Group dream work: a holistic resource for oncology nurses.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To explore dream work as a possible means for nurses to increase self-understanding and problem solving in personal and professional life. DESIGN Hermeneutic phenomenologic, descriptive, and interpretive. SETTING A comprehensive cancer center in the southern United States. SAMPLE Six nurses with a mean age of 40 and 1-10 years of oncology nursing experience. METHODS Interviews, guided by descriptive and interpretive phenomenology, were conducted with nurses before and one and six months after they participated in eight weekly sessions of a group focused on dream work. Phenomenologic analysis was done on verbatim transcriptions of all interviews. FINDINGS Nurses found value in participating in dream groups, including having more open discussions about feelings and death, managing difficult situations, and attending to patients in the present. CONCLUSIONS The value of learning to attend to dreams may be subtle but has value to nurses. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING Incorporating dream work is one holistic intervention that may be useful to improve job satisfaction, communication, and relationships in this time of nursing shortage.