SERIOUSLY SPEAKING - DREAMWORK 102

Like most aspects of human behavior, there are nearly as many theories about the nature of dreams as there are dreamers…

So, since we have a choice about how to understand our dreams, why not choose the most useful and pragmatic approach?

We can view our dreams as extensions of our daytime selves - as extra goodies in our tool chest of understanding ourselves and our own reactions to the world around us.

DANCE WITH IT!   EXPERIENTIAL APPS           

An opportunity to experiment with some fun

ideas...

USING YOUR DREAMS

We can think of dreams as short hand text messages to our daytime selves.

Just like a text message uses coded abbreviations to get the point across quickly, so our dreams give us fragments loaded with useful information.

DECODING

*Keep a writing instrument near your bed and jot down your dream or fragment of a dream even if it sounds like nonsense.

* Add whatever you are feeling in the moment you are writing the dream.

* Check out all your sensory clues - taste, smell, colors, sounds - jot down whatever comes to mind.

*Try 'acting out' the images that show up in your dream.  Let these images have a 'voice'.

For example:

You dream about a large shoe… 

Imagine you are the shoe and talk as the shoe - 

"I'm a large shoe and …"  (fill in the blank with whatever images, thoughts, silliness come to your mind.)  

For instance you might say: 

"I'm a large shoe and I like to stomp around…"  (What does this tell you?  Do you need more activity in your life?  Are you feeling angry?) 

Or you might say:  

"I'm a large shoe and I don't fit anyone's foot." (What might this be telling you?  Are you feeling left out? Lonely?)

You get the idea.

All of these little fragments can clarify what you are feeling and dealing with in the moment.  

Your dreams give you information about yesterday's events, today's hopes, unfinished business and feelings that aren't resolved. 

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