Facing the Fear of Death

Dreamwork is usually associated with long-term psychotherapy or intensive group work, but it can also be highly effective in short-term counseling when a dream encapsulates an ongoing problem in a client’s life. The transactional analysis literature on dreams is briefly summarized, and relevant research is cited from the growing field of dream studies. Dreamwork can be particularly effective in dealing with recurring nightmares, as shown in a case example. A mature woman sought help to overcome a long-term pattern of sleep disturbance caused by a recurring nightmare in which she was attacked. The problem was resolved by using the nightmare to change her script.

Section: A Simple Interventionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Fighting Back

Bowater¹

2013

“…Kübler-Ross (1969/1970), in delineating the stages of grieving—denial, isolation, depression, bargaining, anger, hope, and acceptance—wrote, “Death itself is not the problem, but dying is feared because of the accompanying sense of hopelessness, helplessness, and isolation” (p. 246). Bowater (2008) described how fear of abandonment caused a crisis in her client’s life, even though the person had otherwise been strongly scripted for courage. Bosler (1976) illustrated through a case study of a terminally ill patient how the family members used transactional analysis permissions to treat both themselves and the dying person.…”

Section: Implications For Psychotherapy/counselingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Embracing Eternity

Suriyaprakash¹,

Geetha

2014

This article presents the philosophical perspective on death based on the Vedantic worldview from India within a psychological frame of reference of the transactional analysis concept of the Cultural Parent. A model of ego states of a spiritually integrated person is described as an antithesis to fear of death. The Vedantic concepts of brahman, atma, yoga, karma, dharma, and satchidananda, which form the basis of an explanation of the Vedantic view of death, are explained. The implications of such a worldview on the practice of transactional analysts are also briefly discussed.

“…In 1999, we (Bowater and Sherrard) wrote an article drawing more widely on transactional analysis and psychodrama for redecision work with nightmares; this was followed by a series of articles in the last decade by me (Bowater, 2001(Bowater, , 2003(Bowater, , 2008(Bowater, , 2009(Bowater, , 2010 on different applications of dreamwork. In all the casework cited, the process used for interpretation involved respectful inquiry by the therapist and full collaboration with the dreamer to arrive at a resolution.…”

Section: Brief Historical Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It also, of course, relates to the phenomenon of intuition. We have previously written about the significance of physis (Bowater & Sherrard, 1999), describing ways of using transactional analysis to work with nightmares in clinical practice and about the healing power of dreams in relation to unconscious processes (Bowater, 2008).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Ethical Issues for Transactional Analysis Practitioners Doing Dreamwork

Bowater¹,

Sherrard

2011

The authors are concerned that dreams are undervalued by too many transactional analysis practitioners, most of whom do not appear to use dreamwork in their practices. This neglect raises ethical questions. Berne's valuing and use of dreams is briefly reviewed, and further clinical uses are noted. Case examples of dreamwork demonstrate how the ethical questions can be answered with benefits for clients. The article concludes with a set of ethical principles recommended for practitioners who work with dreams.