Unit Description
Learn and practice skills for working safely with unfolding sensory and grounded information present in body symptoms.
This unit introduces students to grounded skills-based Process Oriented approaches for working somatically and with the unconscious. Body symptoms and dreams are viewed as symbolic doors to uncover unconscious meaning in holistic counselling and psychotherapy. Students will learn and practice skills for working safely with unfolding sensory and grounded information present in body symptoms in this unit. These are essential skills for working with trauma and psychosomatic presentations.
Students will also be introduced to Arnold Mindell’s concept of the dreambody and its evolution, and will develop skills to unfold the channels of awareness within dreams with clients. Students will learn to differentiate between primary and secondary information in body work and dreams to enhance client
Unit Code
105
Unit Type
Core Unit
Study Period
Year 1, Semester 2
Credit Points
3.0
Consultation Times
30 minutes before and after workshop intensives and by appointment during the semester
Topics Covered
- Process Oriented methods for working with the body and body symptoms: Unfolding the process
- Primary and secondary symptoms in bodywork and dreamwork
- Somatic awareness and applications in holistic counselling
- Contraindications for body work and making referrals
- The Process Oriented approach to dreamwork: Theoretical foundations
- The Process Oriented approach to dream work: Unfolding the process
- Consensus reality, dreamland and the dreaming
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this unit, students will be able to:
- Competently apply bodywork in counselling practice and recognise contraindications for use
- Unpack information about clients’ body symptoms and the pain maker and discover each symptom’s unique message
- Differentiate between primary and secondary symptoms in bodywork and dreamwork
- Critically analyse the roots of dreamwork in Jungian theory and use symbolic thinking to unfold dreams
- Articulate and apply the concepts of consensus reality, dreamland and the dreaming in practice sessions
- Recognise and utilise appropriate dream doors to enter the dreaming process
- Assist clients to ground new information gained from bodywork and dreamwork in their daily lives
Graduate Attributes
Delivery Mode
Workshop Intensives
On-campus workshop intensive 2:
9:00 am – 5:30 pm
Seven hours of teaching and learning
On-campus workshop intensive 3:
9:00 am – 5:30 pm
Five hours of teaching and learning
Online delivery
1.5 hour Zoom discussion
Study Buddy activities
Eight hours over the semester
Student Workload
The total unit workload is equivalent to 7.3 hours per week over the semester, 117.5 hours in total.
- 12 hours on-campus workshop intensives
- 1.5 hours Zoom discussion
- 8 hours study buddy work
- 96 personal study hours
Available in Courses
This unit is available in the following courses:
Master of Counselling and Psychotherapy (Holistic Practice) Graduate Diploma of Counselling (Holistic Practice)Created: April 27, 2021, 4:11 p.m. • Updated: April 4, 2022, 9:19 a.m.