Do you dream in cult?

When I woke, I remembered: I dreamt of Doug! Ugh.

It was a short dream. So basic. So blah. Barely a dream. He just stood there, looking small. That’s all I could recall of the leader of the cultic group I’d been part of for so many years.

I smiled. He looked so wimpy.

And then I laughed in delight. He has no power over me any more!

This was a few years after I left Doug’s cultic group. I had been his devoted student and a loyal member of that group for eighteen long years. Since leaving in 2014, my life has opened. That dream was a celebration.

There were harder, more complicated dreams too, that included the people I had once loved. One who died by suicide… 🥹

How about you? Do you dream about the people and the places that once were the center of your life? Have you ever dreamt of the cult leader?

I have such a complicated relationship with dreaming since the cult was centered around them. Dreams are no longer the locus of my life - and I don’t recommend that to anyone. When I left twelve years ago, I was loath to tread into the dreamy realms again. But good therapy, education, and time have healed old wounds and certain themes - like dreams - are perennial. They are a part of life, after all.

When and if I choose to turn my attention their way, I still find value in mulling over a juicy dream. Dream images can linger. The emotional intensity can be consuming. Dream language can nudge me to explore taboo edges of my psyche and open doors to a new way of seeing.

That’s why I’m talking with Katherine Bell again on Saturday, June 27th. This will be the third (or the fourth?) time in as many years that I’ve been honored to be a guest on her weekly podcast and live radio show titled Dream Journal.

Please feel free to accompany us in a frank conversation about cultic dream manipulation and the potential for dreams to become the source of rich inquiry and self awareness. Our live conversation takes place this Saturday at 1 pm EST/ 10 am PST. The Dream Journal is broadcast in the Santa Cruz area at 90.7 FM and can be heard streaming live at KSQD.org

NOTE: You are invited to join the live conversation during the last half of the show. Please call in to share a dream! Call 831-900-5773. You can also email your dream to me ahead of time gerette@gerettebuglion.com or send an email during the show to onair@ksqd.org.

I am sincerely looking forward to hearing from you and riffing about dreaming as part of the cult recovery process. I’d love to hear what your experiences and questions are. Do you write your dreams? This can be such a helpful experience. On a few occasions, I’ve even written my own flavor of poetry, inspired by dreams. What’s your experience?

PS There are a couple of openings in this Friday’s Writing to Reckon class. Friday, June 26 from 10 am to noon EST.

REGISTER W2R FRI CLASS

PPS If you want more about Katherine and the Dream Journal:

“The Dream Journal” is hosted by Katherine Bell of Experiential Dreamwork. Archives: ksqd.org/the-dream-journal/. Find out about her professional Dream Coaching practice at ExperientialDreamwork.com or social media @ExperientialDreamwork.