Spirituality and Self Help
Hanusia
Working With Dreams
In the first article, I outlined the assumptions and background to doing
dreamwork as a part of counselling and for self-improvement. In this
piece, I will lay out the process of mining the richness of our dreams.
First of all, recalling them is necessary. For those who do not do so
easily, there are a couple of things that can assist you. Firstly, fall
asleep with the intention of recalling your dreams. This is a way of
focusing the mind and establishing a desire and expectation, in much the
same way as athletes focus on their goal.
Secondly, have a light, a writing pad and pen available right at your
bedside, so that you don’t even have to get out of bed to record the
dream. If putting on the light will disturb your bedmate, then get a
little flashlight or a small lamp that ‘s not too bright. It is best to
write the dream down before you start moving around. One theory is that
even moving your body around the room or house engages different areas
of the brain from those involved in dreams and so will interfere with
recall. On a practical level, once we get up for the day, it is almost
inevitable that we begin to fill our minds with where we have to go,
what to wear, what to eat, what to take with us and so on. Those
problem-solving tasks and their details distract our minds very quickly
from the creative process that is dreaming.
Know that your recall will vary in detail and accuracy over time. Some
dreams leave very strong impressions and others are vaporous. Waking up
to an alarm clock may also interrupt your natural sleep cycle, so you
may have more luck when you can sleep in. Or, if you’re really keen, go
to bed a little earlier, so that you’ll be farther along into dreams by
the time the alarm goes off.
Write out the dream in as much detail as you can recall. If it’s really
complex, sketch out the basics and then you can fill them in as you work
it through. Note locations, characters, plot, feelings and any bodily
sensations. Include things that you realize in the dream, no matter
whether or not it makes sense that you know it. Don’t get bogged down by
the fact that your grade 3 teacher was driving the bus when you know the
teacher was a male. Just write it down as accurately as possible.
Now begin with the location – describe it. What kind of place is it?
What do we know about places like that? What goes on there? For instance
– a school is a place of learning. It is an institution, an
organization. Many people go there to learn the same thing. There are
rules and expectations. What kind of feeling or impression did you have
about the place in the dream? Active, full of life? Empty and hollow?
Scary or welcoming?
The next question is, which of these impressions stands out in your
mind? Regardless of the fact that 99% of the population may like
Christmas, for instance, don’t assume that it’s a happy time. Go with
your personal impression, especially if it is strong in the dream.
The crucial next step is what dream expert Gayle Delaney calls a
“bridge”. What is there in your current life that has the same sort of
feeling or impression? Don’t worry whether it sounds logical or not.
Just go with your gut feeling. For example, if in your dream you go to
the basement of your workplace and you think of basements as places
where secrets and histories are kept, then what is going on in your life
that has that same character to it? It may not be about work in
particular.
Now proceed through the rest of the locations, characters and story
line. Describe each one as if someone had never heard of it before. You
want to capture the essence of it, but always focus on the particular
impression that fits for you. Listen to your body. Often, when we
identify the characteristic that really “hits home” there is a body
sensation that underlines this for us. For some people it’s an “aha”
feeling. Some get a settling in or dropping into place in the centre of
their body. Others get a tingling or flash in their brain. Learn your
own cues.
It is also useful to ask how this story ended, though not all plots have
a clear ending. What was needed to bring the story to conclusion? Does
that reflect some unfinished process in your life? What were the allies
or antagonists in the story? Even if you don’t get the plot line
clearly, note the feeling tone, any sensory impressions (sounds,
feelings, tastes, temperature, etc.). What emotional impression did you
have as you awakened from the dream? That in itself can be very
instructive. Anything you can recall is grist for the mill.
Working with dreams takes time and practice. Working with a friend or a
dream group or an experienced dream worker can be very rewarding. Beware
of self-proclaimed experts who purport to simply tell you what your
dreams mean. They are unlikely to know you and your personal symbolic
language well enough to take more than generally educated guesses.
Next : social and cross-cultural common language.
