AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF PRACTICING TIBETAN DREAM YOGA FOUR FOUNDATIONS ON WAKING LIFE AWARENESS AND DREAMS by Barbara S. Stefik A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Transpersonal Psychology Institute of Transpersonal Psychology Palo Alto, California April 4, 2000 Approved by: ols ¢ Aap Gert? 200 Robert Frager, Ph.D., CommitéeChairperson Date Op 42000 Date 4 Hsbc (ZE [oo Arthur Hastings, PA.D., Dissertation Director Date > fw 4 chi ® Dleg/~ Robett Schmitt, Ph.D., Academic Dean. DateAbstract An Exploratory Study Of The Effects Of Practicing Tibetan Dream Yoga Four Foundations ‘On Waking Life Awareness and Dreams by Barbara S. Stefik Spiritual practices of Eastem traditions are reported to have life changing effects. increasing awareness and equanimity. Can these effects be quantitatively and qualitatively measured? Can they enhance life in the rhythms of Wester living? This dissertation studied the Tibetan dream yoga practices of the indigenous Bén religion. It concentrated on the four foundations of Tibetan dream yoga. traditionally used in monastic life. This study involved 10 women and 2 men, ranging in age from 26 to 65 years with various spiritual orientations. The study had two parts: developing a training and evaluating the effects of the practice. Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. a lama in the Bon tradition. guided the researcher in developing the training. The researcher gave 2 1/2 hours of weekly instruction to a class of dream yoga participants over 8 weeks. The study yielded quantitative and qualitative results. Two standard instruments were administered: the Egocentric Grasping Inventory (EGO) and the Personal Orientation Inventory (POI). Participants completed daily practice logs. dream recording reports, and weekly homework assignments. After the course participants completed a questionnaire and were interviewed. Quantitative results were assessed using statistical cross tabulations producing chi-square results. Resultsshowed a statistically significant increase in participants’ understanding of their karmic traces, (p (=.019) <.05, df = 1), and less identification with thoughts and emotions as a result of the practice (p (= .020) <.05, df= 1). Participants’ amount of practice correlated with their level of present centeredness (p (= .003) <.01), df = 72). Participants recognized specific instances of grasping and aversion (p (= .000) < 1, df'= 10), developed a sense of joy and curiosity in their practice (p (= .012) <.05. df = 2). and saw life as a teacher towards greater awareness (p (= .002) <01. df= 2). Qualitative results were informed by qualitative content analysis. The practices showed promise for awareness training for Westerners.