Pathways to the Unconscious: The Mystical Power of Dreams
Dana Frayne, Advanced Clinical Fellow
Have you ever woken up from a dream and been stunned by what you just dreamt? You may have had the experience of having a powerful dream and then forgetting what happened in the dream five minutes later. To support you in tracking and reflecting on your dreams, you may want to consider starting a dream journal.
Dream journals are powerful therapeutic tools that can be a dedicated space for documenting what has occurred in your dreams. This can be helpful in both remembering your dreams and also tracing themes that have reoccurred over time. A dream journal doesn’t have to be a physical journal - it could be a sketchbook with drawings or an audio library for verbal recordings of your dream reflections. One of the magical aspects of dreamwork is that there is no wrong way to engage with your dreams!
Here are some questions to get you started on your dream journal:
Are there people, animals, or places that you recognize in your dreams?
What symbols or themes reappear in your dreams?
How do you feel when you wake up?
Do you feel like there are any external influences on your dreams (for example, does eating right before going to sleep affect your dreams?)
The processing of dreams, formally known as dreamwork, can be a welcome part of your journey in better understanding yourself. Sometimes our dreams can tell us things that we may be too afraid to say ourselves, and a therapist can be an important sounding board in reflecting on your dream’s content and impact. Depending on your therapist’s style and approach, they may ask you a series of questions about the dream to get a better understanding of the dream.
There are many approaches to integrating and interpreting dream content, and I personally align with Carl Jung’s approach to dreams. Jung presented the foundational idea that dreams are tied to each individual’s creative unconscious: “Dreams are neither mere reproductions of memories nor abstractions from experience. They are the undisguised manifestations of unconscious creative activity.” (Source: Jungian Center for the Spiritual Sciences)
Dreamwork is a space to follow your intuition - following whatever feels most aligned for you in processing your dreams is likely how it will be the most powerful for you. Your dreams are welcome in the therapeutic space at Intuitive Healing, and you’re invited to bring your dreams into your therapy sessions here!