Social Dreaming: the practice of sharing dreams

The Social Dreaming Matrix is a space where participants share their night dreams, as well as free associations emerging from those dreams. Through the offering of recent or past dreams, participants form free associations linked to personal experience or coming from films, literature or any other cultural or social objects. The aim is to expand the narrative introduced by the dreamtelling without seeking to close it. During the SDM participant form what is called a Matrix, and they avoid making any interpretations or formulations (i.e. asking questions) letting instead the dream space flow. In this context dreams tell nothing about the dreamer, they form a pattern that circulates in the matrix, thus enabling the capacity to "be alone in the presence of others". After the dream sharing, the collective examine the content that emerged and attempt to reflect on possible meaning this information holds for individuals and members of a larger collective. ORIGIN OF SOCIAL DREAMING Gordon Lawrence has worked with SD since 1982. His discovery was rather fortuitous, emerging from a series of experiences working with groups at the Tavistock Institute in London, and later in other settings that provided him with more freedom of action.