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Hypnosis and Dreams with Deirdre Barrett, PhD

  • 2011-09-25
  • 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
  • Allen Riddle Hall, Newton Wellesley Hospital

Deirdre Barrett, PhD, will present "Hypnosis and Dreams"

This workshop will discuss the similarities and differences between dreams and hypnosis--as subjective states of consciousness and in terms of their use in psychotherapy. It will then focus on a variety of ways of combining hypnosis and dreamwork for the mutual enhancement of each. 

One can use hypnotic suggestions that a person will experience a dream in the trance state--either as an open ended suggestion or with the suggestion that they dream about a certain topic-- and these "hypnotic dreams" have been found to be similar enough to nocturnal dreams (Barrett, 1979) to be worked with using many of  the same techniques usually applied to nocturnal dreams.  One can also work with previous nocturnal dreams during a hypnotic trance in ways parallel to Jung's "active imagination" techniques to continue, elaborate on, or explore the meaning of the dream.

Research by Charles Tart (1964) has found that hypnotic suggestions can be used to influence future nocturnal dream content, and Joe Dane (1985) demonstrated that hypnotic suggestions can increase the frequency of laboratory verified lucid dreams.  Many people have also utilized hypnotic and self-hypnotic suggestions for increased dream recall.  The workshop will cover all of these techniques and include experiential exercises with several of them.  It is appropriate for both individuals interested in working with their own dreams and for therapists interested in acquiring more techniques for helping clients to explore their dreams.

This workshop is applicable for 3.0 Continuing Education credits toward ASCH Certification/Re-Certification.

About the Presenter:
Deirdre Barrett, Ph.D. is a psychologist on the faculty of The Cambridge Health Alliance and Harvard Medical School’s Behavioral Medicine Program.
She is Past President of both the International Association for the Study of Dreams and the American Psychological Association’s Div. 30, The Society for Psychological Hypnosis. Dr. Barrett has written three books: The Committee of Sleep (Random House, 2001); The Pregnant Man and Other Cases from a Hypnotherapist’s Couch (Random House, 1998); and Waistland (Norton, 2007). She is the editor of two additional books, The New Science of Dreaming (Praeger/Greenwood, 2007) and Trauma and Dreams (Harvard University Press, 1996).

Non members are invited to attend as guests. Please contact Nancy Riemer, President.

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