SoulWork

The language of the subconscious is the language of dreams: the symbols, images and metaphors that flash unbidden to the mind in our sleep as well as in our waking moments. By intentionally exploring those symbols and metaphors it is possible to surface what has been hidden in order to transform ourselves at the deepest level. This form of coaching gets at what is deepest and closest to the soul, thus I refer to it as SoulWork. Results are remarkably fast because the subconscious is engaged directly.

As your coach, I guide you through a 50 minute creative trance or dreamwork experience, or a conventional coaching session using the structure and practices of Metaphor Coaching. You may choose to lie down on a soft surface, or sink into a comfy chair. I do not use hypnosis, so you will be fully conscious and participative while in a deeply relaxed and meditative state. In this facilitated session, the wisdom of your own imagination shows up to guide you.

Creative Trance/Active Imagination
Purposefully entering a meditative state while contemplating an issue allows dreamlike images or comparisons arise. Those symbols are often richly laden with meaning and, when unpacked, yield insights into your current situation and the direction in which you need to move. For instance, once when I was contemplating a difficult personal situation, an image of a charging elephant came into my mind. Without ever having personally encountered an enraged elephant, I knew instantly that I should not confront it directly. My best strategy would be to stay out of the way, or possibly to calm it down. Viewing my situation this way as a metaphor allowed me to decide my course of action because I had a deeper insight into what was actually going on. In this way, creative trance is akin to conscious dreaming in order to harvest your own intuitive wisdom.

Credentialed by Pacifica Graduate Institute in:

Dreamwork
When the memory of a dream persists into the waking world, you may want to dive deeper into the dream to understand its message, particularly if the dream was unsettling. Rather than cognitively deciphering its meaning directly as in traditional dream interpretation, in this type of dreamwork you reenter the dream through meditation interacting with the characters and landscapes of the dream so they can tell you more about their meaning, and possibly continuing the dream where it left off. Coming out of the meditative state with this new awareness, you may now have a better sense about what is really going on in your life, how you need to be with it, or what you need to do.

Working with Dreams
​and Nightmares:
​Jungian, Cultural, and Active Imagination Perspectives

Metaphor Coaching
With this dialogue-based coaching technique we focus completely on your own symbols and meanings. Whether or not you also use the process of creative trance or dreamwork to explore your issue, as your coach I will help you articulate your feelings and your situation in metaphor, and then we work with them on the symbolic level. Doing so taps into the power of your subconscious to shift your awareness and transform your reality.

Mythic Mapping
Through mythic exploration related to your recurrent life patterns you will discover your own personal myth. Your personal myth helps with sensemaking of your past experiences, and/or can guide you into a new direction. Techniques may incorporate art (collage, drawing, the use of abstract symbols, poetry, etc.) guided visualization, and journaling. 

Credentialed by Pacifica Graduate Institute in:

Mythic Mapping:
​Discover the Myth of You