Presentation Description 

Monday, March 23, 2026   3:00 - 5:00pm PDT  /  6:00 - 8:00pm EDT
For Asia: Tuesday, March 24, 2026 / Click here for your time zone

Focusing is a deeply respectful and profound avenue for the exploration of our dreaming lives. Its gentle form of inquiry opens a doorway into the mystery of dreaming that does not yield to logic or force, but rather, unfolds as we bring curious, open-ended attention to our spontaneous images. A key aspect of Focusing-oriented dreamwork is Eugene Gendlin’s notion that we can ‘find help’ in every dream.

In this Introduction to Focusing and Dreams, we will create/enter a dream or daydream, find and embody help, give it expression and share/discuss what arises for us. We will also learn the basic steps of embodied experiential dreamwork, with examples of how these steps unfold in session. Dr. Ellis will also describe the clinical uses and benefits of exploring dreams, and explain why finding help is such a good place to start when exploring dreams (and especially nightmares). There will be time for brief experiential practices, debriefing/discussion and your questions.

If you cannot attend the Live presentation via Zoom, the recording will be available for you to watch at your convenience for up to 2 months!



About the Presenter

Dr. Leslie Ellis is a leading expert in the use of experiential and somatic approaches for working with dreams, nightmares and the effects of trauma. She is the author of A Clinician’s Guide to Dream Therapy (Routledge, 2025) and offers online training in embodied, experiential dreamwork and nightmare treatment.  She has a PhD in Clinical Psychology with a somatic specialization, and a Masters in counselling psychology with a focus on depth/Jungian approaches. She was a psychotherapist in private practice in Vancouver, BC for more than 25 years. She is a former adjunct faculty at Adler University, and past president of The International Focusing Institute, where she is currently a Certifying Coordinator.



Registration Details

Please register with your preferred contact email– this will be your account email, where you will receive all communication about the presentation. If you have taken a course through our FOAT Online School, please register with your existing account!

For scholarship/work study inquiries please contact us by March 9, 2026.

  • $25.00

    $25.00Introduction to Focusing and Dreams: Finding, Embodying and Anchoring ‘the Help’

    Register for Dr. Leslie Ellis' presentation
    Register for Presentation

  • $45.00

    $45.00Bundle: Leslie Ellis, Kathleen Horne & Tamara Knapp

    Cost: $50 $45
    Save 10% when you bundle with Kathleen Horne and Tamara Knapp's presentation, The Creative Wisdom Approach: Embodying a 5-step Intermodal Expressive Arts Process, on April 20th.
    See bundle page for more information!
    Register for Bundle


Continuing Education (CE) Information

This program is eligible for 2 NBCC CE Hours. To obtain CE, you must first register for the single presentation or bundle, and attend the full LIVE presentation on March 23, 2026. The 2 CE Hours are offered for a separate fee of $10.  Click here for CE information and purchasing.

Focusing and Expressive Arts Institute has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7596. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Focusing and Expressive Arts Institute is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.


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If you have any questions or comments, please email us at [email protected].

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