Symptoms as symbols, not pathology

Can we do more than talk in talk therapy? Our guest Dr. Michael Mollura speaks about some of his creative approaches to psychotherapy including music therapy, dreamwork, Jungian perspectives, and more!

03:03 — Dr. Michael Mollura’s Background: Music, Psychology, and Creativity

05:31 — Why Suppressed Creativity Can Cause Emotional Symptoms

07:54 — Setting Dreams to Music: The Acoustics of the Unconscious

08:31 — Jungian Dream Work and Depth Psychology Explained

10:52 — Why Symptoms Are Symbols in Dream and Depth Therapy

14:23 — How to Begin Interpreting Dreams: Start with Mood, Not Meaning

17:12 — Common Mistakes People Make When Analyzing Dreams

23:00 — The Power of Dream Details and Imagery in Therapy

29:16 — Phenomenology in Dream Work: Experiencing Dreams Through the Senses

35:49 — A Listener Dream about Judy Garland: an Example of Symbolic Meaning in Dream Analysis.

43:34 — Dream Music Demonstration: Improvising Soundtracks to Dreams

46:49 — Therapy as Improvisation: Music, Energy, and Human Connection

50:39 — Final Thoughts: Dreams as Stepping Stones Out of Chaos

Here is a clip of Dr Mollura’s dream soundtracks which we played on the show called “Dream Music Live: Little Boy.”

And another one called “Whirling through the Infinite Void.”

Find a short video clip of the conversation @experientialdreamwork on YouTube on the “Dream Journal shorts” playlist, or click here to access the latest playlist.

Find the full video record of the conversation @ExperientialDreamwork on YouTube on the “Dream Journal podcast FULL LENGTH VIDEOS” playlist, or click here to access the latest shows:

BIO: Dr. Michael Mollura is a licensed clinical psychologist with a Ph.D from Pacifica Graduate Institute and a Master’s Degree in Performance Studies from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

Find our guest at DrMichaelMollura.com.

This show, episode number 349, was recorded during a live broadcast on February  7, 2026 at KSQD.org, community radio of Santa Cruz.

Here are links to some other Dream Journal episodes you might be interested in:

Using Dreams in Therapy and also Dream Telepathy with Suzanne Maniss, PhD

Creating Soundtracks for Dreams: The Healing Power of Music with Dr Michael Mollura

Intro and outro music by Mood Science. Ambient music new every week by Rick Kleffel. Archived music can be found at Pandemiad.com. Many thanks to Rick for also engineering the show and to Erik Nelson for answering the phones.

SHARE A DREAM FOR THE SHOW or a question or enquire about being a guest on the podcast by emailing Katherine Bell at katherine@ksqd.org. Follow on LI, IG, YT, FB, & LT @ExperientialDreamwork #thedreamjournal. To learn more or to inquire about exploring your own dreams go to ExperientialDreamwork.com.

The Dream Journal aims to: Increase awareness of and appreciation for nightly dreams. Inspire dream sharing and other kinds of dream exploration as a way of adding depth and meaningfulness to lives and relationships. Improve society by the increased empathy, emotional balance, and sense of wonder which dream exploration invites.

A dream can be meaningful even if you don’t know what it means.

The Dream Journal is produced at and airs on KSQD Santa Cruz, 90.7 FM. Catch it streaming LIVE at KSQD.org 10-11am Pacific Time on Saturdays. Call or text with your dreams or questions at 831-900-5773 or email at onair@ksqd.org. Podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms the Monday following the live show. The complete KSQD Dream Journal podcast page can be found at ksqd.org/the-dream-journal/.

Closed captioning is available on the YouTube version of this podcast and an automatically generated transcript is available at Apple Podcasts within 24 hours of posting.

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