Group Dreaming – Dreams to the Tenth Power, by Jean Campbell, published in 2006 by Wordminder Press is an account of numerous experiments intended to evoke group dreams in which participants would meet each other and experience the same or similar circumstances, environments or events. These experiments were aimed at answering the question: is it possible for people to work together so as to purposefully meet in dreams and act together to realize some pre-determined purpose or goal?

Beginning with events and concepts leading from the original inception of the idea, to initial organization and first efforts Jean Campbell traces her involvement in organized methods for the study of shared dreaming. Though many people have anecdotally reported having the same dream as family members, spouses, friends or sometimes even total strangers this book documents how a group of people came together in an organized way and were able to create common experiences in the dream state.

Many good distinctions between types of dreams emerged in the collective work. Different types of group dreams were found to include:

• Dreams in which people had exactly the same dream from the viewpoint of an experiencer rather than as an observer; the individual dreamer was aware only of the experience and not of any other people who had had the same dream at different times even though sometimes frequently occurring over several years

• Dreams in which two or more people were aware of each other and observed the same circumstances and events, as observers only - not experiencers -- of the events

• Dreams in which two or more people were aware of each other, each experiencing the same or similar circumstances and sequences of events from his or her own viewpoint while interacting with other dreamers

• Dreams in which sometimes other dream team members who had not met each other in daily waking life met first in dreams and who when meeting afterwards recognized each other as having the same character and features as appearing in the dream state

• … and so forth

Campbell recounts how the work progressed over a number of years, occurred with more than one group assembled from different members, and how other individuals and organizations began developing similar work. She also documents the emergence of purposeful themes in which a broader social awareness and work on a larger often international scale grew to include people from very diverse backgrounds sometimes even from countries whose politics were in conflict either historically or in the present.

I found a refreshing aspect of this kind of group dream work that produces numerous reports of similar and correlated experiences. It has the ability to elevate these investigations above the purely psychological, frequently limiting interpretation of dreams as being only the unique imagery of the individual. Yes of course there were numerous individual psychological aspects group members reported. But it was still possible to correlate group events when the reported central themes and general settings experienced by two or more dreamers were essentially the same. Many examples of this are presented.

Eventually a strong focus on peace work developed -- called by Campbell "dream activism" -- in which individuals either in loose association or organized groups undertook dreaming to address conflicts throughout the world. This last aspect takes up a good last third of the book. Although the altruism behind humanitarian relief in the dreamworld is laudable I felt the book lost some of its focus when the narrative was more about connections and organizations and activism than about the original inner work that supported it. Conversely it does provide ideas for direction and purpose such that those committed to service to the greater good can extend their activities into the night hours. Although never alluded to nor mentioned specifically this is akin to the more esoteric night practices found in Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and other schools dedicated to serving humanity.

Certainly, the book contains enough examples, insights and methods to guide those wishing to organize their own groups and continue these investigations. Group dreaming has occurred throughout history, can be interpreted quite differently in different cultures and different religious and philosophical disciplines but almost always provides rich food for thought. We are able to meaningfully connect and interact in many more ways than just in the mundane world such that our waking life is deepened and enriched.

The development of this exploration of consciousness into a discipline and a broad cultural phenomenon is in its infancy and suggests there are many new things to be discovered understood and practiced.

I would recommend this book for the questions it raises and for the approach to organizing group investigations it documents. And I would recommend it for its reporting on what may historically turn out to be a major contributing influence in the maturing of our understanding of human consciousness.