ABSTRACT 1998


Long term journaling: The naturalist's contribution to dream study continues
A panel and open discussion
with Bjo Ashwill, Kelly Bulkeley, Cynthia Pearson, Dennis Schmidt and Gloria Sturzenacker.

At ASD-13, Dennis Schmidt chaired the first panel on long-term journaling. The outcome was that many were provoked and intrigued by the potential of the dream journal keeper to be a serious researcher. The concepts and issues that emerge from this potentiality are still as Dennis described them in his abstract in 1996: "…In the tradition of the naturalists whose patient observations prepared the ways to elegant understandings of physics, chemistry, and biology, home journal keepers record and discover events and regularities that astonish and enlighten, and that elude experimental probing. We do not all agree on exactly what are naturalistic methods of dream study, or on which naturalistic approaches are the most fruitful, or on how to evaluate our observations and our ideas. Some of us focus on communities of dreamers, studying many dreams of different dreamers, to see their relation to matters collective and individual. Some of us study our own individual experience. Some of us are focused mystically, or metaphysically, or both, seeking to comprehend dreaming immanent in a reality transcending the apparent waking world. We differ in how we consider the dreams that we work with, and in how we test our ideas to develop confidence in them, and in how much and how we apply our ideas. Yet our shared discipline of methodically recalling and recording our dreaming, and attending to resonances of themes, has brought us to a remarkable commonality: We have all found extended coherence in dreaming. And, to a great degree, we agree on what that coherence is like and how it appears. This agreement is not reflected in the scholarly study of dreaming. It is not just that scholarly students of dreaming don't share in the agreement. To a dismaying degree, they ignore it, and the phenomena and naturalistic methods that constitute the agreement. Why is this? We will not be able to answer that question. Our purpose rather is to raise the question. Toward that end, we will each speak some about our own studies, our several approaches, and how we see them illuminating not just ourselves, individually, but facets of our common human existence that are not well illumined otherwise. It will be apparent that, however we are looking, we are observing similar extended coherence in dreaming. Some factors in the academic neglect of these studies may also be apparent. Long term journal studies do not seem adaptable to an experimental paradigm. The phenomena appear only with long attention to and intimate familiarity with the dreamer. Key events occur sporadically, in the natural course of life. Apprehending the full richness of the phenomena usually involves associative thinking and, often, mystical thinking, more than rigorous thinking within a familiar theoretical framework. And anomalous or "paranormal" occurrences are integral in the extended coherence that we see. The challenges presented by long term observations recorded in dream journals are serious ones. Despite a perhaps natural wish to avoid them, the broad agreement among many careful observers concerning phenomena of radical importance in conceptualizing dreaming requires that we accept the challenges. Scholar and journal keeper alike need to recognize that the personal journal is a uniquely sensitive instrument that may enlighten not only the individual dreamer but the whole field of dream study." At last year's conference, a number of long-term journalers met informally and shared ideas about how to approach long term records. This year, we hope to continue this cross-fertilization with a larger audience, and prepare the way for discussing how we might, someday, arrive at some agreement on how to capitalize on the commonalities of our dream journal studies.



ABSTRACT 1999

Long Term Journal Keeping: Why We Do It

A panel and open discussion
with Bjo Ashwill, Kelly Bulkeley, Betsy Davids, Ed Kellogg, Cynthia Pearson, Dennis Schmidt and Gloria Sturzenacker.

At ASD-13, Dennis Schmidt chaired the first panel on long-term journaling. The outcome was that many were provoked to consider and appreciate the personal dream journal as the fundamental instrument of dream study. The concepts and issues that emerge from this appreciation are still as Dennis described them in his abstract in 1996: "…In the tradition of the naturalists whose patient observations prepared the ways to elegant understandings of physics, chemistry, and biology, home journal keepers record and discover events and regularities that astonish and enlighten… We differ in how we consider the dreams that we work with, and in how we test our ideas to develop confidence in them, and in how much and how we apply our ideas. Yet our shared discipline of methodically recalling and recording our dreaming…has brought us to a remarkable commonality: We have all found extended coherence in dreaming… This agreement is not reflected in the scholarly study of dreaming. It is not just that scholarly students of dreaming don't share in the agreement. To a dismaying degree, they ignore it, and the phenomena and naturalistic methods that constitute the agreement… [Yet] Scholar and journal keeper alike need to recognize that the personal journal is a uniquely sensitive instrument that may enlighten not only the individual dreamer but the whole field of dream study." At the 1997 conference, a number of long-term journalers met informally and shared ideas about how to approach long term records. In 1998, we held a panel session to continue our cross-fertilization, discussing how our individual interests are reflected in our record keeping.

The objective for 1999 will be to showcase the compelling reasons each of us has for doggedly maintaining our dreams records over the years, and to expand on our subject by featuring more speakers. Bjo Ashwill will describe her software program, "DreamSpinner," and present specific Universal Dream Themes and note how they changed over time in her series of over 3400 dreams. Kelly Bulkeley will reflect on the value and importance of the dream journal as the basis of the scholarly study of dreams. Betsy Davids will discuss dream journaling as part of a writing practice and as a laboratory for an emerging literary genre of the dream. Ed Kellogg will draw on his years of dream recording and indexing to illustrate how one can uncover the greater treasures of information made accessible through long term journaling Cynthia Pearson will describe how starting a database for her dream records led her to discover intricate synchronicities, called "arabesques," extending through time. Dennis Schmidt will summarize some of his experiences of prolonged coherence in dream records spanning nearly three decades. Gloria Sturzenacker will outline what she calls the "magic, proof that there's much more going on than we realize, in ways we can't explain" as well as the "practical magic" of extended journaling, where "a lot of this stuff actually works out! Answers come, etc." Whatever facet we focus on during our panel presentations, our ultimate objective remains constant-- to stress the importance of journal keeping, and to highlight the unique and invaluable instrument that is the dream journal.


ABSTRACT 2000

Long term Journal Keeping: Taking Stock and Looking Ahead
A panel and open discussion
 with Peggy Coats, Cynthia Pearson, Richard Russo, Dennis Schmidt and Gloria Sturzenacker


At ASD-13, Dennis Schmidt chaired the first panel on long-term journaling, framing and exploring the personal dream journal as the fundamental instrument of dream study. The concepts and issues that emerge from this appreciation are still as Dennis described them in 1996: "…In the tradition of the naturalists whose patient observations prepared the ways to elegant understandings of physics, chemistry, and biology, home journal keepers record and discover events and regularities that astonish and enlighten…Scholar and journal keeper alike need to recognize that the personal journal is a uniquely sensitive instrument that may enlighten not only the individual dreamer but the whole field of dream study." At the 1997 conference, long-term journalers met informally to compare approaches to long term record keeping. In 1998, we held a panel session to continue our cross-fertilization, discussing how our individual interests are reflected in our record keeping. In 1999, panelists focused on the compelling reasons each of us has for doggedly maintaining our dreams records over the years.

In 2000, in keeping with the conference theme of “Millennial Dreaming,” panelists will reflect on what we have learned from the practice of keeping long term dream journals, and what we look forward to exploring in the future. Peggy Coats will focus on how the development of a computerized journal-keeping system has aided in discovering correlations between the evolution of personal dream symbols and underlying patterns of personal history; and how attention to these patterns and symbols has created a bridge between technology and being, serving as an impetus for dream explorations in cyberspace. Cynthia Pearson will reflect on the study of her own journals and of journal keeping in general, and speculate on the advances and frontiers that journal keepers may address in the future, such as: applying the findings of brain research to our dream records; discussing the limitations of language in accounts of fantastical dream experiences; and evaluating our experiences with synchronicity and “hidden stories.” Richard Russo will discuss how keeping a long-term dream journal has enriched both his creative life and his personal dreamwork. In an approach analogous to that of the art historian, individual dreams are understood and appreciated in the broader context of the dreaming psyche's entire body of work, and provide a rich source of creative inspiration. Dennis Schmidt will provide an assessment of where he stands in his dream studies thirty years along -- what is clear, what is not clear, and what prospects he sees for extending clarity at the edges of what is clear and into what is not clear. Gloria Sturzenacker will discuss how some long-term journal keepers have witnessed an intricate “magic” connecting dreams and waking life. This web of synchronistic meaning is extended through time and among people in a way that defies a mechanistic understanding of cause and effect. Believing this phenomenon to be the growth tip of human evolution, she will speculate that long- term journal keepers are developing future technologies that can help save the planet. Whatever facet we focus on during our panel presentations, our ultimate objective remains constant-- to stress the importance of journal keeping, and to highlight the unique and invaluable instrument that is the dream journal.


ABSTRACT 2001

The Odyssey of Long Term Journal Keeping
A panel and open discussion
with Kelly Bulkeley, Jean Campbell, Peggy Coats, Ed Kellogg, Martha Peacock, Cynthia Pearson


At ASD-13, Dennis Schmidt chaired the first panel on long-term journaling, framing and exploring the personal dream journal as the fundamental instrument of dream study. The concepts and issues that emerge from this appreciation are still as Dennis described them in 1996: "…In the tradition of the naturalists whose patient observations prepared the ways to elegant understandings of physics, chemistry, and biology, home journal keepers record and discover events and regularities that astonish and enlighten…Scholar and journal keeper alike need to recognize that the personal journal is a uniquely sensitive instrument that may enlighten not only the individual dreamer but the whole field of dream study." Since then, long-term journalers have met at each ASD conference to describe our approaches to long term record keeping and continue our cross-fertilization.

In 2001, panelists will present their reflections of their personal dream odysseys. Kelly Bulkeley will discuss the values and limitations of using the Hall and Van de Castle content analysis system to enrich long- term dream journaling in "Content Analysis as a Dream Journaling Ally.” If used carefully, content analysis can serve as a point of departure for detailed qualitative investigations of dream patterns over time, and it can also provide an excellent basis for comparing one's own dreams with the dreams of others. Jean Campbell, who claims to have slept through syllogisms as a doctoral student in philosophy, will present “A Layman Looks at Fuzzy Logic.” She will describe discovering the friendly warmth of Fuzzy Logic as a way to work with dreams. In “The Computer as an Instrument of Discovery,” Peggy Coats will focus on how the development of a computerized journal keeping system has aided in discovering correlations between the evolution of personal dream symbols and underlying patterns of personal history; and how attention to these patterns and symbols has created a bridge between technology and being, serving as an impetus for dream explorations in cyberspace. What compels some people to keep up the time consuming practice of long-term dream journaling for decades, and even for lifetimes? In “Long-Term Journaling as an Individuation Process,” Ed Kellogg will argue that the answer lies in the fact that the work - recording dreams, rereading them, indexing them, acting on them, etc. - in itself accomplishes a kind of deeply satisfying healing -individuation process that brings about a kind of spiritual integration and growth that no other activity provides. One advantage of long term journal keeping is the ability to trace a dream symbol through time. In "The Hauntings of Long Term Journal Keeping," Martha Peacock will trace the dream image of a haunted house that over the years has become less haunted, and discuss the psychological unfolding represented by the archetypal image of "house." Cynthia Pearson will moderate the panel, and facilitate discussion with audience members following the presentations. Whatever facet we focus on during our panel presentations, our ultimate objective remains constant-- to stress the importance of journal keeping, and to highlight the unique and invaluable instrument that is the dream journal.


ABSTRACT 2002

Dreaming Before and After 9/11: Journal Keepers Report
A panel and open discussion
with Kelly Bulkeley, Jean Campbell, Ernest Hartmann, Cynthia Pearson, Gloria Sturzenacker and Robert Waggoner

At ASD-13, Dennis Schmidt chaired the first panel on long-term journaling, framing and exploring the personal dream journal as the fundamental instrument of dream study. The concepts and issues that emerge from this appreciation are still as Dennis described them in 1996: "…In the tradition of the naturalists whose patient observations prepared the ways to elegant understandings of physics, chemistry, and biology, home journal keepers record and discover events and regularities that astonish and enlighten…Scholar and journal keeper alike need to recognize that the personal journal is a uniquely sensitive instrument that may enlighten not only the individual dreamer but the whole field of dream study." Since then, long-term journalers have met at each ASD conference to discuss long term record keeping and continue our cross- fertilization.

In 2002, panelists will report on their observations of dreams that were recorded before and after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Dream journals provide a unique window into people's emotional responses to a collective crisis like the attacks of September 11. In his presentation, Kelly Bulkeley will draw on his own journal work as well as the journals of several research volunteers to focus on the way that dreams weave personal life issues into the broader social concerns about terrorism, war, and violence. When Jean Campbell first began encouraging people to post to the Internet their dreams about the 9/11 disasters, she was convinced the initial responses would be precognitive. They were. Her second impulse was to invite skilled dreamers from around the world to join in an online dream dialogue, The World Dreams Peace Bridge. The result has been a model for group dream journaling. Ernest Hartmann has been studying dreams after trauma for many years, and sometimes has been fortunate enough to obtain dream series before and after trauma from the same persons (dream journalers). The most important finding so far has been that the central images of the dream, which capture the underlying emotion (called "Contextualizing Images") are judged as more powerful in periods following trauma. (See for instance Hartmann E., et al, Dreaming 11, 115-126, 2001.) This work will be summarized and discussed, as well as early results from a new study systematically investigating dreams from dream journalers before and after 9/11/01, since we all experienced a trauma on that date. Cynthia Pearson will moderate the panel, and facilitate discussion with audience members following the presentations. Guidance and insight are two of the treasures that long-term journal-keeping unearth. Gloria Sturzenacker, former editor of the New York City Fire Department's training magazine, will trace the ways her dreams have provided direction for a continued life mission with the fire service, emotional healing to clear the way, and gentle processing of the aftermath of 9/11. Long term dream journalers often record dreams that precognitively suggest future events. In his presentation, Robert Waggoner will outline a number of apparently precognitive dreams about the Sept. 11th tragedies and their concurrence with the personal and mass events that unfolded. The presentation will include hints to aid dream journalers in assessing their possible precognitive dreams beforehand. Whatever facet we focus on during our panel presentations, our ultimate objective remains constant-- to stress the importance of journal keeping, and to highlight the unique and invaluable instrument that is the dream journal.


ABSTRACT 2003

Getting the Dream Down and Following Where It Leads
A panel and open discussion
with Bjo Ashwill, Sandy Ginsberg, Ed Kellogg, Linda Magallón, Cynthia Pearson and Gloria Sturzenacker

At ASD-13, Dennis Schmidt chaired the first panel on long-term journaling, framing and exploring the personal dream journal as the fundamental instrument of dream study. The concepts and issues that emerge from this appreciation are still as Dennis described them in 1996: "…In the tradition of the naturalists whose patient observations prepared the ways to elegant understandings of physics, chemistry, and biology, home journal keepers record and discover events and regularities that astonish and enlighten…Scholar and journal keeper alike need to recognize that the personal journal is a uniquely sensitive instrument that may enlighten not only the individual dreamer but the whole field of dream study." Since then, long-term journalers have met at each ASD conference to discuss long term record keeping and continue our cross- fertilization.

In 2003, panelists will discuss techniques that help to make dream records more true to the experiences they describe, and address how their observations about dreaming have influenced their world views Bjo Ashwill will pose the question, “What Do We Really See in Our Dreams?” Often we say in our narratives that the scene was “sort of” a familiar kitchen, back yard or office. But “even a building I describe in my narrative as my home is often missing many details and is not accurate,” Bjo notes. She has been attempting to create digital graphic images of dreams that are exact in terms of the dream architectureincluding landscapes, buildings, and objects. She will discuss these efforts, and share her theory that dream images are efficiently economical, making the various points of the dream with selected parts. In "Harvesting the Fruits of Dreaming Through Documenting,” Sandy Ginsberg will describe how the journey along her life's path has had quite an unfolding nature lately. Decisions about her life events have always been well informed by her dreaming. Now, more than ever, the nature of documenting her dreams has given further depth to her understanding of the richness of the messages from her dreaming. In “Next Stop: The Twilight Zone,” Ed Kellogg will discuss how, sooner or later, long term journalers experience dreams that do not fit into the usual categories. Realizing the limitations of our conceptual frameworks can take awhile, because in dreams we "see what we expect to see,” identifying what we experience in terms of the familiar objects and processes of waking physical reality. And after having written down a dream, even experienced dreamworkers may forget that they no longer work with a dream as such, but with a dream report, a subjective abstraction made of words. But what happens when a long term journaler decides to focus on the dream as such, and to describe what occurs in as unbiased a way as he can? In the author’s case, it soon became clear that he’d crossed over "into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas . . . The Twilight Zone.” In describing “The Picture Journal,” Linda Magallón will explain that she didn’t have to be an accomplished artist to start a picture journal her first illustrations were images cut from magazines. From those simple beginnings came further creativity: graphic arts, poetry and, most importantly, brand new dreams. She discovered that a picture journal isn’t just a record of past pillow programs; it’s eye candy that inspires future flights of fantasy. Cynthia Pearson will moderate the panel and facilitate discussion with audience members following the presentations. She will also discuss “Aspects of the Dream,” with apologies to E.M.Forster. In his Aspects of the Novel, Forster defines story as "a narrative of events arranged in their time sequence." When she began to write fiction several years ago, Cynthia gradually noticed that the notion of story has been a pervasive influence in her efforts to record dreams. This “narrative imperative” can be a stumbling block to accurate dream reporting, but it also provides structure for observations of long-term coherence between dreams and waking life. Reminded by ASD's PsiberDreaming Conference just how powerful a force dreaming is, Gloria Sturzenacker entered a time of "spiritual emergency," torn between two ways of being. Two dreams ensued, one for each side of this duality. Following the dreams has been a research process that combines the intentional and the serendipitous. Getting down the research results has produced a record whose own form evokes the potential resolution. Whatever facet we focus on during our panel presentations, our ultimate objective remains constant-- to stress the importance of journal keeping, and to highlight the unique and invaluable instrument that is the dream journal.


ABSTRACT 2004

What I Have Learned from My Own Dreams
A panel and open discussion

with Jean Campbell, Joan Harthan, Curt Hoffman, Bob Hoss and Ralf Penderak

At ASD-13, Dennis Schmidt chaired the first panel on long-term journaling, framing and exploring the personal dream journal as the fundamental instrument of dream study. The concepts and issues that emerge from this appreciation are still as Dennis described them in 1996:"…In the tradition of the naturalists whose patient observations prepared the ways to elegant understandings of physics, chemistry, and biology, home journal keepers record and discover events and regularities that astonish and enlighten…Scholar and journal keeper alike need to recognize that the personal journal is a uniquely sensitive instrument that may enlighten not only the individual dreamer but the whole field of dream study." Since then, long-term journalers have met at each ASD conference to discuss long term record keeping and continue our cross- fertilization.

In 2004, panelists will reflect on “What I have Learned from My Own Dreams,” providing a sampling of empirical observations from people who have recorded and studied their dreaming for a considerable span of time. After a few years of dream journaling, Jean Campbell began reading over her accounts to look for possible dream themes. In “Finding My Body in Dream Journaling,” she will recount her discovery that many of her dreams took place in the same few locations: the inlet, the school, the headlands. It was not until she began training in DreamWork/BodyWork that she realized these and other locations represented areas of her body. In “Minding the Message of the Dream,” Jo Harthan will describe how recording her dreams led to recognizing the intuitive self and the leading role it plays in shaping dreams and portraying the psychic reality of the activities of the ego. She will use specific examples to illustrate the dangers of ignoring these dream messages and also show how they subsequently guided her into making the right choices. Curtiss Hoffman and Bob Hoss will team up to present “Color Content: Significance for Long-term Dream Journaling.” The first author will discuss maintaining his dream records on a customized database for 11 years, allowing for easy research on many properties of his dreams including color. The second author will present results from a sampling of dreamers and their journals to compare the relative content differences. A Luscher color test treatment will be applied that suggests a connection between personality and color content. Together, the presenters will discuss the results of a study of colors over time in a sampling of one dreamer's long term journal. Ralf Penderak’s presentation will describe how “Wake Induced Lucid Dreams (WILD) Helped Me Deal with My Fear of Death.” He will describe his emotional challenges as a nurse working with terminal patients; his long standing intellectual interest in consciousness, NDEs and reincarnation; and his practices of meditation and lucid dreaming. With WILDs, he has found a more reliable means for dream experimentation, and a path to the “peace and unity in transcendence, in letting go of myself” and the fear of dying. Cynthia Pearson will moderate the panel and facilitate discussion with audience members following the presentations. Whatever facet we focus on during our panel presentations, our ultimate objective remains constant-- to stress the importance of journal keeping, and to highlight the unique and invaluable instrument that is the dream journal.


ABSTRACT 2005

Inspirations and Epiphanies of Dream Journal Keepers
A panel and open discussion
with Sheila Asato, Curtiss Hoffman, Linda Magallon, Bob Van de Castle and Tjitske Wijngaard

At ASD-13, Dennis Schmidt chaired the first panel on long-term journaling, framing and exploring the personal dream journal as the fundamental instrument of dream study. The concepts and issues that emerge from this appreciation are still as Dennis described them in 1996:"…In the tradition of the naturalists whose patient observations prepared the ways to elegant understandings of physics, chemistry, and biology, home journal keepers record and discover events and regularities that astonish and enlighten…Scholar and journal keeper alike need to recognize that the personal journal is a uniquely sensitive instrument that may enlighten not only the individual dreamer but the whole field of dream study." Since then, long-term journalers have met at each ASD conference to discuss long term record keeping and continue our cross- fertilization.

In 2005, the theme will be “Inspirations and Epiphanies of Dream Journal Keepers,” a sampling of observations, techniques and applications from people who have recorded and studied their dreaming for a considerable span of time. In “Visually Based Methods for Recording Dreams,” Sheila Asato will describe the highly visual and emotional state of awareness of dreaming and the challenge of bringing that into the world of words and linear thought. She will outline how using Healing Collage and symbol cards allow her to retrieve dream content before beginning the process of translating it into verbal form. Curt Hoffman will present “The I Ching: A Tool for Dreamwork,” describing his relationship with this ancient oracle and exploring the ways in which its elements appear in dreams, both his own and those of other people he has corresponded with. He finds applying the I Ching to his dream work provides both a diagnosis of the current situation and, through change lines, a prognosis of the future; and that respectful attention to the messages of the oracle provides a useful guide for dealing with difficult passages in life. Linda Magallón presentation, “The Quote Calendar,” will detail a supplement to her dream journal that she’s created with quotes taken from her dreams and hypnogogia. The quotes are ones she’s found particularly interesting, even humorous, and she’s found that they not only bring back fond memories but also intrigue and inspire. When Bob Van de Castle was diagnosed in the summer of 2003 with cutaneous angiosarcoma, a type of cancer that attacks the blood vessels and connective tissue and is associated with a very poor prognosis, he turned to his dreams to investigate what he could learn there about his medical situation . He will share some of those dreams and the more favorable messages that these "dream scans" offered him in “Using Dreams as a Compass to Chart a Course in Combating Cancer.” In the course of long term journaling, there may come a time that you want to concentrate on dreams about a particular life event. This was the case for Tjitske Wijngaard when she first heard she was going to be a grandmother. In “Nine Months of Dreaming,” she will sketch the process of collecting her own ‘baby dreams’, those of the parents-to-be and those of the other grandparents-to -be. She will also dwell on the kind of dreams these dreamers had, and compare the dreams that were dreamt for the first and second grandchild. Cynthia Pearson will moderate the panel and facilitate discussion with audience members following the presentations. Whatever facet we focus on during our panel presentations, our ultimate objective remains constant-- to stress the importance of journal keeping, and to highlight the unique and invaluable instrument that is the dream journal.


ABSTRACT 2006

Dreams and Guidance: Journal Keepers Report
A panel and open discussion
with Sheila Asato, Joan Harthan, Curtiss Hoffman, Janet McCall and Gloria Sturzenacker

At ASD-13, Dennis Schmidt chaired the first panel on long-term journaling and framed the personal dream journal as the fundamental instrument of dream study. His comments in 1996 served as a mission statement: "…In the tradition of the naturalists whose patient observations prepared the ways to elegant understandings of physics, chemistry, and biology, home journal keepers record and discover events and regularities that astonish and enlighten…Scholar and journal keeper alike need to recognize that the personal journal is a uniquely sensitive instrument that may enlighten not only the individual dreamer but the whole field of dream study." Since then, journalers have met at every IASD conference to discuss long term record keeping and continue our cross-fertilization.

In 2006, the theme will be “Dreams and Guidance.” In “Healing Collage & Dreaming – Surprising Connections,” Sheila Asato will describe guidance that came in the form of unexpected associations between visual images in her collages and metaphors in her dream journal. These were not obvious until she looked at the visual imagery and the verbal text together, and then she discovered new and surprising connections that helped her attain both academic and creative objectives. Joan Harthan will review a selection of dream divination techniques, past and present, in her paper, “Divine Comparison.” Starting with bibliomancy and progressing through such methods as tarot cards, dream cards and dream oracles, she will be comparing the results of applying these divinatory methods to her own dreams. Studying his own and others’ dream accounts, Curt Hoffman has sought to learn whether dreams during the Mercury retrograde period contain classic Mercury retrograde elements, including communication problems, travel restrictions, and difficulties with finances. In “Mercury Retrograde and its Effects on Dreaming,” Curt will report on his findings. Janet McCall has been recording and illustrating her dreams for years. By doing so, she has developed her creativity, found her intuitive voice and obtained guidance that has enriched her life. In “Dream Journaling: Guidance and the Creative Process,” she will discuss how her dreams have taught her how to know when she is getting sick, helped her to obtain solutions for problems and ideas for new projects, and enabled her to work through personal loss and grief. In "Dreams That Tell You Where to Go," Gloria Sturzenacker will narrate some of her adventures in following dream guidance. Dreams often contain signposts to guide inquiry and action – the odd element that raises curiosity enough to research a new topic, the hunch that comes with awakening, the echo of a corresponding event in waking life. While frequently puzzling, these signposts can be laser-accurate, even when the route they point to twists and turns.
ABSTRACT 2007

Creativity and Curiosity in Long-Term Journal-Keeping
with Sheila Asato, Linda Magallón and Gloria Sturzenacker

At the 13th Annual IASD Conference, Dennis Schmidt chaired the first panel on long-term journaling and framed the personal dream journal as the fundamental instrument of dream study. His comments in 1996 served as a mission statement: "…In the tradition of the naturalists whose patient observations prepared the ways to elegant understandings of physics, chemistry, and biology, home journal keepers record and discover events and regularities that astonish and enlighten…Scholar and journal keeper alike need to recognize that the personal journal is a uniquely sensitive instrument that may enlighten not only the individual dreamer but the whole field of dream study." Since then, journalers have met at every IASD conference to discuss long-term record keeping and continue our cross-fertilization.

In 2007, the theme is creativity and connection. In “Dreaming – The Ki to Creative Transformation,” Sheila Asato will describe guidance she received for her master’s degree thesis that came in the form of unexpected associations between her watercolor paintings and dreams. These connections were not obvious until she looked at the visual imagery and the verbal text together, and then discovered new and surprising connections that helped her complete her master’s degree thesis in Human Development. Continuing her exploration of dream journals and creativity in past presentations, Linda Magallón provides "Hope For the Dream Art Underachiever." She tracks the steps she took to surmount creativity avoidance, from sketchy scratches in her journal to more elaborate projects such as the collages she did as targets for an IASD dream telepathy contest and the "Computer Cafe" web pages she created for an IASD conference. Gloria Sturzenacker has appeared on this panel more than half a dozen times since discovering that she shares with Dennis Schmidt and Cynthia Pearson a research interest in the "long-term coherence" that often reveals itself in long-term journal-keeping, especially when the dreamer follows her curiosity about odd dream elements. However, she has increasingly found "long-term" to be an inadequate description. Working with a handful of dreams, she’ll trace connections that also go wide and deep. Year after year, the ultimate objective of the long-term journal-keeping panel remains constant – to stress the importance of journal keeping and to highlight the unique and invaluable instrument that is the dream journal.


ABSTRACT 2008

Recording Our Dreams as We Age: A Long Term Journal Keeping Panel
with Marcia Emery, David Kahn, Art Funkhouser, Ernest Hartmann and Bob Van de Castle

When the first panel on long-term journal keeping met at ASD-13, chair Dennis Schmidt noted: "…In the tradition of the naturalists whose patient observations prepared the ways to elegant understandings of physics, chemistry, and biology, home journal keepers record and discover events and regularities that astonish and enlighten…the personal journal is a uniquely sensitive instrument that may enlighten not only the individual dreamer but the whole field of dream study." Since then, journalers have met at every IASD conference to discuss long term record keeping and continue our cross-fertilization.

In 2008, the theme will be "Recording Our Dreams as We Age," a subject that excited a great deal of response when it erupted on the IASD board's list serve. With this panel, we hope not only to stress the importance of journal keeping, but also to promote and foster it throughout the life span. In "Changes in the Aging Brain," David Kahn will review pertinent brain research, including the changes that occur in the normal aging brain. Recently, diffusion tensor brain imaging has shown that there is a large scale reduction in communication between front and back regions of the aging brain. Does this normal change affect our dreaming as we age? If so, how? It is also interesting to speculate on the reduction in communication between front and back regions of the brain during dreaming in general. Ernest Hartmann will discuss changes in his own dreaming over the years. He will also present the results of a survey he is doing of frequent dream recallers -- including especially dream journalers and other members of IASD aged 50 and over. In "An Octogenarian's Observations about Personal Experiences with Dreaming Over His Life Span," Robert Van de Castle will report on reviewing his personal transcripts (from laboratory awakenings in 4 different sleep laboratories) as well as his personal dream journals to learn whether his dream recall has changed over a period of 4 decades. Some observations about dream content over 30 years of journaling will also be presented. In "Dreams and Aging," Art Funkhouser will cite research showing how the themes of our dreams, along with daily concerns, change with age: fewer nightmares; less frequent aggressive dreams; a shorter average length of dreams; and, less frequent dream recall. But while the latter two can be partly explained by the fact that memory no longer functions as well as it used to, the largest drop-off in dream recall occurs at a relatively young age, suggesting that other factors must be involved. Once a prolific dreamer of primarily precognitive dreams, Marcia Emery has found herself struggling to reel in even fragments from the dreaming pool. In her presentation, "Cracking the Case of the Disappearing Dreamlife," she will share her thoughts on what has caused this deficit and what she has been learning about how to hook her dreams again. Cynthia Pearson will moderate the panel and facilitate discussion with audience members following the presentations.
 
ABSTRACT 2009


Long Term Journal Keeping: Living and Learning
with Patricia Garfield, David Ginsberg, Sandy Ginsberg, Gloria Sturzenacker and Robert Waggoner

When the first panel on long-term journal keeping met at ASD-13, chair Dennis Schmidt noted: "…In the tradition of the naturalists whose patient observations prepared the ways to elegant understandings of physics, chemistry, and biology, home journal keepers record and discover events and regularities that astonish and enlighten…the personal journal is a uniquely sensitive instrument that may enlighten not only the individual dreamer but the whole field of dream study." Since then, journalers have met at every IASD conference to discuss long term record keeping and continue our cross-fertilization.

In 2009 the theme will be "Living and Learning," featuring presentations by journal keepers who have learned things from their dreams they would not otherwise have known. In "Dreams of a Lifetime: Highlights from A Sixty-Year Journal," Patricia Garfield will ask, "Can long term dream journaling support life’s outstanding transitions?" At age fourteen, she made her first entry in a sixty-year dream journal, April 15, 1949. In this paper, Garfield will cite seven life-changing dreams from different stages of existence (schoolgirl, maiden, wife-mother, lover, worker, spiritual seeker, widow) and discuss their repercussions. Husband and wife team David and Sandy Ginsberg will present "Dream Journaling in Relationship," describing how living together has provided a wonderful opportunity for dreamworking. When couples attend to their dreaming by journaling, they can be exceptionally helpful to one another when it comes to understanding dreams, and enhance their opportunities for a deeper appreciation of their dreams, their relationship and their inner lives. Dave and Sandy will share thoughts about their journaling over the years, and examples which illustrate the value of actively using their journals together. In "Dream Words, Dream Meanings," Gloria Sturzenacker will describe how long-term journal-keeping allowed her to discover a meaning thread connecting three dreams widely spaced across time. Each contained a different foreign word that, pursued out of curiosity, led to a deep spiritual meaning. Robert Waggoner will present "Abyssinian Dreams: What My Cat Taught Me," relating how his precocious Abyssinian cat, Penny, appeared in his dreams and made requests of him. When Robert acquiesced to these requests, he began to re-think the possibilities of animal communication. Thus began a new level of experimental interaction with his cat and a new respect for animal life forms. Cynthia Pearson will moderate the panel and facilitate discussion with audience members following the presentations.

ABSTRACT 2010


Long Term Journal Keeping: Quest for Enrichment
with Cynthia Pearson (chair); Sheila Asato M.A., EIC; Jean Campbell M.A.; Joan Harthan, Ph.D., and Gloria Sturzenacker, M.S.

When the first panel on long-term journal keeping met at ASD-13, chair Dennis Schmidt noted: "…In the tradition of the naturalists whose patient observations prepared the ways to elegant understandings of physics, chemistry, and biology, home journal keepers record and discover events and regularities that astonish and enlighten…the personal journal is a uniquely sensitive instrument that may enlighten not only the individual dreamer but the whole field of dream study." Since then, journalers have met at every IASD conference to discuss long term record keeping and continue our cross-fertilization.

In 2010 the theme will be "Quest for Enrichment," featuring presentations by journal keepers who report not only on how recording dreams has enriched their lives but also on ways they have learned to enrich their journal-keeping. In "Pausing at Midlife – Embodying Dreams in the Book Arts," Sheila Asato will explore whether It is possible to embody dreams within the book arts and how journals might hold dreams in a way that is true to their original nature. She will also share her new body of work. Jean Campbell will present "The Benefit of the Internet to Long Term Dream Journalists and Researchers." As one of the first moderators of the IASD Discussion Board, Co-Chair of the popular PsiberDreaming Conference, and creator of the World Dreams Peace Bridge, Jean will recount some of her experiences with the Internet and dreams. Joan Harthan promises to take us with her on her journey of exploration and discovery with "This Quest; this Adventure; this Discovery." What began as a story told in the dead of night became the launch pad for a Dream Quest that she believes was as important to humanity as it was to her own life. Cynthia Pearson will offer the "Top 10 Reasons to Write Down Your Dreams." She will recount examples from over 30 years of journaling that demonstrate the brilliant, inscrutable, surprising, rich and inexhaustible benefits of writing down one's dreams. In Curiosity Quests, Gloria Sturzenacker will recount how long-term journal keeping often involves what she’s come to think of as a “curiosity quest.” Odd or unfamiliar elements of a dream lead her to explore externally—either intentionally (often through Google searches) or unintentionally (through synchronistic encounters). The result is often psi-like connections leading to deeper meaning.

ABSTRACT 2013

Long Term Journal Keeping: Lifetime Learning

Joan Harthan, Cynthia Pearson and Gloria Sturzenacker

Joan Harthan will present her reflections based on the song "Castles in the Sand" describing how she has played with dream sand to build her castles and journeyed across the beaches of dreams to see which castles still stand and which have been washed away by the tides of time.Cynthia Pearson will pose the question, “Is There an Afterlife—for Dream Journals?” She will ask, "How do we decide what to do with our collections of magical, puzzling, insightful accounts of ephemeral experiences?" and then facilitate discussion with audience members and panelists on their preferences and concerns. Gloria Sturzenacker will update an earlier narrative with new connections that arose unexpectedly several years after she first presented it, deepening the meaning.


ABSTRACT 2014

Long Term Journal Keeping: Quandaries, Challenges and Opportunities

Curt Hoffman, Patricia Garfield, Gloria Sturzenacker, Bjo Ashwill, Kelly Bulkeley

Curt Hoffman will address his dream alter ego, asking, "Who am I when I’m not me?" He will use his 22-year dream journal to illustrate instances of dreams in which he is entirely “other," and present some ideas of what might be going on in them. Patricia Garfield, whose long-term dream journal is 65 years in length, comments on dream imagery preceding and following pacemaker surgery, citing images specifically related to forewarning, crisis, and healing/resolution phases. For years, Gloria Sturzenacker exercised discipline in recording both dreams and waking events as the basis of the “extended coherence” between the two. But when disruptions undermined her journaling, she came to reflect on practical and philosophical implications, and on ways dreams still have their say. Bjo Ashwill will discuss our ability to search long term dream journals over time, using content analysis to measure and notate patterns that ebb and flow throughout our life time span. We can now track the ups and downs of these patterns to gain understandings about our own personal growth. Kelly Bulkeley's presentation will consider the pros and cons of the latest digital technologies for dream journaling, emphasizing the tremendous benefits of these technologies, not only for the individual journal keeper but for anyone who studies dreams and is interested in what they mean.


ABSTRACT 2015
What We Learn about Psi from Dream Journaling
Janet McCall, Cynthia Pearson, Sherry Puricelli, Gloria Sturzenacker, Robert Waggoner

Janet McCall will describe how maintaining a long-term dream journal practice enabled her to discover precognitive dreams that were not obvious at the time they occurred and connect them to waking life events that took place months or even years later. Cynthia Pearson will review Montague Ullman's paper, “On the Relevance of Quantum Concepts to Dreaming Consciousness,” a valuable blueprint for any dream journalist with an interest in psi. Sherry Puricelli's presentation will describe her 4-pronged approach to journaling and psi, based on principles learned from grade school science class. Gloria Sturzenacker will describe her system of graphics and category symbols that she created to record clusters of connections in dreams and present a visual summary of several "metapattern" examples, which may be the result of information being received via psi. Robert Waggoner will delineate the special characteristics of likely precognitive dreams, based upon his practical study of his dream journals, and discuss the idea of using lucid dreams to gain insight into likely probabilities.

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