Dreamwork Feather

Feather

This feather came as an image in a dream. Floating. Peaceful. It felt peaceful. I often ask people, "is there a reason you might need to feel this feeling in your life at this time?". Could I use more peace? It seems like always. Choosing a job that is based in am emergency room or operating room gives an idea of the life choices I have made that are not always peaceful. Still looking for more of this...

Dreamwork 3 dudes visit

3 dudes visit

In this dream I feel small. I am cowering on a bunk bed with what feels like my sister. (Somewhat familiar from childhood with fighting in the house). These guys felt like good energy dudes and support. I love music. I thought one was Bob Seger in the dream. Often the feeling of being supported or "not alone" seems the main message of some dreams. It's one thing to say I don't feel alone. It's another thing to feel it. Dreams open feelings. This was a great dream.

Dreamwork Mask

Mask

I have never seen this mask before that came in my dream. I have seen similar in Neil Gaiman literature. It's terrifying and dehumanizing and made me feel like I was in a war. I have had numerous recurrent war dreams. But have never been to war in my outer world. Releasing this image helped me deal with all that I don't understand in this world and that's there's a lot of terrifying things going on constantly. I think it made me more compassionate somehow. I don't really know. Still processing this...

Dreamwork In the Fire

In the Fire

In this dream I watched a man in the flames. As I felt into being him, this fire did not consume or burn him. He was just in the flames. It brought many questions, including: What does that feel like? Can I be with my own fire or passion? Fire can be transformative. I'm still learning what this means. Writing helps. There was a black and white checkered floor next to this image. The part of me that viewed the world in simple black and white was being destroyed on some level.

Dreamwork Grey man with ripped face

Grey man with ripped face

In this dream it felt like being whipped with Cat-o-nine tails. What?!! Why was I sent this dream? It's dreams like this that capture a familiar feeling that I know with a terrifying image that make me wonder about the source of dreams, and why should I open this door? But I have found to acknowledge what is somehow living within you opens you up to truly be alive in the outer world. Somehow it was a relief to "release" this dream.

Dreamwork Bullets turn Rainbow

Bullets turn Rainbow

I sketched this after a girl in my dream told me to BE CREATIVE! It was a compilation of dreams: I was shooting and the bullets swirled like bees into galaxy shape (recurrent war dreams), I felt like I was being shot and dying and this womans face appeared while I felt this. (Reminded me of the Valkyrie myth) And Dream where I'm drilling into my own legs (Reminds me of how hard on myself I can be.) Somehow connecting these dreams in art helps me.

Dreamwork 2 flowers

2 flowers

In this dream I am drawing. That there was two seemed symbolic somehow. Did I need to acknowledge some split in my world? (I can think of many). But I could definitely acknowledge that I had been ignoring that I like to create art. Often dreams inspire in a way that's beyond words. I sketched in this dream. I started sketching more in my life. That provided most of the art for this website. It felt good to start doing art again. Something I had stopped doing. I restarted.

Dreamwork Face Bear/Wall of Flesh

Face Bear/Wall of Flesh

In this dream I was terrified. It was just a bear and a wall of flesh that went up to the sky. Like raw steaks stacked. Blood dripping. Working with this dream... I had to acknowledge there's rawness & trauma in me. I need to be the bear with a presence in the world: have boundaries and stand my ground not worrying about what others think.. like a bear

Dreamwork Watch Bear Fall

Watch Bear Fall

In this dream I saw a white bear fall, or be pushed, off a cliff from a great distance. I didn't feel much. But the metaphor is not a happy one. My distance from it may be significant and I often take notice of distances and proximities in dreams. Am I distant from something painful like the fall of a white bear? I likely was. Many bear dreams followed this one until they were everywhere. I had little choice but to face the fear of the bear and what it represented for me.

Dreamwork Letting Go... To find our focus

Letting Go... To find our focus

This dream was hard to put to words. The words in the dream came to me,"Letting go to find our focus". People were hanging onto the edges and the spinning force would seem to cause them to not hang on and just let go. I tried to draw this. It seems very Buddhist, like "non-attachment" is talked about in Buddhism. Did I need to hear this? Yes. Still do. (I have many dreams with seeming Buddhist or biblical references despite not following or being raised in either tradition.)

Dreamwork Dream collage sword

Dream collage sword

This image was inspired after working with many dreams and the images that seem to recur so often for so many people. Water, mountains, jail, cups (often not full...) animals, swords... I have been gifted 3 swords in different dreams. It felt like a priveledge each time. I realize its a powerful image and has a double edge. Getting what one wants or needs could be helped metaphorically with a sword. But it can also cut or wound and demands respect and humility.

Dreamwork Weighted to bottom

Weighted to bottom

In this dream I am given lead weights to hold while on a boat. I rapidly descend to the depths of the ocean. In my outer world, I knew there was stuff I needed to deal with... and quick. I needed a push, and my dream gave it to me. Going down in dreams is often emotional and literally brings up things that are often painful and sad but live inside of you. I needed to go deeper. I'm glad I did. Going deep is often what seems necessary.

Dreamwork Playing in the Wrong Game

Playing in the Wrong Game

In this dream from a few years back, I score and celebrate (I play ice hockey) as I play against this demon/darkness. Then I face off again and my heart sinks. I realize..."wait... he's going to let me score!" This game is hollow. Like winning a battle but losing the war. Like the arguments in my life that are pointless. In this dream realized I'm in the wrong game... in my inner and outer life. I needed to seriously reevaluate what I was doing and why. (Reminded me of Neitzche quotes of the allure of darkness.)

Dreamwork Mouth Deliver Baby

Mouth Deliver Baby

2019 dream. Lady gives birth through mouth. Birth is usually potential. What comes out of a mouth is usually words. I observed in this dream. Felt shock, awe, surprise. I feel this dream is partly about finding words. Something I am attempting to do with the modality of dreamwork in my medical practice and on this website. It is a modality of self discovery that can help people thrive in daily life and I believe is underutilized. I aim to change that.

Dreamwork Bring together the pieces

Bring together the pieces

This dream seemed sacred and profound. After dreams with shattering glass and stained glass and I saw in my outer world my perceptions were being altered and shattered. (My own shattering). This good presence came and seemed to be collecting the pieces for me and presenting them back to me. Like all the broken pieces. Breaking and remodelling are common themes in dreams. I had to acknowledge I had been broken first. This dream gave me hope.

About Us

I am both an individual dreamworker and a part of a larger community of dreamworkers. I work with dreams with individuals and I work in group settings acting as facilitator. I also currently practice as a medical doctor doing anesthesia and emergency medicine and I have a small pain clinic affiliated with a physiotherapist. I am affiliated with a larger international dreamwork community that unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) do not fit under one umbrella or training institution. See the practitioners section of this page for similar affiliated and like-minded individuals such as Sue Scavo and Bill St. Cry. The Natural Dreamwork affiliation has been beneficial in bringing together a group under a common title and goal, but it is not very broad reaching at this point of this writing. It is my belief the style of work I do (and we do) is not out of keeping with principles of institutional training for psychology and psychiatry and would indeed augment these programs. I endeavor to adhere to both ethical and scientific principles as I my dreamwork practice unfolds.

Dreams are about truth. "The truth is inconvenient, and when it comes, one must adjust everything to fit the truth, and not vice versa." - Words that came in a dream, the night after I personally held back the truth from a trusted person. Dreams changed my life in a profound way. And they continue to. I'm watching them change the lives of people around me. I practice as a medical doctor, and I have seen some things that change peoples’ lives quickly: surgery, insulin, adrenalin for example. These have rapid external effect. I have also found, that with a motivated person, a dream can also have a remarkably rapid internal effect for that person. This can occur just by holding space and helping hold the mirror for that person while asking simple dream questions.

Dreams can give new perspectives and open up new possibilities, insights and truths for the dreamer. I feel compelled to talk about this both as individual and as a practicing medical doctor who desires to have the best outcomes possible for people on both external and internal levels

What brought me here and why?

It is my experience that living with hope, self worth, and inner peace, is a more fulfilling way to live personally, and in community. I have seen no modality as effective in achieving these goals, as I have with working with ones dreams. These are just a few of the benefits that I have both seen and felt. I'm certain there are many ways of achieving such goals. And that's great. I have personally tried many other ways and paths. But they didn't work as quickly or effectively for me. As a medical doctor, I have tried many treatment modalities with clients and patients. Working with dreams I have found is one of the strongest adjuncts to the care plan. Dreams will open up truths for that individual in a way that's highly specific for them. Sometimes by showing them what's not true for them, or what's no longer true for them, and hence offer new narratives for their life. They tend to show people how they are "in their own way". Dreams open up feelings. They help open up what seems dark, and what seems light. And if a person is willing, the light they will find will change their being. Their outlook. Their life. And that's powerful. That's why I love working with dreams.

I will mention personal anecdotes and dreams on this website to illustrate what I am attempting to communicate. The purpose is not  to tell my life story, but the examples I give I hope will give context and be helpful. I personally found “dreamwork” (defined below) in 2012 while looking for something that would make my life more fulfilling and help my marriage. I worked with my own dreams with a facilitator personally for 6 months and felt so much possibility for change open up for me, that decided I needed to learn how to do this for others as well. So I did. I have been doing dreamwork as a facilitator since early 2013. I love seeing the effects this exploration has on others and hearing their stories of how their outer lives change as a result of following the lessons they learn from their dreams. I personally find the Buddhist tradition has the most accessible language for what often happens to people: they often find bits of inner peace and joy scattered throughout the wars that are often going on within them. Even amongst sorrow and grief, and that gives them hope. They often seek more insights from dreams, and then they find more. Their lives become more rich. That's my story too. For those that don’t feel at war, (many feel like they are at an “inner war” in a way that's beyond words) dreams often open up new possibilities in their lives in ways they hadn't considered. It's rewarding for the dreamer. It’s rewarding as a practitioner since it fills my cup, it makes me feel alive, it has made me a better person. It has shown me that even though things can be uncomfortable parts of life that can feel dark, there's still uplifing parts that can feel more light. I can relate to what many spiritual traditions say about this. I still visit outer places of worship because I'm curious what "fills other people's cup" and I believe community connection is invaluable. I have prior been judgemental about what other people are up to and why. My dreams showed me my own judging nature. It's not for me to know what's right for another person. I have found each individuals' dreams guide them in a way that's highly specific for them. 

I actually used to regularly think I was "fixing" people. Even worse, I thought I was "saving" people. Then my own dreams showed me how aggressive and irritating this can be. (Click here for dream). The world is filled with people thinking they know what's best for another person. And they actually might. But on some level the person has to figure it out themselves. They have to do the seeking and finding themselves. This has been a real edge for me as I currently have a day job as a medical doctor. And in this job I do try to fix things.

I have found that even if I do nothing other than be a supportive ear, the courage the person has to come to me and "release" the dream to me may be enough to change the way they feel. Maybe even change the way they relate to the world. Sometimes I will point out that there was an option or hope in the dream that they hadn't seen before. But just the very act of sharing can be rewarding.

Vision Statement

To bring dreamwork to a braoder range of individuals so the benefits can be realized. To do this with no agenda to fix or save anybody, but rather to empower them to harness and maximize their own inner capacity to heal and change their lives in a way that serves them, their families, and their communities. To speak, whenever possible, in a language consistent with scientific methods and principles, while ultimately striving to continue research by producing evidence for claims over the long term.

News

The latest from Deamwork.

..read on »

Dreams and Reflections

..read on »

Testimonials

See what people are saying about how dreamwork has affected their lives.

..read on »

Practioners

..read on »

Certifications / Associations

Unfortunately, there is no one set "certification program" to do this type of work. I will delineate some of what I have done. There are many dream related programs out there. Psychology, psychiatry and counselling programs may or may not acknowledge dreams as being important.

..read on »

Testimonials

"In the past 3 1/2 years; with the help of God, Darren, Bill (St.Cyr) and dreamwork... I have found my voice, realized that I am worthy, that I am loved, that I matter. Dreamwork has taught me how to separate my feelings from situations. I used to be in it, now I can recognize that I don't need to carry or own what's not mine to carry. I have done a lot of self work, and I recognize when others have inserted themselves into other peoples lives, because it's far easier than looking into the terrifying, vulnerable mirror."(Continues in "view more" then "read on" section.)

- Sonja | view more »