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until the story was told, but then instantly
realized that
the slogan revealed the meaning of the dream. I had been
in a process of trying to learn the meaning of alcohol
in
my life. In the dream I seem to be purging myself of any
superficial or literal understanding,
learning that by
mistaking the image for
the meaning, I would be
incorporating something too concrete. I needed to purge
myself of the bottle so that I
could learn that it was
really the water that I
was seeking. Here is a good
example of a story told in innocence that
really hit the
mark and had a healing effect.
Perhaps these two examples
show something of the
special value the dream drawing story game
can have.
What I like about it is
that by telling a story about a
drawing, most anyone can be helpful
to the dreamer
The game bypasses the intellect
and relies on the
intuitive processes in the story
teller. In this way,
theoretical interpretations, which often result in making
judgments about the dreamer, are avoided. Besides,
any
interpretation of a dream is really another
dream about
a dream. In the dream drawing
story game this fact is
"up front," for it is
obvious that the story
teller is
making self-revelations in making up the story.
Rather
than by making diagnostic judgments, when
people try
to help one another by making
self-revelations, the
result is usually a more mutually supportive and healing
atmosphere.
DREAMING
TOGETHER
Alan Siegel, M.A.
For
the pas t two years I have worked as
a counselor
and group leader at Berkeley
Place, a psychiatric
halfway house for young
adults returning to
the
community after hospitalization
and for persons
in a current crisis
who might otherwise
require
hospitalization. We have
a supportive and emphatic
communal family atmosphere where both residents
and
staff help each other meet their needs and grow together.
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