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See what a playful Dreamscaping session looks like from beginning to end in this condensed session transcript: from Lightly Touching Upon the Loss, seeking Felt Sense Memories of Positive Excitation, Novelty-Seeking & Elicitation, Checking in for Purpose, creating the Prescriptive Memory and Tangible Dreamscape, and finally, Processing.
LIGHTLY TOUCHING UPON THE LOSS
T: When did you first feel the loss of your musical self?
C: The specific moment is when I gave up my love and dream for music and more specifically, singing. That was, at one point, my entire identity. What everyone knew me as. And then, as I went through some trauma and some unfortunate experiences in my youth, I closed myself off from that even being something I enjoyed. It’s almost bittersweet in a way because when I do have some enjoyment for it, it’s not how it was and there’s some grief and loss from that part of me. …
T: When did the love of music start?
C: My father was very involved and passionate about music. He was in bands and so I grew up running around band practices, absorbing it all. I told I was singing before I could even talk. And I think that’s another thing that kind of brings this up too, because I have a 2-year old daughter who’s singing and dancing constantly. And she’s been singing before she could form words and has impeccable pitch for a 2-year old and I’m just like, my goodness! It brings up thoughts of me at her age.
T: But now, it’s a kind of deadened part of you.
C: Yeah, yeah. Which is really sad. it feels so separate from me now, like that part of my life is almost abstract.
T: And you know how as therapists, we’re always hunting for bodily sensations. So, when you listen to music under any circumstance, can you be enlivened?
C: Yes. Music’s actually one of my biggest coping skills. I have a little commute to work, but I don’t mind it because that’s like Me Time, listening to music in the car. It’s the performing part of it that I’ve lost.
T: When was the last time you actually tried?
C: I think in the car…recently within the last week. Yeah, I’ll just sing when I’m by myself kind of thing.
T: Is it Involuntary . Or are you more self-conscious about it?
C: Self-conscious about it. I’m more critical of myself because, your voice is a muscle. I feel like I’ve fully lost it but I know I’m not actively practicing as I once did back in the day.. So, when I make a mistake or my range isn’t as strong or if I’m not hitting notes, I get very critical of myself and that’ll bring on distorted thoughts. It’s like, you’re not even doing this anymore.
THE UNMET NEED
T: Does that critical voice feel familiar?
C: It stems from my upbringing. My mother was very distant and was actually diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder and so being present was not within her bandwidth. My dad, basically when he hit his 20’s stopped aging, so a fun guy. Yet, however distracted he was by his own vices, whenever I’d write a song, or if we were at one of his practices or a party, he’d pull me out to sing it to him, to everybody. The positive attention made me feel good, and important. It would bring me warmth and that was what I was craving that I wasn’t getting otherwise. That would be where that critical voice is like, If I’m not gonna meet that standard and my needs not gonna get met, then what’s the point of even doing it?
T: But how amazing that these two people created [this musical child]. And fabulous mother to boot….
C: Yes, I am. And sometimes I have to be careful that I’m not. Too overbearing (laughs). No, that is very important to me. Making sure that I’m doing my best, and also giving myself grace when I am not perfect.
T: That’s probably what we’re doing here (laughs). You have to give yourself grace because you generally don’t…
C: No, I don’t.
T: All right, so there’s a kind of self-punishment here. But for what? Do you tend to relate things that if I do this, then certain things will harm me? A kind of karmic Rube Goldberg?
C: I do think that I struggle a little bit with that in relation to my trauma. I think there’s a fearfulness that something may happen to me.
T: Maybe the strategy for the prescriptive memory, then, is to create a means of dispelling that fear. If you could somehow saturate yourself with the positives associated with your music-loving daughter — because sometimes the best exorcists can be our children because of their innocence.
C: Mm-hmm. Yeah. I think that sounds great.
T: So, when you hear your daughter singing unabashedly, you ever feel like joining in?
C: Mm-hmm.
FELT SENSE MEMORIES OF POSITIVE EXCITATION
C: I do, I do and sometimes what’s funny though, and this makes me chuckle —Is that when I do join in, sometimes she’s all about it, and other times she’s like, No, I’m singing and I let her do her thing. I LISTEN TO HER [excitation], and it makes me laugh because I see myself in her.
T: So, let’s say, like the Miracle Question: If you could wake up free of how your love of singing and performing is entangled with this unmet need, what would that be like? When you play the prescriptive memory in your mind, what would you want it to remind you to do, or to feel?
C: I think I would like to be able to enjoy music, singing especially, feeling more free.
C: I think because that part of it is holding me back, it’s not so much that I feel like I still need that level of attention now, but that it’s just the reminder of it from the past that’s painful. I don’t want these chains attached to it. I want to just be able to live…
T: …with your eyes closed. No need to scan the room and see if somebody is noticing you’re doing these things.
C: Right.
NOVELTY-SEEKING & ELICITATION
T: Okay, so, I have a little book called “Everything I Need to Know I Learned from Nancy,“ of Nancy and Sluggo fame from the 40s. I’m thinking about a similar primer we could create, “Everything I Need to Know I Learned from Lily.” [Therapist eliciting novelty].
C: She’s just very carefree and … I’ve been very blessed with a child who looks at the world very kindly.
T: Okay, now if we’re writing a book, with Lily as philosopher, what would she teach us?
C: She’s open to new experiences. She wants to learn. She’s very free.
T: Put that into an action verbs. So, the first page would say…
C: Yes, yes, I got it now. Be open. Be carefree. Be vocal. Be brave. Be loving. Be kind. Be joyful. Be stubborn (laughs).
T: Stand your ground, right?
C: Yes. Stand your ground. Be thankful. Be excited about new experiences. Be friendly. Be caring.
T: Now, I’m going to repeat them back, one at a time, so you can tell me more specifically what Lily is teaching us. The first one, Be carefree. Because?
C: It doesn’t matter what people are thinking, or if they’re watching. Just do it because you like it.
T: Perfect. Be vocal. Why be vocal?
C: That way, you can communicate your needs straightforwardly.
T: Be brave.
C: That connects with the willingness to try new things. Even if you’re hesitant— like the first day of daycare— when they’re a little worried and they’re like, I’m not sure about that. And you just tell them, It’s okay.
T: What does Lily tell herself? What keeps Lily open to try?
C: She trusts me that she’s going to be okay.
T: Because consistently, she’s been shown she can trust the ones she loves.
C: Yes. And she has a lot of confidence about her.
T: That’s a result of what, do you think?
C: I’m not sure. I feel like it’s connected to … her bravery?
T: Yeah. Mmm.
C: A result of her feeling safe.
T: … because you make sure she’ll be okay.
C: Otherwise, that might be scary.
T: Right. Going back to the Lily philosophies again. Be loving, Be kind, Be caring. Because?
C: It relates to acknowledging that people deserve kindness, care and support.
T: But why? Why do people deserve that?
C: Lily treats people how she wants to be treated. If another kid at school gets upset, she’ll ask, Are you okay? and try and talk to them. She’s very empathetic. (pause) I’m struggling with this one because it’s a little more abstract.
T: Think back as a child: there were times you’d have liked to feel you deserved better.
C: Yeah. Yeah, I’d agree with that.
T: And not in a selfish way, right?
C: No.
T: Would it be fair to say, every child deserves to be treated well. Let’s put a star there and move to Be joyful. Because?
C: I connect to that one. Because I’m allowed to be happy.
T: What does Lily know from “allow”?
C: Mm-hmm. (pause)
T: This one’s also hard for you. Notice, how formal your language got just now.
C: It’s hard. Also, more of an abstract thought for me.
T: We’ll come back to it. What about: Be stubborn. Because?
C: Yeah. (Long pause). I’m genuinely thinking about this one. Because it’s okay to disagree?
T: It’s safe to disagree. Because?
C: Well, Lily’s exact words are I don’t want that. I don’t like that.
T: Right! Be stubborn, because when something doesn’t feel good, you don’t have to take it in.
T: Be grateful?
C: Lily’s very direct about showing gratitude… so much, all the time. I put her shoes on. She says, Thank you. I buckle her in; she says, Thank you. I hand her her milk. She goes, Thank you, I mean unless she’s in a little mood she is very appreciative all the time and if I don’t say You’re welcome fast enough, she says it herself!
T: She says all this, because she gets something from saying it. But what is it?
C: (Pause) I am having a hard time with this one, too. (Pause) She sees I’m happy when she’s grateful?
T: Uh-huh. Just as I feel your happiness right now.
CHECKING IN FOR PURPOSE
T: What happened with this Choir Director who was your “second mother”?
C: It was right at the beginning of the year and auditions were coming up for senior musical. Despite everything going on, I decided I would audition because I thought, maybe this will distract me. I did the best I could and the results were posted. Well, she didn’t give me any part (just something so that I could still participate). I never brought it up again. But I took it as a betrayal. And it was in that moment that I just was, Never mind. I’m going to just erase music from my life. All music.
T: Weird, but this morning, I was reading about the vengeful nature of crows. They hold grudges. But not against themselves.
C: Yeah.
T: So, maybe we have to erase this grudge and bring in another kind of love. A daughter’s love.
C: Yeah.
T: Getting back to Lily. What would Lily do if you came and said, “I’m really mad at what just happened and …” you shared your grudge.
C: Yeah. I think she’d come and say, “Are you okay?” and then she’d ask if I was sad or mad, and I would tell her and then she would give me a kiss and a hug, and say, “All better.” Or “Are you happy now?” As if I had a boo-boo. And then I’d say, “Yes, “and then she’d try and get me to go play with her somewhere.
T: Is it typically hard to do that after you’re mad — to go and play with her?
C: It is. Because it takes me a little bit.
T: Is there something forming in your mind that when you look at it, it could remind you to remember to do something different this time?
C: The words that keeps popping up in my mind is to let it go.
T: Yeah. Good.
C: To just let it go and not let this feeling or this emotion keep me from enjoying a moment with my daughter, or going out, or …
T: … singing a song.
C: Let go of all these thoughts and feelings still inside.
T: What helps calm your mind?
C: Remembering my daughter is the most important thing to me. Thoughts of her —even though it might take a bit initially—could bring me back. Those times when she gives me a kiss and the feeling is still lingering, I can still get up and go play at the food truck with her.
T: And when Lily is not there to give you a kiss, could the prescriptive memory maybe operate as a proxy?
C: Yes. I could imagine little Lily the Philosopher sort of warming me up.
T: Yes?
C: Yeah, yeah, it would be when I have to get out of my head and feel more confident about singing. Even when I’m alone in the car, sometimes I don’t want to hear myself mess up …
T: …and start up the inner critic.
C: I’m thinking if I listen to music daily, intentionally, that’s when I could let myself be more free, no matter what song is on, regardless if I know the words, regardless if I feel like I can hit that note or not.
T: Right.
C: Just kind of let myself be free with it and then use the thought of joyful, loving Lily to combat those negative associations
T: So that you’re singing for the joy alone.
C: Right. Because I can hit the notes.
CO-CREATION OF TANGIBLE PRESCRIPTIVE MEMORY [photomontage]
C: This goal does not feel out of reach for me. I think it’s definitely something I’m more than willing and almost looking forward to actually give a shot.
T: So, would you like me to help you create the tangible dreamscape? Or do you think that the mental picture is enough? Because we can do things with a photograph of Lily. You don’t even have to be in it.
C: I do feel it’s strong enough and I’m willing to do the picture for the experience of it.
T: So, if we were to look for photographs of Lily, those would be ones where she basically has the expression of a philosopher.
- LILY
C: [Emails first photo of Lily]. This is Lily’s thinking face.
T: Ah, OK, but see there’s no white in the eye. And she’s looking away from the camera. I think she needs to be looking directly at you.
C: [Emails 3rd photo of Lily]. How about this one?
T: Now her eyes are bright. She looks happy. Oracles usually are (laughs).
C: Yes.
T: Also, her hands are doing something important — they’re reaching out towards the camera, holding a plate of cookies.
T: And she’s talking directly to you. If we empty the plate, look what happens. She’s almost saying, Drop that grudge, drop that mood right on this plate.
- BACKGROUND
C: I’m picturing Lily being outdoors. Almost like she’s a little fairy in a forest. Nature is very healing for me.
T: Do you find certain kinds of skies and clouds magical?
C: Maybe less sky, more forest.
T: Okay. What kind of forest? Apple? Olives?
C: I like olive trees. They’re very whimsical-looking. Mmm. What about this one? [Emails link to image]. The leaves are yellow; it’s an olive orchard in the Fall, like now.
PROCESSING
T: It’s been one hour. That’s sometimes how fast this works. I never write about the duration of a session because nobody would believe me.
C: No, I enjoyed this. I didn’t know what to expect to be honest, but I did think this was very helpful.
T: Do you feel anything different in your body?
C: Yeah, actually, I’m feeling a little less heavy.
T: Where did you usually feel heavy?
C: A lot in my head but a lot in my chest, mostly.
T: What surprised you about the process?
C: Even though it didn’t feel structured, there is still a sense of structure that guided me. I really liked when we did the Lily philosopher questions, getting into the challenging ones, and struggling. That struggle actually helped elicit further insight and further connection to my daughter, which made it a lot easier to then come up with a truer, more meaningful and more impactful prescriptive memory. It didn’t feel really structured. Still that being said, I can tell that you had a system for what you were doing. That allowed a lot of free room for it to go places and still keep me on track to hit the goal
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“Alternatives to months and years of being limited to sadness.”
Psychotherapist
“Prescriptive memories can shift an entire perspective.”
Psychotherapist
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New York City
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The reframe freed the client and mentee to love each other as mother and daughter, without delay or guilt.[What follows is a condensed transcript of prescriptive memory-making with Nancy Gershman in the third and final session, with a reframe emerging as the necessary novelty to launch memory reconsolidation.]
CASE EXAMPLE: Lynn D, LCSW
Age: 70+
Profession: clinical psychotherapist
Loss: Parental alienation
Sessions: in-person (3)
Prescriptive Memory: Imaginal
[Daughter (D), Mentee (M)]
Interviewing & Brainstorming
T: It’s good that you’ve been able to get a little emotional distance from your daughter. On the other hand, there’s real disappointment. Despite all the communities you draw sustenance from, there remains this malaise around motherhood. You’re a mother when you’re helping her through something …
C: Like when she’s freaking out and I calm her down and make her feel safer. A lot of it is money, too.
T: And when things are good, you’re more like friends than mother-daughter.
C: Yes. When it’s good, we’re playful.
Discovery of the Unmet Need
T: So, what we’re looking for here is some emerging truth, a hard truth that becomes perfectly obvious …
C: Yeah. One example that came up recently was that I had a really bad migraine. I normally can catch it in time with medicine, but I hadn’t been paying attention. I was very sick for the day and I used this as an opportunity to ask D, Can you be there for me? And she said I brought you water yesterday. Okay. And then she says, Probably, which is a no – or she doesn’t know.
T: Let’s look at that. She needs me to be strong and energetic but she doesn’t have the capacity to be there for me.
C: It will always be hard for me to accept that she doesn’t have the capacity because she is smart, beautiful, talented and relates so well to people.
T: But there was this confirmation.
C: Yes, (saddened). It confirmed what I thought and I wasn’t at all surprised but felt sad for a couple of days. But then I settled down in about a day knowing that I’d have people around me. I don’t need her to take care of me.
T: (Laughs) You mean as long as your sisters and friends outlive you?
C: (Laughs) Okay, my niece and nephew I think would be there for me to some degree but I’m not sure. They love me very much.
T: Ah. The younger generation is more likely to be around to take care of you.
C: And even though my stepdaughter – a wonderful golden-hearted person – loves me so much, she’s not the most competent adult.
T: At what level is she? Low? Medium? High? (laughs) So, you look for excellence!
C: Yes, I always strive for excellence. It’s been very hurtful to D. I expect more from her, just like I expect more from me.
T: This sounds like the crux.
C: I set a high standard for myself. When things get hard, I work harder. I don’t give up. That’s my motto in life. I mean, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve had to learn to surrender. That’s always been one of the hardest things for me to let go of. But I have to say I like myself well enough. I’ve always worked really hard. I deserve to relax a little.
T: I like myself well enough. But not a lot? I sense self-blame….
C: I mean, I’ve tried all my adult life to say, It’s ok, they can do it, they’re all competent people. And everybody always is, like, Relax! We got this! But …
T: This business of trying to say to yourself, It’s okay — does it actually work? Is it okay that suddenly at my age there’s no one to take care of me?
C: No, you’re right. I want to feel better about myself because this fear of never having my needs met by my daughter or anybody else for that matter, is killing me, no matter how much I rationalize.
Positive Excitation
T: How far back would we need to find a time when you felt fulfilled by someone or something?
C: I would say it’s dancing. Free the minute the music starts playing and I start moving. It felt expressive, expansive, breathtaking but the thought of doing it a second time would always be tinged with sadness. Because it was too perfect.
T: Yeah, that’s why we wouldn’t use this memory. What else?
C: One time I was on at 10-day Vision Quest and I ended up at a waterfall and I love, love waterfalls. When the water was coming at me, I was pushed back against the boulders and realized I could take the force of it. I became part of the Universe …
T: In that moment, you felt free.
C:. I also felt supported to take on a lot of force [metaphor with underlying meaning]. There was a big boulder, so I could take it all on; it wasn’t too much. I was a part of everything.
Novelty-Finding
T: Do you believe you’re going to be taken care of in the afterlife?
C: I don’t really know … I don’t think about that. I don’t. But I worry about dying …
T: You worry about your care here on Earth.
C: That’s what I worry about when I’m ailing. Because if dying is fast, I’m fine. But if it’s slow and I need help I’ll need to feel connected to something bigger. I need intensity between people because I want to feel like I’m part of the continuing history of humans. Two humans, holding each other’s memories.
T: So, if your daughter doesn’t hold your memories, it would be left to your sisters and friends to hold your memories.
C: Actually, my daughter holds many of my memories, my history. Yeah, and what came up for me now is that the other day I saw a client. I told them about how I’m a mentor to a young girl who wants me so much and she’s not my daughter. But I love her and she loves me and I give her a lot. [novelty]
T: Is there anything holding you back from loving this mentee more fully, like a daughter? What if the universe has given you another daughter? Is she interested in your memories?
C: Yes. We even did a StoryCorps recording together!
T: So, M is interested in your memories. Now, how much is the perfectionist in you saying, “But she’s not my daughter”? Or “flesh of my flesh, bone of my bones,” something I’ve heard you say you learned from your grandmother?
C: That’s been my feeling: that D hasn’t really worked out ….
T: And what if you allowed yourself to think about this using a different framework – for example, the tradition in Buddhism where there’s a “family” you travel with, in each lifespan, but in each lifespan, everyone changes roles.
C: We both had that feeling of “family” the first time we met. We talked, and it was click. That was it!
T: Look how fortunate you are! Then maybe what needs to happen is if you could switch in your head that M is your daughter, and your daughter is your mentee. [the prescriptive memory] This would be really funky for a perfectionist to flip but
Check-in for Purpose
C: I had this beautiful gown – a size 6 – that neither D or I could wear, and I asked my daughter, “Can I get rid of it?” And then I was looking at M one day, and asked, “Are you a size 6 by any chance? Would you like a gown?” And she did, and I gave it to her, and it fit her perfectly. And this month she and I are going to a gala for the organization that introduced us and she’s going to wear it! But I have yet to tell my daughter about it.
T: That’s why you’re telling me this. You know it’s okay.
C: I don’t know how my daughter is going to be okay with it, because when my grandson was only 9
months old, and I had to say He’s a baby because I saw the jealousy in her eyes …
T: What’s happening now? What’s pulling at you that feels like deception from your daughter?
C: I just want to be able to say it’s okay. I couldn’t accept certain things about my daughter’s limitations. Like with certain clients, I ask myself, “Why aren’t they more curious?” I’d like to be ok with my daughter, too.
T: Because it’s especially hard when it’s your daughter, your own flesh and blood. But what if we were to say, screw Flesh of my Flesh, Bones of my Bones and not let that soundtrack maintain disappointment?
C: Somehow that’s how I’ve seen myself. My entire life, having to bounce back from disappointment. [2nd unmet need] Because I’ve had some real difficulties. Physical difficulties. I was raped twice. My ex-husband had brain surgery when I was eight months pregnant. My daddy died when I was 10. My adoptive father had brain surgery a few years later, but then my husband had brain surgery and my sister’s husband died of a sudden heart attack and I have had a terrible depression my whole life. Okay, so there’s been non-stop difficulties.
With all these forces coming at me. I’m still standing. The one person I could count on was me.
T: Right. There’s standing. And then there’s that feeling of the waterfall, of dancing. And pure love: something that organically comes out of you- as simple as that. Maybe it’s time to go with a different flow … That’s what you’re going to do it’s not going to be lies. It’ll simply be boundaries.
C: Boundaries might work. But I keep having flashes of my daughter jealous of my baby grandson. I used to say my stepdaughter could be my daughter, but that’s not really true, either. [1sr check-in for purpose]
T: Nope, you can’t fool yourself any longer because you have high standards for yourself! A perfectionist knows herself all too well! I encourage you to test this out. Say to yourself next time you’re in the shower or wherever you do your best thinking, I love M.
C: She’s 50 years younger than me!
T: So? You’re adopting a kind of past lives/future lives so you can love M. And you’re also taking a professional stance around mentorship, giving unconditional loving regard to your daughter. [2nd check- in for purpose]
C: It’s kind of like, You’ll always be mine but my actual daughterhas been making me mean and maybe a little sad because of the expectations of flesh and blood.
T: Yes, so you’ll now have a different soundtrack. In fact, what could be that new soundtrack to finding and loving M?
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"Nancy, you provided a missing key I’ve been trying to find in my Art Therapy work." Expressive arts therapist"The first shift is that I carry the story and the image with me. The other shift is that the humor of the [image] is not mine alone and therefore validated."Art TherapistPreviousNextNew York City
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New York City
SESSION TITLE: “Liberating Joy from Loss Through Prescriptive Memory-Making and Dyadic Creativity”
HOSTED BY: Academy of Integrative Mental Health
FACULTY: Nancy Gershman, LMSW
TIME: Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023 @ 10:00am – 1:00pm (ET)
COST: $90 (CE credits included)
CLOCK CREDIT HOURS: (3 CEUs) Training applicable to LMSWs, LCSWs, LPCCs, LMHCs, LPATs, ATR-BCs, and LMFTs.
NASW-KY Approval #050522
NASW-VT Approval #1113
Florida CSW, MFT, MHC Approval #20-946039
DETAILS & REGISTRATION: Click here
Prescriptive memories are both imaginal and/or tangible – not requiring any art background, whatsoever.
A playful approach towards persistent grief and loss years after the event? It begins working with a client’s memory, curating novelty from positive felt-sense memories- then co-creating an even more novel “prescriptive” memory from these lived experiences so that it becomes the place where healing can happen.
The result? Your client is able to locate the fleeting, joyful bits so often overshadowed by loss that no new insights can emerge –until finally they can arrive at the memory they need in order to move from isolation to re-integration in the world.
Nancy Gershman is a memory artist and the developer of Dreamscaping, an imaginal and photo-based practice for working with people contending with the loss of self, a person, place, or thing. Nancy is also a full time psychotherapist at BHAVA Therapy Group in New York City. Since 2013, Gershman has been the host of Death Café New York City.
| Prescriptive Memories in Grief and Loss: The Art of Dreamscaping is available via www.routledge.com/9781138043411. Contact Nancy for current promo code. |
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[What follows is an edited transcript of a Dreamscaping demo where we changed the meaning of a loss event by resourcing positive felt sense memory to create a prescriptive memory.] [In this condensed transcript of a virtual Dreamscaping session, we change the meaning of a loss event by creating a prescriptive experience that satisfies a […]
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[What follows is an edited transcript of a Dreamscaping demo where we changed the meaning of a loss event by resourcing positive felt sense memory to create a prescriptive memory.] TOUCHING UPON THE LOSS SH: So, I had a career of 25 years and I was a mother and now I’m here at the end […]
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[What follows is an edited transcript of a Dreamscaping demo where we changed the meaning of a loss event by creating a prescriptive memory.] TOUCHING UPON THE LOSS MSK: My 20-year old son’s behaviors can be challenging. I don’t feel like I have the mother-son relationship that I imagined. Been feeling deep sadness. I thought […]
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[In this condensed transcript of a Dreamscaping session, a grief event is therapeutically manipulated by arriving at a playful, prescriptive memory.] TOUCHING UPON THE LOSS & THE UNMET NEED C: My Uncle Frank passed away in our home when I was 10 years old. He died of lung cancer, which is slow and very hard […]
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[In this condensed transcript of a Dreamscaping session, a grief event is therapeutically manipulated by creating a PRESCRIPTIVE MEMORY through a playful preparatory process.] TOUCHING UPON THE LOSS & THE UNMET NEED C: My Uncle Frank passed away in our home when I was 10 years old. He died of lung cancer, which is slow […]
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The clarity and specificity of Nancy’s dreamscapes were amazing. Nancy has a very clear technique that was easy to understand, and I appreciated the challenges presented in the demos.
Expressive arts therapist
Wonderful job in moving inbetween practical application, concepts of grief and demos. Lovely!
Psychotherapist
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New York City
| SESSION TITLE: “Liberating Joy from Loss Through Prescriptive Memory-Making and Dyadic Creativity”FACULTY: Nancy Gershman, LMSWTIME: Sunday, April 23, 2023 @ 10:00am – 1:00pm (PT)COST: $90CLOCK CREDIT HOURS: (3) – NBCC, ATCB; ASWB, APA, MFT, Nursing; SWNYS, LCAT (New York State only). Not eligible for APT Credits.REGISTER: Click hereWhen working with a client’s memory, how do we locate the fleeting, joyful bits so often overshadowed by loss that no new insights can emerge? In this master class, the memory artist and psychotherapist who developed Dreamscaping will introduce a cinematic technique for arriving at the memory our client needs in order to move from isolation to re-integration in the world. This playful approach begins with curating novelty from positive felt-sense memories —then co-creating an even more novel “prescriptive” memory from these lived experiences where healing can happen. Case studies will demonstrate how prescriptive memories are compounded in a client’s imagination, their magic realism launching memory reconsolidation capable of updating long term distressing memories. Live demos will give you an excellent sense of how to listen or prompt for incongruity so you can lead your client to new sources of courage and humor, based on their personally-developed imaginal or photo-based artwork. Implications for using this method in-person or via telehealth, with adult populations (grief and non-death related loss) and in clinical settings (hospice) will be addressed.Nancy Gershman is a memory artist and the developer of Dreamscaping, an imaginal and photo-based practice for working with people contending with the loss of self, a person, place, or thing. Nancy is also a full time psychotherapist at BHAVA Therapy Group in New York City. Since 2013, Gershman has been the host of Death Café New York City. | |
| Prescriptive Memories in Grief and Loss: The Art of Dreamscaping is available via www.routledge.com/9781138043411. Contact Nancy for current promo code. |
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December 21, 2022
Louisville, KY.
In this podcast, Juniper Owens, LCSW, LMT, IMHP, Co-Founder and Director of the Academy of Integrative Health, talks with Nancy Gershman, a psychotherapist, memory artist, and creator of Dreamscaping, to discuss the development and many uses of this innovative modality. Their conversation covers:
- Nancy’s professional journey and how she came to the creation and use of Dreamscaping as a therapeutic tool.
- Discussion about the ways in which the brain stores and holds memory, including the importance of incorporating “felt sense” memory when working toward healing.
- Ways in which Dreamscaping can be used to address grief, trauma, and many other issues that clients bring into the therapy space.
Get in touch with the Academy of Integrative Mental Health : https://www.academyimh.com or on Instagram @academy.imh
Take a course: https://www.holisticmentalhealthschool.com
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Virtual Training SESSION TITLE: “Healing Loss Through Prescriptive Memory-Making and Dyadic Creativity” Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022 FACULTY: Nancy Gershman, LMSW TIME: 10:00AM – 12:30PM (EST) CLOCK CREDIT HOURS: (2CE) – This class is suitable for all levels of practitioners and providers of mental health including PSY, LMSW, LCSW, LMFT, LCAT, LMHC, LP and related fields. […]
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Virtual Training SESSION TITLE: “Liberating Joy from Loss Through Prescriptive Memory-Making and Dyadic Creativity” FACULTY: Nancy Gershman, LMSWTIME: Sunday, November 6, 2022 @ 2:00PM – 5:00PM (EST)COST: $90CLOCK CREDIT HOURS: (3) – NBCC, ATCB; ASWB, APA, MFT, Nursing; SWNYS, LCAT (New York State only). Not eligible for APT Credits. REGISTER: Click here When working with a client’s memory, how […]
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I will be joined by two other panelists, giants in the field of thanatology, really — David Balk, PhD and Chris Hall (Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement) — to talk about the personal losses and life experiences that have influenced our work. John R. Jordan, author with Phyllis Kosminsky of “Attachment Informed Grief Therapy: […]
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Virtual Training SESSION TITLE: “Liberating Joy from Loss Through Prescriptive Memory-Making and Dyadic Creativity” FACULTY: Nancy Gershman, LMSW TIME: Sunday, April 10, 2022 @ 10:00PM – 1:00PM (PT) COST: $90. CLOCK CREDIT HOURS: (3) – NBCC, ATCB; ASWB, APA, MFT, Nursing; SWNYS, LCAT (New York State only). Not eligible for APT Credits. REGISTER: Click here When working with […]
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January 14, 2022 Virtual Workshop SESSION TITLE: “Dreamscaping Joy from Loss Through Prescriptive Memory-Making and Dyadic Creativity” Months, even years after the loss of a person, place, pet or thing, do your clients complain about a dwindling support system or joys eclipsed by hopelessness or choice-lessness? Dreamscaping and prescriptive memory-making— as taught by its developer Nancy […]
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“I so seldom find a technique that utilizes the positive aspects of having known the person vs. coping with their absence. I believe Dreamscaping is just the ticket for my “stuck” clients in later grief.” – Bereavement Counselor Virtual Training SESSION TITLE: “Liberating Joy from Loss Through Prescriptive Memory-Making and Dyadic Creativity” FACULTY: Nancy Gershman, LMSWTIME: […]
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Virtual Training SESSION TITLE: “Dreamscaping Loss Through Prescriptive Memory-Making and Dyadic Creativity” Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021 FACULTY: Nancy Gershman, LMSW TIME: 10:00AM – 12:00PM (EST) CLOCK CREDIT HOURS: (2CE) – This class is suitable for all levels of practitioners and providers of mental health including PSY, LMSW, LCSW, LMFT, LCAT, LMHC, LP and related fields. […]
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“This process really resonates with me and gives a structure or container for the ‘hows’ of using images to process the hard stuff. Thank you for bringing it into the world!” Donni HakansonMental Health Counselling student “I truly loved your course. I have used the Dreamscape twice this week and am making two of them […]
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“Dreamscaping can be emotionally less taxing on client’s physiology and can be energizing.” Grace B. Yap-KirkAssociate Dance Movement Therapist and accredited Spiritual Director “This is all about conversation, bringing out meaning. It’s not about bypassing the loss to lift them up. It’s about a bridge from loss into light.” Lindsey Gaye WalkerCertified Life Coach and […]
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“This training really helped me understand better how to assist clients in coming to a place of peace with unresolved aspects of their grief. A really empowering process.” Art therapist “What a blessing it was to participate in the Dreamscaping workshop and am definitely interested in learning more. I felt so grateful and emotional about […]
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October 28, 2020 Nancy Gershman, LMSW, talks to the Creative Psychotherapist, Reina Lombardi about Dreamscaping and prescriptive-memory in grief and loss. Topics covered include how making that uses resourcing, felt sense memory, re-scripting and mental simulations to shift the focus from “what do you miss?” to “what gives you joy?” She will be teaching others […]
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“An innovative, truly transdisciplinary approach. It will be exciting to try it out on my own, and subsequently with other individuals and populations who have undergone loss— so they can reach an equilibrium that allows them to delve into painful memory with fresh eyes.” Expressive Arts Therapist “I found this workshop to be very thought […]
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November 14, 2019
| New York, NY –Prescriptive Memories in Grief and Loss: The Art of Dreamscaping Book launch: November 14th // 6.30 – 8.30pm Freud Museum, 20 Maresfield Gardens Hampstead NW3 5SX Prescriptive Memories in Grief and Loss: The Art of Dreamscaping introduces a wide range of therapists to a novel, strengths-based and imaginal practice for helping clients at various points on the grief and loss continuum. Grounded in recent empirical research on how the emotional brain encodes new memories, this book describes how to create a resource-rich “prescriptive memory.” Chapters by internationally recognized authors explore the theory and application of dreamscaping from a transdisciplinary perspective, including protocols for use with individuals and groups and guidelines for collaboration with other therapists and professionals. Illustrated with full-color dreamscape images co-created by clients and therapists, this is an exciting and innovative guidebook to a new method for cultivating hope and promoting restoration and growth. This book will be ideal for therapists and anyone working with loss and emotional struggles, and for those interested in using expressive therapies to explore attachment and emotional growth.
“Dreamscaping is an incredible new tool that destigmatizes magical thinking and infuses new energy into restorative retelling and continuing bonds theories. Each riveting case study beautifully illustrates—in color dreamscapes, especially—how co-creating ‘a picture of a memory your client wished they’d had’ complements and expands approaches used in talk and expressive therapies. If you plumb the depths of loss with clients, this approach gets results.” —Sandra L. Bertman, PhD, FT, author of Grief and the Healing Arts: Creativity as Therapy
Nancy Gershman is a memory artist and the developer of dreamscaping, an imaginal and photo-based practice for working with people contending with the loss of self, a person, place, or thing. She presents and provides training internationally on the practice. Since 2013, Gershman has been the host of Death Café New York City. Barbara E. Thompson, OTD, LCSW, is a professor of occupational therapy at The Sage Colleges in Troy, New York, where she also maintains a private psychotherapy practice. She previously edited Grief and the Expressive Arts: Practices for Creating Meaning with Robert Neimeyer. | |
| Prescriptive Memories in Grief and Loss is available via www.routledge.com/9781138043411 To request a review copies please visit: http://pages.email.taylorandfrancis.com/review-copy-request For press enquiries, please contact: Ana K. Maldonado- Routledge Associate Marketing Manager, ana.maldonado@taylorandfrancis.com About Taylor & Francis Group Taylor & Francis Group partners with researchers, scholarly societies, universities and libraries worldwide to bring knowledge to life. As one of the world’s leading publishers of scholarly journals, books, ebooks and reference works our content spans all areas of Humanities, Social Sciences, Behavioral Sciences, Science, and Technology and Medicine. From our network of offices in Oxford, New York, Philadelphia, Boca Raton, Boston, Melbourne, Singapore, Beijing, Tokyo, Stockholm, New Delhi and Johannesburg, Taylor & Francis staff provide local expertise and support to our editors, societies and authors and tailored, efficient customer service to our library colleagues. |
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