The Dream Journal

By Katherine BellSociety & Culture Health & Fitness Mental Health Education Self-Improvement Personal Journals

The Dream Journal episodes

October 05Dreams, Genealogy, & Creative Writing with Anna Dahlheimer Bartkowski
What can dreams reveal about our ancestors—and how can they fuel creativity, self-understanding, and better decisions? On this episode of The Dream Journal, host Katherine Bell talks with genealogist and historical fiction author Anna Dahlheimer Bartkowski about the powerful intersection of dreams, family history, and storytelling.
Anna shares how a childhood fascination with dreams grew alongside her passion for genealogy, eventually inspiring the Rosalind Schmidt genealogical novels and her guided journal, Dreams Remembered. The conversation explores dream incubation, recurring dream themes, ancestral and past-life possibilities, and the difference between using dreams for creative inspiration and using them for personal insight.
You’ll hear practical ideas for remembering and recording dreams, setting an intention before sleep, reviewing recurring symbols, and using the half-awake morning state to ask questions and discover fresh perspectives. Anna also explains how dreaming helped her work through a difficult opening for her novel Ancestral Shadows and how writers can “dream on” a creative block.
In This Episode
How dreams and genealogy became intertwined in Anna’s life
Using dreams to connect more deeply with ancestral stories
Dream journaling, dream recall, and setting intentions before sleep
How recurring themes can reveal personal change over time
Using dreams to solve creative problems and develop stories
Why personal associations matter more than fixed dream dictionaries
How parents, educators, and communities can normalize talking about dreams
Anna’s guided journal, Dreams Remembered, for seekers, writers, and genealogists
Featured Guest
Anna Dahlheimer Bartkowski is a genealogist and historical fiction author whose work brings together dreams, ancestral research, and storytelling. Her books include Ancestral Shadows, Dead Reckoning, and Dreams Remembered: A Guided Dream Journal for Seekers, Writers, and Genealogists. Learn more at anabartkowski.com.
Upcoming Workshop
Dreams and Visions: Cultivating Joyful Effort with Katherine Bell and Henry Kandel. Six monthly Wednesdays on Zoom, 7:00–8:30pm ET (4:00–5:30pm PT), starting November 11. The first session is free.
Details and register here: https://www.psychedelicyogaresearchcollective.org/dreams
About the Show
The Dream Journal is hosted by Katherine Bell of Experiential Dreamwork and broadcast from KSQD in Santa Cruz, with additional broadcasts in San Jose and Sonoma. Full-length videos of the conversation are also available on Spotify and the Experiential Dreamwork YouTube channel.
Join the conversation: What have you been dreaming about lately? Share the episode, leave a comment, and subscribe for more conversations about dreams, creativity, consciousness, and personal growth.
#TheDreamJournal #DreamInterpretation #DreamJournal #Genealogy #AncestralDreams #CreativeWriting #DreamRecall #DreamIncubation #HistoricalFiction #ExperientialDreamwork
This show, episode number 383, was recorded during a live broadcast on October 3, 2026 at KSQD.org, community radio of Santa Cruz.
SHARE A DREAM FOR THE SHOW or a question or enquire about being a guest on the podcast by emailing Katherine Bell at [email protected]. Follow on LI, IG, YT, FB, & LT @ExperientialDreamwork #thedreamjournal. To learn more or to inquire about exploring your own dreams go to ExperientialDreamwork.com.
Video podcast available at youtube.com/@experientialdreamwork. Popular playlists: “Dream Journal shorts” and “FULL LENGTH VIDEOS”.

Here are links to some other Dream Journal episodes you might be interested in:
Is This Yours to Carry? with Linda Schiller
A New Kind of Hero’s Journey with Donna Glee Williams
Intro and outro music by Mood Science. Ambient music new every week by Rick Kleffel. Archived music can be found at Pandemiad.com. Many thanks to Rick for also engineering the show and to Erik Nelson for answering the phones.
The Dream Journal aims to:
Increase awareness of and appreciation for nightly dreams.
Inspire dream sharing and other kinds of dream exploration as a way of adding depth and meaningfulness to lives and relationships.
Improve society by the increased empathy, emotional balance, and sense of wonder which dream exploration invites.
A dream can be meaningful even if you don’t know what it means.
The Dream Journal is produced at and airs on KSQD Santa Cruz, 90.7 FM. Catch it streaming LIVE at KSQD.org 10-11am Pacific Time on Saturdays. Call or text with your dreams or questions at 831-900-5773 or email at [email protected]. Podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms the Monday following the live show. The complete KSQD Dream Journal podcast page can be found at ksqd.org/the-dream-journal/.
Thanks for being a Dream Journal listener! Available on all major podcast platforms. Rate it, review it, subscribe, and tell your friends.
0 min
September 28How to Stop Nightmares and Sleep Better: IRT, CBT, Lucid Dreaming, & PTSD with Dr. Courtney Worley
Can recurring nightmares be changed—and can better sleep support recovery from trauma?
On this episode of The Dream Journal, host Katherine Bell talks with clinical psychologist and behavioral sleep medicine specialist Dr. Courtney Worley about evidence-based treatments for nightmares, insomnia, and trauma-related sleep problems.
Dr. Worley explains how imagery rehearsal therapy (IRT) can help people rescript distressing dreams and rehearse safer, more neutral, or more pleasant alternatives while awake. She also explores exposure, relaxation, and rescripting therapy; cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia and nightmares; lucid dreaming; mindfulness; and the importance of addressing sleep apnea alongside psychological symptoms.
Throughout the conversation, she emphasizes choice, collaboration, and respect for each person’s cultural, religious, spiritual, and personal values.
In this episode:
When ordinary nightmares may become a nightmare disorder
How sleep avoidance can reinforce the nightmare cycle
Imagery rehearsal therapy (IRT) and dream rescripting
Exposure, relaxation, and rescripting therapy for trauma-related nightmares
Lucid dreaming as a learnable skill for changing nightmares in real time
How mindfulness and guided imagery can reduce arousal around sleep
The relationship among PTSD, insomnia, nightmares, and obstructive sleep apnea
Why treatment should reflect the dreamer’s values, context, and preferred approach
About the guest:
Dr. Courtney Worley is double board certified in clinical psychology and behavioral sleep medicine. She is co-author of The Nightmare and Sleep Disorder Toolkit and author of the forthcoming Nightmares and Nightmare Disorders. Learn more at drcourtneyworley.com and Upward Behavioral Health.
Resources mentioned:
The Nightmare and Sleep Disorder Toolkit
Nightmares and Nightmare Disorders
DrCourtneyWorley.com
Upward Behavioral Health
The Dream Journal on KSQD
Video on Spotify and YouTube @ExperientialDreamwork
ExperientialDreamwork.com
Key takeaway: Recurring nightmares and sleep problems are treatable! Behavioral approaches can help people build a different relationship with sleep and dreaming while honoring the meaning and context of their experiences. If nightmares, insomnia, trauma symptoms, or possible sleep apnea are affecting your quality of life, consider speaking with a qualified health professional.
Topics: nightmare treatment, imagery rehearsal therapy, IRT, CBT for insomnia, CBT for nightmares, PTSD nightmares, trauma therapy, lucid dreaming, mindfulness, sleep apnea, dream rescripting, behavioral sleep medicine, The Dream Journal, Dr. Courtney Worley
This show, episode number 382, was recorded during a live broadcast on September 26, 2026 at KSQD.org, community radio of Santa Cruz.
SHARE A DREAM FOR THE SHOW or a question or enquire about being a guest on the podcast by emailing Katherine Bell at [email protected]. Follow on LI, IG, YT, FB, & LT @ExperientialDreamwork #thedreamjournal. To learn more or to inquire about exploring your own dreams go to ExperientialDreamwork.com.
Video podcast available at youtube.com/@experientialdreamwork. Popular playlists: “Dream Journal shorts” and “FULL LENGTH VIDEOS”.

Here are links to some other Dream Journal episodes you might be interested in:
Nightmares and Suicide with Dr Michael Nadorff
Intro and outro music by Mood Science. Ambient music new every week by Rick Kleffel. Archived music can be found at Pandemiad.com. Many thanks to Rick for also engineering the show and to Erik Nelson for answering the phones.
Dancing With Dreams & Nightmares | Ritual Dreamwork, Bees, Snakes, & the Dream Hive with Lana Nasser
The Dream Journal aims to:
Increase awareness of and appreciation for nightly dreams.
Inspire dream sharing and other kinds of dream exploration as a way of adding depth and meaningfulness to lives and relationships.
Improve society by the increased empathy, emotional balance, and sense of wonder which dream exploration invites.
A dream can be meaningful even if you don’t know what it means.
The Dream Journal is produced at and airs on KSQD Santa Cruz, 90.7 FM. Catch it streaming LIVE at KSQD.org 10-11am Pacific Time on Saturdays. Call or text with your dreams or questions at 831-900-5773 or email at [email protected]. Podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms the Monday following the live show. The complete KSQD Dream Journal podcast page can be found at ksqd.org/the-dream-journal/.
Thanks for being a Dream Journal listener! Available on all major podcast platforms. Rate it, review it, subscribe, and tell your friends.
57 min
September 21How Dreams Guide Midlife Growth: Jungian Individuation, Shadow Work, & Compensatory Dreams with Tony Caldwell
What can dreams reveal about psychological growth in midlife? Jungian psychoanalyst Tony Caldwell joins host Katherine Bell on The Dream Journal to explore individuation, compensatory dreams, shadow work, initial dreams, and the tension of opposites.
Tony explains how dreams can counterbalance a one-sided conscious attitude, why individuation is an ongoing process rather than a finished state, and how holding opposing impulses can allow a new response to emerge. He also shares his own recurring water dreams—from dark, stagnant pools to clear, flowing water—and describes how dream images accompanied major shifts in analysis, training, relationships, and his move to Nashville.
This conversation offers an accessible introduction to Jungian psychology for anyone curious about dream interpretation, midlife transformation, the unconscious, psychological balance, and the role of the body, and community in personal growth.
In This Episode
What Jungian individuation means in everyday life
How dreams support psychological growth in midlife
Compensatory dreams and the psyche’s drive toward balance
Shadow work, projection, and the “gold in the shadow”
Holding the tension of opposites and the transcendent function
Why initial dreams can matter at the start of analysis
Water dreams as images of the unconscious
How relationships and community shape individuation
Integrating Jungian analysis with somatic and body-based work
Episode Chapters
00:00 — Introduction: dreams, midlife growth, and Jungian psychology
03:30 — What is individuation?
07:09 — The splits within us cause the splits between us
10:32 — How compensatory dreams restore balance
12:24 — Psyche, body, relationships, and community
15:26 — Leaving high-control systems and becoming less defined by them
20:31 — Shadow, passivity, aggression, and psychological balance
21:00 — Holding the tension of opposites
23:42 — Why Carl Jung still matters
35:00 — Initial dreams and the beginning of analysis
36:06 — Water dreams and the unconscious
37:06 — Tony’s recurring dark-water dream series
43:08 — Wrestling the crocodile: moving beyond adaptive passivity
44:43 — Dreams that pointed toward a move to Nashville
48:26 — Psyche and Soma Institute
51:24 — Final reflections on shadow work
Bio: Tony Caldwell is a Jungian psychoanalyst based in Nashville, Tennessee, with more than 25 years of experience. He is a co-founder of the Psyche and Soma Institute and a core faculty member of the Haden Institute.
Learn more: TonyCaldwell.com | JungNashville.com | PsycheandSomaInstitute.com | HadenInstitute.org
Subscribe and share: Follow The Dream Journal and Experiential Dreamwork for more conversations about dreams, dreamwork, psychology, and personal transformation. If this episode resonates, share it with a friend who is curious about the meaning and value of dreams.
Keywords: Jungian psychology, dream interpretation, individuation, compensatory dreams, shadow work, midlife growth, unconscious mind, water dreams, initial dreams, transcendent function, Tony Caldwell, The Dream Journal
Hashtags: #TheDreamJournal
This show, episode number 381, was recorded during a live broadcast on September 19, 2026 at KSQD.org, community radio of Santa Cruz.
SHARE A DREAM FOR THE SHOW or a question or enquire about being a guest on the podcast by emailing Katherine Bell at [email protected]. Follow on LI, IG, YT, FB, & LT @ExperientialDreamwork #thedreamjournal. To learn more or to inquire about exploring your own dreams go to ExperientialDreamwork.com.
Video podcast available at youtube.com/@experientialdreamwork. Popular playlists: “Dream Journal shorts” and “FULL LENGTH VIDEOS”.

Here are links to some other Dream Journal episodes you might be interested in:
Dreams, Jung, and Memory Reconsolidation with John Valenzuela, PhD
Quarter Life Crisis, Dreams, and Jung’s Red Book with Satya Doyle Byock
Jungian Psychology, Creativity, and the Music of the Unconscious with Dr Michael Mollura
Intro and outro music by Mood Science. Ambient music new every week by Rick Kleffel. Archived music can be found at Pandemiad.com. Many thanks to Rick for also engineering the show and to Erik Nelson for answering the phones.
The Dream Journal aims to:
Increase awareness of and appreciation for nightly dreams.
Inspire dream sharing and other kinds of dream exploration as a way of adding depth and meaningfulness to lives and relationships.
Improve society by the increased empathy, emotional balance, and sense of wonder which dream exploration invites.
A dream can be meaningful even if you don’t know what it means.
The Dream Journal is produced at and airs on KSQD Santa Cruz, 90.7 FM. Catch it streaming LIVE at KSQD.org 10-11am Pacific Time on Saturdays. Call or text with your dreams or questions at 831-900-5773 or email at [email protected]. Podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms the Monday following the live show. The complete KSQD Dream Journal podcast page can be found at ksqd.org/the-dream-journal/.
Thanks for being a Dream Journal listener! Available on all major podcast platforms. Rate it, review it, subscribe, and tell your friends.
0 min
September 14Herbal Dream Magic: Dream Herbs, Plant Allies, & Dream Incubation with Audrey Gilbert
What are dream herbs—and how can plant allies support dream recall, dream incubation, creativity, healing, and spiritual connection? On this episode of The Dream Journal, host Katherine Bell speaks with author, herbalist, certified hypnotherapist, dream guide, and intuitive coach Audrey Gilbert about her book Herbal Dream Magic: Spells and Rituals with Plant Allies.
Audrey explains the difference between sleep-supporting herbs and oneirogens, discusses familiar plants such as chamomile, lavender, lemon balm, rosemary, mugwort, blue lotus, skullcap, blue vervain, and ginkgo, and shares practical ways to prepare for intentional dreaming. The conversation explores nighttime rituals, setting a clear question, keeping a dream journal, building a bedside altar, reconnecting during a “dream drought,” and working with dreams during a second sleep.
In the second half, the conversation expands into collective dreaming, dreams with the land, and a striking linden-tree dream in which the name “Tilia” becomes a doorway to connection and care. Audrey also tells the story of choosing her name through a vivid tree dream and describes how science, folklore, psychology, tarot, animistic spirituality, and herbal practice come together in her work.
In This Episode
What plant allies are—and why relationship matters more than treating herbs as tools
Dream herbs versus sleep herbs, including oneirogens and nervines
Dream incubation practices for questions, guidance, healing, and creativity
Simple rituals: journaling, intention-setting, tea, bedside altars, sigils, and reconnecting after waking
Plants associated with relaxation, vivid dreams, cognition, and dream recall
Audrey’s origin story and the dream that inspired her chosen name
Collective dreaming, dreaming with the land, and shared imagery
The relationship between folklore, personal experience, and emerging dream research
BIO: Audrey Gilbert is an herbalist, certified hypnotherapist, dream guide, and intuitive coach helping people cultivate healing, creativity, and spiritual connection through the wisdom of plants and dreams. Audrey weaves together science, folklore, psychology, and animistic spirituality into practices that are both practical and deeply meaningful.
Her book is Herbal Dream Magic: Spells and Rituals with Plant Allies.
Contact our guest: AudreyGilbert.com BotanicaMystica.org
This show, episode number 380, was recorded during a live broadcast on September 12, 2026 at KSQD.org, community radio of Santa Cruz.
SHARE A DREAM FOR THE SHOW or a question or enquire about being a guest on the podcast by emailing Katherine Bell at [email protected]. Follow on LI, IG, YT, FB, & LT @ExperientialDreamwork #thedreamjournal. To learn more or to inquire about exploring your own dreams go to ExperientialDreamwork.com.
Video podcast available at youtube.com/@experientialdreamwork. Popular playlists: “Dream Journal shorts” and “FULL LENGTH VIDEOS”.

Here are links to some other Dream Journal episodes you might be interested in:
The Dreaming Way with Toko-Pa Turner
Rewilding the Dream with Laura Smith-Riva
Dreaming Back to the Earth with Mary Kay Kasper
Intro and outro music by Mood Science. Ambient music new every week by Rick Kleffel. Archived music can be found at Pandemiad.com. Many thanks to Rick for also engineering the show and to Erik Nelson for answering the phones.
The Dream Journal aims to:
Increase awareness of and appreciation for nightly dreams.
Inspire dream sharing and other kinds of dream exploration as a way of adding depth and meaningfulness to lives and relationships.
Improve society by the increased empathy, emotional balance, and sense of wonder which dream exploration invites.
A dream can be meaningful even if you don’t know what it means.
The Dream Journal is produced at and airs on KSQD Santa Cruz, 90.7 FM. Catch it streaming LIVE at KSQD.org 10-11am Pacific Time on Saturdays. Call or text with your dreams or questions at 831-900-5773 or email at [email protected]. Podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms the Monday following the live show. The complete KSQD Dream Journal podcast page can be found at ksqd.org/the-dream-journal/.
Thanks for being a Dream Journal listener! Available on all major podcast platforms. Rate it, review it, subscribe, and tell your friends.
0 min
September 07 Dreams, Jung, and Memory Reconsolidation with John Valenzuela, PhD
How do Jungian psychology, dream archetypes, neurobiology, and memory reconsolidation come together in dream work? In this episode of The Dream Journal, host Katherine Bell speaks with clinical psychologist Dr. John Valenzuela about dreams as meaningful experiences that help us update emotional memories, deepen self-understanding, and improve relationships.
With poignant examples from his own dream life, Dr. Valenzuela explores how dreams connect personal memory, archetypal symbolism, embodied awareness, interpersonal neurobiology, and the collective unconscious.
The conversation moves from Jung’s ideas about symbols and archetypes to modern neuroscience, polyvagal theory, emotional regulation, dream embodiment, and the possibility that dreams help us engage with relational fields beyond ordinary waking awareness.
Topics include memory reconsolidation, implicit emotional memory, dream symbols, the personal and collective unconscious, the mother and father archetypes, the psychoid field, embodied dream work, the role of the right brain, and how dreams may help us reframe old patterns and strengthen our relationships.
BIO: John Valenzuela is a clinical psychologist and supervisor in California and earned his PhD at Pacifica Graduate Institute. He has presented scholarly research on dreams, Jungian psychology, and memory reconsolidation at several conferences, including IASD, IAAP, and the Global Association for Interpersonal Neurobiology. His book is Dreams, Jung, and Memory Reconsolidation: Consilience with Interpersonal Neurobiology,
Contact our guest at nexusojai.com
This show, episode number 379, was broadcast on September 5, 2026 at KSQD.org, community radio of Santa Cruz. It was recorded on August 4, 2026.
SHARE A DREAM FOR THE SHOW or a question or enquire about being a guest on the podcast by emailing Katherine Bell at [email protected]. Follow on LI, IG, YT, FB, & LT @ExperientialDreamwork #thedreamjournal. To learn more or to inquire about exploring your own dreams go to ExperientialDreamwork.com.
Video podcast available at youtube.com/@experientialdreamwork. Popular playlists: “Dream Journal shorts” and “FULL LENGTH VIDEOS”.

Here are links to some other Dream Journal episodes you might be interested in:
How Dreamwork Strengthens Intuition: Lucidity, Meaning, and the Medial Archetype with Athena Laz
Anima Dreams, Personal Neurobiology, and Hispanic Identity with John Valenzuela, PhD
Intro and outro music by Mood Science. Ambient music new every week by Rick Kleffel. Archived music can be found at Pandemiad.com. Many thanks to Rick for also engineering the show and to Erik Nelson for answering the phones.
The Dream Journal aims to:
Increase awareness of and appreciation for nightly dreams.
Inspire dream sharing and other kinds of dream exploration as a way of adding depth and meaningfulness to lives and relationships.
Improve society by the increased empathy, emotional balance, and sense of wonder which dream exploration invites.
A dream can be meaningful even if you don’t know what it means.
The Dream Journal is produced at and airs on KSQD Santa Cruz, 90.7 FM. Catch it streaming LIVE at KSQD.org 10-11am Pacific Time on Saturdays. Call or text with your dreams or questions at 831-900-5773 or email at [email protected]. Podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms the Monday following the live show. The complete KSQD Dream Journal podcast page can be found at ksqd.org/the-dream-journal/.
Thanks for being a Dream Journal listener! Available on all major podcast platforms. Rate it, review it, subscribe, and tell your friends.
57 min
August 31 The Emotional Truth of Dreams with Willow Pearson Trimbach and Eva Tuschman Leonard
In this episode of The Dream Journal, host Katherine Bell speaks with psychotherapists and artists Willow Pearson Trimbach and Eva Tuschman Leonard about their book The Emotional Truth of Dreams: Learning from Dream Dialogues in Psychotherapeutic and Spiritual Practice. Together they explore how dreams reveal emotional truth, invite deep listening, and open pathways into creativity, spirituality, and relationship.
Willow and Eva describe the difference between emotional reactivity and emotional truth, the grace of dreaming, and the practice of allowing dreams to remain mysterious while continuing to unfold meaning over time. They also discuss waking dreams, nested dreams, nonduality through multiplicity, interbeing, dream dialogue, and the creative exchange between dream life and artistic practice.
The conversation also includes a listener question about dreamlike experiences during meditation and shared consciousness, leading into reflections on waking life as a dynamic dream field. This episode is for anyone interested in dreamwork, depth psychology, psychotherapy, spirituality, creativity, lucid living, and the mystery of how dreams speak to the soul.
Topics Covered:
• Dreams as the source of emotional truth
• Dream dialogue in psychotherapy and spiritual practice
• The difference between reactivity and deeper responsiveness
• Grace, reverence, and the mystery of dreaming
• Nonduality, multiplicity, and “nothing is other”
• Waking dreams, nested dreams, and altered states of awareness
• Creativity, music, ceramics, visual art, and dream inspiration
• Finding a dream companion or soul friend
Keywords:
dreamwork, dream interpretation, emotional truth of dreams, Willow Pearson Trimbach, Eva Tuschman Leonard, The Emotional Truth of Dreams, psychotherapy and dreams, spiritual practice, depth psychology, dream dialogue, waking dreams, nested dreams, nonduality, creativity and dreams, The Dream Journal, Katherine Bell, Experiential Dreamwork
BIOS:
Willow Pearson Trimbach, PsyD, LMFT, MT-BC is Professor and Director of Clinical Training in the Clinical Psychology Department at the California Institute of Integral Studies. She is a psychologist, psychotherapist, music therapist, author, singer, and songwriter. Willow’s first book, co-edited with Helen Marlo, is The Spiritual Psyche: Mysticism, Intersubjectivity and Psychoanalysis, Her most recent album, Caesura’s Cry was released in July, 2025.
Eva Tuschman Leonard is a psychotherapist, writer, and artist based in Sonoma, California, with degrees from Stanford and The Wright Institute. Influenced by over two decades of meditation practice, her integrative therapeutic style balances resilience-building tools with the exploration of existential, spiritual, and creative dimensions of life. Her first book, Bodywork, explores illness, grief and desire through her drawings and written reflections.
Guest Links:
• Book website: emotionaltruthofdreams.com
• Eva Tuschman Leonard: Evatuschman.com
• Willow Pearson Trimbach: Drwillowpearson.com
• Music and creative work: Lionessroars.org
This show, episode number 378, was recorded during a live broadcast on August 29, 2026 at KSQD.org, community radio of Santa Cruz.
SHARE A DREAM FOR THE SHOW or a question or enquire about being a guest on the podcast by emailing Katherine Bell at [email protected]. Follow on LI, IG, YT, FB, & LT @ExperientialDreamwork #thedreamjournal. To learn more or to inquire about exploring your own dreams go to ExperientialDreamwork.com.
Video podcast available at youtube.com/@experientialdreamwork. Popular playlists: “Dream Journal shorts” and “FULL LENGTH VIDEOS”.

Here are links to some other Dream Journal episodes you might be interested in:
Jungian Psychology, Creativity, and the Music of the Unconscious with Dr Michael Mollura

Putting the Psyche back in Psychology with Jungian Eva Rider
Intro and outro music by Mood Science. Ambient music new every week by Rick Kleffel. Archived music can be found at Pandemiad.com. Many thanks to Rick for also engineering the show and to Erik Nelson for answering the phones.
The Dream Journal aims to:
Increase awareness of and appreciation for nightly dreams.
Inspire dream sharing and other kinds of dream exploration as a way of adding depth and meaningfulness to lives and relationships.
Improve society by the increased empathy, emotional balance, and sense of wonder which dream exploration invites.
A dream can be meaningful even if you don’t know what it means.
The Dream Journal is produced at and airs on KSQD Santa Cruz, 90.7 FM. Catch it streaming LIVE at KSQD.org 10-11am Pacific Time on Saturdays. Call or text with your dreams or questions at 831-900-5773 or email at [email protected]. Podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms the Monday following the live show. The complete KSQD Dream Journal podcast page can be found at ksqd.org/the-dream-journal/.
Thanks for being a Dream Journal listener! Available on all major podcast platforms. Rate it, review it, subscribe, and tell your friends.
57 min
August 24 Dreams as a Place to Return To: Presence, Suffering, Trauma, & Natural Dreamwork with Dr. Keren Vishny
In this episode of The Dream Journal, host Katherine Bell speaks with physician-turned-psychotherapist, teacher, and writer Dr. Keren Vishny about dreams as a place we can return to again and again. Together they explore how dreamwork can deepen presence, support emotional awareness, and help us stay with difficult experiences rather than avoiding them or rushing to interpret them.
Dr. Vishny shares how dreams invite us into relationship—with ourselves, with others, and with the living images of the dream world. The conversation touches on Natural Dreamwork, Body Soul Rhythms, the difference between experiencing and interpreting dreams, and the importance of slowing down to notice sensory details, feelings, and the “layers” a dream can reveal over time.
Topics include dream sharing, relational presence, grief dreams, suffering versus trauma, recurring nightmares, dream re-entry, and how dreams can help us meet pain with curiosity, tenderness, and agency. Keren also discusses why dreams do not have to be “solved” to be meaningful—and how returning to a dream can open new possibilities for healing and self-understanding.
Guest: Dr. Keren Vishny — physician, psychotherapist, teacher, and writer. Keren will be teaching a six-session experiential class in Natural Dreamwork on Thursdays starting October 22. Learn more at kerenvishny.com, kerenvishny.substack.com, and thenaturaldream.com.
Keywords: dreams, dreamwork, Natural Dreamwork, experiential dreamwork, dream interpretation, dream sharing, presence, trauma, suffering, grief dreams, recurring nightmares, Keren Vishny, The Dream Journal.
This show, episode number 377, was recorded during a live broadcast on August 22, 2026 at KSQD.org, community radio of Santa Cruz.
SHARE A DREAM FOR THE SHOW or a question or enquire about being a guest on the podcast by emailing Katherine Bell at [email protected]. Follow on LI, IG, YT, FB, & LT @ExperientialDreamwork #thedreamjournal. To learn more or to inquire about exploring your own dreams go to ExperientialDreamwork.com.
Video podcast available at youtube.com/@experientialdreamwork. Popular playlists: “Dream Journal shorts” and “FULL LENGTH VIDEOS”.

Here are links to some other Dream Journal episodes you might be interested in:
Imagination, Dreamwork, and the Sacred Encounter with Rodger Kamenetz
Healing Relationships One Dream at a Time with Dr. Keren Vishny
Intro and outro music by Mood Science. Ambient music new every week by Rick Kleffel. Archived music can be found at Pandemiad.com. Many thanks to Rick for also engineering the show and to Erik Nelson for answering the phones.
The Dream Journal aims to:
Increase awareness of and appreciation for nightly dreams.
Inspire dream sharing and other kinds of dream exploration as a way of adding depth and meaningfulness to lives and relationships.
Improve society by the increased empathy, emotional balance, and sense of wonder which dream exploration invites.
A dream can be meaningful even if you don’t know what it means.
The Dream Journal is produced at and airs on KSQD Santa Cruz, 90.7 FM. Catch it streaming LIVE at KSQD.org 10-11am Pacific Time on Saturdays. Call or text with your dreams or questions at 831-900-5773 or email at [email protected]. Podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms the Monday following the live show. The complete KSQD Dream Journal podcast page can be found at ksqd.org/the-dream-journal/.
Thanks for being a Dream Journal listener! Available on all major podcast platforms. Rate it, review it, subscribe, and tell your friends.
0 min
August 17Quarter Life Crisis, Dreams, and Jung’s Red Book with Satya Doyle Byock
Early adulthood can feel like a search for meaning in a world that keeps asking for stability. In this episode of The Dream Journal, host Katherine Bell speaks with Satya Doyle Byock about quarter life as a developmental stage, the tension between stability and meaning, and how dreams can reveal what the conscious mind has not yet understood.
Satya discusses her book Quarterlife: The Search for Self in Early Adulthood, her work with the Salome Institute of Jungian Studies, and why young adults may be encountering questions of purpose earlier and more urgently today. The conversation explores Jungian psychology, individuation, stability types and meaning types, the symbolic power of dreams, nightmares, active imagination, and Jung’s Red Book as a map of psychological crisis and transformation.
You’ll also hear reflections on falling dreams, fortress and fire imagery, the role of the unconscious in personal growth, capitalism, and why crisis can become an opening to a deeper life when we learn to listen inwardly.
In This Episode
Why quarter life deserves to be understood as its own stage of adulthood
The difference between stability types and meaning types
How dreams can help reveal what is missing, defended, or ready to change
Why nightmares may signal psychic movement rather than simply fear
What Jung’s Red Book teaches about crisis, active imagination, and transformation
How inner work can help rebalance a culture focused on external achievement
Guest Links
Learn more about Satya Doyle Byock at SatyaByock.com and through the Salome Institute of Jungian Studies. You can also find her writing on Substack at SatyaDoyleByock.Substack.com.
Keywords
quarter life crisis, quarterlife, Satya Doyle Byock, Jungian psychology, dreams and meaning, individuation, early adulthood, Red Book, Carl Jung, Salome Institute, dream work, nightmares, active imagination, capitalism, stability and meaning
This show, episode number 376, was recorded during a live broadcast on August 15, 2026 at KSQD.org, community radio of Santa Cruz.
SHARE A DREAM FOR THE SHOW or a question or enquire about being a guest on the podcast by emailing Katherine Bell at [email protected]. Follow on LI, IG, YT, FB, & LT @ExperientialDreamwork #thedreamjournal. To learn more or to inquire about exploring your own dreams go to ExperientialDreamwork.com.
Video podcast available at youtube.com/@experientialdreamwork. Popular playlists: “Dream Journal shorts” and “FULL LENGTH VIDEOS”.

Here are links to some other Dream Journal episodes you might be interested in:
Dreaming up the World We Want to Live in with Katrina Dreamer
Radical Resistance with Victor Lee Lewis
Intro and outro music by Mood Science. Ambient music new every week by Rick Kleffel. Archived music can be found at Pandemiad.com. Many thanks to Rick for also engineering the show and to Erik Nelson for answering the phones.
The Dream Journal aims to:
Increase awareness of and appreciation for nightly dreams.
Inspire dream sharing and other kinds of dream exploration as a way of adding depth and meaningfulness to lives and relationships.
Improve society by the increased empathy, emotional balance, and sense of wonder which dream exploration invites.
A dream can be meaningful even if you don’t know what it means.
The Dream Journal is produced at and airs on KSQD Santa Cruz, 90.7 FM. Catch it streaming LIVE at KSQD.org 10-11am Pacific Time on Saturdays. Call or text with your dreams or questions at 831-900-5773 or email at [email protected]. Podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms the Monday following the live show. The complete KSQD Dream Journal podcast page can be found at ksqd.org/the-dream-journal/.
Thanks for being a Dream Journal listener! Available on all major podcast platforms. Rate it, review it, subscribe, and tell your friends.
0 min
August 10Robert Moss on Active Dreaming, Shamanism, Synchronicity, and the Living Power of Your Dreams
Dream teacher and prolific author Robert Moss joins The Dream Journal for a wide-ranging conversation about active dreaming, shamanic imagination, synchronicity, dream reentry, hypnagogia, precognition, nightmares, and the living nature of dreams.
Robert Moss is the founder of the School of Active Dreaming and the author of books including Conscious Dreaming, Dreamways of the Iroquois, Sidewalk Oracles, Mysterious Realities, and Growing Big Dreams. In this episode, he shares stories of red-tailed hawks, sacred trees, dream guidance, shared dreaming, and the ways dreams can spill into waking life.
Host Katherine Bell opens with a personal dream of a moonlit grove, inviting a conversation about how dreams can become portals for healing, imagination, and deeper relationship with the world around us. Robert explains why dreams are not static symbols to decode, but living experiences that can be revisited, extended, and embodied.
This conversation explores how to work with dreams creatively and practically: how to return to a dream, how to stay with a powerful image, how nightmares may be unfinished dreams, and how dreamers can use intention, imagination, and courage to reclaim what has been hidden or feared.
In This Episode
What active dreaming is and how it differs from ordinary dream interpretation
Why the hypnagogic and hypnopompic states are fertile zones for imagination and guidance
How synchronicity may show up through dreams, animals, symbols, and waking-life events
What dream reentry can reveal about nightmares, healing, and personal power
How dreams may offer glimpses of possible futures and choices
Why Robert Moss says dreams are alive, interactive, and connected to the larger world
How shared dreaming and intentional dream travel can open new forms of discovery
Keywords
Robert Moss, active dreaming, dream reentry, shamanic dreaming, dreamwork, synchronicity, hypnagogia, hypnopompia, precognitive dreams, nightmares, Carl Jung dreams, The Dream Journal, Katherine Bell, Experiential Dreamwork.
Hashtags
#TheDreamJournal #RobertMoss #ActiveDreaming #Dreamwork #DreamReentry #ShamanicDreaming #Synchronicity #PrecognitiveDreams #CarlJung #ExperientialDreamwork
BIO: Robert Moss has been a dream traveler since doctors pronounced him dead in a hospital in Tasmania when he was three years old. From his experiences in many worlds, he created his School of Active Dreaming, his original synthesis of modern dreamwork, shamanic journeying, and creative imagination. He has lived in upstate New York since he received a message from a red-tailed hawk under an old white oak.
Contact our guest: MossDreams.com and MossDreams.substack.com
This show, episode number 375, was recorded during a live broadcast on August 8, 2026 at KSQD.org, community radio of Santa Cruz.
SHARE A DREAM FOR THE SHOW or a question or enquire about being a guest on the podcast by emailing Katherine Bell at [email protected]. Follow on LI, IG, YT, FB, & LT @ExperientialDreamwork #thedreamjournal. To learn more or to inquire about exploring your own dreams go to ExperientialDreamwork.com.
Video podcast available at youtube.com/@experientialdreamwork. Popular playlists: “Dream Journal shorts” and “FULL LENGTH VIDEOS”.

Here are links to some other Dream Journal episodes you might be interested in:
Shamanic Dream Journeying with Robert Moss

Dreams and Shamanism with Katrina Appleby

Dream Sharing as Sacred Story Telling with Andrusa Lawson
Intro and outro music by Mood Science. Ambient music new every week by Rick Kleffel. Archived music can be found at Pandemiad.com. Many thanks to Rick for also engineering the show and to Erik Nelson for answering the phones.
The Dream Journal aims to:
Increase awareness of and appreciation for nightly dreams.
Inspire dream sharing and other kinds of dream exploration as a way of adding depth and meaningfulness to lives and relationships.
Improve society by the increased empathy, emotional balance, and sense of wonder which dream exploration invites.
A dream can be meaningful even if you don’t know what it means.
The Dream Journal is produced at and airs on KSQD Santa Cruz, 90.7 FM. Catch it streaming LIVE at KSQD.org 10-11am Pacific Time on Saturdays. Call or text with your dreams or questions at 831-900-5773 or email at [email protected]. Podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms the Monday following the live show. The complete KSQD Dream Journal podcast page can be found at ksqd.org/the-dream-journal/.
Thanks for being a Dream Journal listener! Available on all major podcast platforms. Rate it, review it, subscribe, and tell your friends.
0 min
August 03Dreams, Shakespeare, and the Play of Consciousness with Dr. Kelly Bulkeley
What do Shakespeare, dream journals, live theater, and spiritual imagination have in common? In this episode of The Dream Journal, host Katherine Bell speaks with dream researcher and author Dr. Kelly Bulkeley about the spirit of dreaming in Shakespeare, the power of dreams as play, and how long-term dream journaling reveals patterns of meaning over time.
Kelly Bulkeley, PhD, is a psychologist of religion, director of the Sleep and Dream Database, senior editor of the journal Dreaming, and a former president of the International Association for the Study of Dreams. His books include The Scribes of Sleep, 2020 Dreams, Lucrecia the Dreamer, Big Dreams, The Spirituality of Dreaming, and his forthcoming book, The Spirit of Dreaming in Shakespeare.
In this wide-ranging conversation, Kelly and Katherine explore how Shakespeare used dreams throughout his plays, why live theater can feel like a shared dream, how dreams and waking life blur in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and what recurring dream themes can teach us about growth, creativity, and self-understanding.
Topics Covered
Dreams as play, performance, imagination, and creative rehearsal
How Shakespeare gave language to positive and negative views of dreaming
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Puck, trickster consciousness, and the dreamlike quality of theater
Why live theater can create a shared imaginal or shared-dream experience
Recurring dreams, stage dreams, and how dream themes evolve over time
The Sleep and Dream Database and how large dream collections reveal patterns
Elsewhere dream journaling app and ethical uses of AI-assisted dream reflection
Lucrecia the Dreamer, prophetic dreams, history, and the Spanish Inquisition
The Jeremey Taylor Dream Library Foundation and preserving important dreamwork resources
Guest and Resources
Guest: Dr. Kelly Bulkeley
Learn more: bulkeley.org
Explore the Sleep and Dream Database: sleepanddreamdatabase.org
Show: The Dream Journal with Katherine Bell / Experiential Dreamwork
Suggested Keywords
dreams, dream interpretation, dream journaling, Shakespeare and dreams, Kelly Bulkeley, Sleep and Dream Database, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, spiritual dreaming, dreams as play, recurring dreams, dream research, prophetic dreams, dreamwork, Jungian dreams, consciousness, live theater, shared dreaming, Experiential Dreamwork, The Dream Journal podcast
Call to Action
If this conversation sparks your curiosity, subscribe to The Dream Journal, share the episode with a dream-loving friend, and follow Experiential Dreamwork for more conversations about dreams, imagination, consciousness, and the wisdom of the night.
This show, episode number 374, was recorded during a live broadcast on August 1, 2026 at KSQD.org, community radio of Santa Cruz.
SHARE A DREAM FOR THE SHOW or a question or enquire about being a guest on the podcast by emailing Katherine Bell at [email protected]. Follow on LI, IG, YT, FB, & LT @ExperientialDreamwork #thedreamjournal. To learn more or to inquire about exploring your own dreams go to ExperientialDreamwork.com.
Video podcast available at youtube.com/@experientialdreamwork. Popular playlists: “Dream Journal shorts” and “FULL LENGTH VIDEOS”.

Here are links to some other Dream Journal episodes you might be interested in:
Are We Dreaming Reality? Paul Levy on Wetiko, Carl Jung, Quantum Physics, and Lucid Dreaming
A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Bernard Welt
Intro and outro music by Mood Science. Ambient music new every week by Rick Kleffel. Archived music can be found at Pandemiad.com. Many thanks to Rick for also engineering the show and to Erik Nelson for answering the phones.
The Dream Journal aims to:
Increase awareness of and appreciation for nightly dreams.
Inspire dream sharing and other kinds of dream exploration as a way of adding depth and meaningfulness to lives and relationships.
Improve society by the increased empathy, emotional balance, and sense of wonder which dream exploration invites.
A dream can be meaningful even if you don’t know what it means.
The Dream Journal is produced at and airs on KSQD Santa Cruz, 90.7 FM. Catch it streaming LIVE at KSQD.org 10-11am Pacific Time on Saturdays. Call or text with your dreams or questions at 831-900-5773 or email at [email protected]. Podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms the Monday following the live show. The complete KSQD Dream Journal podcast page can be found at ksqd.org/the-dream-journal/.
Thanks for being a Dream Journal listener! Available on all major podcast platforms. Rate it, review it, subscribe, and tell your friends.
57 min

About The Dream Journal

From the publisher's feed

The Dream Journal explores a range of topics relating to the healing aspects of night time dreaming. Experienced dream coach Katherine Bell interviews dream experts and others on the path of dreaming, but the heart of this show is YOU, your nighttime dreams, your daytime desires, your hopes for a better life. Dreams, they really can transform your life! Podcasted episodes can be found on all major platforms. Video versions are available on YouTube @ExperientialDreamwork!