A Viet Nam combat vet with PTSD. What do 137 of his dreams over 45 years reveal about how dreams help us process emotion? Also tips for dealing with nightmares and highlights from the upcoming IASD conference. Katherine speaks with IASD conference co-chair and founder of Dream Science Robert Hoss.

Bob describes that after a traumatic event, dreams can be direct replays, but over time, as symptoms ease, dreams morph into metaphors related to the event. Bob gives examples of how dreams offer us alternative solutions to our dilemmas and change our minds IN THE DREAM, so that we don’t have to work with a dream or even remember it to benefit from the dreaming process.

He describes nightmares as unfinished dreams and gives several ways of working with them including Image Rehearsal Therapy and becoming lucid. Bob shares several touching dreams about his wife with dementia.

We also talk briefly about the IASD conference in Ashland June 18-22. For information go to IASDconferences.org/2023/

BIO: Robert Hoss, MS is a director and Past President of IASD, the IASD International Conference Director, Director of the Dream Science Foundation for funding research grants, is a Haden Institute faculty instructor and is on the board of the National Institute for Integrative Healthcare. He specializes in Gestalt Therapy, Jungian theory and contemporary dream research.  He is author/editor of: Dreams: Understanding Biology, Psychology & Culture (ABC-CLIO); Dreams that Change Our Lives (Chiron); Dream to Freedom (EP Press); Dream Language (Innersource); chapter author in 5 clinical or professional publications as well as 6 other dream related books; plus 4 peer-reviewed journal publications.  Among various media sources, his work has been featured in a PBS special, Readers Digest, Prevention, the Psychology Today blog and USA Today.

Find our guest at: DreamScience.org

Intro music is Water over Stones and outro music is Everything both by Mood Science. Today’s ambient music is created by Rick Kleffel. The audio can be found at Pandemiad.com. Many thanks to Rick Kleffel for also engineering the show and to Ewa Malady for audio editing.

Show aired on May 20, 2023.

The Dream Journal is produced at and airs on KSQD Santa Cruz, 90.7 FM, streaming live at KSQD.org 10-11am Saturday mornings Pacific time.  Catch it live and call in with your dreams or questions at 831-900-5773 or at [email protected].

Contact Katherine Bell with feedback, suggestions for future shows or to inquire about exploring your own dreams with her at [email protected], or find out more at ExperientialDreamwork.com.

Available on all major podcast platforms. The complete KSQD Dream Journal podcast page can be found at ksqd.org/the-dream-journal.

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