No one has to tell a dream, only those who have an inner permission should do so.
There is no shame in refusing to answer a question that you feel to be inappropriate or that evokes emotional or intimate material. The purpose of the group is not therapy (!); the purpose is to practice dream interpretation techniques.
We shall try to respect privacy as much as possible. This means omitting questions which are inappropriate. It also means that dreams told in the group "remain" there. They are not to be told to or discussed with persons outside the group, not even with a partner or therapist. In this way a protected space is created in which people have some chance of feeling free to be open and honest.
Silence is not interpreted as reticence. We make every effort to provide time for the dreamer to feel out his or her truth before attempting to answer a question. In other words, we try at all costs to avoid barraging the dreamer with questions.
It is not important that the other participants understand the dream. What we are attempting to do is help the dreamer come closer to what his or her dream is trying to communicate. A dream can be "murdered" by insensitive, even excessive interpretation. The "real" meaning may well come at a later time and date.
A dream told in the group should be recent origin, or at least where the context in which it arose is known.
Those group participants who do not have English as their mother-tongue should not feel shy about asking for clarifications of unknown terms and/or expressions. The others should try to speak a little more slowly than usual and distinctly.
Dreams from the collective unconscious, the so-called "big" dreams, are fascinating and impressive but not suitable for what we are trying to do in the group. Please try to bring dreams that are more ordinary and rather short, if possible. A one-line dream fragment or even just an image is often perfectly adequate.
A time for feedback will be provided at the beginning of each session, so please make note of any further insights or reactions you have in the time after you shared your dream.
In my experience you will discover that sharing dreams in a group setting is an unusually helpful experience. Those who do so always seem to enjoy the experience immensely and come back for more.
