Most of us approach counseling with an agenda. We seek assistance in resolving some particular problem. We generally have some sense of what sort of help we want and expect. Yet if we had a workable solution, we wouldn't be seeking the help of a counselor! The therapist, for their part, approaches counseling with their own agenda and preferred way of dealing with a particular problem. But the therapist isn't you. So how could they know exactly what you need? To some extent, there will always be some degree of projection of the therapist's assumptions on to you and your experience. This can be very helpful - or it can be a waste of time and energy! An appropriate solution is unlikely to be forthcoming from either client or therapist. So how do we get beyond this blind groping toward a poorly understood solution?

There is a third approach, which I find much more satisfactory. Why not assume that you, the client, have within you already, the solution that you seek to whatever problem you have attracted to you? Through dreamwork we attempt to listen to those parts of yourself which understand both the problem and its solution. Instead of the client or the therapist setting the agenda, we allow the healer within to be your guide.

Joseph Dillard, CISW, PhD., and his trained staff of counselors, provides individual and relationship counseling by phone with English-speaking individuals and couples anywhere in the world, bringing years of professional experience to assist in the resolution of many different types of life issues. Dr. Dillard has over twenty years of experience in the treatment of many conditions, including depression, anxiety, chronic pain, traumatic stress, interpersonal relationships, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders, dealing with grief and loss, addictive disorders (food, alchohol and drugs, relationship, sexual), finding and following one's life path, and spiritual development.

Generally, counseling proceeds like this. Check below to first see if I am currently taking new clients. If I am, e-mail your request to counseling@dreamyoga.com with your telephone number and we will e-mail you back the time that I have available. Appointments will generally be scheduled to last 50 minutes, although you may request a shorter amount of time be set aside and, time allowing, the session may go longer than 50 minutes.

An initial approach is to share a dream and your life issues with Dr. Dillard or one of his associates. We will explore its recommendations for healing your waking life issues, generating recommendations for waking life application, which we will monitor in subsequent sessions. Or, we may elect to follow a more thorough approach which will involve your therapist typing out the responses of your various dream group member as the work proceeds. This is an effective way to both learn the dreamwork methodology and to move toward certification in Dream Yoga. If we choose this route, we will generate a complete sociomatrix and sociogram for you with written recommendations. This will involve approximately as much time putting the data together as does the session itself, and your credit card will be charged for that time at the same rate.

For some issues we will initially gather historical information, asking many questions about your circumstances, the nature and history of the problem, and many other life factors that may not seem very relevant on the surface. All this information helps us to "rule out" sources of your conflict, which in turn allows us to arrive at a diagnosis, which I will share with you. It may take two 50 minute sessions to gather this information.

Between sessions you will work on applying recommendations received from your dream group members. Your progress will to a great extent be dependent on your ability to follow through with the recommendations of your dream group members. You will report back at the next session on your progress with your "homework." Subsequent dreams will continuously provide further clarification and direction in your course toward wholeness.

Clients find that this counseling approach "feels right" because it wells up from their innermost depths. Consequently, there is less time wasted dealing with secondary issues. Dream Yoga puts time and energy where your own inner self thinks it should best be applied.

A word about our charges. We wish that we could give our time away, but that would say something about our view of the value of our time and this work. It takes time and money to provide you with a quality service. When value is placed on a service it is more likely to be respected and used as the precious gift that it can be.

If you have further questions about counseling, please e-mail us at counseling@dreamyoga.com.