If someone told you that there was something that spoke to you every night, that consistently presented you with truths about your life and your soul's journey, that was specifically and uniquely created just for you, that offered to guide you throughout your lifetime, that was a source of profound truth and wisdom, and that this wisdom is given to you every night while you sleep -- wouldn't you be astonished and VERY curious as to the nature and source of this wisdom? Well, guess what! This source of truth and wisdom which speaks to you every night is your DREAMS. It is my belief, and the belief of people since man first began to tell stories around the camp fire, that dreams rise up from a deep inner source of wisdom. This inner source has been defined in many ways -- God, our unconscious, the Collective Unconscious, the Great Spirit, etc. Every spiritual tradition has defined dreams as holding tremendous healing power providing us with a compass to guide us on our life's journey. The, "Buddha told of five dreams that caused his spiritual awakening...Mohammed received his own spiritual calling from a dream that inspired the sacred Muslim holy book -- the Qur'an...the Old Testament emphasized the importance of dreams when God spoke to Moses, saying, 'If there be a prophet among you I will...speak to him in a dream.' Jacob of course, dreamed of a ladder to heaven on top of which God stood and promised that Jacob's offspring would spread throughout the world. In the Christian tradition Joseph is told of the source of Mary's pregnancy in a dream and instructed to name the child Jesus. In Native American and many other indigenous cultures dreams have always been an integral part of the spiritual life of the community, used to teach, guide, heal, and prophesy." (Gordon, D. Mindful Dreaming) When we begin to listen to and learn from our dreams we join a vast community of wisdom seekers.
I have been fortunate to study Projective Dreamwork with Jeremy Taylor, a world-renowned author and dream worker and one of the founders of the Association for the Study of Dreams. With over 40 years of dreamwork experience he has created an approach to understanding our dreams that is direct, profoundly simple and brilliantly effective. In doing Projective Dreamwork with clients I have noticed remarkable growth and healing -- in spite of overwhelmingly difficult life circumstances. Without directly targeting issues such as emotional eating, childhood trauma, negative and false self-beliefs, and addictions, Projective Dreamwork leads to resolution, acceptance and healing.
Dreams can be confusing because they don't usually speak in the language of the waking world -- they speak in their own language of symbolism and myth. Our job is to learn this language. Some of this language is "universal" and some is uniquely individual. The exploration of dreams is juicy and fun!
One of the most healing aspects of Projective Dreamwork is that it nurtures a client's relationship with his or her own self. If we consider emotional difficulties as arising from a breakdown in the relationship with the self then Projective Dreamwork helps to repair that breakdown. When our relationship with our own self is strong and healthy this enhances our ability to endure and thrive in spite of life's inevitable ups and downs. And this healthy partnership with the self gives us a life worth living.
One last thing...it is helpful to remember that ALL DREAMS come in the service of health and wholeness. There are no bad dreams...
Please check out my blog: www.ifthisweremydream.blogspot.com
Also, check out Jeremy Taylor's website: www.jeremytaylor.com
