SCIENCE, STORY AND THE DISCOVERY OF SELF
SCIENCE, STORY AND THE DISCOVERY OF SELF
JACOB BERKOWITZ
Science, Story, and Discovery of Self
Begin Your Journey to Wholeness
The Path to Your Authentic Self
You contain a wisdom greater than your ego, a wisdom that expresses itself in dreams.
Dreamwork is about actively engaging with this unconscious wisdom. It’s the courageous process of attending to a powerful inner compass and letting it help guide you toward greater wholeness and integrity. To do dreamwork is to begin on the path from suffering to self-acceptance, belonging, voice and ultimately home.
The Biology of Dreams
Dreams are as natural as breathing and loving. So, I use an embodied, or biological frame for dreamwork. Homeostasis is a term that describes how our body system works to maintain a constant, healthy physical state, for example body temperature and blood sugar levels.You are doing homeostasis right now, all unconsciously. Dreaming is a form of psychological homeostasis. It's part of our way of maintaining an overall healthy state --- one that is enhanced by consciously engaging with our night time poet through dreamwork.
DOWNLOAD PDF "THE BIOLOGY OF DREAMS"
The Role of a Dream Guide
A Wise and Compassionate Companion
As a dream guide, I provide a safe container and the thoughtful questions that enable you to orient towards your unique truth.
Witnessing and asking questions are core parts of dreamwork. The dreamer is bringing unconscious shadow material into the light of conscious awareness. This is an experience that can be uncomfortable and involve fear, shame, avoidance and sadness. The dream guide’s compassionate presence helps emotionally shift these feelings to curiosity, acceptance and loving kindness. This is the source of the sense of freedom and peace that comes with dreamwork.
I have worked as a wilderness canoe guide.
My role as a dream guide is similar --- helping others comfortably travel the inner wilderness of psyche.
About Your Dream Guide
My role as a dream guide is based in my wonder and appreciation for the wisdom of stories. During my 30-year career as a writer I’ve exercised the power of deep listening, interrogating the silences and asking open-ended questions that lead to greater insight. As an artist, I work in creative dialogue with my unconscious, dancing with symbols, allusions, hints and poetry.
My journey to dreamwork began a decade ago. For most of my life, I’ve been afraid of my dreams. But my stance towards my dreams shifted at mid-life when I realized, through dreamwork, that what I’d feared was actually a beautiful gift pointing towards self-awareness and healing. Today, dreamwork is an anchor in my life, providing essential direction for my masculinity, work, health and well-being and relationships as a father, son, husband and friend.
The Process
"Until you make the unconscious conscious it will direct your life and you will call it fate." --Carl Jung
When we write down and explore our dreams we see ways in which we are playing roles rather than living the authentic life we desire.
Starting dreamwork marks a new step on your journey to greater integrity. It's important to start with confidence and clarity.
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Before you begin, I invite you to a free initial meeting.
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You can ask questions about my approach.
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You can tell me about why dreamwork is calling you and your hopes and goals.
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You'll also get an intuitive sense whether we're a good fit as dream guide and dreamer.
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If you decide to book in a session(s), I'll send you a commitment form that clearly outlines the dreamwork process, from recording your dreams, to sharing them and post-session reflections.
A Safe Container
Common questions about dreamwork:
Q: I don’t remember all of my dreams, often just an image or two. How can I do dreamwork?
A: Very brief dreams, or snippets of a dream, often contain the most potent symbolism. I’ve spent two hours on a two-sentence-long dream. Even a single image or word can be powerful. With attentiveness and practice, your dream poet will become more vocal and you’ll remember more of your dreams.
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Q: What if I feel uncomfortable about something in my dream?
A: As we soften to our dreams, what initially might feel uncomfortable is discovered to be the gold. Dreams are about the integration of all the parts of ourselves. We discover there are no bad parts. When we dream we weave together these parts into a vibrant whole: the losses and hopes, sadness and joy, the painful past, searching present and longed for future.
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Q: Is a dream guide a therapist?
A: I am not a licensed therapist and I do not provide psychological counselling. Dreamwork is guided self-exploration. I provide the container, process and questions for you to explore your dreams.
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Dreamwork is grounded in trust. All sessions are fully confidential.
Sessions and Pricing
Give Yourself the Gift of Dreamwork
Dreamwork is a practice that depends on developing a dialogue over time with your dream poet.
When you engage with a series of dreams you see meaningful patterns and begin to integrate dream wisdom into your waking life.
Each dreamwork session includes an hour-long dream exploration and pre- & post-session activities.
All sessions are done virtually via Zoom (or another video meeting platform.
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1 Dreamwork session: $150*
5 Dreamwork sessions: $995
10 Dreamwork sessions: $1800
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* A single session can be purchased once per dreamer. Multi-session payments are made in two instalments; 50% at the commitment signing phase and second payment is due half-way through the dreamwork package.