86 | Dreamwork, Nightmares & the Language of the Unconscious | Dr. Leslie Ellis

What if your dreams were trying to show you what you’re not ready to say out loud? In this illuminating conversation, trauma therapist and dreamwork expert Dr. Leslie Ellis joins Lara Land to explore the powerful role dreams play in emotional healing. Together, they uncover how dreams give voice to suppressed feelings, internal conflicts, and unresolved trauma—and why they deserve a central place in therapy.

Leslie shares how to remember more of your dreams, decode their meaning without relying on external symbols, and tap into their wisdom through a gentle, body-based approach. From nightmares and recurring dreams to lucid dreaming and suicide risk, this episode is an invitation to rethink how you relate to the messages that come through while you sleep.

PLUS: Lara shares a personal dream, and Leslie helps her uncover its deeper meaning—live on air.

🔍 What You’ll Learn:

• Why dreams often reflect the feelings we’re avoiding in waking life
• How to start interpreting your dreams—without a dictionary
• What makes dreamwork a powerful tool in trauma recovery
• How nightmares connect to emotional overwhelm and suicide risk
• Tips for remembering more of your dreams
• What therapists should consider before bringing dreams into the room
• Leslie’s approach to blending somatic work, Focusing, and dream interpretation

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Dr. Leslie Ellis is a leading expert in the use of experiential and somatic approaches in psychotherapy, in particular 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 counseling 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 Focusin Institute, where she is currently a Certifying Coordinator.

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Intro & Outro Music by Daniel Zaitchik