This book is a blend of rigorous documentation of scientific research and theory from dreams researcher Mark Blagrove, and more intuitive appreciation of dreams that are presented, with Mark guiding discussion with the dreamer (primarily using the eminently practical Montague Ullman dream appreciation method and free association, which we can all use at home or in groups), and the resultant and inspired artwork by Julia Lockheart (performed live on camera as each session progresses), which brings the process full-circle from the original dream imagery back to the visual; wonderful artwork that the dreamer gets to keep for further exploration by them and with friends and family.
Later on, the book turns to the 20th-century avant-garde movement of Surrealism, and its practitioners’ influence on literature, art, and film, designed to provide an oneiric (dream-like) experience, rather than to be understood with our rational mind – indeed, to actually outwit or thwart the latter process.
In addition – and of considerable importance – the co-authors discuss the link between dreams and empathy, and provide evidence that “[t]he sharing of dreams leads to increased empathy towards the dreamer from those with whom the dream is shared” (while there are many who dismiss dreams and even some who maintain that dreams serve no useful function), and this has many worldly implications and opens up new possibilities.
Book at Routledge:
https://www.routledge.com/The-Science-and-Art-of-Dreaming/Blagrove-Lockheart/p/book/9780367479947
Book entry at Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61391527-the-science-and-art-of-dreaming
