Dreaming and Resting as Creative Process

Prompt:

“A person sleeping, with dream-like images floating above them—memories, abstract textures, and handwritten words blending into visual echoes—while their body’s slow breath transforms into waves of color and sound.”

Dreaming (Imagery + Somatic Awareness + Symbolic Metaphor)

• Imagery: Vivid inner pictures, surreal narratives, and fantastical landscapes arise during sleep.

• Somatic Awareness: Even at rest, subtle bodily sensations (breath, heartbeat) contribute to dream ambiance.

• Symbolic Metaphor: Emotions and memories merge into potent symbols that can be explored creatively.

Research Problem:

Dreaming and resting are often studied through psychological and neuroscientific lenses. but there is room for additional research on how they function as intermodal expressive arts experiences blending image, sound, movement, and embodied sensation.

Research Questions:

• How do dreams act as an intermodal expressive experience, blending visual, auditory, and kinesthetic elements?

• What methods can be used in arts-based research and expressive arts therapy to translate dream states into creative, tangible expressions?