We speak with friend of the show Bill St. Cyr about many things starting with how common shame is and how the mean voices that we carry around make it hard for us to let in the love that’s all around us. We talk about how in our desire for safety we sometimes put ourselves in a kind of self-imposed prison and also about how test taking in a dream is often about shame. Bill shares a dream in which a deep sense of relaxation and acceptance came for him when a dear friend came up and put their forehead up against his.
We talk alot about how important it is to learn to hold ourselves in tenderness. I bring up the idea of having a treasure hunt with our dreams in which we look for moments of support and love in our dreams rather than always focusing on the difficult moments. We talk a bit about something called the entropic theory of the brain which draws parallels between the dreaming brain state and the brain on psychedelics and how they both can throw our brains into enough disarray that we come out of them in a new state.
We then take a call from Christine Barrington who shares a dream where she felt support, and she speaks about how we all learn best when we learn through connection. She also shares that a heretic is by definition one who choses.
Bill closes by encouraging us to bring tenderness to our life’s journey every step of the way.
Bio: Bill St. Cyr is a devoted student of the dream and of the process of coming into deep consciousness in the face of the trauma and alienation that is so endemic in our culture. Bill has over 10 years experience working with dreamers and teaching practitioners the practice of Embodied Dreamwork. He has presented and facilitated over 75 workshops, retreats and conferences throughout the US, Canada and Europe.
To learn more and to contact Bill, see his and his partner Sue Scavo’s website: StudentsoftheDream.com
Books we talked about include Pema Chodron’s Start Where You Are and Lisa Barrett’s How Emotions are Made.
Live ambient music by Rick Kleffel.
Show aired on March 13, 2021.
The Dream Journal is produced at and airs on KSQD Santa Cruz, 90.7 FM, streaming live at KSQD.org 10-11am Saturday mornings Pacific time. Catch it live and call in with your dreams or questions at 831-900-5773.
The complete KSQD Dream Journal podcast page is found here.
You can also check out The Dream Journal on the following podcast platforms: Rate it, review it, subscribe and tell your friends.
If you want to contact Katherine Bell with feedback, suggestions for future shows or to inquire about exploring your own dreams with her, contact katherine@ksqd.org, or find out more about her at ExperientialDreamwork.com.
