For over a year now, I have been making AI dream art, drawing inspiration from both my own dreams and the vivid dreams shared by others. Each piece I create aims to capture the surreal and whimsical imageries from sleeping and waking dreams, exploring the boundaries of imagination and consciousness.
I am thrilled to share that this piece has been selected for exhibition at this yearās IASD online annual conference. This opportunity is particularly significant for me, as it represents the culmination of a lifelong aspiration to express myself as an artist and, more importantly, enables me to share the story behind the dream.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, I experienced chronic shoulder pain due to the stress of being a homeschooling mom and business owner. After trying various conventional therapies for over six months without improvement, I turned to hypnotherapy. While under hypnosis but awake, I dreamt of feeling exhausted from saving the world and falling asleep on a big, comfortable bed, an octopus falling from my shoulder into a body of water. In a subsequent hypnotic dream weeks later, the octopus transformed into a healing bubble of light, where my dream body expanded and dissolved.
This unusual experience has presented three major insights:
-
It is possible to dream while awake and experience rich, original, and unscripted narrative far beyond the limits of conscious thought and imagination;
-
Waking dreams are similar to sleeping dreams in that they reflect our waking concerns and experiences, aligning with the dream continuity hypothesis;
-
Waking dreams also resemble sleeping dreams in terms of creative problem-solving through symbols and metaphors.
Water often symbolizes emotions, while the octopus, with its many arms, reflects my busy, multitasking reality. As a master shapeshifter, the octopus also symbolizes adaptation and flexibility, which are crucial skills for navigating the overwhelming pandemic challenges I faced.
Over the past four years, I have developed a Guided Dreaming practice based on the octopus waking dreams and conducted evidence-based research that shows that it is 91% effective in stress reduction and problem-solving.
In a time of unprecedented global environmental, political, technological, and economic shifts, the octopus teaches us essential lessons in adaptability and resilience. Embracing its ability to soften and shapeshift can empower us all to navigate personal and professional changes more effectively.
In addition to showcasing dream art, I will facilitate one of the morning dream groups daily from June 22 to 25 at the upcoming IASD online annual conference. During these four sessions, I will demonstrate how to apply the octopus waking dream practice to everyday wellbeing, problem-solving, and decision-making. All registered conference attendees are welcome to join.
Conference registration is now open! For more information and to register, please visit www.iasdconferences.org.
Note: I will be attending and will report back on this.
