Dream and body work
Dreambody and Allostasis
We are thankful to Dr. Pierre Morin of Portland, Oregon, for pointing us to the concept of allostasis. Homoeostasis is the tendency of psychological or biological systems to reach equilibrium. Allostasis includes maintaining stability by employing variability.
It seems to us that homeostasis is usually understood as a system’s ability to adjust to near equilibrium deviations, whereas allostasis is our innate ability to achieve stability and homeostasis even under extreme situations driving us far from equilibrium.
In process oriented thinking, allostasis includes the use of innerwork, sensing the dreaming body, outer social awareness, worldwork, etc.
See Wikipedia for more. According to Wikipedia, “Allostasis is the process of achieving stability, or homeostasis, through physiological or behavioral change. This can be carried out by means of alteration in HPA axis hormones, the autonomic nervous system, cytokines, or a number of other systems, and is generally adaptive in the short term.” (see “The concept of allostasis in biology and biomedicine”. Horm Behav. 2003 Jan;43(1):2-15. McEwen BS, Wingfield JC. (Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, The Rockefeller University)
“The concept of Allostasis was proposed by Sterling and Eyer in 1988 to describe an additional process of reestablishing homeostasis, but one that responds to a challenge instead of to subtle ebb and flow. This theory suggests that both homeostasis and allostasis are endogenous systems responsible for maintaining the internal stability of an organism. Homeostasis, from the Greek homeo, means “same,” while stasis means “stable;” thus, “remaining stable by staying the same.” Allostasis was coined similarly, from the Greek allo, which means “variable;” thus, “remaining stable by being variable”.
-- Sterling, P. and Eyer, J., 1988, Allostasis: A new paradigm to explain arousal pathology. In: S. Fisher and J. Reason (Eds.), Handbook of Life Stress, Cognition and Health. John Wiley & Sons, New York.
-- Robyn Klein Phylogenetic and phytochemical characteristics of plant species with adaptogenic properties MS Thesis, 2004, Montana State University Chapter 3.
Rainbow Medicine
The rainbow medicine picture briefly summarizes some of the many processwork approaches to body experience. Rainbow medicine, introduced in Arny’s book, “Quantum Medicine”, encompasses allopathic and alternative medical treatments, as well as work with the deepest parts of ourselves, the new work we are calling “the processmind”, (PM). PM experience helps to bridge the gap between the symptom and the everyday mind.
 From
Arny’s “Working with the Dreaming Body: “The more
I work with the body, keeping my assumptions in a temporary state of reservation,
the more I appreciate and understand a given disease. The body no longer
appears as a sick or irrational demon, but as a process with its own inner
logic” . Working with the Dreaming Body
"This first 1986 Yoga Journal article about process work by Stephan
Bodian appeared just prior to the publication of "Working on Yourself
Alone". We are bringing it out here on the internet to show part
of the first chapter of Arny Mindell's 1984 book, "Working With the Dreaming
Body".
 Download
article (46KB .rtf document)
Dreambody Movement Work
"If you can't get rid of the skeleton
in your closet, you'd best teach it to dance." --George Bernard
Shaw
Amy's Dreambody Essence (click for larger image)
Arny's recent picture of process oriented
movement work
 Body
Movement Following the Dream
In this 30 second Video, Amy shows
how the dancer (dressed in black, representing the world of
dreaming), shows the attentive everyday self (dressed in brown)
how to move, and in general, to live. Let your body follow
your dreamlike impulses. It’s more fun and probably best
for your health.
Download video (520KB .wma document; requires Windows
Media Player)
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