Darlene Viggiano
Currently in private practice serving CA remotely from HI, I earned the APA Division 30 award for early career contributions to hypnosis. I previously taught hypnosis at Saybrook University in San Francisco, where I also earned my doctoral degree in psychology. My dissertation topic was the role of dreams and dreamlike experiences in spiritual emergence processes. It was published as a book by Lambert Academic Publishing. Additionally, I am a published author of several articles and book reviews, as well as the author of Carrying On: A workbook for women who’ve lost a pregnancy (also published by LAP).
I am a California-licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and have worked at Kaiser Permanente South Valley Centre in the Adult Psychiatry Department. I served on the Regional Best Practices committees for both Dual Diagnosis and Case Management, and have facilitated groups for Adults Molested as Children and also for Dual Diagnosis populations.
I have facilitated Mindfulness Movement classes as well as a socialization/life skill group, in addition to my regular patient caseload and group therapy in the Intensive Outpatient Program. I served on the Domestic Violence Committee at the Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento Medical Center until 2007 and on the Quality Assurance Committee there until the autumn of 2009. I was honored to win the Outstanding Service Award for the second quarter of 2009.
I am an adjunct professor at Saybrook, created an online course for John F. Kennedy University, taught at the University of Phoenix, and have presented on numerous psychoeducational topics in the community. I was also in charge of the CEU aspect of the training luncheons for MFTs and LCSWs at Kaiser South Sacramento.
License No. and State: MFC35420 California
Supervisors: James Hollis, Jeanne Achterberg, chair (deceased), and Stanley Krippner
I am a California-licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and have worked at Kaiser Permanente South Valley Centre in the Adult Psychiatry Department. I served on the Regional Best Practices committees for both Dual Diagnosis and Case Management, and have facilitated groups for Adults Molested as Children and also for Dual Diagnosis populations.
I have facilitated Mindfulness Movement classes as well as a socialization/life skill group, in addition to my regular patient caseload and group therapy in the Intensive Outpatient Program. I served on the Domestic Violence Committee at the Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento Medical Center until 2007 and on the Quality Assurance Committee there until the autumn of 2009. I was honored to win the Outstanding Service Award for the second quarter of 2009.
I am an adjunct professor at Saybrook, created an online course for John F. Kennedy University, taught at the University of Phoenix, and have presented on numerous psychoeducational topics in the community. I was also in charge of the CEU aspect of the training luncheons for MFTs and LCSWs at Kaiser South Sacramento.
License No. and State: MFC35420 California
Supervisors: James Hollis, Jeanne Achterberg, chair (deceased), and Stanley Krippner
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This is important because journaling is a time-tested tool for healing and recovery.
Furthermore, pregnancy loss deals largely with grief over what was expected rather than offering memories of a life fully lived. It therefore requires a different processing of emotions, though the emotions themselves may be similar to those for other forms of bereavement.
It is a myth that everyone can simply get over pregnancy loss by having another baby. That would be like saying the death of a child should be less grievous to the parent if they have other children alive at the time.
This workbook takes a biological, psychological, social, and spiritual approach to healing and recovery. Use it to help yourself or another to journal through the journey of Carrying On.
Papers
THE ROLE OF DREAMS AND DREAM-LIKE EXPERIENCES IN SPIRITUAL EMERGENCE PROCESSES
Darlene B. Viggiano, Ph.D. (MFT)
The process of spiritual emergence has been defined by the Spiritual Emergence Network as one marked by difficulties with psychospiritual growth, and has been referred to variously as psychospiritual crises, spiritual transformation, sudden mystical experiences, and spiritual awakening. The research question for this dissertation was, "What is the role of dreams and dream-like experiences (DLEs) in spiritual emergence processes?" This report addressed the question by examining contemporary examples and historical literature from a Jungian hermeneutical perspective as well as through recent electronic interviews.
Methodology was primarily derived from seven interviews (including some documentary articles), mixed with a hermeneutic literature review, exemplifying experiences of the prominence of dreams/DLEs during a spiritual emergence process. The discovery of similarities and differences among interviews helped to interpret the role of dreams and DLEs. The nature of the data spans electronic, semi-structured interviews, published literature, historical documents, biographical narratives, and within- and cross-case analyses. Specific methods of analysis include theoretical, thematic, conceptual, descriptive, and graphic. A comparison of the interviews with criteria for identifying spiritual emergence processes such as Visionary Spiritual Experiences from Lukoff, Grof, and others, and findings from the hermeneutic literature helped identify and validate roles of dreams/DLEs to provide data reduction and triangulation. The design was therefore a meta-interpretation.
Findings were that dreams and DLEs during spiritual emergence processes symbolize and point toward those processes themselves. Within this framework, however, there can still be great diversity in specific roles and functions, such as: healing, guidance, instruction, connection, revelation, summoning, and animating/enlivening. Thus, the role/function extends to helping dreamers know and understand their phenomenological experience with regard to the spiritual emergence process. In this sense, such dreams/DLEs may help to answer questions such as: “What kind of being am I growing into? What capabilities and capacities are developing within me and reaching outward toward manifestation?” Implications in terms of the findings are that these may be applicable to spiritually emerging populations and to therapy where dream work is used, particularly Jungian analysis.
This is important because journaling is a time-tested tool for healing and recovery.
Furthermore, pregnancy loss deals largely with grief over what was expected rather than offering memories of a life fully lived. It therefore requires a different processing of emotions, though the emotions themselves may be similar to those for other forms of bereavement.
It is a myth that everyone can simply get over pregnancy loss by having another baby. That would be like saying the death of a child should be less grievous to the parent if they have other children alive at the time.
This workbook takes a biological, psychological, social, and spiritual approach to healing and recovery. Use it to help yourself or another to journal through the journey of Carrying On.
THE ROLE OF DREAMS AND DREAM-LIKE EXPERIENCES IN SPIRITUAL EMERGENCE PROCESSES
Darlene B. Viggiano, Ph.D. (MFT)
The process of spiritual emergence has been defined by the Spiritual Emergence Network as one marked by difficulties with psychospiritual growth, and has been referred to variously as psychospiritual crises, spiritual transformation, sudden mystical experiences, and spiritual awakening. The research question for this dissertation was, "What is the role of dreams and dream-like experiences (DLEs) in spiritual emergence processes?" This report addressed the question by examining contemporary examples and historical literature from a Jungian hermeneutical perspective as well as through recent electronic interviews.
Methodology was primarily derived from seven interviews (including some documentary articles), mixed with a hermeneutic literature review, exemplifying experiences of the prominence of dreams/DLEs during a spiritual emergence process. The discovery of similarities and differences among interviews helped to interpret the role of dreams and DLEs. The nature of the data spans electronic, semi-structured interviews, published literature, historical documents, biographical narratives, and within- and cross-case analyses. Specific methods of analysis include theoretical, thematic, conceptual, descriptive, and graphic. A comparison of the interviews with criteria for identifying spiritual emergence processes such as Visionary Spiritual Experiences from Lukoff, Grof, and others, and findings from the hermeneutic literature helped identify and validate roles of dreams/DLEs to provide data reduction and triangulation. The design was therefore a meta-interpretation.
Findings were that dreams and DLEs during spiritual emergence processes symbolize and point toward those processes themselves. Within this framework, however, there can still be great diversity in specific roles and functions, such as: healing, guidance, instruction, connection, revelation, summoning, and animating/enlivening. Thus, the role/function extends to helping dreamers know and understand their phenomenological experience with regard to the spiritual emergence process. In this sense, such dreams/DLEs may help to answer questions such as: “What kind of being am I growing into? What capabilities and capacities are developing within me and reaching outward toward manifestation?” Implications in terms of the findings are that these may be applicable to spiritually emerging populations and to therapy where dream work is used, particularly Jungian analysis.
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The spiritual diversity of therapy populations demands what David Lukoff calls spiritual competency. When spiritual issues arise, dream work may help identify and treat problems from a spiritually informed perspective. Outcomes expected from workshop attendance include expanded respect for religious and spiritual diversity, the ability to differentiate spiritual emergency v. spiritual emergence, and an understanding of the role of dreams and dream-like experiences in spiritual emergence processes. Attendees will discuss the use of dreams in psychotherapy, the need to accurately differentiate religious problems from hyper-religiosity, and the importance of avoiding stereotypes. Specific issues will include helping to de-stigmatize spiritual problems and spiritually oriented patients, aiding psycho-spiritual development, and dealing with distressing experiences of loss or questioning of faith or spiritual values. Experiential exercises will include work in small groups, the sharing of spiritual dreams, and discussion on how a particular dream may contribute to psycho-spiritual growth.
Specific Methods or Techniques to be utilized during the workshop include activities for participation such as use of vignettes, breaking into dyads for role plays, and group discussions. The approximate time planned for didactic introduction is 30 minutes of the 90-minute workshop.
The aims of this presentation are to increase personal self-awareness and emotional growth of attendees; increase attendees' knowledge about dream research based on Jungian theory; train licensed mental health professionals and graduate students about using dreams in clinical practice; increase psychospiritual awareness. This workshop is intended for all audiences.