Dream Animals and the Asklepian Temple with Laura Payne

Animals in dreams always seem to have a special meaningfulness. Today we talk about how dreams of certain animals were viewed at the Asklepian Temple in ancient Greece where people could go to be healed by their dreams. Learn about a modern interpretation of this ancient technique from our guest psychotherapist, mindfulness teacher, and Dream Boat podcast host Laura Payne of the Dream Research Institute in London.

A short clip from the show can be found here:

After the break we hear from Steve Popp from Santa Cruz with a dream about a series of animals beginning with a moose and ending with a talking lynx. Then we take a question from Max who asks about not just seeing dogs in dreams but being a dog. Finally we take a call from Kathy from Corona for a quick check in.

Information about her October Asklepian Dream Retreat in Greece will be up on her webpage in January.

From our guest: My name is Laura Payne, and I’m an avid dream lover. I’m a clinical depth psychotherapist, supervisor and lecturer, a mindfulness teacher, and associate of the Dream Research Institute for Studies based in London, England. I present the DreamBoat Podcast for the DRI now in its 7 series, and I’m author of Nine Steps to a Mindful Life without Meditating.

This show, episode number 340, was recorded during a live broadcast on December 6, 2025 at KSQD.org, community radio of Santa Cruz.

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 FB, IG, LI, & YT @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.

Thanks for being a Dream Journal listener! Available on all major podcast platforms. Rate it, review it, subscribe, and tell your friends.