Daydreams as entry points to counter stories — Hong-Ru Liang

This paper explores using clients’ self-reported reveries or daydreams as entry points to counter stories. Daydreams can represent moments of resistance to social expectations: small cracks in the walls of separation that oppressive discourses can build between people and their hopes and values. This paper shares conversations that emerged from attending to people’s daydreams, using narrative enquiries to explore the ways in which daydreams might represent the ‘yang’ that counters the ‘yin’ of the problem story, and helping to balance oppressive discourses by raising the status of treasured values and meaningful people and relationships. Reveries can represent alternative sites from which to explore and practice our values and principles.