The Cyberdreamwork Movement By Robert Bosnak with Jill Fischer

  Ever since I learned to work with dreams at the C.G. Jung Institute in Zurich in the early 1970s, I have been fascinated by the way different Peoples dream. One dream that repeated itself twice, was of my Grandfather, a tailor from Poland (I have no such historical ancestor) who wanted to get to know the world through dreams. Since then I have traveled far and wide to learn the ways of dreaming in different parts of the world. The problem I had, however, was that even though I was away from home and my analytical practice for around three months every year, I could only infrequently see the people I visited, and with vast intervals. So when the Internet became operational for the general public around 1994, I began to imagine how I could satisfy my dreaming Grandfather from 30 years ago by way of this new medium.

  One thing has always been obvious to me: dreamwork belongs to the oral tradition. It is the probing voice of others that can lead a dreamer into depth.  Hearing is more primitive than reading. The written word makes the dreamer have to shift into an intellectual mode of consciousness, each time a written question is posed. We instinctively understand the spoken word, while the written text is indirect.  Thus, I had to wait until the spoken word became readily available over the ‘net. This happened in April 1997, when the voice program VoxPhone came out with a conference feature which made it possible to have a small group of people talk together in an affordable voice program with the use of an off-the-shelf PC. Jill Fischer, Diana Cook, Dick Smith and I immediately formed the first cyberdreamwork voice group and founded cyberdreamwork.com. Our website went online in May of 1997. Our purpose was to wed the most advanced telecommunications technologies with dreamwork. From there the work has expanded rapidly. In December 1999 www.firetalk.com opened its services, for free to the general public. For the first time it was possible to speak with anyone in the world who downloaded Firetalk for free from the web and it is now possible to have groups of up to 7 dreamworkers with several observing supervisors or students of cyberdreamwork if this is so desired. Our first cyberdreamcoach training started in the fall of 1999 with participants from the U.S. and South Africa.  The training was successful and the trainee from South Africa felt very close to her cyberdreamwork partners in the United States.

 The community building aspects of cyberdreamwork are profound. Some aboriginal peoples in Australia tell each other their dreams upon awakening in a ritual called ‘the morning news.’ It revitalizes the sense of belonging to a tribe, a culture and a shared cosmos.

 Of course, presently we can only work among people in the same language, which limits intercultural dreamwork, even though many people speak some English. Also, as of yet many countries have only limited access to the ‘net but that is bound to improve. With the advent of computer translation programs, the language problem will be largely alleviated, especially since the language used during in-depth dreamwork is relatively simple, as can be seen from the example below. During in-depth dreamwork, consciousness sinks down to a hypnagogic level, approaching sleep. In this state, complicated questions are not understood, and answers are usually succinct. I believe that within the next decade both the problem of access to the Internet and that of language will have been solved, and intercultural cyberdreamwork will have become a mature discipline. It will take a while until people feel free enough to entrust their dreams to people who are not present in the flesh, but with the advent of broadband, when video and soon (within the next 20 years) full motion virtual reality will be a fact, the difference between bodily and virtual presence will diminish. Let’s remember that within a generation people were able to communicate intimately over the telephone. At present I think that cyberdreamwork will take place mainly among people of similar cultural backgrounds. When I visited China recently, however, there was quite some interest among psychology students to be a part of the cyberdreamwork movement.

 From its inception we have felt that the computer should not remain a passive medium like the telephone, but should become actively involved in the process of dreamwork. The computer was to become an assistant to the dreamer, a partner in the process of asking questions. The method of dreamwork we have developed over the years is based on the Socratic principle, that if asked the right questions, a person will naturally give birth to adequate answers. The task of the Socratic dreamworker is similar to that of the midwife. Differing from Socratic philosophers, the dreamworker is after an awareness of a psycho-physical nature, which means that any insight has to be embodied, felt simultaneously as a perception of emotion, and as a specific body awareness. For example, it is not enough to realize that I am angry;  it is vital to feel the simultaneous upset in my stomach, since this  is just as much a sign of anger as is the emotion. For the computer to be an assistant in the questioning process, it was of the utmost importance that it could register the psychophysical responses of the dreamer. For this we reached back to the earliest work of C.G. Jung and his work on the word association experiment.

 In the beginning of the previous century, around 1902, Jung began a series of tests that eventually culminated in his discovery of the polygraph -- a little know fact, but one that earned him an honorary doctorate in Law from Clark University during his and Freud’s visit to the United States in 1909. Jung set out to prove, with the use of scientific experiment, the existence of unconscious complexes. He was able to demonstrate that consciousness was affected by coherent undercurrents he called complexes. These undercurrents themselves remained invisible, but from their effects on consciousness conclusions could be drawn as to their configuration, in the same way astronomers can conclude upon the existence and mass of an unknown heavenly object by the gravity it exerts on known objects. The technological measurement tool he primarily used was the galvanic skin response meter. The galvanic skin response works more or less as follows:  we have two sweat systems, one used for cooling, and one, located primarily in the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet, that is directly connected to the autonomic nervous system (ANS). Any reaction in the ANS is translated within a second and a half into a sweat response at these physical locations. The more sweat there is in the skin, the easier electricity passes through. This is called the skin conductance.  Sensors are placed on the tips of two fingers or elsewhere on the hand (at M.I.T. a convenient unobtrusive sensor glove has been developed. Eventually this sensorium will communicate with the computer by wireless means.) When a very low current of electricity passes through the skin, the conductance level of the skin can be measured, and in this simple way the fluctuations of the ANS can be observed. Since by definition the ANS functions unconsciously, there is frequently a high correlation between it and unconscious Psychophysical phenomena.

 We started our research with the hypothesis that similar psychophysical responses in a given dreamer would produce matching patterns on a galvanic skin graph (called electro-dermal response, these days). With the outstanding help of its able research director Bruce Mehler, we set out to test this hypothesis at the laboratory of the NeuroDyne Medical Corp. in Cambridge, Mass., leader in medical instrumentation like computerized electro-dermal meters, EEGs, ECGs, etc. We began in 1998 with a group of five dreamers who were each to work on their dreams in a group, and found the first match in dreamwork conducted on June 11, 1999. The resemblance in the graph below is striking and lasts for about 30 seconds, much too long to be random noise.  

Text of Pattern From: June 11, 1999
Top Graph [2736-2767]  45:28(2728)-45:32(2732) - [Can you look at this man?}  Yes.  45:32(2732)-45:47(2747) - He just makes me happy.  45:48(2748)-45:50(2750) - I'm going to cry.  45:50(2750)-46:22(2782) - [Stay with the feeling. Just feel it.]  46:22(2782)-46:25(2785) - He really helps the sadness..	Bottom Graph [60-91]  :52(60) - A man comes up to us. He's the communicator for the dinosaurs.  1:01(61)-1:06(66) - We are to take the front of our heads and crack them down into the dinosaurs openings.  1:15(75) - It's the only way we're to survive.  1:19(79) - For some reason I trust this man even though I'm terrified.  1:24(84)-1:33(93) - I decided to do it...The cracks reveal an amazing world of new possibilities.

 

This finding seemed to indicate that Jung had been right one hundred years ago, when he suggested that the complex was not a single emotion but a complex of emotions (hence the name) organized by metaphor. From his word association experiments he did not conclude upon, say, unconscious fear, but on, for instance, an unconscious mother complex: an interwoven pattern of feelings organized by the image of ‘mother’. In the example above, the matching pattern surrounds the meeting –first in the telling of the dream and later the dreamwork itself -- with a knowledgeable trustworthy old man. The pattern seems to be an effect of the relationship between the dream-ego and this man. Jung would call this dream figure a member of the ‘Wise Old Man’ family; an archetypal ilk of images prevalent the world over, noted at all times in history. It is the relationship to this figure, which shows a measurable psychophysical coherence. The match also gave an indication as to the effect of dreamwork: when the dreamer told us her dream from memory, the excitation of the pattern was on a considerably lower level (bottom graph) than when we had lead her back into the dreaming and helped her re-experience in the-here-and-now what it was like to meet with this man (top graph.) Dreamwork apparently intensifies the experience so it can become conscious: a stronger feeling can more readily reach the surface of consciousness.

 Based on this, Jill Fischer set up a working hypothesis, that matches are most likely to be found around specific dream characters. This was an important narrowing of the search for patterns, since the large amount of information in this stage still had to be searched by eye,  as the pattern matching software program, developed by Dr. Wolf Fischer, a recognized expert in signal processing, had not yet been completed at this time. Our ultimate goal was for the software to recognize the pattern match so we could build the dreamwork assistant Cathy  (Computer Assisted THerapY) upon this basis. From the pattern match above Cathy (human voiced) could remark, for example, “When you just said (Cathy plays back the words of the dreamer) ‘I’m going to cry’, you had the same feelings as before when you mentioned (playback)  ‘It’s the only way to survive’. Can you feel both these moments and explore what occurs to you?” This intervention of Cathy’s could help the dreamer reach further depths. Also, Cathy with her gigabytes of memory might remind the dreamer that similar feelings had existed in dreams last month and last year, and she can play back the sequences. The superior memory of the computer can then be employed to have the dreamer reach into structural feeling states that recur time and again.  

 Cathy will be furnished with learning algorithms, a form of artificial intelligence that will make her learn from her expanding database of an individual’s patterns. In collaboration with her human, Cathy will find words describing certain complex feelings. Her human may decide to call the feelings in her dream surrounding the old man ‘dinosaur-man.’ Next when these patterns arise in a session, Cathy may suggest: “It seems the dinosaur-man is around.” The human will reflect and then reply either yes or no. In case of ‘yes’ the algorithm is strengthened and Cathy has learned. In case of ‘no’ Cathy unlearns somewhat, taking into account that her human may be resistant. Eventually Cathy’s responses will be increasingly precise and, like in the process of analysis, an individualized vocabulary of feeling states is devised based on intuitive metaphoric signs, much like sophisticated icons. The implications for Cathy-assisted diary writing and the accompanying self-understanding is promising. She will enable us to provide our emotional lives with, often sorely needed, subtitles.

  The implications for intercultural dreamwork are obvious: Cathy with her direct relationship to ANS patterns is not culture-sensitive. She will work in the same manner with people from all cultures. The way in which her assistance may be accepted by people from different cultures is another matter.

 By now we are several steps closer to the realization of Cathy, who may be employed both to assist in dreamwork with others as well as in solo dreamwork, (and in a host of other applications, like helping couples interact with more awareness, etc.) With great excitement we continued our work and below we reproduce the results of an entire dreamwork session, together with the significant pattern matches.

[select times below to see graph]

0 - 250	250-500	500-750	750-1000	1000-1250	1250-1500	1500-1750	1750-2000

The dream below is of a man entering a meditation hall and being confronted with an attractive woman who sticks a needle in his hand, which creates a strong libidinal response. We help the dreamer experience the dream both from the perspective of the dream-ego as well as from the perspective of the ‘needle woman.’ (The perspective change occurs between the 1514th and 1538th second of the work.) After the shift of perspective, the tension in the work as shown by the graph, increases dramatically. A move to a non-ego perspective often leads to an intensification of experience. If you put all the graphs next to each other you will notice a rise in the general level of tension throughout the dreamwork. This is a frequent psychophysical pattern in dreamwork, since it operates on the principle of a constant build-up of pressure, a technique gleaned from alchemy. (For further explanation of this technique see my book Tracks in the Wilderness of Dreaming.) We are now developing a color shift in the background of the graphs between bluish and reddish, so this fluctuation of intensity can be instantly observed.

 The work on the dream was conducted while the dreamworkers were watching the monitor on which the graph was being displayed. In order to imitate Cathy’s future responses the questions were based upon the noted fluctuations in the graph.

Jill Fischer found three significant pattern matches, which were confirmed by the software program completed by Dr. Wolf Fischer. The match between 120-150 seconds and 615-645 seconds was consistent with her working hypothesis. They were both around the presence of the needlewoman.

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In the match 777.5-787.5 : 460-470 there seems to be a response relationship between the moment of the penetration by the needle and the presence of the Tibetan teacher. This is a match up that might indicate the intimate relationship between the moment of penetration and the presence of the teacher, a correspondence that would not have been picked up by the human dreamworkers, but would have been registered by Cathy instantly. The implications are that Cathy can make connections that humans can’t, which more than justifies her existence.

 

Cathy might ask: “What is the relationship between the moment when you said (playback) ‘She presses into my hand’ and before when you mentioned (playback) ‘It is crowded, more energy. The Tibetan man is sitting across from me.’” Cathy offers the dreamer a new vantage point for reflection.

    The last match, 330-350 : 1450-1470 is most curious. It matches the oblong shape of the room, the architecture of the dream, with the penetration -- a connection no human dreamworker would have made, but Cathy would necessarily raise.  

Pattern 3 Oct 1, 1999
Top Graph [330-350]   5:26(326)-5:48(348) - 8,9,10, people. It's a circular oblong shape.  5:48(348)-6:06(366) - What's Happening now? I'm seeing the oblong shape of the room.	Bottom Graph [1450-1470]  24:05(1445)-24:17(1457) - First she puts the needle in the hand; the first time. She moves slowly.  24:17(1457)-24:35(1475) -[ Above description continues.]  24:35(1475)-24:40(1480) - She then quickly, penetrates hand with needle...Slow and precise; like a cat.

A future with Cathy can deepen dreamwork significantly, whether it is done in a cyberdreamwork setting between participants thousands of miles apart, in solo dreamwork, or in face to face dreamwork in groups or as a duet. Cathy will immediately engender projections, which will bring her to life, especially when she will be connected to virtual reality technology giving her virtual body. When her great grandmother, the first psychotherapy program developed in the Sixties called Elisa, based on the Rogerian mirroring method, entered the scene at M.I.T., several people insisted that they felt better understood by Elisa than by others. Cathy will become a trusted assistant in our quest to better understand our feeling life.  

Whenever I paint this future (not too distant) to people, many feel threatened. They shake their heads and mutter things like ‘Brave New World’. (Of course Aldous Huxley himself might have been the first to employ Cathy, but that is another matter entirely.) In the way dream beings can be our friends, sharing our lives in the most intimate of ways, virtual beings can play that role as well, once they become sufficiently sophisticated, as Cathy will be. The reason for the very existence of the cyberdreamwork movement itself is the intimate connection between dreaming and virtuality. Virtuality will be ensouled by the likes of the first users of Elisa, who will enliven our human-like partners through transference. Eventually there shall be a virtual Middle Earth where Hobbits will help humans and vice versa. I don’t see this as a nightmare, but as a necessary development in the consciousness of a being who for centuries has been called homo faber, Man the Maker.   

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Robert Bosnak is a Jungian analyst whose books include A Little Course on Dreams and Tracks in the Wilderness of Dreaming. He is the founder of the cyberdreamwork movement which explores the uses of multi-modal remote sense sharing in dream groups.
http://www.cyberdreamwork.com
E-mail: RBosnak@mindspring.com

Jill Fischer, M.S.,APRN,C.S. is a Clinical Specialist. She has been practicing psychotherapy for over 30 years and as co-founder and webmaster of cyberdreamwork.com has expertise in both dreamwork and online community building.