The Process of Self-exploration through Focusing-Oriented Dreamwork

Abstract

This paper reports a case study of Focusing-Oriented Dreamwork about a strange dream and discusses the process of self-exploration through Focusing-Oriented Dreamwork. Focusing-Oriented Dreamwork uses several questions from a list of 16 questions for the focuser’s felt sense. Based on a case study of Focusing-Oriented Dreamwork, the processes of self-understanding and exploration were clarified. In Dream Focusing, two types of questions that lead to associations (①What comes to mind?②What does it feel like?), two types of elements that create a story (①places ②characters), and two types of ways to interact with characters (①What part of you is that? ②What if you become that person?) were used as appropriate. The focuser was able to gain some new insights by checking the response from the felt sense of the body for each question as she proceeded through the dreamwork process and deepened her self-exploration. The process of Focusing-Oriented Dreamwork, the focuser’s self-exploration, and the guide’s guiding were discussed.