Inviting People and their Dreams to Participate

     A letter of invitation describing the purposes and
nature of the proposed project was prepared. The
project was conceived as a 28-day venture in dreaming,
and, consistent with our research ideal, it was intended
to be both a helpful home-study experience with dreams,
as well as a data-based research experiment. The project
was described as serving multiple purposes within the
overall theme of establishing a relationship to dreams as
an educational resource.
      In order to promote dream recall through detailed
attention to dreams, and to collect data on dream recall,
the letter explained that the backbone of the project
would be the daily use of a specially designed dream
recall tally sheet. To promote self-observation and
reflection concerning the correlates of dream recall and
of dream study, and to provide data for evaluating the
effects of the project, a series of questionnaires was to be
completed before and after the project. Finally, in order
to engage dreams in an active undertaking and to
explore their possibilities for use as a personal resource,
there would be a sequence of weekly exercises for
inspirational writing in a dream journal. The partici-
pants' dreams and reactions to these exercises would
provide another source of data by which to evaluate the
project.
      The letter explained the necessary commitments to
participate in the project. The procedure required to
complete the various aspects of the project was outlined
in detail. A $7.00 registration fee was required, so that
participants would share in the cost of the research.
Finally, prospective participants were urged to consult
their dreams before committing themselves to the
project. This last aspect of the invitation proved to be
important in setting the tone of our venture.
      There were two reasons for the suggestion that
prospective participants initially consult their dreams.
First, it seemed advisable to provide an opportunity for
the person's unconscious to respond to the prospect of

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