Discussions in existential-phenomenological dreamwork using a constructivist grounded theory methodology

This research uses Constructivist Grounded Theory to explore how practitioners with extensive years of experience in the existential-phenomenological field of therapy work with dreams. In-depth interviews were carried out twice with participants, with the second interview using a paper written about the first interviews as a stimulus. Through Constructivist Grounded Theory, categories from the participant narratives were elicited through the process of coding. Five theoretical categories were elicited from the data: the becoming of the existential counselling psychologists and psychotherapists, the phenomenological inquiry of dreams, relational dreamwork, the politics in dreamwork and metaphor in dreamwork. The discussion brings out complexities and dynamic aspects of multiple becoming(s) in practitioners, the political aspect of therapy and the use of metaphor in existential-phenomenological dreamwork. Implications of the results and discussion to the profession of counselling psychology and suggestions for future research are presented in conclusion to the findings.