Short biography of Gayle Delaney

Short biography of Gayle Delaney

Written by David Barth
July 2009.

This is a short biography of Gayle Delaney.

Unlike authorized biographies, this one has been partially fabricated in order to fill in many unknowns in Dr. Delaney's exciting life. However, much of the information herein is true. It is hoped that this document will convey who Dr. Delaney really is, and the unusual life-thread she has pursued.

Dr. Delaney was born into a well-to-do family in New Jersey. A primary and persistent driving force in her was to be recognized and accepted. She wanted to make a difference in the world, to leave a valuable legacy to mankind. If she received recognition as a child, it is unknown to this author. Sometimes, a child who grows up without something ensures that when he or she grows up, that want is absolutely and thoroughly satisfied.

At least from a material aspect, little Gayle never wanted for anything. This imbued her with the attitude that only the best, regardless of cost, was to be hers. At an early age, Gayle decided that whatever she did, she wanted to do it better than anyone else. To say that she is driven to succeed would be a fact.

She did well in grade school and aspired to attend college. She found that she enjoyed languages and for her, learning them was easy. Gayle became fluent in Italian, French, Spanish, Swedish, and Russian. At the age of 20 she took up residence in France to study political science.

Upon returning to the U.S., she entered Princeton where she earned an undergraduate degree with highest honors in 1972. After Princeton, she moved to California where she received a masters degree in 1975 from California State University, again with highest honors. She received a PhD in psychology in 1977 and opened a private practice, specializing in dream analysis.

Thoughtfully, her parents set up a trust fund for her that was large enough that she would never want for anything the rest of her life. But somehow the fund was derailed and she never saw a penny of it. Perhaps this event spurred her onward to do great things.

In 1978 she married a fellow student, also a psychiatrist. As happens, over time people change, and their relationship ended in 1993. Maybe her career eclipsed his. In any case, they remained on good terms and even provided each other with client referrals.

Dr. Delaney's practice centered on dream analysis, and she became one of the top authorities on the subject, authoring seven books on the subject. Titles of her books include the following. Most are available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

• Living Your Dreams, Harper, 1979
• Breakthrough Dreaming: How to Tap the Power of Your 24-Hour Mind, Bantam, 1991
• New Directions in Dream Interpretation, State University of New York Press, 1992
• Sexual Dreams, Ballantine, 1994
• The Dream Kit: An All-in-One Toolkit for Understanding Your Dreams, HarperSanFrancisco (San Francisco, CA), 1995
• In Your Dreams: Falling, Flying, and Other Dream Themes: A New Kind of Dream Dictionary, HarperSanFrancisco (San Francisco, CA), 1997
• All About Dreams: Everything You Need to Know about Why We Have Them, What They Mean, and How to Put Them to Work for You, HarperSanFrancisco (San Francisco, CA), 1998

She has contributed to many other books, written articles for several periodicals, and created instructional videos.

As her fame spread across the nation, she was called upon to be a regular and a return guest on numerous television talk shows, including:

• Oprah Winfrey
• Good Morning America
• The Sonja Show
• Merv Griffin

She was a dream analyst on various television stations, including:

• KGO-TV, San Francisco, CA, 1979-82
• ABC-TV, Los Angeles, CA, 1980-81
• KPIX-TV, San Francisco, 1982-88

She became the radio host on several shows, including "Dream Talk with Dr. Gayle Delaney" on KVI-Radio, Seattle, in 1982.

She has lectured around the world on dreaming, presenting in the English and French languages.

It has been reported that Dr. Delaney is writing a new book on relationships which will certainly be a hit in this time of uncertainty where the poor economy and job instability place undue stress on couples.

Dr. Delaney's additional accomplishments include:

• Dream counselor in private practice, established in 1979, to consult with individuals and organizations in interpersonal conflict and creative problem solving.
• Assistant professor at the California Institute of Integral Studies, 1980 to the present.
• Co-director and co-founder of Delaney and Flowers Professional Dream and Consultation Center, San Francisco since 1981.
• Visiting Associate Professor at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology since 1987.
• Founding president of the Association for the Study of Dreams (ASD), where she lectures, authors books, and writes columns about the practical application of nocturnal problem-solving and unconscious thought processes for decision-making and problem-solving.

Her books have sold well, her practice has blossomed, and Dr. Delaney has become quite wealthy. She acquired a palatial mansion on a hill top in Mill Valley, California. The house had been built by an underworld leader, and when he was arrested, Gayle was at the right place at the right time to purchase the extraordinary house. This magnificent edifice was too large to sit on the top of the hill, so multiple levels were built down the hillsides, sort of like wood and masonry waterfalls issuing from the main fount at the top.

It has been said (but not verified) that the house has 17,000 square feet of living space. Reports are that it has many deluxe appointments, including indoor and outdoor swimming pools. The one that is outdoors is said to be an infinity pool where the sides of it cannot be seen when the pool is full.

Dr. Delaney furnished her home with exquisite furniture and valuable antiques. It is truly a showplace befitting the super star she has become. She is wealthy and she can afford to be extravagant.

Somewhere along the way, Dr. Delaney met an ice skater of exceptional ability. In fact, at one time he was a national judge in that difficult sport. She took a liking to him, and he trained her in ice dancing as well as in pairs skating during a period of many years. They skated professionally, and she became a United States Figure Skating Association (USFSA) Gold Medalist, a level attained by only the very best ice skaters.

Her mentor is an exceptional skater who has a great sense of humor and wit. It is not implausible that in a vote of who would most likely be "the life of the party," he would win. He is a very outgoing person who was a sales executive for a major railroad. In that position, his humor and ability to sell refrigerators to Eskimos caused him to become a top manager in the company with many salesmen across the nation reporting to him. But this man is very humble and will not admit to having made any special accomplishments during his career. His goal is to have as much fun as possible in life, and it is obvious to all who know him that he is succeeding.

Although he is the center of attention in a group of people (he knows everybody and everybody knows him), he enjoys the outdoors, being by himself, fishing the cool streams and lakes in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho.

He is the type of person anyone would want as a friend. Although he can see the humorous side of every situation, if he knew that a friend needed a shirt, he would give that person the one off his own back. He is generous to a fault.

Somewhere along the way, he and Gayle took up ballroom dancing. It is not known if either she or he had a background in this difficult pastime, but they became quite adept at the sport.

As with ice skating, Gayle was a quick study learning steps on the oaken floor. Not only does she excel in the fields of psychology, dream analysis, and writing, but she is extremely talented when it comes to learning sports such as skating and dancing. These abilities have brought her much recognition.

Another significant teacher entered her life. He was classically-trained in the European style of ballroom dancing, and he showed Gayle some of the classical steps and moves. He also ice-dances, and they perform beautifully together, both in the ballroom as well as on the frozen liquid surface.

This second gentleman, originally from Ireland, has traveled the globe, is a former top engineer for several major corporations doing work for space and military agencies, and brings with him an attention to detail that may be a result of his engineering background. His personality is that of a quiet, thoughtful man who has a sharp wit, a great sense of humor, an amazing intelligence, and a demeanor that, somehow, attracts women like flies, causing most men to be envious of his skills with the opposite sex. Women actually unabashedly follow him around. But not Dr. Delaney. She is her own person, and she interacts with this man as a dance and skating partner. As with all of her partners, she learns new steps, new routines, and she considered this man another mentor. He is astonished at her grace, poise, ability, and short, steep learning curve.

She invited this man to one of her many speaking engagements because she was very appreciative of his support and help. She decided to share some of her fame with him. At the presentation where the audience numbered in the thousands, the host of the event stood at the podium and gave Dr. Delaney a lengthy introduction, as is obvious from her many accomplishments, noted above. When he was finished, she went forward to the podium, thanked the host for his kind introduction, squinted into the audience through the spotlights, and asked if G---- G---- was in the house. (We'll keep his identity confidential). Silence followed. She asked the question again. She said, "If you're in the audience, please stand up!" Well, the man knew he couldn't dodge any longer, so he slowly got to his feet. When she saw him stand, she said, "Ladies and gentlemen, before I begin my talk, I'd like you to meet the man standing. His name is G---- G----, and not only is he my dancing teacher, he is an outstanding dancing teacher. I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce to you this great man." A thunderous applause roared through the auditorium, so loud it could be heard by passersby on the sidewalk outside. The man politely nodded to Dr. Delaney and then to the audience, blushed, and sat down.

Not only did this action of Dr. Delaney's illustrate her kindness in giving respect to this man, it reflected her personal confidence in her ability to interact with the audience in an ad hoc way, and her ability to control events with aplomb.

She had invited the man to her lecture, introduced him to thousands of strangers, and the audience had automatically bestowed upon him their adulation and approval because he was her friend and mentor. She established her greatness by introducing him. She had shown the audience her humanity, her kindness, and that she had respect for her teacher.

After that, throughout her talk, the audience hung on her every word, as though she were someone each of them knew and respected as a personal friend. It is apparent that this incident reflects Dr. Delaney's ability to get and hold the attention of an audience and to amplify her own greatness in the eyes of everyone in attendance.

What more can be said of her? Her accomplishments include a struggle to overcome the loss of a fortune, her rise through the halls of education to earn a doctorate degree, her becoming a world-class ice skater, her ability to "wow them" on the ballroom floor, her understanding of people and of helping them, and through her appreciate for the Arts.

One thing is certain: She will never fit the image of a mousey stay-at-home couch potato who wears her hair in curlers, wears a uniform consisting of fuzzy slippers and a bathrobe, and eats Bon Bons while watching soap operas all day.

Her life would make an entertaining screenplay!