Dream Sharing: Used here to mean a recalled dream that is shared, usually with another person or group of people. The emphasis here is more social than dreamwork and less formal. Dream sharing can occur in dreamwork, but also more casually as in a phone conversation with a friend or over a water cooler at work, or on a bulletin board on the world wide web. The emphasis is on sharing.

The Association for the Study of Dreams (ASD) has been promoting safe dreamwork since it's beginning in 1984. Pioneers such as Jeremy Taylor, Gayle Delaney, Strephon Kaplan-Williams, Montague Ullman, Henry Reed, Patricia Garfield and many others strove to forefront a set of dreamwork ethics and practices that would always allow the dreamer to be the final authority on issues of meaning and value, whether working with a therapist in a closed setting or talking with friends openly on the telephone. These values and ethics have been successful in allowing grass-roots dreamwork groups to develop safely outside clinical settings. They have also allowed clinicians a perspective through which they can view dreamwork as a useful tool for empowering patients.

These values and ethics can now be transported to the new virtual frontier and become a model for dreamwork and dream sharing taking place in Cyberspace. Just as the offline grassroots dreamwork movement looks to the Association for the Study of Dreams as a standard for behaviors and ethics, so too the online dream movement can find direction and guidance in ASD and its model groups and values.

There has been some history of concern at ASD about whether these values and practices can accurately be transported from offline to online, from face-to-face to Cyberspace, from the contained vessel of the therapeutic container to an anonymous encounter with virtual strangers.

The original concern about online dream sharing and dreamwork was first discussed at the ASD executive board in 1995. At that time there was on the table a proposal to have both an ASD website and computer café for the 1996 Berkeley Conference. Some of the concerns mentioned below and the following decisions were discussed and enacted during the Spring 1996 executive board meeting as well.

It may be difficult to realize that at the time, the Internet was an all but unknown phenomenon to the general public. Within two years it would be difficult in the Bay Area to watch TV for more than a half-an hour without the Internet being promoted, or drive 10 blocks without seeing a billboard for e-commerce. But in 1994-95, one had to pretty much explain the word "Internet" if used in casual conversation. It was under these conditions that the ASD executive board had to decide the policies that would guide the organization into the 21st Century.

The main concern had both a specific and general side. The specific concern was how to regulate remote dream sharing at ASD venues where interpretations of dreams might be imposed on the dreamer. The more general concern was whether it was emotionally safe to have dream sharing conducted remotely without the usual containers and safety values provided by face-to-face dreamwork.

Peripheral concerns also included:
a. Would ASD be libel or legally responsible for problems that arose with participants or the actions of the leaders?
b. Would ASD be seen as endorsing a process or particular remarks made by individuals or leaders during these sessions?
c. Would WWW links to other sites constitute endorsement of these websites?

Other concerns that have emerged around this include a concern about dreamwork as a clinical vs non-clinical activity. Traditionally with therapy, dream narratives and images have been connected with material that the client may not be ready to be aware of about themselves. There was a concern that dreamwork could cause reactions such as de-compensation or depression in people suffering from various mental illnesses, as well as other reactions that might require a mental heath professional.

The decision was to :
1. Prohibit all sharing of personal dreams and interpretations of dreams on the ASD bulletin board on the website (at that time hosted by GMCC).
2. Provide a clear warning and disclaimer to any links to sites off of the ASD website.
3. Have a committee decide what links were appropriate, if any.
4. Prohibit live & delayed online dream sharing at any ASD conference or ASD sponsored event until further studies had been done.
5. Develop a Dreamwork Ethics Statement. (See copy below)

To address the concerns about the safety of online dreamwork and dream sharing, Sara Richards, Ph.D. and Richard Wilkerson developed a panel discussion at the 1996 Berkeley Conference and brought together a variety of people who had been experimenting for some time with dream sharing and dreamwork online. The panel consisted of John Herbert, Ph.D., Jayne Gackenbach, Ph.D., Linton Hutchinson, Ph.D., Jeremy Taylor, Sarah Richards, Ph.D. and Richard Wilkerson. (Other projects were also developed, such as test-groups conducted independently of ASD by many members, and online dreaming education programs. For a short history see the ASD Dream Time Cyberphile Winter 1997, Volume 14, #1
http://www.dreamgate.com/dream/cyberphile/rcwasd05.htm )

The conclusion of the panel, regarding the safety of online dreamwork, was unanimous. All felt that dreamwork and dream sharing online could be, and was being, conducted safely and productively. The panel was brought together again in Santa Cruz in 1999 and came to the same conclusions.

Some of the recommendations included:

1. State up front what the ethical guidelines are and whether the session is or is not a psychotherapy session. Although the Board of Behavioral Science has now given a go-ahead for Mental Health professionals to provide some services online, it has not been demonstrated whether dreamwork will be appropriate or not. Non-clinical dreamwork online *has* been continually demonstrated to have productive and live enhancing results.
2. Use non-defensive approaches, such as John Herbert's variations on the Ullman State III "...if this were my dream." approach or the Gayle Delaney Interview method have been the most often used and are recommended. The key is leaving the control of the final interpretation, if any, in the hands of dreamer and always allowing them to be the final authority.
3. At the end of dream sharing sessions, provide a feed-back form that allows the people involved to express concerns about the moderator and the process and the group.
4. Due to the language and difficult topics and images that can occur in dreamwork, special considerations are needed for children sharing dreams online. At this time, dreamwork online may not be appropriate for them, at least in the groups that have been presented at ASD.

Further conclusions: Why is online dream sharing safe?

John Herbert's comparison study of face-to-face dream groups with online dream groups (Herbert 1991, 2000) found that face-to-face groups were more emotional while online groups were more reflective. It was suggested that is this due to the delay in response time in his bulletin board groups study, and that people have more time to reflect.

As Jeremy Taylor has pointed out, real time dreamwork in chat and conference rooms offers the safety of anonymity. People join anonymously and this allows them control over personal exposure and the possibility of retaliation if they expose a vulnerable part of themselves.

As Richard Wilkerson has pointed out, there is a group process that protects the dreamer from intrusive and abusive language/behavior. If someone says something inappropriate to a dreamer, there are others who will jump right in and confront them. They too needn't fear direct retaliation, by the leader or other group members. (Other than verbal abuse, which is very, very rare in dreamsharing. This is due to the natural-selection process. Dreamwork tends to attract people who are interested in personal growth. People with big issues join political discussion groups).

As Jayne Gackenbach has pointed out, there is now an online culture. That is, people online are not as confused as they were about what they are getting into and what is and isn't appropriate online. To further this clarity, participants can be asked to sign or check boxes that indicate they understand and agree to the terms and conditions of the group.

However, the organization (ASD) was reluctant to move from its initial position that the Internet is not an appropriate place for dreamwork and dream sharing.

Further research and exploration of ASD and online dream sharing.

In 1995 Alan Siegel, Ph.D. and Richard Wilkerson began the Cyberphile column on the quarterly ASD Dream Time magazine. Each issue contained updates, news, articles and information about dream sharing and dreamwork online, as well as providing a forum for those concerned about such issues. The project has been a gateway for hundreds of people to come online, experience a variety of dreamwork venues, and contribute to the dream field in general. Out of the hundreds of new people we have met and shared dreams with, not one has reported being abused in any way in the venues mentioned. Some were concerned, some not interested, some questioned the relevancy and significance of online dreamwork. But no one was harmed. This isn't to say it can't happen, but it does give testimony to online dreamwork as one of the safest activities available.

In 1999, Alan Siegel initiated the Dream Time Live program, where ASD members with general and specialized experience in dreams and dreaming were brought together with the general public and provided another forum to discuss what the problems and solutions with online dreamwork might entail. Many of the initial pioneers of dreamwork online have participated and discussed ways that ASD might become a model for online dreamwork.

In 2000 Ed Kellogg, Ph.D., proposed on the Electronic Communication Committee a new standard for dream sharing on the ASD bulletin board. The new policy still restricted interpretations of dreams in the context of requests by dreamers for other people to impose meanings on them, but allowed the meaning of dreams to be discussed in the context of research presented on the ASD bulletin board.

In 2000, Alan Siegel & Richard Wilkerson brought together researchers & dreamwokers who have been developing dream sharing online and presented an dual - offline/online issue of Dream Time Magazine. This resource includes articles about online dreamwork by Jeremy Taylor, John Herbert, Jayne Gackenback, Robert Bosnak, Fred Olsen, Walter Logeman and Harry Bosma. This project is now a resource for others to find the wide variety of safe dreamwork processes that have worked online and develop new processes.

Conclusions and Recommendations

Sharing dreams online is somewhat different than sharing dreams offline, but not so much that ASD ethics and values for dreamworkers would be violated. In fact, online dreamwork would benefit from having dreamwork modeled by an organization that is as respected as ASD. While not all cyber-venues may be appropriate for dream sharing, all dream sharing cyberecologies can benefit from having a positive model.

The evidence for safe online dreamwork is now overwhelming, and after 7 years of trials the time is ripe for ASD begin developing its own programs. There is a large body of literature, experience and public documents now available for study and use. These trials and experiments offer the ASD organization a framework to build model dream groups.

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Bibliography

(if you can not find any of these documents, you can request them from Richard Wilkerson, rcwilk@dreamgate.com)

Gackenbach, Jayne (1996). Writing a Dream Class for the World Wide Web.
Grant MacEwan Community College. This paper was presented at the annual meeting of the Association for the Study of Dreams, Berkeley, Calif., 1996. Retrieved August 17, 2000 on the World Wide Web: http://www.sawka.com/spiritwatch/writing.htm

Herbert, John W. (2000). Reflections on online dream groups. ASD Dream Time, 17(3). pp 14-15,32. Retrieved August 17, 2000 on the World Wide Web:
http://www.geocities.com/asdreams_2000/cyberdreams/herbert.htm

Herbert, John W. (2000). Dreamwork on the Internet. Private conversations with John Herbert about this 2000 Ph.D thesis, July, 2000.

Herbert, John W. (1999). The Different Kinds of Online Dreamwork. Presentation, ASD Conference 16, Santa Cruz, CA UCSC.

Herbert, John (1996 October). The Founding of alt.dreams: Some Historical Cyber-dreaming Notes. Electric Dreams 3(9). Retrieved July 26, 2000 from Electric Dreams on the World Wide Web: http://www.dreamgate.com/electric-dreams

Herbert, John W. (1991). "Human Science Research Methods in Studying Dreamwork: Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Face-to-Face and Computer Dream Work Groups." Unpublished Manuscript, Saybrook Institute, San Francisco. Retrieved August 17, 2000 on the World Wide Web:
http://users.aol.com/john0417/HuSci/Greet.html

Herbert, John W. (1994).A Sample Session of An Online Dream Group on SeniorNet. Unpublished. Retrieved August 17, 2000 on the World Wide Web:
http://users.aol.com/john0417/dmgp/dg16.html

Taylor, Jeremy (2000). In Praise of Electronic Intimacy - Initial Explorations of the Deeper Meanings of Dreams via the Glowing Screen of Shared Cyberspace. ASD Dream Time 17(3), 42-27, 36. Retrieved August 17, 2000 on the World Wide Web:
http://www.geocities.com/asdreams_2000/cyberdreams/taylor.htm

Taylor, Jeremy (1996). Dreaming Deep and Surfacing: Dreamwork Community in Cyberspace. Dream Network: A Journal Exploring Dreams and Myth, 15(1), 35,45.

Taylor, Jeremy (1996). Dreamwork in Cyberspace. Retrieved August 17, 2000 on the World Wide Web: http://www.jeremytaylor.com/cyberspace.htm

Wilkerson, Richard Catlett and Branka (1999 August). Special Section: Dream Sharing with Serbia: A Special Report of a Dream Group Held During the Crisis in Kosovo: Transcripts and Notes by Richard Wilkerson & Branka. Electric Dreams 6(8). Retrieved July 14, 2000 from Electric Dreams on the World Wide Web: http://www.dreamgate.com/dream/serbia

Wilkerson, Richard Catlett ed. (1998 October). A Transcript from an Online Dream Group 'Coins of Life' August 1998 DreamWheel. Electric Dreams 5(9). Retrieved July 8, 2000 on the World Wide Web: http://members.tripod.com/~electric_dreams/ed5?9.txt

Wilkerson, Richard Catlett ed. (1998 October). A Short History on the Rise of Dream Sharing in
Cyberspace. Electric Dreams 5(9). Retrieved July 8, 2000 on the World Wide Web: http://www.dreamgate.com/electric-dreams

Wilkerson, Richard Catlett (1997 August). Cyberdream - History Notes. Electric Dreams 4(7). Retrieved July 26, 2000 from Electric Dreams on the World Wide Web: http://www.dreamgate.com/electric-dreams

Wilkerson, Richard Catlett (Winter, 1997). A History of Dream Sharing in Cyberspace ? Part I The Association for the Study of Dreams Newsletter 14(1). Retrieved July 26, 2000 on the World Wide Web: http://www.dreamgate.com/dream/cyberphile/rcwasd05.htm

Wilkerson, Richard Catlett (1997 January). DreamSharing In Cyberspace I - Email and Mail Lists. Electric Dreams 4(1). Retrieved July 26, 2000 on the World Wide Web: http://www.dreamgate.com/electric-dreams

Wilkerson, Richard Catlett (1996 July). ASD XIII and Cyberspace. Electric Dreams 3(6). Retrieved from Electric Dreams July 27, 2000 on the World Wide Web: http://www.dreamgate.com/electric-dreams

Wilkerson, Richard Catlett (1996 July). Dangerous Dreams: The Risks of Online Dream Sharing. Electric Dreams 3(6). Retrieved from Electric Dreams July 27, 2000 on the World Wide Web: http://www.dreamgate.com/electric-dreams

Wilkerson, Richard Catlett (1996 September). Significant Dreams: The Two Millennium Silence Breaks in Cyberspace. Electric Dreams 3(8). Retrieved July 26, 2000 from Electric Dreams on the World Wide Web: http://www.dreamgate.com/electric-dreams

Wilkerson, Richard Catlett and John Herbert (1995 April 15). John Herbert and the Internet Group. Electric Dreams 2(6). Retrieved July 31, 2000 from Electric Dreams on the World Wide Web: http://www.dreamgate.com/electric-dreams

To read John Herbert's research work comparing face to face groups with online groups, go to
http://users.aol.com/john0417/HuSci/Greet.html
Herbert, J.W. (1991) "Human Science Research Methods in Studying Dreamwork: Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Face?to?Face and Computer Dream Work Groups." Unpublished Manuscript, Saybrook Institute, San Francisco.

and the newer

http://www.dreamgate.com/herbert/

For a quick history and summary of this work, see:
Wilkerson, R. & Herbert, J. (1995). John Herbert and the Internet Group Dreamwork. Electric Dreams 2(6)
http://www.dreamgate.com/dream/articles_rcw/ed2-6jh.htm

ASD DREAMWORK ETHICS STATEMENT
http://www.asdreams.org/

ASD celebrates the many benefits of dreamwork, yet recognizes that there are potential risks. ASD supports an approach to dreamwork and dream sharing that respects the dreamer's dignity and integrity, and which recognizes the dreamer as the decision?maker regarding the significance of the dream. Systems of dreamwork that assign authority or knowledge of the dream's meanings to someone other than the dreamer can be misleading, incorrect, and harmful. Ethical dreamwork helps the dreamer work with his/her own dream images, feelings, and associations, and guides the dreamer to more fully experience, appreciate, and understand the dream. Every dream may have multiple meanings, and different techniques may be reasonably employed to touch these multiple layers of significance.

A dreamer's decision to share or discontinue sharing a dream should always be respected and honored. The dreamer should be forewarned that unexpected issues or emotions may arise in the course of the dreamwork. Information and mutual agreement about the degree of privacy and confidentiality are essential ingredients in creating a safe atmosphere for dream sharing.

Dreamwork outside a clinical setting is not a substitute for psychotherapy, or other professional treatment, and should not be used as such.

ASD recognizes and respects that there are many valid and time?honored dreamwork traditions. We invite and welcome the participation of dreamers from all cultures. There are social, cultural, and transpersonal aspects to dream experience. In this statement we do not mean to imply that the only valid approach to dreamwork focuses on the dreamer's personal life. Our purpose is to honor and respect the person of the dreamer as well as the dream itself, regardless of how the relationship between the two may be understood.

Prepared by Carol Warner
and the Ethics Committee
Association for the Study of Dreams
Spring, 1997