Practicing on Purpose LLC: January 25, 2010

January 25, 2010 - Stained Glass Workshop

posted Jan 25, 2010 6:37 AM by Gretchen Duhaime

I awoke this morning dreaming of leading a group of lawyers in a stained glass workshop, with a twist - the materials were from an elementary school classroom. I handed out Dixie cups, colorful tissue paper, scissors, glue and tape as the supplies. I watched as the participants worked in teams of two, making elaborate panels and shapes. More people kept joining in after seeing how enriching the activity was. We were filled to capacity, with more wanting to get in.

I'll use this dream to demonstrate Lightning Dreamwork, a technique my teacher invented to share dreams in a fast and fun way:

First, the dreamer tells the dream like a story.

Next, we ask how the dreamer felt on waking from the dream, as emotions are the Rosetta Stone for the dreamer (remember, emotions are data, showing us where to look). I felt excited and a sense of anticipation on waking.

The next step is to do a reality check - could this dream be literal in some way? What elements from the dream are familiar from waking life, and what events could play out in the future (even symbolically). I recognized some of the workshop participants, all lawyers I know. I am, of course, leading workshops for lawyers on a regular basis, but I had not considered such a craft exercise before.

The final question is to ask the dreamer what she wants to know about the dream - this will inform what we share with the dreamer. I want to know how the dream relates to the Legal Wellness Tour.

After the dreamer answers the questions, we share our thoughts with her, prefacing them with "If it were my dream," and keeping statements in the first person. (We don't want to impose our view on the dreamer. I facilitated Lightning Dreamwork with my mom and aunts one time, and one of them said, "If it were my dream, you should spend more time with your sisters!").

I'll share a thought with myself playing the other role - If it were my dream I might think about how my tools for lawyers resemble the children's craft supplies. Perhaps I need to keep it even simpler than I have planned.

So that's Lightning Dreamwork! There's one more step I'll share tomorrow, after you tell me your thoughts on the dream. You can share on Twitter (@legalwellness), on our Facebook page, or by email.