Joseph Dillard's Page

Hometown:

Phoenix, Arizona

Relationship Status:

Married

About Me:

Joseph Dillard was born in Little, Rock, Arkansas, in 1949. The son of an orthodontist and a highly intuitive housewife. At thirteen he traveled to the Middle East with the Association for Research and Enlightenment, dedicated to the study of the Edgar Cayce readings. The group included Hugh Lynn Cayce, son of Edgar Cayce, Bill and Gladys McGarey, founders of the American Holistic Health Association, and Ida Rolf, founder of the bodywork known as Rolfing. At that time he was introduced to meditation, dream work, and a number of talented psychics. In college he studied comparative religion, psychology, and philosophy, with particular interest in Nagarjuna’s Madhyamika (Mahayana) Buddhism. In 1975 he graduated from the University of Texas with a BA in philosophy. He traveled and lectured with Hugh Lynn Cayce on meditation and dreamwork and gave many workshops on dreamwork. During this period of time Dr. Dillard learned and practiced Jungian, Gestalt, and other forms of therapy that use dream material extensively. In 1976 he began work in the mental health field and received his Master’s in Social Work from the University of Arkansas in 1978. In 1979, while working in northern Arkansas as the administrator of one of two multidisciplinary pain treatment centers that he developed and managed, he had the opportunity to continue his education by developing and presenting health risk reduction programs to groups of senior citizens. For this work, in addition to program development at the pain treatment center, he was awarded his PhD in Wholistic Health Sciences from Columbia Pacific University in 1980. Also in 1980, he created Dream Sociometry, the dreamwork methodology that led to the development of Dream Yoga, a form of deep listening to one’s authentic self. A dream led to a move to Phoenix, Arizona in 1983 and work as a psychotherapist at the ARE Clinic. About this time he became a devoted admirer of Ken Wilber’ integral psychology, whose influence is found throughout his writings.

He married Mary Jane Trunzo, a speech-language pathologist specializing in the treatment of brain injury, in 1986. In 1985 he also co-authored Dreamworking, How to Use Your Dreams for Creative Problem Solving with Stanley Krippner, a pioneer in dream telepathy and shamanic healing. Dr. Dillard has been in private and group practice as a LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker) in greater Phoenix, Arizona, since 1985, treating individuals, couples, and families for relationship issues, depression, anxiety, addiction, ADD/ADHD, and spiritual development issues. His daughter Kira was born in 1987. Also in 1987, he became a co-minister at Logos, an interdenominational church in Scottsdale, Arizona. In 1989 he ran the Pike’s Peak marathon with his sister Andra. In 2000 he began teaching Dream Yoga and other courses at the Southwest Institute for the Healing Arts (SWIHA), in Tempe, Arizona. In 2001 he began ordaining certified Practitioners of Dream Yoga as pastoral counselors. In 2006 he began training Dream Yoga Practitioners in central Germany. His introductory text, Deep Listening, is available in German. Dr. Dillard loves to hike, mountain bike, and sail. He pursues an integral life practice, of which Dream Yoga is a major component. His real love is helping others, particularly children, awaken to their unique potential for personal fulfillment and service to others.

In addition to Dreamworking and Deep Listening: Awakening Your Soul's Purpose with Dream Yoga, he is author of six textbooks used in conjunction with the Dream Yoga curriculum. These are: Transformational Dreamwork: Toward an Integral Approach to Deep Listening, Dream Yoga, Dream Sociometry, Dream Yoga and Healing, Dream Yoga Practitioner, Dream Yoga Interviewing Techniques, and Dream Yoga and Meditation. He is currently working on two additional books, Dream Politics, and Case Studies in Dream Yoga. He is also the author of Meditation and the Great Commandment and DreamQuest!, a role-playing game adaptation of Dream Yoga.

Website 1:

http://DreamYoga.Com

Website 2:

http://www.mayallbewell.com/profile.php?friend_id=1031

Favorite Music:

Anything that opens the heart, lifts the mind, and grounds spirit!

Favorite Books:

Anything by Ken Wilber. "Grace and Grit" is what I generally recommend for first time readers.

Favorite Movies:

Gandhi; The Corporation, 9/11

Favorite TV Shows:

I don't watch TV.

What do you do to make a living?

psychotherapy, teach, write.

What kind of hobbies do you have?

My life is my hobby - I don't take any of it very seriously. Building an integral life practice - exercise, meditation, balance.

In a world where you were pursuing your deepest, most heartfelt callings, what would you be doing?

What I'm doing: 1) developing Dream Yoga to help children and adults free themselves from social scripting and discover their own truth and path; 2) promoting interior life direction through ongoing contact with the divine within and a daily integral life practice; 3) actively promoting steps to reduce global warming; 4) fighting for human rights - at present that is through collecting signatures for the impeachment of Bush and Cheney.

What is the most important thing you have learned in your life?

Not to take myself seriously and not to take anything personally, because none of it's about me since there is no "me" to protect or that can be hurt or die.

Describe a belief that you previously held and then subsequently changed. What caused you to change your mind?

What caused me to change my mind about the above was interviewing many different aspects of myself, either dream characters or personifications of waking life issues, over the years, and slowly growing into a sense of self that is not based on my physical, emotional, cultural, or mental identity.

Who do you admire most in the world (past and/or present) and why?

Mahayana Buddhist master Nagarjuna, because he taught a simple, effective form of meditation that quickly accesses causal, or formless mind. This form of selflessness transcends fear, attachment, and creates a consciousness and lifestyle that heals everything it touches. When it is generalized into a way of living there is freedom from fear and suffering.

Ken Wilber, because his model creates a cognitive structure that promotes the evolution of consciousness beyond identification with the personal,which it sorely needs.

At this turbulent moment in history, what do you think is the most important thing a person can do to help humankind (and the rest of the planet) survive the many dangers that confront us?

Gandhi said, "Be the change you want to see in the world." That pretty much sums it up, doesn't it?

What are your answers to the big questions: Who are we? Where are we from? Why are we here? Where are we headed?

Who we are: temporary forms evolved for the purpose of the manifestation of pure consciousness or spirit;
We are from unconscious spirit; spirit unaware of itself;
We are here as means for spirit to become conscious, to become aware of itself, to wake up. It's not about us.
We are headed toward full wakefulness, otherwise called "enlightenment." This is a state of non-attachment and love-based service to all.
This process doesn't stop. Deep listening to our potential selves awakens the next step in our healing, balancing, and transformation.

Why did you decide to join this community?

David's spirit, insistent search for truth, his persistent willingness to question all perspectives, his non-judgmentalness on a personal level, and his determination to amplify these values in the hearts and minds of individuals everywhere.