Introduction to Dreaming With Your Eyes Open

By Lisa Medoff, Ph.D (Organizer)

I write this narrative as an introduction to the following series of papers which were submitted to the Academy for a film series workshop entitled "Dreaming With Your Eyes Open." This project can perhaps be distinguished from other film commentaries in that it was created from the philosophical premise 'life imitates art,' that is; as opposed to the more colloquial phrase 'art imitates life.' Within this context, human experience as interpreted through the art of film, served as a vivid portrayal of why one might pursue a phenomenological understanding of the mind, over simply agreeing to adopt the Psychology advanced by the Medical Model of Psychiatry.

 A random group of consumers at a local bookstore had an opportunity to see and hear the thoughts of different Academy members who chose to present their ideas on particular films. Each discussed the way in which he/she felt our lives reflected film, and shared an understanding of the mind that does not revolve around the notion of psychology as a means to behavioral change. Instead, psychology was presented as an art via which it is the individual him/herself who has the choice of which way to move the paintbrush toward his/her own personal destiny.

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