The dark and terrifying images of nightmares have always posed a difficult inner work challenge for me. How do I open to these dreams when resistance and fear is so present? Surprisingly, I uncovered an unlikely antidote in the ancient art of alchemy. In their emblems and laboratory work, we encounter eerily similar symbols of death, destruction, intense pursuit and collapse. These nightmarish images, echoing across time, reveal an archetypal truth: transformation often begins in darkness, and when it arises in the psyche, we are tasked to turn towards it, rather than run away. The workshop replay offers you a path into the creative potential of nightmares through a blending of Jungian dreamwork and alchemy.
~Alyssa
In alchemy, the nigredo (the blackening) signals the first stage of transformation, when the prima materia is destroyed, dissolved, and reduced to its essential form. Nightmares belong to this phase. They are the psyche’s imaginal experience of the nigredo: dreams of terror, collapse, and confrontation that arise when consciousness is tasked to face what has been repressed, denied, or left in shadow.
This month’s workshop invites you into the vessel of Nightmares & Nigredo, a blended inner work approach that explores the deeper meaning of nightmares through Jungian dreamwork and alchemical symbolism. You’ll learn to recognize nightmares as alchemical processes, uncover the creative intention behind their images, and explore ways to support integration and psychic resolution.
Nightmares & Nigredo will support you in:
Engaging with nightmares through Jungian dreamwork, transforming fearful images into understanding and insight
Tracing archetypal patterns within recurring nightmares, uncovering how the psyche uses symbolic imagery to reveal what is seeking integration and wholeness
Developing skills in dream interpretation, strengthening your capacity to dialogue with the unconscious and discern its guidance
Deepening symbolic literacy and inner resilience, approaching nightmares as invitations to conscious participation in the psyche’s unfolding
What you’ll receive in this workshop:
A Jungian framework for understanding the psychological and archetypal meaning of nightmares
The deeper meaning of recurring nightmare motifs (pursuit, death, catastrophe, dismemberment, etc.)
An introduction to the alchemical stage of the nigredo and its core operations
Reflections on trauma, resistance, and the archetypal forces of psychic defense
A guided dreamwork practice to begin interpreting and integrating your own nightmare images
Join us inside the membership
Nightmares & Nigredo is included in your membership to The Artemisian, a monthly space for guided inner work through archetypal study and Jungian psychology.
Become a member to access the full workshop replay, explore educational resources and engage with a like-minded community walking the path of individuation together.
