Carla is a very skilled dreamworker with a great depth of knowledge of the language of dreams and metaphor. She is a highly intuitive and compassionate soul who treats each dreamer with sensitivity and respect. I have had the privilege of working with her in many dream circles and sessions over the years and consider Carla a trusted dreamwork colleague. I look forward to working with her more for years to come! Peace and Honey in the Heart, Billie Ortiz, MIPD certified Dreamwork Facilitator http://wakeuptoyourdreams.com

Carla Blowey is one of the most sensitive and insightful dreamworkers I have ever known. Her experience and compassion are just what are called for in this inspiring work with grief and dreams. I have worked with and known Carla for over five years and am honored to have learned much from her generous and wise feedback. Dr. Denise Conner, MIPD certified Dreamwork Facilitator Maryland

We at the Open to Hope foundation have had the privilege of knowing Carla Blowey for over two decades. Our paths crossed unexpectedly, as we both experienced the heartbreak of losing a child. Carla's unwavering dedication to supporting bereaved families, both as a bereaved mother and as a dreamworker, has been nothing short of remarkable. Carla's book, "Dreaming Kevin: The Path to Healing," has touched the lives of many, offering invaluable insights into the healing power of dreams. Her dream workshops, bereavement groups, and work with national bereavement organizations have inspired and uplifted countless individuals on their healing journeys. We are grateful to Carla for her contributions as one of our Open to Hope writers and for her friendship throughout the years. She has shed light on the significance of dream interpretation as a powerful tool in the healing process. Thank you, Carla, for your dedication and for sharing your wisdom with us. Dr. Gloria Horsley – Founder and President of Open to Hope Dr. Heidi Horsley – Executive Director of Open to Hope Dr. Gloria Horsley Open to Hope 1385 Dana Avenue Palo Alto, California, 94301 415-994-8263 opentohope.com datingdoctors.org

It was July 2005, and I was in Boston as a first-time presenter at The Compassionate Friends National Conference, an art therapist and as a bereaved mother, whose seventeen-year-old daughter Kristin, ended her own life. I was facilitating my collage workshop, "The Art of Healing...loss, grief and grace," that introduced participants to a creative approach to healing. On my arrival, I checked out the TCF bookstore, offering hundreds of books on grief and bereavement. I was drawn to one book and finally bought it. I tucked Dreaming Kevin: The Path to Healing into my suitcase, knowing I'd read it in the coming days. On the first morning of the conference, I spotted the one person I knew in a sea of fifteen-hundred attendees. I made my way toward Mitch, hoping there would be an empty seat for me. I sat down as he introduced me to his friend, Carla Blowey, author of Dreaming Kevin. I sensed my movement toward Carla from the night before when I unknowingly bought her book. That moment changed us forever for it set us on a path of friendship, as professionals and as mothers committed to our unique healing journeys. Carla and I sat, we talked, we laughed, we cried. We attended each other's workshops. I was captivated by the journeys we shared, for Carla's dreams and my collage images intermingled, as healing modalities that beckoned us into the depths and back into the light. Carla engaged the elements of her dreams while I engaged the fragments and elements of my collage creations. In the end there was healing. When I met Carla, I was at a crossroads with my professional work as an art therapist. As the Compassionate Friends National Conference came to a close, Carla urged me to consider a synthesis of the various ways I was exploring my own healing as a template for my work with others. As a dream worker, she urged me to combine my creative process of collage with my meditation and dream work. I listened and felt the winds of change blowing through me. When I returned home to Baltimore, I sat in my garden under the shade of our maple tree, and read Dreaming Kevin. "I was overcome by her prophetic dream alerting her to her son's death, and the spirited transmission that would occur for both mother and son. She shared her story with passion.(Strouse, 2013) I was transfixed by this real and honest description of grief, which "involved finding her way into all the elements of her dream so that she could free herself from the guilt she harbored over Kevin's death." (Strouse, 2013) Carla and I see each other at national and regional conferences, where we continue to offer our individual workshops, along with workshops we have developed as co-facilitators. We take particular pleasure, combining dream work and image making, which serve as powerful and transformational experiences for participants. I am blessed to have met Carla, and to have picked up Dreaming Kevin, which introduced me to dream work as a way through grief. I sense Kevin and Kristin's part in bringing us together, and I am grateful. (2014) Sharon Strouse, MA, ATR, art therapist Author of Artful Grief: A diary of healing Cockeysville, MD www.attherefuge.com