The virtual dream: rewriting stories of loss and grief

In this article, the authors introduce the virtual dream, a technique that entails writing a brief spontaneous dreamlike story on themes of loss, using a flexible set of assigned elements of setting and characterization to scaffold the writing. After providing several examples of virtual dreams written by workshop participants, the authors analyze the frequency of important narrative features in a diverse sample of 143 stories to demonstrate the feasibility and reliability of coding such accounts for clinical or research purposes. Finally, we conclude with some remarks on the therapeutic use of the virtual dream, whether as a prompt for personal reflection on themes of loss, as an exercise in the context of grief workshops or support groups, or as a homework assignment in grief counseling or therapy.