Have you ever woken from a dream wondering what it meant? Perhaps you felt as if the dream held a significant meaning? Or the dream was so bizarre, you had no idea where it came from? I, for one, had no idea there were a collection of tunnels under my house that led to…….an arcade. (I was a bit disappointed in the dream that it didn’t lead to somewhere more magical or to a treasure chamber, but I was happy to get my Skee-Ball game on.)
I was delighted to discover Dreamwork classes in my Spiritual Direction studies. Participating in these classes have shown me the importance of paying attention to our dreams and what they may be trying to tell us.
What is Dream Work?
Dreamwork is a tool which enriches our connection to our psyche and to God. Studying dreamwork helps us in our spiritual formation and may in turn strengthen our relationship with God.
Dreamwork allows us to explore and interpret messages and symbols in our dreams. We find the multiple meanings a dream may express to us and use the messages to help us in our waking, conscious lives.
Dreams are part of ourselves, the world and the subconscious reflected to us as our body regenerates while we sleep. We are often given insights or discernment in our life and work through our dream worlds. In discussing dreams with others, whether a trusted friend, a spiritual director or in a dreamwork group, we can often peel away the multiple meanings found within our dreams. There is a benefit to acknowledging our dreams both in a physical and psychological way. In fact, our entire body benefits from the habit of getting quality sleep regularly.
Dreams can change the world.
Dreams have helped scientists and innovators change the world for the better. A dream of Einstein’s produced the Theory of Relativity. The chemist, Dmitri Mendeleev, dreamed of The Periodic Table before it became a reality. The atom, along with a new field of aromatic chemistry, was discovered after August Kekulé’s dream brought the answers he had been searching for in his research.
The fields of psychology to neuroscience have helped uncover the power of our subconscious and how dreaming plays a role in uncovering wisdom. Neuroscience studies are starting to understand why sleep is so important and why dreams actually can have meaning for us.
Dreams have also brought us entertainment. Movies such as Inception and The Terminator were inspired by dreams, as were literature marvels such as Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. So too, did The Beatles’ song ‘Yesterday.’ Paul McCartney came up with the melody which came to him in a dream. He woke up and quickly went to the piano to play it so he wouldn’t forget. The song ranked number one in the US charts.
The Bible has a plethora of dreams both in the Old and New Testaments which show the power of dreams and how it connects us to God. Jacob sees angels on a ladder in his dream. He pledges himself to God because of this dream. (Genesis 28:12). Jesus’ earthly father, Joseph, had many dreams which all led to protecting Jesus from harm. One example, Joseph was warned in a dream to flee to Egypt to avoid the wrath of King Herod. (Matthew 2). I fully believe the dreams we have today can connect us to God and also understand ourselves more fully.
The Benefits of Dream Work
Dreamwork can be a bridge to the very nature of God; we cannot ignore the messages God may be giving us through our dreams. Dreams can connect us to God and what He has revealed to us can be transformational, if we take the time to access our inner consciousness.
Also, by exploring the messages and symbols in dreams, we can gain a deeper understanding of our subconscious mind. This understanding can help us identify patterns and themes in our lives, and gain insights into personal strengths and weaknesses. This allows us to better understand ourselves, our motivations, our personalities, and vulnerabilities. This work towards self-knowledge can be a tool to live an enhanced spiritual life. Working with others in Dreamwork can enhance this self-discovery experience. Each dream individually shared in a group may teach a lesson uniquely for each student. This shows the universal and relational language which is dreams.
Keeping a Dream Journal
One of the first steps to take is to start a dream journal. I try to write down my dreams as soon as I have them, though if a dream wakes me up at 2 am and I’m exhausted, I will try to write down just a quick synopsis and hope to remember the rest later. For some people, they can’t remember their dreams, but they can remember and image, symbol, or person in the dream. This is fine. In one dreamwork group I attended; we spent 30 minutes just focusing on one dream image. It was fascinating how one short dream image can be so universal.
I have a notebook, pen and a penlight sitting on my bedside table. Others prefer using a digital medium. The important thing is to record them.
Increasing Self-Awareness
Usually, people will have a reoccurring theme which appear in dreams. The themes will probably show some kind of significance to your waking-life. Also, being aware of your dreams can bring insight into additional understanding of your subconscious mind. This can help you see your personality traits and help you see your strengths in addition to your weaknesses.
Processing Difficult Emotions
Dreams may help us detach from overly strong emotions which we can better process in our personal dream world. By exploring these dreams in waking life, it can help us develop and move forward from difficult past experiences.
Guidance
There are many instances in the Bible where God offers guidance and hope in dreams to those in need. Dreams, in general, can also provide guidance in our waking life.
Going back to my Tunnel/ Skee-Ball dream, the tunnels represent how I’m personally going through several changes in my life which I’m finding disorienting at times. I have several paths to choose from. The Skee-Ball? This reminded me of the ideal of Holy Play. Holy Play is the practice of spending time with God by using our God-given creativity and joy in worship. I had gotten stuck in all I had to do that I wasn’t practicing self-care or allowing myself any joy or fun. I actually scheduled myself a play day, no joke. It ended up being exactly what I needed at that time.
Dreams could give creative solutions to our problems, if we allow ourselves the time to acknowledge and analyze them.
More Information:
Sacred Journey – Thought, Word & Deed (katierea.com)
See also my blog post on The Benefits of a Nightmare – In Thought, Word & Deed (katierea.com)
DREAM GROUPS – FIRE BY NIGHT Dreamwork group by Laura who is also affiliated with Wisdom Tree Collective.
Classes, Groups, Retreats (wisdomtreecollective.com)
Greatest Scientific Discoveries That Were Made in Dreams | Mattress Online
Works based on dreams – Wikipedia
50 Movies About Dreams (listchallenges.com)
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