Table Of Content“As we dive into the creative and artistic potential of dreams, we discover
a deeper sense of identity. For people new to dreams or life-long dream
journalists, this book teaches us how to explore their ‘existential meaning’
using art, storytelling, ceremony, and treasure boxes. With examples and
illustrations, this book provides a rich source of inspiration and makes dream
discovery a fun and playful endeavor.”
—Laurel Clark, DD, DM, past president of the
International Association for the Study of Dreams,
author of Intuitive Dreaming. www.laurelclark.com.
“Hamel’s fascinating book demonstrates that the initiatory images and
symbols provided by our dreams are essential to the psyche, as they support
our passage from one life-stage to another. The author supplies concrete tools
that will allow readers to progress autonomously into the future, with artistry,
imagination and greater awareness.”
—Vera Heller, PhD, art therapy professor,
Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT)
“If you only remember one dream you can start a fruitful conversation with
Psyche. When you have lifelong dream journals as a treasure chest available,
you can foster a compassionate relationship with your inner self and inner
artist. Dr. Hamel, a devoted dreamer and art therapist, shares how to tell the
story of your dream life, offering a variety of creative and art-therapeutic
methods that support a meaningful journey to your soul.”
—Mag. Johanna Vedral, psychologist, art therapist,
and collage artist, author of Collage Dream Writing,
teacher of creative writing. https://schreibstudio.at/
Dreams and Nightmares in
Art Therapy
Dreams and Nightmares in Art Therapy draws on the author’s extensive
art psychotherapy practice and teaching to provide a wide range of creative
writing and visual art methods for dreamwork.
Blending theories such as Gestalt therapy and Jungian psychology with
clinical examples from Dr. Hamel’s own clients, this unique book offers an
array of art therapy and other creative dreamwork methods, covering a large
variety of media such as mask making, clay, collage, sandtray and painting.
The author also presents seven different types of nightmares and introduces
a simple and efficient five-steps art therapy method for reducing their
intensity and their frequency. The book concludes with a unique synthesis of
11 dreamwork methods to draw wisdom from dream journals accumulated
over a long period of time.
This book is ideal for anyone interested in developing a personal or
professional practice using dream art therapy. The methods presented here will
captivate readers with their originality and provide inspiration for all kinds of
psychological, artistic and spiritual development.
Johanne Hamel, DPs, psychologist and art psychotherapist, specializes
in dreamwork and in somatic art therapy. She has been teaching art therapy
for 20 years at the Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue and is
currently an international lecturer in Thailand, the USA and Europe. More
information can be found on her website johannehamel.com.
Hélène Hamel is a self-employed translator who holds an honor degree in
translation and has been working mainly from English to French for more than
30 years.
Dreams and Nightmares in
Art Therapy
The Dream of the Jaguar
Johanne Hamel
Translated by Hélène Hamel
First published 2022
by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
and by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa
business
© 2022 Johanne Hamel
The right of Johanne Hamel to be identified as author of this work
has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval
system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Hamel, Johanne, 1952– author.
Title: Dreams and nightmares in art therapy : the dream of the jaguar /
Johanne Hamel ; translated by Hélène Hamel.
Other titles: Rêves, art-thérapie et guérison, de l’autre côté du
miroir. English
Description: New York : Routledge, 2021. | Includes bibliographical
references and index. |
Identifiers: LCCN 2021007154 (print) | LCCN 2021007155 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780367644611 (hardback) | ISBN 9780367644604
(paperback) | ISBN 9781003124610 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Dreams—Therapeutic use. | Art therapy. |
Self-actualization (Psychology)
Classification: LCC RC489.D74 H3713 2021 (print) | LCC RC489.D74
(ebook) | DDC 616.89/1656—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021007154
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021007155
ISBN: 978-0-367-64461-1 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-367-64460-4 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-12461-0 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003124610
Typeset in Times New Roman
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
This book is dedicated to all my art psychotherapy clients
and art therapy students who worked on their dreams
through all these years and thus helped me develop efficient
methods to understand their existential messages. You
made this book possible.
Contents
List of figures xii
About the Author xiv
Foreword xv
Preface xvii
Acknowledgments xix
Introduction 1
The Dream’s Existential Message 2
Identifying an Existential Message 3
An Existential Message is Not. . . 3
Nightmares 3
Lifelong Dream Journal Methods 4
1 Creative Dreamwork Methods 5
Introduction: What is Meant by Creative
Dreamwork Methods? 5
Jungian Amplification of Dream Images 5
Paying Attention to Dream Images 6
Amplifying the Felt Sense in a Dream 9
Amplifying the Felt Sense Upon Awakening 11
Changing the Ending of a Dream 13
Positive Art 13
Four-Steps Dream 15
Gift Giving 19
Spontaneous Reactions 21
Spontaneous Writing 21
Developed Scribbling 23
Metaphor and Contra-Metaphor 24
Metaphor: Using Analogy 24
