The Social Dream-Drawing Workshop: A Handbook for Professionals

The Social Dream-Drawing Workshop is a pioneering, practical guide for professionals who work with people going through major life transitions, such as career change, relocation or bereavement. These transitions can evoke enormous feelings of uncertainty and are times of vivid dreaming. Social Dream-Drawing is a highly effective method of group work that mobilizes the dream’s enormous capacity to help us adapt to life, whatever challenges it throws at us. This user-friendly book explains the underlying key concepts and basic steps of the Social Dream-Drawing method, from sharing dream drawings in a group environment to running digital sessions. It shows how working with these expressive drawings can bring an otherwise internal experience out into the open and serve as lifelong mementos of key times in our lives. Including drawings and testimonials from workshop participants and guidance on creating a safe and supportive environment, The Social Dream-Drawing Workshop will appeal to therapists and counsellors as well as social workers, coaches and anyone interested in exploring this fascinating practice.

Table of Contents:
Introduction  1. How dreams help us 2 The advantages and challenges of drawing one’s dreams 3 The support and learning from group work 4 Organising and undertaking a Social Dream-Drawing workshop 5 Conducting a Social Dream-Drawing workshop 6 The final review session 7 Extended integration of Social Dream-Drawing learning 8 The role of facilitator 9 Coronavirus and working online 10 Other ways of using Social  Dream-Drawing

About the Author :
Dr. Rose Redding Mersky has been an organizational development consultant, supervisor and coach for over 30 years. She lives in Germany.

Review :
'What a delightful and erudite journey we are taken on as we engage with this text about dreams and drawings of dreams. Dr. Mersky elucidates the process and logistical aspects of Social Dream-Drawing through personal experience with and research about this method - sharing verbatim comments and drawings of the dreamers. She shows how SDD can create a safe containing space for participants to access below the surface material for individual and collective sense-making. She shares her expertise and wisdom about accessing our vulnerability and strength as facilitators using this method in various contexts, even online. Indeed, an urgent read if you want to start working with or even expand your work with dreams!' Michelle S. May, Professor in the Department of Industrial and Organisational Psychology, University of South Africa and Registered Clinical Psychologist at the Health Professions Council of South Africa 'A unique book about one of the most accessible and incredibly effective methods for reaching deep and meaningful insights and achieving change in both personal and professional areas of life. Dream-Drawing offers a royal road to a deeper understanding of individual and group requests, identification of hidden limitations, and the discovery of the resources necessary to meet objectives. This method will not only help psychology students to master their future profession, but give them an important practical tool for future use. It is especially helpful in difficult and uncertain situations when the consultant senses vulnerability and helplessness. By receiving support from the clients' unconscious in the form of drawings of their dreams and associations to them, the consultant acquires the necessary resources and understanding of both the organizational request and the ways to resolve it.' Professor Rossokhin Andrey Vladimirovich, Department of Psychoanalysis and Business Consulting, HSE University, Moscow 'With expertise that ranges from psychoanalysis to dreams to drawing and visual representation, Rose Redding Mersky has brought her substantial skills to bear on a fascinating and important topic. Combining erudite scholarship with practical explanation, she has produced a wonderful volume that tells you everything you need to know about Social Dream-Drawing. The book is filled with fascinating examples and is illustrated by some very poignant drawings. It is a joy to read - I cannot recommend it too highly.' Professor Mark Stein, Chair in Leadership and Management, University of Leicester, UK 'What a truly delightful and authoritative book on an approach to drawing your dreams as an investigative tool which, as the drawing evolves, brings the dream material out into the open. It furthermore provides a creative means for visually sharing and working with your dreams in a social setting. SDD is not only a brilliant approach but the book clearly explains step by step how to adopt this approach as part of your personal, group and even virtual dream working experience. Very highly recommended.' Bob Hoss, Past President of the International Association for the Study of Dreams and Director of the DreamScience Foundation, USA 'In this very accessible manual, Rose Mersky articulately yet simply captures the mystery and value of working with dream-drawings with groups of people going through major life transitions. The careful detail and sensitive elucidation in this step-by-step guide provides very helpful instructions for consultants interested in utilising this intriguing application of social dreaming – while also attending to the contribution of unconscious group dynamics. This is a fascinating account which includes many examples of social dream-drawings and the ways in which they assisted the participants to explore their concerns and apply their learning.' Allan Shafer MA (Clinical Psychology) D Litt et Phil, Socioanalyst & Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist, former President, Group Relations Australia 'Dream drawing can enlighten your personal situation in many new and exciting ways, as it did for me in a workshop led by Rose, helping me to change my perspectives on our family business and to initiate processes that built a whole new level of trust within both our business and family.' Christiane Wenckheim, Chairman, Ottakringer Getränke AG, Austria