Will You Dream For Me?*

A Qualitative Study of the Dream Helper Ceremony

(part 7)

Appendix C.  Consolidated Interview Responses

In your opinion, do you think the seeker was helped by your dream?

H1: I didn't remember a dream. I think he was [helped by the other folks' dreams]. I think it kind of reinforced some of the things he was already thinking.

H2: I think she was helped more by being able to hear people's dreams, hear them talk/dream for her I guess, and let her tell her problem.  That was more of a help for her.  To let it out, discuss it, rather than the dreams themselves, really didn't conclude anything.

H2:  At first I didn't and even after we had gone through and made our hypothesis and I still didn't until I was speaking with her and Maria, just the three of us.  Maria, who wasn't dreaming for her, she had missed the first day; she found some insight more in my dream than in anybody else's dream.  I thought everybody else had more of an emotional connection with her and had messages.  Mine was just kind of a random dream.  But in the end, yeah, yeah, I think it did have a pretty good message, or helped out a little bit. 

H3:  Yes, definitely.

H4: I did.  Especially just the process of talking about our dreams and having him go through them and see what applied to his life.

H5:  Yes, I do.  Probably a lot.  As far as information, I'm not sure about the information helping him so much as just the energy of the people and [their] concern.  I think he really needs to be "held" at this point.

H6: Yes.  I don't know if we specifically solved the issue at hand, but I think that just being able to open up and see what other people had learned was helpful.

H7: Yes.  I think a lot.  She was confirming what she believed on the inside and it just made her more calm.  I noticed that right away.

H8:  Yes, I felt he was.  Since prayer was one of the main recommendations, a lot of it's going to be up to him and the Creative Forces how this plays out.  But he did seem reassured.

H9: Yes, I think it was noticeable.  In all of his social interactions, you can see that he's much brighter.

H10: I think it helped her.

H11: Somewhat.

H12: She seemed to be, and said she was when I asked her about it afterwards.

H13:  He seemed very helped, he seemed very moved.

H14:  Yes, I do.  He was helped more than a little bit, I'd say medium high.

H15:  I  don't know.  He didn't seem ecstatic.  On the other hand, he looks at his dreams.  I think he felt that he got information.

H16:  That's hard to say, but from my point of view, I think some of the dreams were very relevant to the situation and offered some guidance and some help.

S. ONE:   Yes.  What helped me the most was sharing what was going on, and everybody's care and being there [for me].  Just all their concern and their love was very healing for me.

S. TWO:  Yes, I feel that everybody was helped.  It was nice to see that everybody was helped by the dreams, and I enjoyed feeling that I was helping people as well.

S. THREE:   Mainly food for thought.  It seemed like there was fragmentation among the dreams, even though there were patterns.  There weren't any really strong conclusions we could draw from them, but [they] still provided food for thought.

S. FOUR:   Yes.

Regarding the things in yours or other's dreams, do you think they were related to the seeker's issue?

H1: Yes.  The interesting thing was that it didn't seem like they were related at first, but then as you heard the individual dream, but then we started talking about them, you saw similarities like the number three as a common thread through most of the dreams, as one example.  I thought it was very interesting how from individual dreams that didn't seem that related at first, as we discussed them, the relationships became apparent.

H2:  The feelings.

H3:  That was real tough for me to see at first.  It didn’t seem possible, with what everybody else was getting that it could possible relate.  It took the processing of the entire group of questions and answers…actually there was a lot that didn't come to me until she revealed what her question was.  Then it made sense, then I realized that I had one of the body-mind-soul aspects and mine was strictly physical, the body.

H4:  Yes, The part of my dream that had the Scottish people in it.  I thought it applied to him, but I'm still wondering about how it applied to him.  Two girls in my dream related to his two little grandchildren.  I also think my dream was telling me that I had knowledge to share, and that applies to his situation.  He wanted more [people] in his life, and I think that would be a way for him to do it…share his knowledge.

H5:  Yes, I definitely do.

H6:   Well, I didn't remember my dreams.  But what I experienced in the night, I had a very restless, anxious sleep.  She seemed to feel that it was relevant.

H7:  Not the issue that she presented, but it was what happened three weeks before when her father passed away.  I gave what was wrong with her father in the hospital.

H8:  Hmm…embracing the tree, it seemed to be to him.  That's all I can say.  I don’t think it was the family tree thing, but I'm trying to remember what it was.  For me it was to spend more time in nature and get comfort from nature and just tune in, because he seemed strung out with just worry and sadness.  So I think there was a little something there.  Just how much he recognized, I'm not sure.

H9: I didn't think it was at the time I dreamed it, but then after talking it all out, yes it was related.  Just mildly, I don’t think they would have been sufficient to draw a lot of good out of them by themselves.  It was the collective process that brought out how they were related.

H10: What I remember of it, yes.

H11:  I would say that some of it was.  Not all of it.

H12:  Yes, there were underlying themes that were in my dreams and several other people's, that she said really spoke to her.  Also, I was one of two people who had a specific physical recommendation.  Whether or not that was meaningful to her or not, she was going to consider trying that out.

H13:  Yes, mine was real scattered images and things.  Robert was actually in my dream and some things seemed to be with him, right on.  So, that was interesting to me because just remembering my dreams was a big deal.  Then having them actually hit home with him was really cool.

H14:  Yes, I do.

The issue that the seeker was working with; did that relate to things you may have worked through in your life?  Did you have a personal experience there?

H1: To some extent, but his was more kind of relating to some issues about what he should be doing, in terms of the camp.  So it wasn't directly related, but certainly I think anybody would say I've been dealing with issues of "should I be doing A or B, should I be doing…"

I:  Professional decisions?

H1: Right.  Definitely.

H2: Yeah, yes, I've experienced it.  But none of the dreams at all foretold what was her problem.  We all thought maybe it was a job or a relationship, but it had nothing to do with that.

H3:  No, I've never had anything like that happen.  That's probably why what I got didn't seem to relate.  It does in an overall way; it does in taking care of your own body.  That's the only overlap because the question has never happened in my own life.

H4:    I felt that most of what he was dealing with was divorce issues, and I've never dealt with anything like that.  I've seen it in my circle of friends, but never dealt with it personally.

H5:  No, I don't think there's any common ground.  My dream was a small help to me too.  But as far as the realities matching up, no, I don't think so.

H6:  Perhaps not directly the issue, but more the underlying issues.  Definitely, I've dealt with those.

H7:  Some of it, yes.

H8:  Not particularly that I could see, no.

H9: Yes, sure.  Everybody has.  If you have a family, sometimes you're going to have a problem with that family.

H10: Maybe a long time ago, but not recent circumstances.

H11:  Yes, I think so.  Because he was working on how he could come here and make enough money to live on in the future.  That's been an issue with me too, how to balance what you want to do with making money.

H12:  I guess in a general way.  She had an extreme situation she was wrestling with, and I haven't dealt with that specific situation.  But the general one of having to get release and find peace, certainly.

H13:  No.

H14:  Yes, I do.

H15: Well, sure.  But of course I'm a little older than he is…I was faced with changing jobs when I was the age that he is now.

H16:  No, not at all.  Some aspects of what they were going through are in my life, but not in the same way.

Do you now feel like you have a connection with the person you were helping?

H1:  Oh, yes!  Plus, I knew him before anyhow, so we already had a connection.

I:  Is it strengthened as a result of the ceremony?

H1:  Certainly didn't hurt.  I don’t' think it strengthened it a lot, because we already had a relationship.

H2:  A little bit.  I haven't talked to her about it yet.  I'd like to.  I plan on doing so, and I think that it will help connect us.  But, yeah, there's a deeper feeling, not so much a connection, but just being able to feel comfortable that she told us about her problem.  That's a very big step.

H3:  Absolutely!

H4:  Definitely.

H5:  Yes, we were already connected.  But I think we connected a little further with it.

H6:  Yes, to some extent, yes.

H7:  Yes, I do.

H8:  Yes, and I hadn't been connecting with him particularly before.  I made an intuitive choice about where to go to, and it was different from who I first thought it would be.  Yes, I definitely felt much more connection with [seeker] afterwards.

H9:  I do. I do.  I'll remember him.  I always will.

H10:  Oh, yes.

H11:  I don't know if it was so much as…it gave me a greater insight into what's going on in his personal life.  Because I was on his KP and we played Uker every night.  So there were other connections too.  It's hard to say which one.

H12:  Definitely!

H13:  Yes, I do feel like I did.

H14:  I do feel like I made a connection…with the people in the group, and with the person I was helping.

H15:  I don't know that the dream did.  I consider our relationship pretty strong already. 

H16:  Definitely, there's an empathy there.  I would be willing to take my interest and caring further if they choose to do that.

S. ONE:  Yes.  I felt connected with them all week long.  We had a bond.

S. TWO:  Yes, definitely.

S. THREE:  Definitely, yes.

S. FOUR:  Oh, very much so.  I made a connection the moment he took me out and showed me who was in my group.  I knew that it was a good group.  I was happy with the people that I saw.  From the get-go, I knew it was going to be good.

Would you do it again?

H1:  Oh, sure!  I wish next time I'd remember a dream. 

H2:  Yeah.  Yeah, actually I've done it before, with a much younger crowd.  Sixteen, seventeen, and eighteen year olds, and it didn't work quite as well because they were less focused.  I would definitely do it again.  I'd really like to.

H3:  Oh, yes! 

H4:  Oh, yes!  This is my second time.

H5:  Sure!  (laughs)  Probably will.

H6:  Oh, yes.  Definitely!

H7:  Yes. 

H8:  Oh, yes!  I've done it before and had more dramatic, evidential dreams in the past.  It's always really neat taking part in this.

H9: Yes, I would.  I think it would be a lot of fun.  It was a lot of fun just doing it.  I think we were a lot of help to him, just letting him get it off his chest. 

H10:  Of course!

H11:  Sure.  I've done it many times in the past.  I came here years ago when Henry presented it and we took it home to our study group and we've used it many times with good results.

H12:  Absolutely!

H13:  Oh, definitely! 

H14:  Oh, yes.  Absolutely!

H15:  Yes I would. 

H16:  Definitely! 

S. ONE:  Yes, because of the healing.  I love creativity.  It was just such an unpredictable creative experience.  It was full of surprises.

S. TWO: Yes, I have done it again.  I like to help people.

S. THREE:  Yes.  This is the second time I've actually done it.  I was chosen also in 1998 when I had a health problem.  I had injured a rib earlier that season and pulled a tendon in my rib cage.  I was seeking help on that.  As I remember, I did get some assistance with that.

S. FOUR:  I would, but first I would want a member of my group to have a turn before I had another turn. Because I deal with dreams all the time.  I've had dreams that are very prophetic and I've had dreams that have helped me to come to terms with issues in my life.  In the process, I've been helping other people with their lives.

OK, why would you do it again?

H1:  Because I think it is helpful.  You can get some positive value out of that experience

I:  So even though your intent was to help someone else, and even though you didn't personally have a dream for him, you still felt that you benefited from the experience?

H1:  Yes, I did.  I was involved in the discussion to some degree, and I could be somebody that would help to look at the other people's dreams and I've had some experience in that.  So in that sense, I think it was still helpful to do it even though I didn't remember a dream myself.

H2:  Because it gives people a chance to really focus on something about themselves, and about the person they're dreaming for. They don't necessarily know the issue, and it's easier to discuss something if you don't know what's going on.  I think it's a lot better that we didn't know the issue before hand.  That way we were able to look at the symbols in the dreams instead of "Oh, well, we know what the problem is, therefore that correlates."

H3:  One is the soul sister feeling, the connectedness.  Two is…it would be to just make the whole experience more meaningful and learn more facets of how to help somebody else process that.  In other words, it would be to teach it.

H4:  The first time I did it, I was being dreamed for, and I found it really helpful.  This time I wanted to be on the helpful side of it, because it had been really good for me.  So yes, I think it's great!

H5:  Because I plan to come back [to A.R.E. camp].  I probably won't do it at home with anybody.  I think there are more expeditious ways to get information...like just "knowing."  That's what I shoot for.

H6:  It was quite fascinating to me, and just to see the insight and the connectedness of everyone there working…so genuinely working together to try and help this person, and they didn't even know what it was.  Really searching within themselves, all of us together searching to solve this unidentified problem.

H7:  Because you're helping somebody else and it's neat to see how a group of people can help one person, instead of one on one.  You can get more feedback and information in a group.

H8:   I'm really interested in dreams myself, and the potential for dreams to be helpful for other people, so it's just something that I'm very interested in.  If I were in some kind of dilemma, I would love to have people dream for me too.

H9: Well, I'd like to actually be in the seat of the person being dreamed for.  Just to experience it from that angle.  It's a lot of fun to discuss dreams with people when you have a problem to work on, just to see how it works.

H10:  Because I think it is helpful, beneficial for both sides.  I think we both learned something from it.

H11:  Because I think it's helpful for the person who has an issue to see different viewpoints of the issue.

H12:  I think the process was good on several different levels.  I think it was a good group dynamic, it connected people together in our group which I really liked.  But specifically as an intervention or helping tool, from what I could see in our group and what I've heard from the other groups, it seemed to bear out as well, that the target getting the help felt helped and got help it seemed.  I think that's a healthy thing to happen as well as to be a part of.  The last thing was something Henry mentioned, we each would probably experience getting some help with that process about our own issues.  Right at the end, when "looking in the mirror" and getting the name of the dream, at that point I realized that element of the dream applied to her, but it absolutely applied to my issue.  Wow, OK, I got more out of my dream than I would have realized otherwise.

H13:  I really liked being on the dreaming side of it, but it would be cool to be dreamed for also.  I think both sides are equally rewarding.  What a cool process!  I've never done that before.  I thought it was very cool.

H14:  Well, I enjoyed it and I like helping people, and I think that it is helpful.  I think dreams are wonderful gifts from God, and I wouldn't mind one day being helped myself like that.

H15:  As part of a group, I'd like to cooperate with the group effort.  I 'm relatively undisciplined in some ways.  I'd like to get a hold of that aspect so that I could record more of my dreams.

H16:  Because I think it's helpful.  I've had some experience on the opposite end being the target person.  Even if the dreams don't appear relevant, or if sometimes it's a stretch to make them relevant, just the fact that someone else is interested and willing to take the time and energy to invest in the other person's problem…is helpful.

How do you think it works, what we did for the Dream Helper Ceremony?

H1:  Probably on some type of subconscious level.  I think as we have that intention to help a certain person with our dreams that, subconsciously, as we sleep that night, I think that probably that intention, that suggestion that we've given ourselves, I think that it does affect our subconscious mind in some way. 

H2:  Hmmm…I think focusing on that person and telling yourself that you want to focus on that person.  I think that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.  I think it's definitely a subconscious…being able to tell you in a way that's easy to understand.

H3:  The higher consciousness is all one anyway.  It feels to me that our higher being goes up into a connectedness.  Just because our physical eyes can't see it doesn't mean it isn't there.

H4:  I would assume that because all of our consciousnesses are somehow connected with a larger consciousness, that at any point anyone could gather information from everywhere.  It's one of those mysteries.

H5:  I think it's a gift that we give each other because we're already all connected.  It's just an opportunity to give it back.

H6:  That's a difficult question.  It seems like we all are very psychically connected even in our conscious, waking days.  But we're not aware of that, we don't allow ourselves to see that, and connect to it.  I think that with the true intent to help someone else, perhaps your Higher Self allows that to happen on a more collectively conscious level.

H7:   I don't know.  I think it was our subconscious that's doing it, or our intuitive self.  It was a new experience for me all the way around.  Like old information of what I used to do [being used] to help somebody in the dream state, but this seemed more reliable, more tangible, more pinpointed, [and had] more correspondence.

H8:  Through intention.  I think that's how tuning in with another person works in general, just the intention to put oneself temporarily in the other person's place.  It's like muscle testing for me, in order to tune in to the issues.

H9: Well, I think we all have a collective unconscious, and sometimes it creeps into conscious daily life.  I think we're all connected at a subconscious level, I really think so.  I can't give you any specific mechanics, of course, but maybe one day!  (laughs) 

H10:  It's some kind of Higher Power energy, I can't tell you any more than that.  I don't know, it just seems to click and work.

H10:  I think dreams can be beneficial in helping you solve everyday or more complex problems if you allow yourself to dream.  But I have trouble doing it though, and remembering it.

H11:  I think the intention to help someone helps you to give your dream if you have one.  Sometimes I've participated when I didn't have a dream.  I've tried multiple nights over a whole week's time and had no dreams to remember.  But I think the intention is the most important thing to help the other person.  The dreams usually pertain to what's going on in your life too.

H12:  I don't know specifically, but it's the whole thing that we are tied in together at the unconscious and superconscious levels.  The dreaming and working with the unconscious operates on so many different levels, that you can participate in somebody else's' dream and get help from it, and someone else can participate in your dream and get help from it.  In the process of giving help to someone, you get help yourself at different levels.  But how that happens, I don't really know.

H13:   I don't even know.  I guess just sending it out there, I remember meditating before I went to bed, "Dream for 'Robert', dream for 'Robert'" and just by saying it, , just by speaking it in my head brought on the dreams and that was so simple.

H14:  The process we can understand best is the one we're discussing.  The process of dreaming is a mysterious thing to me.  As to what extent, or even whether the dreams become explicitly for the person we're helping, I don't know.  Maybe the dreams become designed in that way.  But at the very least, it's thought provoking that you can find patterns in anything that will be helpful to others if you just reflect upon it.  I don't know whether the dreams really do become psychic.  I'm not a naysayer, I just don't know.  I can say that the process where we sit down and have the dialogue, that's the important part in my mind.  That just comes from cooperation and the desire to be helpful and to be present.

H15:  I think that if the group is sufficiently dedicated to helping each other it works.

H16:  I would guess that we're all connected at a soul level.  We have the ability or opportunity if you're in agreement with someone, to kind of enter their space somehow.

S. ONE:  I think that people care…basically people caring and wanting to help, and me being able to read into what they were providing.  I don't know if you're going to ask that question, but their dreams were totally off target with me.  But I could read into what they provided and picked up a lot of stuff.

S. TWO:  I have no clue!

S. THREE:  Mainly through intention of connection, where people want to help the focus person through us telepathically tuning in to each other through intuition.  Also, the processing helps because it

helps to bring out the patterns and see commonalities.  When dreams are all together for a certain purpose, sometimes it's easier to interpret the meaning of all the dreams together than sometimes when you work with a single person's dream.  When you have a lot of dreams together, it's sometimes easier to interpret because you get to see which symbols are significant and which are insignificant.

S. FOUR:  It can be a healing process, it may be prophetic, but it definitely needs to be looked at.

To continue reading this Appendix, click here!