“The Royal Road Revisited: Working with Dreams in Psychotherapy” By Rachel E. Crook Lyon, PhD (1.0 credit) Not APA approved for online course

Presentation Summary: The Hill cognitive-experiential model of dreamwork will be presented and applications to spirituality will be discussed. The cognitive-experiential model integrates Freudian, Jungian, experiential and behavioral theoretical tenets into a three-stage model of therapy based on the following assumptions: (a) dreams reflect waking life rather than unconscious conflicts; (b) dreams are personal and thus cannot be interpreted with a dream dictionary; (c) the therapist is not an expert but rather collaborates with the dreamer to find meaning in the dream; (d) the recommended approach to working with dreams includes cognitive and affective components; and (e) exploration, insight, and action are requisite stages of dream interpretation (Hill, 1996).  There is evidence from both session and treatment outcome studies on the Hill model that dream work is effective (Hill & Goates, 2003).  Research has shown that clients rate dream sessions higher in depth, insight, and working alliance than regular therapy sessions (Hill, Diemer, Hess, Hillyer, & Seeman, 1993; Hill et al., 2001; Hill, Rochlen, Zack, McCready, & Dematatis, 2003; Rochlen, Ligiero, Hill, & Heaton, 1999; Wonnell & Hill, 2000; Zack & Hill, 1998).  Throughout history and in many spiritual traditions, dreams have been viewed as potential channels of sacred communication (Van de Castle, 1994).  In the Bible and the Book of Mormon, texts sacred to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for example, dreams and interpretation of dreams are viewed as avenues for prophecy, revelation, and inspiration.  Exploring a client’s spiritual experiences and beliefs within a framework of dream interpretation, then, may be of therapeutic benefit.  Application and clinical implications will be presented.

Learning Objectives: Participants will be able to:                                                                                                           

1. Describe the cognitive-experiential model in working with dreams          

2. Recite the exploration stage and techniques of the dream model

3. Explain the insight stage and techniques of the dream model

4. Discuss the action stage and techniques of the dream model

5. Apply dream model to spirituality in counseling

Biosketch: Rachel E. Crook Lyon, PhD, licensed psychologist, received her doctorate in counseling psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park. She taught at BYU for 9 years as a full-time faculty in the Counseling Psychology and Special Education (CPSE) program at BYU, and currently serves as an adjunct faculty at the BYU Salt Lake Center and maintains a part-time private practice in Lehi, UT. She has published over 20 article in peer-reviewed journals including the following articles related to dreams :*Crook Lyon, R. E.., Wimmer, C. L., Hill, C.E., Goates-Jones, & Hess, S. (2009). Therapist training, feedback, and practice for dream work: A pilot study. Psychological Reports, 105, 87-98. *Huermann, R., Crook Lyon, R.E., Heath, M.A., Fischer, L., & Potkar, K. (2009). Dream work with children: Perceptions and practices of school mental health professionals. Dreaming, 19, 85-96. *Crook-Lyon, R.E., & Wimmer, C.L. (2005). Spirituality and dream work in counseling: Clients’ experiences. Pastoral Psychology, 54, 35-45.