How would I benefit from dream work?

       Dream exploration sparks our creativity, stimulates curiosity,and tells us what we are processing while we sleep – the feelings and thoughts we are accepting, what we predict will happen, and what we need to let go of. In his book, Where People Fly And Water Runs Uphill, Jeremy Taylor says, “No dream comes just to tell the dreamer what he or she already knows.” This simple statement surprises people who believe they know instantly what a dream means, as well as those who dismiss dreams as nonsensical.

Neurologists say that the dream state, known as REM (“rapid eye movement”), coincides with the period during sleep when information moves from short-term memory into long-term memory. Doesn’t that make you wonder what’s buzzing around in your brain during your REM state?

       Dr. John Kappas, the founder of the Hypnosis Motivation Institute, calls the dreams that take place in the last one third of a night’s sleep “venting” dreams. “These dreams are the most important to dream analysis since they represent traumas, doubts, and fears that you are removing from your past and present. They reflect that which you no longer need to hold on to.

      Taylor tells us that all dreams come in the service of health and wholeness. When we accept this concept, we understand that nightmares vent our fears in order to help us heal and they contain clues that point to the road to recovery.

The depressed dreamer whose mind has recurring depressive dreams – which may be suppressed from waking memory – is well served by training his mind. Instead of waking up depressed, he learns to remember his nightmare and says, “Good venting job! Now I can move on away from that mess. Let’s see if there’s a clue that will point me to an action step.”

When the conscious mind is trained in what to do with the information from the unconscious, the healing potential in dreams is enormous.