Series 2, Episode 6 – Dream Incubation: Learn how to dream up healing like the ancient Greeks
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This week co-host Laura Payne swaps chair and becomes Dave’s guest to discuss the fascinating ancient technique of dream incubation. They take a journey through the ancient worlds of Greece and Egypt to look at how the Asclepion dream temples which spread throughout the Mediterranean for hundreds of years became the prototype hospitals of today. As Laura says they were a mashup of modern-day hospital, come spa, come cinema complex. Laura looks at how the cult of the Greek healing God Asclepios grew in influence and how huge Asclepion centres such as Epidaurus on the Greek mainland became important sites of dream healing and entertainment centres with its famous amphitheatre, staging Greek dramas and music. They discuss Laura’s research into the Asclepios method of dream incubation with its fascinating symbology of five key images such as snakes and dogs as signs of healing and the use of special womb-like caves called Abatons to conjure up and incubate healing dreams. We learn how Laura experiments with dreamers in workshops and dream retreats with stunning outcomes after they build their own abaton sanctuaries out of pop-up tents and then explore Greek myths whose archetypes contain potent energy that still impact us today. As Laura says this is about the power of ritual as preparation to incubate the creative imagination and the setting of intention before going to sleep. We look briefly at the mystery school work of Jean Houston and the writings of Edward Tick who have also explored the influence of these ancient sites. In Dream of the Week Laura and Dave look at a listener’s snake dream. In the dream a white snake comes out of a photo and wraps itself around the woman’s finger. Is it poisonous, the dreamer asks? What would an Asklepion dream guide, known as a psychotherapeute, make of this dream and how can this dream’s message help the dreamer?

Your dreams are fascinating, too. Send a dream to share as the Dream of the Week or for our Dream Lab episodes via the social and website links below.

Enrolment for the DRI’s 2024 dreams courses is open until 15 October! Go to driccpe.org.uk/courses) to find out how to apply

In this episode: Laura’s Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/877750142711010/) As part of the Asklepion Dreamers Group https://www.jeanhouston.com) https://www.edwardtick.com)

Let us know what you think, and submit a dream for us to explore on the podcast! 

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This podcast is a project of the DRI), the centre for dream studies at CCPE), the psychotherapy college overlooking the canals at London’s scenic Little Venice.

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Keep dreaming, and keep sharing your dreams!

Credits

Recorded by Sophie, Lev and Ella at the Boat Pod https://theboatpod.com) 

Edited by James Ede at Be Heard https://beheard.org.uk) 

Podcast Artwork Design by Kat Seager Design

Music:

Adventures by A Himitsu https://soundcloud.com/a-himitsu) 

Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0

Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/2Pj0MtT)

Music released by Argofox https://youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQE) 

Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/MkNeIUgNPQ8)

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