Dancing With Dreams & Nightmares | Ritual Dreamwork, Bees, Snakes, & the Dream Hive with Lana Nasser

What if nightmares are not something to escape—but something to dance with?

In this episode, we’re joined by Lana Nasser, dreamworker, ritual facilitator, and creator of The Dream Hive, for a deep exploration of dreams, nightmares, embodiment, and collective dreaming. Together, we explore how dreams connect us to the more‑than‑human world, how ritual can transform fear, and why symbols like bees and snakes carry powerful intelligence for our time.

This conversation weaves together ritual dreamwork, ecofeminist perspectives, embodied practice, and collective healing, offering a grounded yet imaginative approach to working with dreams—not as private puzzles to solve, but as living relationships to tend.

Whether you’re a dreamer, therapist, ritualist, artist, or simply curious about the wisdom of the unconscious, this episode invites you into a deeper way of listening.

00:00 — Opening: Dancing With Dreams & Nightmares Introducing the episode and the invitation to meet dreams as living teachers rather than problems to fix.

03:45 — Lana Nasser on Ritual Dreamwork How ritual creates a container for working with dreams safely, creatively, and collectively.

08:20 — Nightmares as Initiation Reframing nightmares as gateways to embodied knowledge, not signs of failure or pathology.

14:10 — The Dream Hive: Collective Dreaming in Practice Exploring shared dream spaces and why dreaming together matters in times of crisis.

20:05 — Embodiment & the Body’s Dream Language Why dreams are not just images, but sensations, movements, and felt experiences.

26:30 — Bees, Snakes & Dream Symbolism Working with non‑human dream figures without reducing them to fixed meanings.

33:40 — Ecofeminism, Earth, and the Unconscious How dreamwork intersects with ecological grief, care, and re‑enchantment.

40:55 — Ritual, Safety & the Nervous System The importance of pacing, consent, and grounding when working with intense dream material.

47:25 — Dreaming With Others Without Appropriation Ethics, humility, and listening when dreams cross cultural and ancestral lines.

54:10 — Closing Reflections: Living in Dialogue With Dreams How to continue the relationship with dreams beyond the night.

The annual IASD conference will be in Ashland OR June 13-17. Information at IASDconferences.org/2026

The Wisdom of the Mothers online conference will be April 22-23. Information at https://www.yerusha.org/wotm2026

BIO: Lana Nasser is a writer, performing artist, and dream-weaver, she guides individuals and groups in ritualizing dreams—using theater, movement, props, and nature—to enter dialogue with the imaginal. Her practice reveals insight, fuels psychospiritual exploration, and births communal and personal ritual art. An ecofeminist shapeshifting storyteller, she bridges worlds through embodied dreamwork and innovative performance-making practices.

Contact our guest: LanaNasser.com

This show, episode number 356, was recorded March 26, 2026  and originally broadcast on March 28, 2026 at KSQD.org, community radio of Santa Cruz.

Videos available on YouTube at youtube.com/@experientialdreamwork. Popular playlists: “Dream Journal shorts” and “FULL LENGTH VIDEOS”.

 

 

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

Holding Space for the Mystery with Bonnie Buckner, PhD

How Dreamwork Strengthens Intuition: Lucidity, Meaning, and the Medial Archetype with Athena Laz

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/.

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