The Mentorship Program

 Preparation for the Sessions

Preparing for Session 3

Read pages 81-88 of the pink book and imagine how you will conduct the group.

For background reading, read at least

The Dream Helper Ceremony.

Pay attention to how the dreams were worked with in two stages. The first stage: people found patterns in the dreams and tried to identify the problem area of the focus person. The second stage: after the focus person revealed the area of concern, people interpreted their dreams in terms of their personal meaning and shared these insights.

On a related web site there is substantial material on the dream helper ceremony, including what others have written about it. For this information go to www.creativespirit.net/healingdreams

Notes about Group Processing:

When processing the group's dreams, be patient, be curious, work the process and hold out for the target person reading their question aloud until the group has polished their hypothesis/diagnosis/advice.

• As an example complex pattern from two dreams: In dream one, someone is sitting at a red light at an intersection, and then the light goes green. The person begins to enter the intersection when, off to their right they see another car crossing into the intersection at high speed. The person holds steady, then enters the intersection. In dream two, someone gets up from watching TV to go into the kitchen to make a cup of coffee. The person reaches into the refrigerator for the cream, they are about to pour some into their coffee, but they discover that the cream has soured! Common pattern: Something unexpected counters the expectations and anticipation of a person as they are about to initiate action.

• If they didn’t do their personal dream interpretation, here is a quick process that they can all participate in. 

1) Have the group members write out some possible titles for their dream. Polish these titles to come up with one best title that describes what happens in the dream. Not a commentary on the dream, but a short description of what happens in the dream, including a verb word, to express action! 

2) Have them now close their eyes and relax. Instruct them, "Imagine looking into a mirror and see yourself reflected. Make a heart connection with yourself, so that you see yourself with compassionate empathy. Now pretend to see your dream title flash across the mirror. Ask, 'What does this dream title say about me?' Answer that question silently."

3) Have them all open their eyes. Now go around the group, and let each person answer this question: “What am I learning about myself from this dream that may be helpful to the focus person?”

• At the end of the group, ask them how they might dream for themselves at some point in the future. What does their skill at dreaming for another suggest about their intuitive dream abilities?

 Questions to Consider After the Session:

• Did the focus person seem to receive helpful information from the group process? How do you know?

• Did the group participants succeed in finding insights about themselves that related to the focus person's concern? What examples do you have?

• Did anyone spontaneously note the resemblance between the "In My Experience" exercise, where a personal memory was used to help a person and this exercise where a personal interpretation of a dream was used as the helpful offering?

• What manifestations of group bonding did you observe? What special connections between people seem to be forming?