.

This Dream Group Expression process is intended to get “underneath” words and heady analysis, helping us get in touch with the essential energies arising in our dreams. Drawing on modalities such as Gestalt, Process Work, bioenergetics, and somatics, we’ll seek to connect more deeply with our dreams and their messages.

This Dream Group Expression process was influenced directly and indirectly by a number of psychotherapeutic modalities, primarily Gestalt therapy and Process Work. It was synthesized by Kyle Napierkowski and Christa Ladny.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Running Dream Group Expression

Before the session

It’s important to have a quiet room where the group won’t be disturbed. This method involves movement, so comfortable clothes and lots of space are recommended. Three to twelve participants work best. The session takes 90 minutes. This method also works well for online groups, but be sure all participants will have access to a camera

Step 1: Intro and warm-up (10 minutes)

The facilitator guides the group through a brief warm up which includes easy movement and breathing exercises to gently tune into and engage with our bodies. Simple movements from Qigong and yoga may be used. The facilitator will also provide some information about this form of dreamwork, for example:

  • Disclaimer (this is a lay group, not led by licensed professional therapists)

  • Leaning into the experience and embodiment of the dream (rather than analysis)

  • Setting the intention for the energies of the dream to speak through the bodies of participants

  • Priority of safety and the dreamer’s prerogative to go or not go where they see fit

Step 2: Embodiment (20-30 minutes per dreamer)

One member of the group (“the dreamer”) will volunteer to share a short dream. Usually we have time for 2 or 3 dreams within each session.

  • Dreamer describes the dream

    • Group asks clarifying questions about the dream: details on people/places/things, feelings the dreamer experiences, etc. Try to keep this part brief (5 minutes max).

  • Dreamer identifies most “charged” element of dream and goes through the process

    • The dreamer may also embody one or more additional dream elements - which could be a “helpful”-feeling element of the dream, an opposite of the charged element, or otherwise related. For example, if the first dream element felt very heavy, they might want to think about a second element that felt very light.

    • The dreamer will embody each of the elements

      • Stand (if able/willing) If it helps, close your eyes

      • The group will ask questions about the dream element, to help the dreamer describe the element in detail.

      • It’s useful to amplify the element by really “playing up” the description or essence of the element. What does it look, smell, feel, taste, sound like?

      • Move your body to “become the essence” of the element. Your arms, hands, facial expression etc. Stand like the element stands, move like the element moves. Make any noise that goes along with it.

    • The group mirrors the dreamer

      • the group reflects the embodiment back to the dreamer. Group attends the element, asks clarifying questions about the element, and support the dreamer.

      • Repeat the embodiment until it feels natural and true to the element

      • Relate the felt experience to energies you’ve experienced before. When have you felt this before? Keep doing the embodiment and notice what it reminds you of

  • Reflection (Optional)

    • What is the dreamer walking away with?

    • How did the process alter the dreamer’s relationship to the dream or elements within the dream?

    • Group reflects on their associations with the dream/dream element and how they felt embodying the element or anything that struck them in the process

Step 3: Group Cohesion (with any remaining time)

  • What dream element of the group stood out to you the most?

  • Do any elements of different dreams match up together? Opposites, partners, etc.

  • Final takeaways

  • Feedback on this process

The specific role of the facilitator

During the embodiment process, the facilitator may present prompts through questions and by sharing their own experiences.

Their role is to lightly guide participants and keep them on track. While the dreamer often leads themselves, the facilitator must discern when to intervene if necessary.

It is advisable to prioritize non-intervention, as knowing when and how to step in requires a delicate balance and is a skill in itself.

FAQs

  • A dream element is any single aspect of the dream, big or small. It could be as large as the felt sense of the entire dream taken as a whole, or as small as the color of the sky. 

  • Often dreamers choose a dream element that, in the moment of sharing the dream, comes to them first intuitively. It may be a challenging or scary part of the dream, maybe one that feels most relevant to the group, the strangest part of the dream, etc. There’s no one right element, and working one element will often bring up additional paths forward to working other parts of the dream.

  • In short, the dreamer expresses the dream element by moving their body and/or making a sound. This could be very literal: for example, moving your legs like you’re walking up the stairs in a dream about walking up a staircase. Alternatively it’s often much more energetic. Move the fingers, hands, arms, legs, head, etc. Make a noise that gets at the essence of the dream element. Maybe move around the room, lay on the floor, jump up and down, yell, scream, cry, anything! You want to express the essence of the element without having to describe it with words and the analytical mind.

Dream Group Expression Participant

“I had been so sure that my dream about running from a wedding had a clear and obvious meaning. It wasn’t until I was physically reliving the escape during the session that I remembered the most important part. It was strange and emotional to realize how much wisdom was waiting for me, hidden in my body.”

The Benefits of Dream Group Expression

This practice helps us get out of the trap of thought loops from the thinking mind, and into a deeper relationship with our feeling and somatic experience.

Outcomes often include integration of disparate elements of psyche, harmonized dualities, and the fostering of shared journeys.

This approach is especially beneficial in providing clear and intuitive insights. By focusing on how dreams feel in the body rather than just analyzing them, participants often gain new understanding and resolve personal issues more effectively.

Our dreams come to us as unfiltered information from the unconscious. Much work with dreams in the Western world has focused on interpretation and analysis of dreams through symbolism. This analytical process keeps us in a logical “thinking” frame of mind. 

On the other hand, using our bodies allows us to experience a deeper connection to the dream, often inspiring new understanding of our waking world and sudden insight. The insights and information we receive during the dream embodiment process feel almost magical, as understanding appears without effort, and in a way that’s integrated into our felt sense rather than only intellectual

Useful Resources

These articles and videos have been gathered from across the field of dreaming. Please get in touch to add other useful documents.

Contact us

We look forward to collaborating with you on the evolution of this approach. We would love to hear about your experiences facilitating Dream Group Expression. Please share any learning, change suggestions, or ideas.

email@email.com