This 2^nd part of the “Working With the Dream” series, is dedicated to images and the importance of changing them upon awakening.

1. What is an Image:

o An Image is a likeness or representation

o Images in dreams are an embodiment of qualities within our being

o In Gerald Epstein’s, Waking Dream Therapy: dream process as imagination, he states that an image is “ the concretizations of emotions. …Exploration of the imaginal realm, is in effect the immersion of oneself in emotion.”

2. Value of Changing Images:

o Using our Will

o Emotional Freedom: Freedom in daily life

o Making clearer decisions in Waking Life

o Creating new: Acts as a catalyst for change in Waking Life

o Moving forward

o Confidence

o Better physical health

o Become own authority

3. Who is Who in the Dream:

o All in a dream is an aspect of self

o You in a dream is who you id with in Waking Life

o When seeing others in a dream, they are who you identify on a “subconscious level” – they are there to show other aspects of yourself that you may need to be in touch with to move forward in life

4. How to Change a Dream:

The following is something very similar to what I say to client

1. Sit with you spine straight, feet on the floor, and your hands on knees, now close you eyes (this is pharaos position)

2. State your intention for changing the dream

3. Through your nose inhale to the count of 6 and exhale to the count of 8 – do this 3x

4. Begin to breath gently and evenly

5. In your minds eye, see your self at the most climatic part of the dream and know that in your imagination anything is possible, that by using your intention and will to change the images (outcome of the dream), you become the authority of your life, ultimately changing your inner and outer world more to your liking

6. When you are complete, exhale one time and open your eyes

7. For 21 days do the exercise seeing the outcome of the new dream

Working the Dream: Part 1

This blog is intended to share how to begin working with dreams. Before, I pass along the basic questions to ask upon awakening it is important to go over some fundamental concepts.

Fundamentals:

• When writing or speaking of a dream do so in the present tense. This allows feelings to come to surface and triggers memories of the dream. Begin the sentence with I am

• Generally, dream journals should be clear of lines. Remember, in dreams we are working with the limitless and non-linear aspects of our being. Often our dreams are speaking to us on how to be free of constraints. Additionally, you may be inclined to draw images from dreams

• To get the most out of working with dreams we must be honest with what is

• Night Dreams are a mirror of Waking Life

• We are all in the process of becoming

• We have the ability to use our free will to align us with the best of ourselves

The basic questions that give the overview of the dream:

1. How do I feel upon awakening? The feeling shares the present emotion around the waking life issue and often the predominant mood/feeling for the day ahead.

I feel __________

Ask yourself: Where in your life are you feeling this way?

2. What is the setting of the dream? The setting shares where you are in your inner life.

I am in __________

Ask yourself: What comes to your mind when you think of this place?

3. What is the main drama or most climatic part of the dream?

After these questions are answered put it into a sentence. Here are a few examples:

I am confused in Paris having coffee, the table is missing a leg and my 2nd grade teacher is the waitress

I am happy on an elevator going up to the 70th floor, when i get out of elevator there is a party for me

I am nervous on a British Airways plane heading to Oregon, there are only 10 other passengers

The information here is enough to start the process of dreamwork. In the next blog, I will discuss the importance and process of changing images within dreams upon awakening.

Dreamwork: The Way to Your Inner World

Dreamwork, is one of the premier modalities applied in the promotion of holistic healing and self-realization. Night Dreams provides access to an aspect of our being that has not only witnessed our past, but also provides insight to our present and awareness of future possibilities.

The importance of dreams can be seen throughout instances of major historical and religious events. Notable figures such as Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain and Harriet Tubman have made history shaping decisions based on dreams. Harriet Tubman believed after waking from a dream, that if she continued on her chosen path of freedom for the refugees, slave traders would capture them. Additionally, she believed that the new path shown in the dream would lead to freedom. In the end, her predictions rang true.1 In the Bible, Joseph’s interpretation and advice given of the Pharaoh's dreams enabled the Pharaoh to prepare for the extreme poverty yet to come, resulting in an adequate supply of food during the years of the famine.

Dreamwork was introduced to me by my teacher, Dr. Peter Reznik (http://drpeterreznik.com/), who was a student of Collette Aboulker-Muskat, (1902-2003, http://www.altjn.com/ideas/light_imagination.htm). Collette was a woman that dedicated her life to truth and healing. She helped students cultivate their physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. It is from this lineage that I have come to understand and implement the use of Night Dreams for my personal well-being as well as the well-being of my clients and students.

Dreamwork is a Mind-Body therapy that provides a means of discovering our personal truths in all aspects of life. Night Dreams represent the non-linear language of images, symbols and quantities that mirror waking life. Dreams depict our personal, cultural and religious beliefs, as well as our emotional and physical challenges, and our relationship to ourselves, others and environment. Dreams provide answers and advice to life’s situations. After a dream, should we choose to apply this information to our waking lives, decision-making is often easier because the information from dreams is received from an aspect of ourselves that has ties to our past, present and future.

The following lists major principles of Dreamwork:

Night Dreams are a mirror of a Waking Life

Night Dreams are a true reality

Night Dreams reflect underlying cultural, religious, familial and personal beliefs

Night Dreams reflect the relationships between ourselves, others and the environment

Invisible creates the Visible

Life is in the process of becoming

This blog has been created for individuals with an interest in studying their dreams and developing abilities to work with them. In the next blog, I will introduce 3 basic steps to working with dreams upon awakening.

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1 Robert Moss, The Secret History of Dreaming, (New World Library, 2009), Pg. 196