We must learn to treat our dream images as companions who accompany us in two worlds –
both inner and outer.
Sadly, our culture teaches us that only the outer world is of importance.
However, once we begin to communicate with our dreams, we realize the enormous power and intelligence they possess.
Dreams can connect us to layers of our soul that we yearn to know.
And the images in our dreams carry important themes that can illuminate a deeper experience of life and its meaning.
— Dr. Lawson
I have been fascinated by the power of dreams for most of my life. I believe that our dream life is one of the most undervalued resources of our time. I’m passionate about introducing others to the incredible potential for growth, healing, and creativity that can be accessed through dreams.
While I was obtaining my MA in Counseling Psychotherapy with a focus in Depth Psychotherapy at Pacifica Graduate Institute, I published a thesis looking at the healing properties of dream work, focusing on PTSD and other types of unprocessed wounds, including sexual trauma. My claims were based on both personal experience and an exhaustive review of the literature on the topic. I addressed these same issues in my private practice with clients and in my speaking engagements with larger audiences.
When I was later diagnosed with cancer, my treatment experience — chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery — was extremely painful and traumatic, and left me at absolute zero. Looking back, I can see that my diagnosis was a traumatic event and much of my suffering during treatment was the result of that emotional trauma. And once I had the gift of hindsight, I could also share my story with other cancer patients and share the process of working with dreams to cultivate growth and healing. I have been working with cancer patients for the past 4 years.
As a Mind Body Medicine practitioner, I am deeply interested in therapies that stimulate one’s capacity for self-knowledge and self-healing through self-care. I focus on the interactions between the brain, mind, body, and personality, and the powerful ways in which mental, social, spiritual, and behavioral factors affect health and happiness.
I have my doctorate in Mind Body Medicine from Saybrook University with a specialization in Integrative Mental Health. I received my MA in Counseling Psychotherapy, with an emphasis in Depth Psychology, from Pacifica Graduate Institute. I am trained in using hypnosis as an integrative treatment method. I am a certified Embodied Imagination® practitioner, which involves embodying dream and or memory images for growth and healing.
I am currently designing an online training certificate for psychologists and healthcare workers in the Embodied Imagination practice, including somatic practices they can integrate into their existing toolkits for a more holistic experience of wellbeing in their patients.
I have recently finished writing a book Dreamwork for Growth & Healing.
I offer workshops, private Embodied Imagination sessions, as well as training in the method to healers.
http://www.DreamsHeal.com
[email protected]
650-644-5217
Palo Alto, California
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