page3

Theoretical Lenses

Remember that dreams are multidimensional and that theories about dreaming are simply lenses we use to focus upon the specifics in which we are interested.

Psychoanalytic perspectives attend to what we have internalized: the people and situations of the lived world become the props in an internal drama and offer insights into our needs, desires, conflicts, and fears.

Analytical perspectives attend to the props that arise from within our selves and Souls, our individuation process, what we choose to integrate and what we choose to project, and archetypal patterns or blueprints for the human condition.

Existential perspectives focus on the invitations, choices, responsibilities, limitations, and unlived possibilities presented. The emphasis is on being authentic or true to one's Self.

Metaphysical perspectives focus on the Soul process and the possibility that we participate in worlds and realms that exist beyond the material world of time and space.

Questions to Ask of the Dream:

* What are the main points of the dream?
* What details seem significant? Why are they significant?
* What is a one-sentence title for this dream?
* What is a one-word title for this dream?
* What happens at the beginning of the dream? How does the dream start?
* Where are you and what is your role? Do you recognize the world in which you find yourself?
* Who is in the dream? Are they people you know? if not, do the imagined others in your dream remind you of anyone you know in terms of what they do, what they say, what they wear, or how you respond to them?
* What actions do you take in the dream? What actions do others take?
* If the people in the dream were aspects of you, what would they be telling you?
* What is the overall tone of the dream?
* How does the dream compare to your wakened existence? Are there aspects, people, or patterns in the dream that you recognize from your wakened existence or previous dreams?
* What is the dream telling you about your life that you might be overlooking?
* What is the outcome of the dream?
* If you were to live this dream, what would you do differently and why?

One must be cautious with analysis; one can analyse a dream to death, and like the frog, once dissected, the dream cannot live forth and transform one's world. Interpretation also requires caution; one's personal meanings can diverge from that of the collective meaning, and meaning can be, well, pretty mean. As suggested by A Course in Miracles, knowing Truth demands that one first see and understand the error in one's perception. The emphasis of dreamwork, while it does not exclude analysis or interpretation, is to appreciate the dream and understand, recognise and be sensitive and grateful to the dream for the insight it brings. Dreamwork means allowing oneself to be inspired by the dream, to reflect the dream with drawing or telling, to contemplate the possibilities presented, to formulate its meaning, and to develop and take action steps so that the knowledge gained may become wisdom.

Suggested steps are as follows:

Draw the dream--this honours the imagery of the dream and prevents the dream story being distorted by the narrative form.
Tell the dream and note where the dream becomes distorted in the telling. These distortions alert one to understand how ego distorts experience (both dreamed and wakened) in an effort to know what is unknown with the known.
List the people and creatures (known and unknown), landscapes, puns, symbols, names, and numbers and contemplate each; respect the image within its context and maintain awareness of the hidden possibilities. At this point, a dream dictionary may prove helpful, but note that symbols are always unambiguous and that your own personal meaning is more important. For example, the image of a snake is symbolic of the phallus, healing, and deception; Native American beliefs regard snake magic as the most powerful kind of magic. You will know that you have the most correct interpretation when you feel an embodied shift (Gendalin) or "aha" experience (Maslow). The most correct interpretation allows consciousness to shift forward.
Rewrite the dream, paying attention to the process and unfolding, and replacing what you listed with your associations and realizations during contemplation. Again, be aware of the hidden possibilities highlighted.
Rewrite the dream, integrating the process of the dream with the knowledge you have gained in appreciating the meaning of the dream.
Develop action steps based on what you have learned about yourself and the way in which you relate to your world, self, and Self. Out of your understanding may arise choices, the resolve to try a new way of doing something that is not working for you, and the courage to adopt a new way of seeing yourself and being in your life.