Inviting People and their Dreams to Participate

      A  letter  of  invitation  describing  the  purposes  and
nature of the proposed project was prepared. The project
was  conceived  as  a  28-day  venture  in  dreaming,  and,
consistent  with our research ideal,  it was intended to be
both  a  helpful  home-study  experience with dreams,  as
well  as  a  data-based  research experiment.  The project
was  described  as  serving  multiple  purposes within the
overall theme of establishing a relationship to dreams as
an educational resource.
     In  order  to  promote  dream  recall  through detailed
attention  to dreams, and to collect data on dream recall,
the  letter  explained  that  the  backbone  of  the  project
would  be  the  daily  use  of  a  specially designed dream
recall   tally  sheet.   To   promote   self-observation  and
reflection concerning the correlates of dream recall and
of  dream study,  and  to provide  data  for  evaluating the
effects  of the project,  a series of questionnaires was to
be  completed  before  and  after the project.  Finally,  in
order  to  engage dreams  in an active undertaking  and to
explore their possibilities for use as a personal resource,
there  would   be   a  sequence  of  weekly  exercises  for
inspirational writing in a dream journal. The participants'
dreams  and reactions  to  these exercises would provide
another source of data by which to evaluate the project.
      The  letter  explained  the necessary commitments to
participate  in  the  project.   The  procedure  required  to
complete the various aspects of the project was outlined
in detail.  A $7.00  registration  fee was required, so that
participants  would  share  in   the  cost  of  the  research.
Finally,  prospective  participants  were urged  to consult
their   dreams   before  committing   themselves   to   the
project.  This  last  aspect  of  the invitation proved  to be
important in setting the tone of our venture.
      There   were   two  reasons   for  the  suggestion  that
prospective  participants  initially  consult  their  dreams.
First,  it seemed advisable  to  provide an opportunity for
the person's unconscious  to  respond  to the prospect of

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