Shamanizing for the Culture: A new healing modality

facilitated by Richard Russo and Meredith Sabini

Sunday, October 5, 1:00-5:00PM

The Dream Institute of Northern California, 1672 University Avenue, Berkeley, 510-845-1767

$60

http://dream-institute.org/calendar-of-events

“Shamanism is a cultural practice present throughout history that draws on dreams and visions. This program begins with an account of the sophisticated dream practices of the Iroquois and the Achuar of Equador, which have both been compared with modern psychotherapy. Indigenous societies also may have had culture shamans who received guidance for their people as a whole. This will be illustrated by contemporary examples of Oglala Sioux Black Elk and C. G. Jung, each of whom had sweeping visionary dreams about impending large-scale disasters; and the examples of Harriet Tubman and Taoist rainmaker Kiao-chou, who enacted effective rituals for societies in distress.

Activated at times of social upheaval, the shamanic archetype may also bring dreams and visions to those not functioning as healers. Examples of ‘big dreams’ from people today will be recounted, along with guidelines for distinguishing big or collective dreams from ordinary personal ones.

This program will also cover Deep Dreaming, a method developed at The Dream Institute based on field and emergence theories. In it, ordinary single dreams told during light trance are woven together to form a fresh narrative, which is then explored as if it were a dream for the culture. Themes that have appeared over the years will be mentioned and a sequence of four dreams about homelessness presented. The healing effects that this mode of sharing dreams can have will be discussed. This program demonstrates that the dreaming mind gives us access to the psyche of the culture so we have ways of influencing its suffering and benefiting from its vitality.

Richard Russo, MA, an artist, author, and dream educator for over 30 years, is past president of the IASD and Associate Director at The Dream Institute.
Meredith Sabini, PhD, psychologist and founder-director of The Dream Institute, has a longstanding interest in cross-cultural healing modalities.”