Here are the presenter biographies for the 2024 conference. Feel free to explore their expertise during the conference sessions!
Updated on 5/2/2024
Marta Aarli, MA, LPC is a psychotherapist and dream guide in Colorado, USA. She has a master’s degree in transpersonal psychology from Naropa University, and integrates 30 years of experience in multiple dreamwork approaches, Gestalt inner parts dialogue, soul journeying and active imagination. She has a private practice and is currently writing a book on dreamwork for personal and ancestral healing. Marta is also a singer, musician and poet.
Nico Adelhöfer did a bachelor and masters in psychology at Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, and a PhD and postdoc at Technical University Dresden, with research stays at Bern University and Aarhus University. Currently, he researches lucid dreaming neurophysiology and induction at the Donders Sleep & Memory Lab.
Adriana Alcaraz-Sánchez, MA, MPhil, PhD; Belgium, is a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Philosophical Psychology at the University of Antwerp. Previously, she was a doctoral researcher at the University of Glasgow, conducting work at the intersection between philosophy and psychology to the study of conscious experiences during sleep. She’s currently working on the links between daydreaming and dreaming by drawing from analytic philosophy of mind and empirical research.
Kiran Anumalasetty is a Trustee and trainer with Quantum Life University (www.qluglobal.org). His inner awakening started after meeting his teachers Dr Newton and Dr Lakshmi in 2010. Kiran is IASD Director, Boardā member and DAC member. He completed many trainings like Past Life Regression, Inner Child Therapy, Family Constellation etc. He is an authroized trainer with Quantum Life University.
Kristoffer Appel, PhD in Cognitive Science, based in Hamburg, Germany. Currently holding multiple roles: Lecturer at Osnabrueck University, Director of the non-profit Institute of Sleep and Dream Technologies, and Innovation Manager at a German public funding agency.
John Balch is the Postdoctoral Researcher for the Religion and Dreams Subproject of the Cognitive Neuroscience of Religious Cognition. He has an MA in Religion and Nature from the University of Florida and a PhD in Religion and Science from Boston University (forthcoming May 2024). Balch specializes in computational approaches to the social and behavioral sciences.
Bhaskar Banerji, PhD, is a Dream Ambassador & Holistic Health practitioner with decades of experience in dreamwork pertaining to precognitive dreaming, dream interpretation, & the body and health. His latest project is a 21-day on-line course that allows dreamers to tap into the power of their health-related dreams.
Deirdre Barrett, Ph.D. is a psychologist on the faculty of Harvard where she teaches courses on dreaming. She has written five books including Pandemic Dreams and The Committee of Sleep. She is current President of IASD and Editor of IASD’s journal Dreaming. She has lectured and led workshops at Esalen, the Smithsonian, and at universities around the world.
Nana Fofie Bashir is a spiritualist, facilitator, and cultural organizer rooted in New Orleans, LA. Across the U.S. and around the world, she works with organizations and communities to create arts, culture, and healing programs and to develop transformational relational practices. As a healing practitioner and therapist, Nana Fofie provides narrative, somatic, and multi-modal arts therapies using indigenous and elemental wisdom in trauma healing and justice movement building.
Molly-Ann Basterfield, MA Jungian Psychology, PGCE Secondary Education, is a psychologist, artist, dreamer, and underwater dancer inhabiting the mountains of Sinai, Egypt. Molly-Ann merges her passions to create opportunities to explore the depths of the ocean and mind. Through integrative practices including freediving, underwater dancing, dream work, myth, writing, and breath as space for reflection, transformation, and healing.
Lukas Bauer, Switzerland, trained as a nurse from 1984 to 1987 and studied depth psychology from 1990 to 1995. He has worked for years as a psychiatric nurse, psychotherapist, analyst trainer, and leader of workshops, seminars, and dream groups. He is specialized in dreamwork, symbolism, active imagination, and trauma therapy. In 2023 he founded the “Institute Anthropos for Dreamwork, Depths Psychology and Personal Development” and works in his private practice.
Jean-Baptiste Beau (M.Sc. Computer Science, EPFL, Switzerland) is the creator of the dream journaling app Oniri. His work lies at the intersection between computer science, arts, and dreams. His interest in dream research led to the creation of several studies in collaboration with Sophie Schwartz’s lab in Geneva, who supervised his master thesis “Do dream journaling and bedtime dream reading improve creativity?”. He’s also an A.I. research reader and enthusiast.
Katherine R. Bell, PhD (astrophysics) is from Santa Cruz CA, USA. She has hosted the weekly interview podcast The Dream Journal since 2019. She has been facilitating dream groups and workshops for over 30 years, has been a coach for over 10. She is in the editing phase of her first book. Katherine is on the IASD Board of Directors and the Ethics Committee and is Conference Planning Co-Chair. ExperientialDreamwork.com
Ann Bengtsson, Norway. Specialist in clinical psychology since 1991. Studied psychic energy and self-development 1977-1999 at Psychic Center, by Bob Moore. 1977-1984 dreams by Dr. Phil. Jes Bertelsen, and again from 2011 til now Dzogchen meditation. Work with groups and individuals on the path of self-development and spiritual growth. Written the book “Dreams and Self-Development. learn to Understand and Use Your Dreams”, BoD. Copenhagen 2015.
Walter Berry, MFA, is a certified dream facilitator and author of the best-selling book “Drawn Into The Dream”. He leads dream groups, and workshops, and is a frequent guest on radio and podcasts. He is a former member of the Board of Directors of The International Association for the Study of Dreams, Co-Chair of the IASD Visual Arts Committee, and is a frequent workshop leader at IASD conferences.
Dave Billington, MA is co-host of The Dream Boat Podcast and is the Director of the DRI Centre for Dream Studies in London, UK, which develops training, education and research on dreams and clinical dreamwork. He facilitates weekly experiential dream groups and trains therapists in dreamwork. Dave is a psychotherapist, therapy supervisor, and lecturer on Alchemy, Jungian Archetypes, Dreamwork and Transcultural Issues in Therapy.
Mark Blagrove is Professor of Psychology and Director of the Sleep Laboratory at Swansea University, UK, a past-President of the International Association for the Study of Dreams, and Fellow of the British Psychological Society. BA in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University, and researches dreaming, memory and empathy. Since 2016 he has undertaken public Ullman dream discussions, with artist Julia Lockheart simultaneously painting each dream as part of their DreamsID.com collaboration.
Anthony Bloxham (PhD, MSc, BSc). UK Is currently a lecturer in Psychology at Nottingham Trent University, with a research interest in the relations between memory consolidation in sleep and dreaming.
Karim Bou Said is a Dubai-based dreamer who stumbled upon lucid dreaming as a way to deal with recurring nightmares. This led Karim to explore the nature of reality and the creative and healing potential of lucid dreams. He incorporates teachings of Tantra, Qabbalah, Non-Duality, Tarot, Alchemy, Vedic and Sufi disciplines with dreaming. Articles published at the Lucid Dream Experience www.dreaminglucid.com.
Sophie Boudrias, PsyD, is a psychologist, art psychotherapist and professor of art therapy at the Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (Montreal, Canada). She studies psychotherapeutic applications of the memory reconsolidation framework using dreams and art therapy. She is the author of a book chapter entitled “Neuroscience and somatic art therapy: Emotional memory reconsolidation” in J. Hamel (2021), Somatic art therapy, Routledge.
Kelly Bulkeley, Ph.D., is a psychologist of religion focusing on dream research. He is Director of the Sleep and Dream Database (SDDb), Senior Editor of the journal Dreaming, and former president of the International Association for the Study of Dreams. His books include Big Dreams (2016), Lucrecia the Dreamer (2018), The Scribes of Sleep (2023), 2020 Dreams (2023), and The Spirituality of Dreaming (2023). He lives in Estacada, Oregon, USA.
Stephanie R. Burns, Ph.D., is an independent researcher, author, and intuitive based in New Orleans, Louisiana. With her degrees in Computer Science, Mathematics, Marketing, and Business and Technology, she explores the various ways of creating frameworks through ancient wisdom. Recently, she published a journal article called “Freedom Lessons Woven through Ancestral Dreams and Music.” Stephanie’s research interests lie in exploring ancestral dreaming to heal generational trauma and the Earth.
Jean Campbell is an IASD Board member and Editor of IASD’s DreamTime magazine. She is Director of the nonprofit organization The iMAGE Project, and author/edutir of several books, including Group Dreaming: Dreams to the Tenth Power (Wordminder Press, 2006 and Sleep Monsters and Superheroes: Empowering Children through Creative Dreamplay (Praeger/ ABC-CLIO, 2016).
Melissa Grace Chianta, co-creator of the Dreaming Oracle, holds a certificate in non-clinical Jungian Studies from the C. G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles. She has been a professional writer and editor for 32 years, a professional dream worker for 17 years, and has facilitated dream circles for 7 years. She lives in northern California, United States.
Glenda Cimino studied to PhD level at Columbia University. She lived in Florida, South America, and New York City before moving to Ireland in 1972. At times a sociologist, a teacher, a publisher, a poet, a social historian, an actor, a comedian, a journalist, a lecturer, an editor, a filmmaker, a tarot reader, and a home carer, she is now a writer and artivist.
She has Community Media and Multimedia Certificates from Colaiste Dhulaigh, a Theatre Training Certificate from Liberties College, a Certificate in Jungian studies and Art Therapy from University of Limerick, Local History and Directing for Theatre Certificates from Maynooth University, and an Advanced Training Certificate from the Paul Rebillot School of Gestalt and Experiential Teaching.
Theresa Coimbra M.Ed., CP is a Clinical Psychologist, C.R.P. 01/2986, native to and a current resident of Brazil, in private practice since 1986, with specializations in Jungian Psychology and Initiatic Therapy, and a long-term interest in and application of dreams, mythology, and sand tray as key approaches of her practice.
Dr. Apela Colorado is an Oneida-Gaul traditional cultural practitioner. She founded the Worldwide Indigenous Science Network (WISN) in 1989 to foster the revitalization, growth, and exchange of traditional knowledge. Since 2005, Dr. Colorado has been leading an annual Indigenous Dreaming workshop in Chartres, France. She has also taken this method all over the world, working with shamanic practitioners and healers in places including Siberia, South Africa and New Zealand.
Emily Cook PhD began her career in Cognitive Neuroscience, exploring how brain structure and function determines individual differences in perception. She later transitioned to corporate Human Resources. For the last eight years she has worked across Europe, supporting the cultural transformations of international organizations. Originally from the UK, Emily currently lives in Amsterdam NL.
Cameron Cordova is a Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He has won many State, National and World titles. He attributes his high rate of success to nighttime dreaming practices which give him the advantage over the competition. Cameron regularly teaches dream workshops at the Eagle View Adult Center of Brighton, CO and has written both a children’s book and full-length novel on dreams.
Harry de Bont brings a unique blend of expertise in evolutionary psychology, a background in Electrical Engineering and passion for Machine learning. His approach combines insights from his technical education with a deep understanding of our hunter-gatherer past. Harry’s work in applying evolutionary principles to modern challenges is informed by his knowledge of cybernetics and systems theory, enabling him to develop innovative strategies for personal and organizational development.
Johannes De Bruycker is photographer, educator and curator specializing in storytelling and international journalism. His award-winning work, explores the narratives of human relationships and environmental interaction. In 2015, he co-founded The Caravan’s Journal, an collective aimed at unique storytelling through educational journeys for storytellers worldwide.
Joseph De Koninck (PhD, FRSC) is Emeritus Professor of Psychology at the University of Ottawa. He has more than 50 years of experience of dreams research, publications and conference presentations including at IASD. He has studied the socio-cultural, personality, developmental and gender determinants of dreams. His main contributions have been, however, focused on dreams and adaptation to stress.
Aurélien de la Chapelle, PhD in the PAM team of the Lyon Neuroscience research Center (France). He conducted his PhD about the cognitive factors involved in dream recall, dreaming in epilepsy and emotion regulation during bereavement.
Ema Demšar is a PhD candidate at the Centre for Consciousness and Contemplative Studies at Monash University, Australia. She holds a MSc in Cognitive Science from the University of Ljubljana, and has additional five years of experience with research and teaching in cognitive science, with focus on the application of first-person methods in consciousness research. Ema’s PhD project is a neurophenomenological investigation of lucid insight and meta-awareness in dreaming.
Jason Dobrowner, a dedicated lucid dream practitioner and truth seeker, commits himself to awakening the world to the potential of dreams. He brings a background in software engineering from the blockchain industry and education in physics from the University of California Santa Barbara. Jason currently focuses on developing Empowered Dreaming, an online platform that encourages people to connect to their inner power through dreamwork. He currently resides in Ashland, Oregon.
Sven Doehner, PhD, MFA, from Mexico, Jungian Archetypal Psychoanalyst and Somatic Movement Educator (BodyMindMovement and Somatic Experience). 40 years of clinical experience and many years guiding workshops around the world, also initiated into Ancestral Wisdom Traditions still alive in the healing and spiritual practices of Native Healers around the globe. Now focused on working creatively with DREAM IMAGES in connection with the human VOICE, at the service of Alchemical transformation.
Lejla Elezi,MD, currently working in Switzerland. Born and raised in North Macedonia (Ex-Yugoslavia).Medical degree obtained in Vienna, Austria (2009) followed by a GP specialty (2013-2017), followed by Psychiatry and Psychotherapy specialty (2017-2024).Psychotherapy studies at the C.G. Jung Institute in Zürich (2019-2023).Advanced Dream Work CCPE Certificate, training with Nigel Hamilton. Scientific work (2009-2012) in the field of neuroscience (EEG, epilepsy), various publications, first authorship: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35382982/.
Matthew Erdelyi was born in Budapest, Hungary, lived in Venezuela for six years, and finally settled in the United States, where he got his PhD in psychology at Yale in 1969. He speaks no language without an accent. He is professor emeritus and formerly Stern Professor of Humor at Brooklyn College. His third book, on dreams and jokes, was just published and his next book, Repression, is on the way.
Mahdad Jafarzadeh Esfahani did a bachelor in electrical engineering at Islamic Azad University, Tehran, and a master in biomedical engineering, neural & motor systems at Twente University. For is PhD he is developing wearable sleep recording and enhancement technology, applying machine learning and different acoustic and visual cueing strategies.
Joy Fatooh (USA), a lifelong psi and lucid dreamer, is originator, co-developer and co-facilitator of the Group Psi Game. She currently serves IASD as Board Chair since 2022, Dream News Copy Editor since 2018, Editorial Director of DreamTime since 2020, and Dream Study Groups Program admin team member since 2021.
Saelyx Finna (U.S.) is a filmmaker, writer, curator, impact producer & film distribution strategist. She is currently developing a feature film about dream technology, has published about dream tech in Intermédialités and Redefine, and has presented about dream tech at IASD and the Interaction Design Association conference.
Elena Gerhardt, based in Wuppertal, Germany will attain her M.Sc. ion Clinical Psychology from Osnabrück University, Germany. She is a Visiting Researcher at the University of Texas at Austin and holds a B.Sc. in Psychology from Osnabrück University. She has been an active participant in the organization of the student initiative Sleep & Dream at Osnabrück University. We conducted sleep and dream related studies and visited well-known sleep researchers in Europe.
Christian Gerike, MA (USA) is an anthropologist and psychologist who focuses on the psychology of dreams. Educated in Depth Psychology at Sonoma State University, California, much of his approach is Jungian in nature. He has studied dreaming for 16 years. “The Dream Circle” was recently published in DreamTime Magazine.
Loren Goodman, PhD, is the author of Famous Americans, selected by W.S. Merwin for the 2002 Yale Series of Younger Poets, Suppository Writing (2008), and Non-Existent Facts (2018). A Professor of creative writing and English literature at Yonsei University/Underwood International College in Seoul, Korea, he serves as Creative Writing Director.
Tzivia Gover is the author of seven books, including Dreaming on the Page, and Joy in Every Moment. She is a certified Dreamwork Professional, a Reiki Master Teacher, and a Certified Proprioceptive Writing Instructor. She serves on the executive board of IASD and is the founder of 350 Dreamers, an international online group dreaming for global healing. She teaches about sleep, dreams, and joy domestically and abroad.
Dave Green is a London based artist who creates simple line drawings in his lucid dreams which he re-creates upon waking up. His art has been featured in BBC Science Focus and DreamTime magazine. He has also lectured about his work at Tate Modern and is the subject of a documentary by The World Science Festival called ‘The Dreaming Pen’
Melissa Haggerty, B.S. Psychology (United States): After struggling with a health crisis, Melissa turned to dreamwork to heal and began to meet plants and doctors in dreams. She is passionate about reconnecting everyone with their plant allies and opening the gates to conscious healing dreams. Melissa is certified in Reiki and has studied Conscious Dreaming and Tibetan Dream Yoga.
Dr. Johanne Hamel, D. Ps., author, psychologist and art psychotherapist, retired from teaching art therapy in 2017 at Université du Québec in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Québec, Canada. She specializes on Dreams and on Somatic art therapy. She is currently an International lecturer in Thailand, Europe and many times at IASD. She maintains a private practice in art therapy in Québec. She authored numerous articles and 6 books in dreams or art therapy.
Nigel Hamilton, PhD. is Founder of the CCPE, a Transpersonal Psychotherapy Training Centre and Clinic, London, where he lectures and practices as a Psychotherapist. He is Co-Founder of the Dream Research Institute (DRI). He originally trained as a Physicist, working at the MIT for using light in Energy Storage Research.
Laura Hanks, L.Ac is a licensed acupuncturist (CA17615) and founder of Golden Summit Acupuncture in Oakland, California. She holds a Master’s of Science in Traditional Chinese Medicine and is certified in functional medicine through the Kalish Institute. She holds a certificate in integral acupuncture through Lonny Jarrett. Laura practices Daoist alchemical martial arts and is an ordained Reverend priestess and ritual dancer of Quimera and International fellowship of Isis.
Tony Hawkins: After a deeply traumatic childhood I needed healing before education. Manual work supplied this. At 19 I began to write and continued for the next 60+ years, fantastic epics which gradually became books. Ten now exist on Amazon. In 2008 I discovered IASD and found a partial home. This presentation is a summation of everything I’ve learned from creative writing, dreaming and working with dreams.
Silja Heikkilä, PhD in Ethnology and Anthropology, University of Jyväskylä; MA in Cultural Heritage, Turku University. Dissertation 2021: Dreams and Living Heritage. Country of residence: Finland.
Keith Himebaugh, Ph.D. (USA) is an animator, mythologist, Dream Tender, and founder of Mythic Drawing. He received his BA in Art/Communications and Religion from Hope College, classical animation certification from Vancouver Film School and MA/PhD in Mythological Studies with Emphasis in Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute.
Curtiss Hoffman, Ph.D. Yale University (1974), is professor emeritus of Anthropology at Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater Massachusetts, USA, where he has taught courses in archaeology, cultural anthropology, mythology, and consciousness since 1978. He is a frequent presenter at IASD conferences, and has been an IASD member since 1997. He serves as chair of the Student Research Awards Committee and is a member of the Conference Advisory Committee.
Robert Hoss, MS (USA) is an IASD Director, past President and Conference Director, directs the DreamScience Foundation for research grant co-funding, a Haden Institute faculty instructor and on the board of the National Institute for Integrative Healthcare. Author/editor of 4 books: Dreams, Understanding Biology, Psychology and Culture; Dreams that Change Our Lives; Dream to Freedom; Dream Language and published in 12 other books and 5 peer reviewed journals.
Clare Johnson was the first person in the world to do a PhD on lucid dreaming as a tool for creativity. Past President of IASD, her seven dream books include Llewellyn’s Complete Book of Lucid Dreaming; The Art of Transforming Nightmares; Dream Therapy; and The Art of Lucid Dreaming. A global lucidity teacher, Johnson creates lucid video courses and blissful guided audio journeys. She is the founder of www.DeepLucidDreaming.com.
Sheldon Juncker, B.Sc. Computer Science, (United States) is a software engineer who works in the fields of dream research, data analysis, and artificial intelligence. He is currently developing a dream journaling app, Elsewhere, and works with Kelly Bulkeley and others to maintain the Sleep and Dream Database.
Dr. Ruth Kara-Ivanov Kaniel is a senior lecturer in the department of Jewish History at Haifa the University, and Research Fellow at the TAICP & Shalom Hartman Institute. Her publications include Holiness and Transgression: Mothers of the Messiah (ASP, 2017); The Feminine Messiah: King David in the Image of the Shekhina (Brill 2021); Birth in Kabbalah and Psychoanalysis (De Gruyter 2022). She has also published two books of poetry.
AS Katoch is a British Indian independent researcher and practitioner specialising in oneirocriticism, divination, and depth psychology, with a foundation in psychodynamic counselling (WPF Therapy, London), cultural astronomy and history. Holding a BA and MA from the University of Nottingham in English Studies and Literary Linguistics, his research and practice is informed by the visionary mythopoetics of dreams and imagination.
Naomi Kimmelman, MA, LMFT, is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice. She holds a Master’s Degree in Holistic Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Depth Psychotherapy from John F. Kennedy University, studying with Jeremy Taylor. Naomi received her BA in Psychology with a minor in Art from Sonoma State University. She presented on hypnagogia and daydreams at the 2018 and 2023 IASD conferences. She resides in Hawaii.
Manuela Kirberg, MA, M.Sc., PhD; Australia. Manuela is a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Consciousness and Contemplative Studies (M3CS) at Monash University, Melbourne. Her work is situated on the intersection of philosophy of mind and cognitive science, with a special interest in dreaming, mind wandering, and mental imagery extremes.
Svitlana Kobets, PhD (USA), is a published author, literature and humanities lecturer, writer and dreamer. She joined IASD in 2015 and presented papers on visions and dreams in literature and culture. She is passionate about dream analysis, dream-inspired poetry and lucid dreaming.
Bart J. Koet, retired professor New Testament and Early Christians and former dean of Research. Wrote a lot about dreams as well in Bible, Judaism, Early Church and in pastoral care. Was program chair in the first Rolduc conference; edited several books about historical views on dreams
Sonia Kolasinska, current MSc student of Consciousness, Spirituality and Transpersonal Psychology at Alef Trust and Liverpool John Moores University based in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Joanna Kowalewska, certified Dreamworker by the Institute for Dreams Studies and Yoga Nidra Facilitator, seamlessly weaves dream exploration with the transformative power of Yoga Nidra. As the host of the “Dreaming the Light” podcast, Joanna guides individuals through dream exploration, unveiling hidden meanings and fostering self-discovery. Her expertise creates a supportive environment for unraveling dream symbolism, empowering participants on their unique journeys of understanding.
Björn Krey, PhD, Germany, lecturer at the institute of sociology, University of Mainz. I studied educational sciences and sociology at the Universities of Siegen and Mainz. PhD in 2017 on reading practices and technologies in higher education. Since 2022 leader of the DFG-research project “Dreamwork and its grades of sociality” (No. 503719065).
Sandra Kuiters, Masters in psychology, has been working in the field of psychology for over 15 years. I am based in the Netherlands and am trained in working with Emotional Freedom Techniques with which I am working now for about ten years. I finished my online course with this Jungian life about a year ago but was working with dreams for longer already.
Andrusa Lawson: As a visionary black business owner, Andrusa’s passion for creative expression fuels his mission to create a transformative space for BIPOC and marginalized individuals. Co-founder of Divine by Design INC, he aims to dismantle barriers to wellness through the creation of resources for dreamers from diverse backgrounds. As a thought leader, he is dedicated to fostering self-exploration, discovery, and inclusivity within his community.
Ava Lindberg, Ph.D., is a Jungian psychologist who specializes in teaching psychological research methodologies at Sofia University in the Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology program. As President of SunResearch, Dr. Lindberg conducts and analyzes cultural-emotional data in primary observational and qualitative research, is birthing through dreamwork and virtual research the archetypes of luxury for Publicis Groupe, Los Angeles, and is writing a book on gamification and dreaming.
Julia Lockheart is Professor at the Swansea College of Art, University of Wales Trinity St David. BA Fine Art from Saint Martins School of Art, London; MA in Fine Art from Manchester Metropolitan University; PhD from Goldsmiths, University of London. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society for Arts. She has painted dreams during Ullman discussion sessions as part of the DreamsID.com collaboration with Mark Blagrove since 2016.
Athena Lou, BA; Graduate, Elan Training Academy, Leadership and Advanced Facilitation. Business consultant/coach. conducts individual dream work with government/corporate clients: L-3 Technologies; Department of Defense; State of Hawaii, Department of Health; USDA; Hilton Hotels/Resorts; State of California, EPA; Four Seasons; Pepperdine University; CDC and Spirent Communications, IASD dream groups/conference workshops.
Ville Loukola, MA in psychology, is currently a PhD student at the University of Turku, Finland, working on his dissertation that focuses on the threat simulation theory and specifically on the effects of the pandemic on dreams.
Akinke Lucas is a Spiritual Consultant who utilizes her background in Drama Therapy, Somatic healing, social work, and indigenous traditions to guide her in facilitating purposeful healing modalities. She is a Ph.D. (ABD) candidate in Integrative Therapy and Healing Practices at Pacifica Graduate Institute. Akinke recently completed a year of ancestral apprenticeship in Africa and Asia, where she furthered her indigenous learning and artistic work.
Amanda Lux, LMT, BCPP, RPE, RYT has been a somatic energetic therapist in private practice for over 20 years. She is a visual artist, author, podcaster, and yoga, Craniosacral and Polarity Therapy instructor. She is the owner of the Elevation Hive School and Retreat Center for Energy Medicine and Dreamwork which is located on ten acres of waterfront forest in Olympia, WA, USA in multiple geodesic domes and magical spaces.
Peter Maich (New Zealand) is a life long dreamer with 40 years in the New Zealand Maritime Industry.
Marilyn Manzi, Licensed Psychotherapist, Private Practice, San Francisco, CA , Licensed Psychotherapist, #107464, California Board of Behavioral Sciences, Licensed Psychotherapist, #T1463, Oregon Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists, C.G. Jung Institute of Santa Fe, NM: Preliminary Analytic Training: Seminar and Case Colloquia, C.G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles, CA, Institute for Health and Healing, San Francisco, CA, BA in Psychology, University of Arizona.
Amina Mara, M.S. is a podcast host who has been lucid dreaming since childhood and hopes to inspire others to learn as well. Amina studied psychology and neuroscience, while specifically focusing on lucid dreaming for creative inspiration during her master’s thesis. Her undergraduate research delved into the depths of childhood dreams and memory. Amina is a trained lucid-dreaming coach and published author who strives to inspire others to live lucidly.
Jean-Baptiste Maranci is a psychiatrist and sleep specialist practicing at the Pitié Salpêtrière University Hospital in Paris. During his PhD, he explored emotion in dreams using different models such as parasomnias and lucid dreaming. He realized his post-doc in Francesca Siclari’s team at the NIN in Amsterdam on the theme of epic dreaming.
Roger Martinez has been involved with dream work since childhood. He connected with IASD for its 10th conference in Santa Fe and has been presenting since Ashville. He’s led groups and workshops for IASD, the National Association of Addiction Professionals in state and national conferences and for a SASH Conference, for fellow students at Pacifica, and local workshops in NM. Roger is working on a children’s dream book, “Butterfly Dreams.”
Kimberly Mascaro, PhD (U.S.A.) wears many hats. She is a somatic psychologist, psychotherapist, mediation facilitator, educator, artist and author. Dr. Mascaro has worked in the fields of mental & behavioral health, and education for over 20 years.
Sheona McEwan is an experienced educator and school counselor (Bsc, Psychology, M.Ed. Special Needs Education, M.Ed. School counseling), a healer (Barbara Brennan School of Healing graduate) as well as a teacher and dream practitioner at the School of Images where she has been mentored by Dr. Catherine Shainberg, author of Kabbalah and the Power of Dreaming.
Sheona Is resident in The Hague, The Netherlands.
Marieke McKenna (NL) is a philosopher (MA), historian of science (MSc), programme maker & curator, working at the intersection of academic and artistic research. She has led an academic research project on the history of lucid dream research, with the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science and the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour. She is also a programme maker and DJ for Dutch national radio.
Angel Morgan, PhD is a past President of IASD, transpersonal psychology professor and director of the Dream Studies Certificate program at Sofia University in the US and China, founder of Dreambridge (theDreambridge.com), author/illustrator of The Alphabliss of Miss, and Dreamer’s Powerful Tiger: A New Lucid Dreaming Classic for Children and Parents of the 21st Century. Her MA is in Human Development, and BA in Theater, Film, and Television from UCLA.
Daniel Morris is a second-year PhD student in Dr. Ken Paller’s cognitive neuroscience lab at Northwestern University. His research focuses on how stimuli are incorporated into dreams, lucid dreaming, and the Science-Buddhism dialogue on contemplative sleep practices.
Sarah Jane Palmer, MA is a visual artist based in the U.K with 17 years experience working as a professional multi-disciplinary artist, designer with a focus on collaborative research around visual phenomena, illusions and dreams within various artistic practices and academic settings. She is a visiting lecturer at Leeds Arts University and a certified Yoga Nidra teacher and facilitator.
Sharon Pastore is a certified dreamwork professional, marketing manager, and has performed in an acoustic duo for 15 years. She facilitates dream groups and workshops and is an IASD board member. Sharon graduated from the Institute for Dream Studies, holds a master’s in public administration from the University of Pennsylvania and bachelor’s in education from the University of Delaware. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two daughters.
Achilleas Pavlou is a neuroscientist at the University of Nicosia Medical School, interested in applying machine (ML) in the psychology/neuroscience/medical research fields. His PhD work pioneered a personalized technique using ML to tailor auditory cues to the individual, enhancing their integration into dreams and alerting dreamers to their dreaming state.
Laura Payne is a philosopher and clinical psychotherapist by academic training. She is an associate of the DRI and co-host of its Dream Boat podcast. With an Advanced Certificate in Dream Interpretation, studying with Dr Nigel Hamilton, she has run Waking Dream Technique groups. A former journalist/broadcaster she is an experienced chair of discussion panels.
Ralf Penderak (Germany), a nurse, worked with his own dreams for most of his life. His focus is group, psi, and lucid dreaming. A longtime member of the World Dreams Peace Bridge and the Psidreamers group, he also co-facilitated the Group Psi Game of IASD’s PsiberDreaming Conference.
Mariana de Carvalho Pereira did a bachelor in telecommunication engineering at Federal University of São João del-Rei, Brazil, with research stays in Birmingham and Chicago, working with MRI, REM sleep disorders, and Parkinson’s disease. During her masters in computational engineering at University of Campinas, Brazil, she investigated Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis using MRI and deep learning. In her PhD at the Donders Institute she investigates multimodal neuroimaging correlates of dreaming.
Emma Peters, a Dutch Ph.D. candidate in dream research at the University of Bern, Switzerland, supervised by Daniel Erlacher and Martin Dresler, holds a BSc in Medical Biology and an MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience from Radboud University. Specializing in inducing lucid dreaming, her focus is on the interplay between the physical and dreamed body.
Claudia Picard-Deland, PhD is a lecturer and postdoctoral fellow in the Center for Advanced Research in Sleep Medicine, University of Montreal, Canada. She uses polysomnography, serial awakenings, sensory stimulation, and phenomenological interviews to study the neuroscience of dreaming. Her work includes studies on dreams and memory consolidation, flying dreams, sleep perception and lucid dreaming.
Tracey Pierog, BA, BCR, is a Global Health Masters student from Canada. She has worked in the wellness industry teaching yoga and dance for nearly 20 years, and has kept a consistent dream journal for nearly 30 years. Her Arts degree has motivated her to meld wellness into her Physiotherapy assistant career, and her Bachelor of Community Rehabilitation has driven her to seek holistic and artistic ways to strengthen communities.
Edwina Portocarrero, Ph.D. is a researcher, designer, and educator from Mexico City. Her work investigates the intersection of human-computer interaction and the built environment regarding cognition and creativity. She obtained her MA and PhD at MIT’s Media Lab. Her work has been multifaceted and has ranged from interactive exhibit design to leading at global creative consultancies. She is currently a design fellow at the Moholy Nagy University, in Budapest, Hungary.
Melinda Powell, MA Psychology of Religion, co-founded the Dream Research Institute, London, to promote research and education on dreams and wellbeing. Past vice-president of IASD and former director of the DRI and HELP Counselling Centre, she now teaches and writes about dreams. See The Hidden Lives of Dreams (Bonnier Books UK, 2019) and Lucid Surrender: The Alchemy of the Soul in Lucid Dreaming (Archive Publishing 2021).
Xian Prem holds a Ph.D. in Psychology besides certifications in somatic and transformational coaching, creative expression, yoga, 5Rhythms movement, and meditation. She brings two decades of international experience as a workshop facilitator and wellbeing coach, uplifting clients and peers in personal and professional transformation. She has analyzed dreams since the age of ten, and conducted doctoral research in self-transcendence. Xian Prem resides in the U.S.
kitt price (PhD) is a cultural historian, and Senior Lecturer in Modern and Contemporary Literature at Queen Mary University, London UK. They are the author of Loving Faster than Light: Romance and Readers in Einstein’s Universe (2012).
Gez Quinn is a software developer from the UK and co-founder of the Elsewhere dream journaling app. He is committed to advancing the understanding of dreams through the use of technology.
Victoria Rabinowe is the education director for the DreamingArts Studio, Santa Fe, USA.
Dream mentor, artist, author and educator, she has facilitated over one thousand innovative, creativity-based dream workshops, seminars, Zoom classes worldwide. Annual IASD presenter since 1995, trained and certified in advanced DreamTending at Pacifica Graduate Institute, award-winning author/illustrator I Had the Craziest Dream Last Night, and Conversations with Psyche: Source Of Soulful Creativity.
Claudia Rosenhouse Raiken has an MA from NYU, is a certified Alexander Technique Teacher, a Biodynamic CranioSacral Practitioner, a Birth Doula and a DreamBirth Imagery Practitioner. She has been in private practice since 1996 and a Birth Doula since 2003. Claudia is a senior teacher at the School of Images, where she runs their DreamBirth™ Program. Her book, Messages from the Womb will be out in Feb 2024.
Valley Reed owns Chrysalis Healing Arts and teaches Collaborative Dreaming rooted in Ecofeminism, Ancestral Wisdom, and Animism. She is an award-winning nonprofit leader and grant writer for over 20 years. An IASD member for over 2 decades, she serves on the (DAC) Diversity Advisory Committee. She is a certified Active Dream Teacher, and is pursuing a BA in Sociology and Multicultural Women’s Studies at Texas Women’s University.
Valerie Reichmann from Israel (Belgium originally) – BA in Remedial Education, Advanced BA in Expressive Arts Therapy, MA in Society and Arts, MSc in Transpersonal Psychology, Certified Psychodrama and Holistic Group Therapist, Certified Dreamwork Professional (through IASD), Student in Jungian Psychotherapy. I have my own psychotherapeutic practice and in parallel I facilitate group therapies in different institutions.
Giulia Ricci is a Postdoctoral Researcher within the Sleep and Dreams research group, led by Francesca Siclari, at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience in Amsterdam. She completed her PhD in Bioengineering at the University of Bologna, specializing in Computational and System Neuroscience. Giulia’s research focuses on investigating brain mechanisms through functional connectivity and network analysis, primarily employing high-density EEG data.
Laura Roklicer is a PhD candidate at Swansea University, UK. She is a published short story writer, poet, and screenwriter with formal education in Film (BA), Psychology (BSc), and Philosophy of Mind and Cognitive Science (MA). She presented her doctoral research at the 2023 IASD Conference, and her paper Lucid Dreaming for Creative Writing was published in the International Journal of Dream Research in 2023.
Melanie Rosen is an Assistant Professor at Trent University in Canada. She is interested in the cross-section between philosophy and cognitive science in relation to dreaming. Her research takes a broad focus towards philosophy of mind, consciousness, the self and the relevance of our scientific knowledge of the brain and cognition towards these topics.
Cara Roxanne, co-creator of the Dreaming Oracle, holds a diploma in Art and Design, an H.N.D in Integrated Crafts, and a non-clinical diploma in Jungian Studies. She has been a Creative Arts Facilitator for 25 years and has facilitated dream circles for 3 years. She lives in England.
Perrine Ruby, senior dream researcher, co-head of the PAM team of the Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (France).
Asha Sahni (MSc) lives in England where she trained in Transformative Dreamwork with Maggie Peters. Her dissertation for her MSc in Creative Writing for Therapeutic Purposes was a personal exploration of dream haiku – a concept she created which brought together her love of writing and dreams. Asha has run virtual and face-to-face workshops on Writing from Dreams and Dream Haiku at previous IASD conferences.
Leila Salvesen is currently finishing her joint PhD degree in Cognitive Neuroscience, collaborating with the SPACE lab (IMT Lucca, Italy) and the Sleep & Memory lab (Donders Institute, The Netherlands). Her research primarily centers on how sleep neurophysiology relates to ongoing conscious activity, focusing on the effects of sensory stimulation on subjective experiences such as dreams.
Marianne Schertenleib has a Master’s degree in German Studies (École Normale Supérieure, Lyon, France). After eight years teaching German in higher education, she followed a dream interpretation training course with Marielle Laheurte and Christiane Riedel. As an onirologist in Dijon (France), she gives monthly presentations about different aspects of dreams, facilitates workshops and offers individual dream analysis sessions.
Linda Yael Schiller, MSW, LICSW is the author of numerous books (including PTSDreams, Modern Dreamwork, and the forthcoming Ancestral Dreaming) articles and podcasts, and has been an international speaker, psychotherapist and consultant for over 40 years. Professor Emeritus from Boston University School of Social Work, she has received numerous awards for teaching excellence and the development of innovative methods both in the fields of dreamwork and of group work.
Lauren Z. Schneider, MA, LMFT (Santa Barbara, CA), psychotherapist, author, teacher. Since 1983, Lauren integrates depth psychotherapy and ecotherapy with dreamwork and her pioneering method, Tarotpy®. Lauren offers individual consultations, workshops, and groups for healing practitioners and laypersons; and as an approved CE provider, offers training in Tarotpy and dreamwork. Her book, Tarotpy: It’s All in the Cards, has won four book awards including two gold and one silver medal.
Sarah F. Schoch has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Psychology from the University of Zurich, Switzerland and researched dreaming and memory consolidation for her master’s thesis. During her PhD in Psychology and Neuroscience from the University of Zurich, she focused on infant sleep and the gut microbiome and completed a research stay at the Salk institute (US). She is currently doing her Postdoc at the Donders Institute, the Netherlands.
Michael Schredl has been working since 1990, in the sleep laboratory of the Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, Germany. His publications cover various topics such as dream recall, dream content analysis, nightmares, sleep disorders, and sleep physiology. He is the editor of the online-journal International Journal of Dream Research.
Ashmin Singh is a lecturer in the department of Psychology that is in the faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Zululand in South Africa. Since graduating with her masters in research psychology, she has worked in academic institutions in both academic and research capacities. She is keenly interested in developing rigorous research in dreaming for her PhD.
Samantha Smallwood is a Certified Saphire® Imagery Practitioner & Teacher, member of the Teachers Council at the School of Images® NY, and co-ordinator for the School of Images® UK, Samantha began her private practice in 1993 as a Healer, Counsellor, & Spiritual Teacher. Working globally through private sessions and workshops, she uses Saphire®’s powerful, deeply transformative, dreaming and imagery techniques to guide clients into personal revelations that achieve health, empowerment, abundance, and success.
Shanee Stepakoff, PhD is a clinical psychologist and literary scholar. She maintains a private psychotherapy practice and has taught about dreams at universities and given workshops and presentations on dreams in diverse settings. Her work with dreams is informed by interdisciplinary perspectives from cultural anthropology, history, evolutionary theory, literature, religion, and Jungian studies. She won 1st prize in the dream telepathy contest at the IASD conference in Rolduc in 2011.
Tadas Stumbrys, PhD, is Associate Professor in Psychology at Vilnius University (Lithuania) and Assistant Director for Research and a Core Faculty member at Alef Trust (UK). His primary research interests focus on phenomenology of lucid dreaming and its potentials for self-development and growth.
Bei Linda Tang created Guided Dreaming, a holistic mental wellness practice utilizing the waking dream trance. She owned an organic bedding business for twenty years and worked in Investment Banking in New York and Hong Kong. She has an MBA and is pursuing her M.A. in Health Psychology. She grew up in China and twice immigrated to New York and Vancouver, Canada, where she lives with her multigenerational family.
Tina Tau is a writer and dreamworker, living in Portland Oregon, certified through the Marin Institute of Projective Dreamwork. She is the author of the recent memoir, Ask for Horses: Memoir of a Dream-Guided Life, published by Kelson Books. She believes that dreams are a royal road to a great conversation.
Indrani Thanguturu (India) did Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science and later I found my passion in healing modalities which led me to pursue Bachelor of Science from Barbara Ann Brennan School of Healing (https://barbarabrennan.com/). I completed my training in Innerchild Therapy, Past-life Regression, Rebirthing breathwork, Family-constellation, and Life-between-lives with Dr.Newton Kondaveti and Dr.Lakshmi Newton of Quantum Life University (QLU). I am a Trainer at QLU.
Marina Trakas is Assistant Researcher at CONICET, and specializes in memory research and has recently delved into the study of dreams. Her interests on this topic lie in two interconnected areas: exploring the potential clinical use of manipulating dream content and examining the nature of our affective experiences during dreaming.
Katja Valli is a researcher in Turku, Finnland and professor in Skövde, Sweden. She is a long-standing dream researcher and teaches among other subjects evolutionary psychology.
Susanne van Doorn, MSc (The Netherlands), a Dutch therapist, studied Psychology at Tilburg University, Netherlands. Educated at the Jung Institute, Netherlands, she combines contemporary and ancient dreamwork methods. She gives presentations and conducts workshops on psychology and dreams. Susanne has been working with dreams for 18 years. The author of “A Dreamers Guide Through the Land of the Deceased” and translator of “A Theory of Dreams” by Vasily Kasatkin.
Teresa Vazquez, Assistant Professor and Art Education Program Director at University of St. Francis in Fort Wayne, IN., has studied with Robert Moss and Robert Waggoner. Teresa has conducted Dream Circles, Workshops, 1:1 consultations and classes. Vazquez’s art is largely influenced by dreams. She has an MFA in Art & Technology from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and a Bachelor’s in Creative Writing from Oberlin College.
Johanna Vedral is a Viennese psychologist and works as writing teacher for psychologists, psychotherapists, psychonauts, teachers and students in Austria and Germany. As a writer, she plays with different genres. Her main interests are dreams, collage art, erotic and autobiographical writing. She developped a creative approach called „Collage Dream Writing“ where cut-out collages are experienced like dreams to explore and to map inner landscapes in a playful way.
Kim Vergil
Alwin E. Wagener, PhD is an Assistant Professor and Director of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program at Fairleigh Dickinson University (USA) and a Licensed Professional Counselor. Dr. Wagener presents, researches, and publishes on the topics of dreams and dreamwork. He recently created a novel theory, “The Embodied Cognition Theory of Dreaming” and, with a colleague, a culturally adaptive approach to dreamwork, “Culturally Responsive Dreamwork”.
Robert Waggoner wrote the acclaimed book, Lucid Dreaming – Gateway to the Inner Self, and co-authored the award winning, Lucid Dreaming Plain and Simple. For 20+ years, he has taught lucid dreaming workshops (with GlideWing, IONS, etc.) and served as co-editor of the free magazine, Lucid Dreaming Experience at www.luciddreamingmagazine.com . In 2022, he helped establish the new non-profit, Lucid Dreaming Foundation
Mary Caswell Walsh, D.Min., LMFT, is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (MFC 46303), consultant, EMDR practitioner, biofeedback trainer, dream researcher, and author. She has a private practice in Vallejo, California.
Wei Wang, Professor of Personality Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Research areas include personality traits and disorders, emotion components and disorders, dream experiences (nightmare and sexual dream) and disorders, and neurocognitive processes at cerebral and brainstem levels.
Xinlin Wang did a bachelor’s in educational technology and a master’s in psychology at South China Normal University, Guangzhou. In 2022, she started her PhD study at the University of Bern, investigating the cognitive neuroscience of lucid dreaming.
Yue Wang, Doctor of English literature, China.N ow a lecturer at English department at Zhejiang Normal University.
Bernard Welt, PhD, Professor Emeritus at the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design at The George Washington University, has led dream groups since 1985 and taught interdisciplinary dream studies courses. He is co-author with Phil King and Kelly Bulkeley of Dreaming in the Classroom: Practices, Methods, and Resources in Dream Education (SUNY Press, 2011).
Dzhan Wiley lives in the United States, has a Masters in Midwifery, and is a visual artist practicing embodied energetics, painting and writing. Dzhan is a poet, an experienced art teacher, a professional photographer, and an ongoing student of Polarity therapy.
Donna Glee Williams, RN, MFA, PhD, (USA) is a Pushcart Prize-nominated author, dream worker, and creative coach. After a lifetime of writing short fiction, poetry, and essays, her novels The Braided Path, Dreamers, and The Night Field sprang from 17 years of dreaming with Jeremy Taylor. She writes, leads dream-groups, and works with private clients from her little cabin in the Appalachians.
Derek Wright is a long-time student, performer and teacher of music and dance. A multi-instrumentalist, he specializes in North Indian Classical music having studied with Ali Akbar Khan for a decade. A graduate of NOCCA, he has deeply immersed himself in Brazilian percussion, Middle Eastern instruments, dance accompaniment, and improvisation.
Yui Yoshioka is currently a PhD student at the Graduate School of Education, Kyoto University, Japan, where she received her Master of Education in 2022. She is engaged in research on dream emotions. She is a licensed psychologist in Japan with postgraduate clinical training. “Cultural differences in dream emotions between Japanese and Chinese college students. International Journal of Dream Research, 16(1), 81-90.
Dr. Westley Youngren is an Assisstant Professor of Clinical Psychology with the University of Missouri – Kansas City. His research focuses on the intersection of sleep and trauma, with a particular emphasis on trauma-related nightmares. His current research concentrates on integrating sleep and dreaming science within trauma informed care, examining the relationship between nightmares and suicide, and utilizing advanced statistical analyses to examine large pre-existing databases.
Paul Zerr, PhD. Computational neuroscientist with a background in visual psychophysics of perception and memory. Currently working as a postdoc at the Sleep and Memory lab with Martin Dresler. Focus on lucid dreaming, eye movements, wearables, quantified self and big sleep data. Donders Institute. Light artist engaged with interactive projection art installations.