God Works the Night Shift
Y* God Works the Night Shift
God Works the Night Shift
Harnessing the power of your dreams
By Nancy Worley
At the edge of the mind lies a hidden creator of high drama, a virtual compass that guides us back to the core of our inner terrain and supplies foolproof feedback about our lives.
The mystical, marvelous, magical--and sometimes fearful and misunderstood--realm of dreams awaits us every night, offering a wellspring of self-awareness we can use for personal growth and even professional achievement.
Dreams have played a significant role in every major religion and have even led to scientific discoveries and inventions. Unfortunately, in Western thought, dreams are frequently discounted or dismissed. As a result, few people choose to explore the rich, fascinating world they actually visit every night. In fact, most completely ignore it.
Dreams speak to us through metaphor and symbols. They offer ways to reframe and look at problems from different perspectives and broaden our horizons of inquiry. The messages of dreams are individual and we each have our own unique way of understanding and interpreting them.
Instead of looking within, we search for love, approval and appreciation from others. When the outside world and relationships disappoint us, we find ourselves stressed. Yet we possess the ability to connect with the answers to many of the problems that lie deep within ourselves--while we are sound asleep.
The dream landscape and its metaphoric language reveal a powerful blueprint for self-improvement. Sometimes the answer to a tough problem sits just one dream away from our reach.
Tap your inner wisdom
As our sleep deepens, brain waves slow down, the physical body repairs itself and the psyche submerges into the lessons of night school.
According to therapist and dream expert Karen Bonner, understanding our dreams can enhance every aspect of our lives. Bonner, a National Certified Counselor who has a master's in counseling psychology, leads dream-study groups and teaches dream courses in the Community Enrichment Series at Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss.
In a recent interview, Bonner explained the importance of our nocturnal visions, offering tips for readers interested in delving into the world of their own dreamscape.
Q. What must we know about our dreams?
A. We can trust our dreams to give us information about our relationships and solutions to our problems. Dream characters represent some aspect of ourselves and reflect the dreamer's situation--even when we dream about someone else. We must keep reminding ourselves that dreams are a reflection of our innermost mind and hold the key to mastery of the self.
Q. Do you keep a dream journal?
A. This is my one constant discipline for 22 years. Writing down information as soon as possible from the dream (even in the middle of the night) helps preserve the detail. I purchase a special book to leave by my bed, placing a pen on top and keeping it within easy reach so that, during the night, I can reach over and jot down an image or an idea that will bring back the entire dream the next morning. Before I get out of bed, I spend a moment being very quiet. I let my mind stay with whatever image comes and reach for the journal. Often the dream will return with clarity. A tape recorder by the bedside can also aid in dream retention. Having a penlight by the bedside is helpful so that the sleeping partner is not disturbed. Most important about keeping a dream journal is being intentional, which signals the unconscious that we want this information.
Q. Many people claim they never dream. Is this true or do they simply not remember?
A. Everyone dreams. Dreaming is an important part of mental health proven by sleep scientists. Everyone goes into a stage of sleep called REM, or rapid eye movement, several times each night. Dreams occur during REM sleep. When we awaken people during REM sleep, they always report some action. We do not remember dreams because we do not turn our attention to them.
Q. Can we invite a dream?
A. Yes, when we ask our inner self to give us a dream and when we put the notebook and pen by the bed, we are signaling: "I am ready to hear, see and remember whatever message will be given." When I conduct a workshop, some say, "I never dream." When I see them later, they report remembering a dream, and it is an important one, a big one, with lots of color, energy and meaning. With just a little attention, something opens, allowing the dream to emerge.
Q. Can we make ourselves dream something helpful in times of stress or grief?
A. We can ask the unconscious for help. Forcing the ego's will on the entire unconscious usually does not work. We can encourage dream recall in difficult times by diminishing the stress and anxiety that interferes with sleep. We can eat well, practice yoga, breathe deeply through moments of high anxiety and allow time for rest and sleep. We can be quiet in the hour before sleep with no television. We ask all that is within to assist in times of sadness and hardship. We pray. We sleep, trusting that what we need will emerge in the process.
Q. Explain the language and color of dreams.
A. Dreams speak in the language of symbols and metaphors. The dream presents visual images from our life. Sometimes we receive images from a place even deeper than our own experience. We get meaningful images and examine them in our waking life. Ask: When or where have I experienced this in my life? With this information, we are now on the road to discovery and healing. Visual images are metaphors that the unconscious wants us to consider. This may seem mysterious and unachievable at first. My students ask if I dream in color or black and white. I dream in color, and most, if asked, can recall a color from the dream. If we record a dream immediately upon waking, we are more likely to remember a color. If we write down the dream later, color is the detail that is most likely to fade away so that we remember the dream in sepia like a photo that has faded over time. Color is important and carries meaning.
Q. How do images and colors convey meaning?
A. The dreamer filters the images through his or her personal experience. Blue may remind us of the color of a childhood room, our first automobile, the color of a loved one's eyes or a prom dress. Looking up these images in a dream dictionary is not as effective.
Q. Is the dreamer the best interpreter of the dream?
A. The only interpreter of the dream is the dreamer. The trick is to ask the right questions: What does this mean to me? Where is this happening now in my waking life? I ask my students and clients these questions and encourage them to delve further into their dreams. Standard definitions in dream dictionaries do not always apply to every individual.
Q. Why are dreams sometimes funny or even downright bizarre?
A. Yes, dreams are fantastical and bizarre. Dreams are sexual and frightening. These mechanisms get the dreamer's attention. We often have a blind spot about ourselves, about our relationships, about what we are doing, how we are doing it. We do not realize the larger ramifications of what we say or what we do, especially in relationship to other people. Sometimes a dream comes from the unconscious to hold up a mirror for us. Often this must come in bold, symbolic language that will not fail to get our attention.
Q. Dreams are often repetitive. Are they trying to make a significant statement?
A. Yes. Recurring dreams contain important messages that need our attention. They are always about fundamental problems in our lives that we have ignored and need to be resolved. Something is working in the psyche. Repeatedly, the unconscious suggests to the conscious mind: "Let us bring this to consciousness." Our unconscious will not leave us alone. We may get the same dream or the same theme. We may get some of the same symbols arranged in a slightly different way, but here that comes again like a neon sign blinking in our consciousness. "Look! Look here! Become aware. Wake up."
Q. Is it normal to have nightmares?
A. Yes, from time to time. These are, again, an attention-getting device that the unconscious uses to make a point. If we refuse to look at something, a nightmare will force us to look within ourselves. One diagnostic manual that mental health professionals use lists nightmares as a symptom of psychological disturbances, such as post-traumatic stress syndrome. Nevertheless, whether nightmares are just an occasional occurrence or a part of a deeper mental health issue, they serve the purpose of working out something in the psyche. Nightmares offer clues that the inner self boldly suggests we consider for health and wholeness.
Q. Can a dream heal us without our attention?
A. Yes. Now, if we pay attention to the nightmare and say to ourselves, "Let me look at the content of this upsetting dream," then we have clues or directions about some psychological shift we can make to gain relief. Perhaps we can cope in a better way. The message might be a warning against maintaining our current behavior pattern. Perhaps we need a more honest approach or a change in attitude.
Q. There is a statement that an ignored dream is an unopened letter from God. Do you agree?
A. Yes, I use that statement often with clients. The Talmud says that a dream misunderstood is like a letter unopened. I take this a step further and say dreams are love letters from God. God sneaks up on us in the night.
Q. Can dreams predict the future?
A. Our unconscious mind is capable of breaking down our millions of combinations of information while our conscious mind can assemble information in only a few ways. When people receive information through their senses, this information is limited. The unconscious mind will throw up a dream that says, "Hey, is this a possibility?" Then an event unfolds and--lo and behold--it happens. The unconscious mind has bigger eyes.
Q. In your classes or workshops, do you have students who control their dreams?
A. Controlling dreams is called lucid dreaming. A school of ancient yoga examines lucid dreaming. I do not work much with lucid dreams.
Q. Why?
A. Because the unconscious is giving me information in the dream that I need to know. If I direct the dream, then, once again, my ego is in charge, and I am not listening to the other parts of myself. All during my waking hours, my ego is busy making decisions, taking in data and processing. At night, I allow my dreaming parts to offer me other information by letting my ego be still and quiet. I do not feel the need to engineer my dreams. They are there for me, giving me what I need in hard times, illness or good times.
Q. What has the study of dreams meant to you personally?
A. Dreaming, studying my own dreams, working with them, instructing other dreamers and helping educate people is a life work for me. This rich resource is available to everyone and I recommend dream work. Let me back up. I recommend this to healthy folks. When we talk about the dreams of those who are mentally ill, this is another area. Healthy folks have the ability to look inside and do the sorting and sifting that life requires of us.
Q. Can we do this dream work on our own?
A. Absolutely. We can also get with a group or friend. It is important that people do not give their interpretations but give the dreamer space to work through and ask questions about the elements in the dream. They must respect the dreamer and the dream offering. The rest of the group may comment on the dream and make suggestions, but it must respect that the dreamer may say, "Yes, that fits" or "No, it does not." It is very important that the dreamer owns and interprets his or her dream. Working the dream aloud enhances the dreamer's ability to make connections, associations and interpretations. A dream group ideally consists of six to eight people who meet on a regular basis for an hour or two, maybe every week, and each takes turns telling a dream. We use a giant pad of paper and magic markers to talk about each element and associations in the dream. At the end of the session, we think of ways to honor the dream. Even if the message is not clear, we still honor the work by doing some kind of homework. Dream group dynamics are often energy-filled and helpful. We hear one another's dreams and get insights for ourselves without imposing interpretation. This is really an amazing process.
Explore dreams on your own by drawing or painting them with their scenes, characters and symbols. List emotionally charged words from a dream or dialogue with dream characters on paper. Whenever we allow the conscious to interact with the unconscious, we enable our self-awareness and growth.
*
Originally published in body & brain Summer 2006
This article may be available online at:
[http://www.bodynbrain.com/01_magazine/news_view.asp?SeqNO=145]
Nancy Worley, Freelance Writer Page 1 of 5
God Works the Night Shift
Harnessing the power of your dreams
By Nancy Worley
At the edge of the mind lies a hidden creator of high drama, a virtual compass that guides us back to the core of our inner terrain and supplies foolproof feedback about our lives.
The mystical, marvelous, magical--and sometimes fearful and misunderstood--realm of dreams awaits us every night, offering a wellspring of self-awareness we can use for personal growth and even professional achievement.
Dreams have played a significant role in every major religion and have even led to scientific discoveries and inventions. Unfortunately, in Western thought, dreams are frequently discounted or dismissed. As a result, few people choose to explore the rich, fascinating world they actually visit every night. In fact, most completely ignore it.
Dreams speak to us through metaphor and symbols. They offer ways to reframe and look at problems from different perspectives and broaden our horizons of inquiry. The messages of dreams are individual and we each have our own unique way of understanding and interpreting them.
Instead of looking within, we search for love, approval and appreciation from others. When the outside world and relationships disappoint us, we find ourselves stressed. Yet we possess the ability to connect with the answers to many of the problems that lie deep within ourselves--while we are sound asleep.
The dream landscape and its metaphoric language reveal a powerful blueprint for self-improvement. Sometimes the answer to a tough problem sits just one dream away from our reach.
Tap your inner wisdom
As our sleep deepens, brain waves slow down, the physical body repairs itself and the psyche submerges into the lessons of night school.
According to therapist and dream expert Karen Bonner, understanding our dreams can enhance every aspect of our lives. Bonner, a National Certified Counselor who has a master's in counseling psychology, leads dream-study groups and teaches dream courses in the Community Enrichment Series at Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss.
In a recent interview, Bonner explained the importance of our nocturnal visions, offering tips for readers interested in delving into the world of their own dreamscape.
Q. What must we know about our dreams?
A. We can trust our dreams to give us information about our relationships and solutions to our problems. Dream characters represent some aspect of ourselves and reflect the dreamer's situation--even when we dream about someone else. We must keep reminding ourselves that dreams are a reflection of our innermost mind and hold the key to mastery of the self.
Q. Do you keep a dream journal?
A. This is my one constant discipline for 22 years. Writing down information as soon as possible from the dream (even in the middle of the night) helps preserve the detail. I purchase a special book to leave by my bed, placing a pen on top and keeping it within easy reach so that, during the night, I can reach over and jot down an image or an idea that will bring back the entire dream the next morning. Before I get out of bed, I spend a moment being very quiet. I let my mind stay with whatever image comes and reach for the journal. Often the dream will return with clarity. A tape recorder by the bedside can also aid in dream retention. Having a penlight by the bedside is helpful so that the sleeping partner is not disturbed. Most important about keeping a dream journal is being intentional, which signals the unconscious that we want this information.
Q. Many people claim they never dream. Is this true or do they simply not remember?
A. Everyone dreams. Dreaming is an important part of mental health proven by sleep scientists. Everyone goes into a stage of sleep called REM, or rapid eye movement, several times each night. Dreams occur during REM sleep. When we awaken people during REM sleep, they always report some action. We do not remember dreams because we do not turn our attention to them.
Q. Can we invite a dream?
A. Yes, when we ask our inner self to give us a dream and when we put the notebook and pen by the bed, we are signaling: "I am ready to hear, see and remember whatever message will be given." When I conduct a workshop, some say, "I never dream." When I see them later, they report remembering a dream, and it is an important one, a big one, with lots of color, energy and meaning. With just a little attention, something opens, allowing the dream to emerge.
Q. Can we make ourselves dream something helpful in times of stress or grief?
A. We can ask the unconscious for help. Forcing the ego's will on the entire unconscious usually does not work. We can encourage dream recall in difficult times by diminishing the stress and anxiety that interferes with sleep. We can eat well, practice yoga, breathe deeply through moments of high anxiety and allow time for rest and sleep. We can be quiet in the hour before sleep with no television. We ask all that is within to assist in times of sadness and hardship. We pray. We sleep, trusting that what we need will emerge in the process.
Q. Explain the language and color of dreams.
A. Dreams speak in the language of symbols and metaphors. The dream presents visual images from our life. Sometimes we receive images from a place even deeper than our own experience. We get meaningful images and examine them in our waking life. Ask: When or where have I experienced this in my life? With this information, we are now on the road to discovery and healing. Visual images are metaphors that the unconscious wants us to consider. This may seem mysterious and unachievable at first. My students ask if I dream in color or black and white. I dream in color, and most, if asked, can recall a color from the dream. If we record a dream immediately upon waking, we are more likely to remember a color. If we write down the dream later, color is the detail that is most likely to fade away so that we remember the dream in sepia like a photo that has faded over time. Color is important and carries meaning.
Q. How do images and colors convey meaning?
A. The dreamer filters the images through his or her personal experience. Blue may remind us of the color of a childhood room, our first automobile, the color of a loved one's eyes or a prom dress. Looking up these images in a dream dictionary is not as effective.
Q. Is the dreamer the best interpreter of the dream?
A. The only interpreter of the dream is the dreamer. The trick is to ask the right questions: What does this mean to me? Where is this happening now in my waking life? I ask my students and clients these questions and encourage them to delve further into their dreams. Standard definitions in dream dictionaries do not always apply to every individual.
Q. Why are dreams sometimes funny or even downright bizarre?
A. Yes, dreams are fantastical and bizarre. Dreams are sexual and frightening. These mechanisms get the dreamer's attention. We often have a blind spot about ourselves, about our relationships, about what we are doing, how we are doing it. We do not realize the larger ramifications of what we say or what we do, especially in relationship to other people. Sometimes a dream comes from the unconscious to hold up a mirror for us. Often this must come in bold, symbolic language that will not fail to get our attention.
Q. Dreams are often repetitive. Are they trying to make a significant statement?
A. Yes. Recurring dreams contain important messages that need our attention. They are always about fundamental problems in our lives that we have ignored and need to be resolved. Something is working in the psyche. Repeatedly, the unconscious suggests to the conscious mind: "Let us bring this to consciousness." Our unconscious will not leave us alone. We may get the same dream or the same theme. We may get some of the same symbols arranged in a slightly different way, but here that comes again like a neon sign blinking in our consciousness. "Look! Look here! Become aware. Wake up."
Q. Is it normal to have nightmares?
A. Yes, from time to time. These are, again, an attention-getting device that the unconscious uses to make a point. If we refuse to look at something, a nightmare will force us to look within ourselves. One diagnostic manual that mental health professionals use lists nightmares as a symptom of psychological disturbances, such as post-traumatic stress syndrome. Nevertheless, whether nightmares are just an occasional occurrence or a part of a deeper mental health issue, they serve the purpose of working out something in the psyche. Nightmares offer clues that the inner self boldly suggests we consider for health and wholeness.
Q. Can a dream heal us without our attention?
A. Yes. Now, if we pay attention to the nightmare and say to ourselves, "Let me look at the content of this upsetting dream," then we have clues or directions about some psychological shift we can make to gain relief. Perhaps we can cope in a better way. The message might be a warning against maintaining our current behavior pattern. Perhaps we need a more honest approach or a change in attitude.
Q. There is a statement that an ignored dream is an unopened letter from God. Do you agree?
A. Yes, I use that statement often with clients. The Talmud says that a dream misunderstood is like a letter unopened. I take this a step further and say dreams are love letters from God. God sneaks up on us in the night.
Q. Can dreams predict the future?
A. Our unconscious mind is capable of breaking down our millions of combinations of information while our conscious mind can assemble information in only a few ways. When people receive information through their senses, this information is limited. The unconscious mind will throw up a dream that says, "Hey, is this a possibility?" Then an event unfolds and--lo and behold--it happens. The unconscious mind has bigger eyes.
Q. In your classes or workshops, do you have students who control their dreams?
A. Controlling dreams is called lucid dreaming. A school of ancient yoga examines lucid dreaming. I do not work much with lucid dreams.
Q. Why?
A. Because the unconscious is giving me information in the dream that I need to know. If I direct the dream, then, once again, my ego is in charge, and I am not listening to the other parts of myself. All during my waking hours, my ego is busy making decisions, taking in data and processing. At night, I allow my dreaming parts to offer me other information by letting my ego be still and quiet. I do not feel the need to engineer my dreams. They are there for me, giving me what I need in hard times, illness or good times.
Q. What has the study of dreams meant to you personally?
A. Dreaming, studying my own dreams, working with them, instructing other dreamers and helping educate people is a life work for me. This rich resource is available to everyone and I recommend dream work. Let me back up. I recommend this to healthy folks. When we talk about the dreams of those who are mentally ill, this is another area. Healthy folks have the ability to look inside and do the sorting and sifting that life requires of us.
Q. Can we do this dream work on our own?
A. Absolutely. We can also get with a group or friend. It is important that people do not give their interpretations but give the dreamer space to work through and ask questions about the elements in the dream. They must respect the dreamer and the dream offering. The rest of the group may comment on the dream and make suggestions, but it must respect that the dreamer may say, "Yes, that fits" or "No, it does not." It is very important that the dreamer owns and interprets his or her dream. Working the dream aloud enhances the dreamer's ability to make connections, associations and interpretations. A dream group ideally consists of six to eight people who meet on a regular basis for an hour or two, maybe every week, and each takes turns telling a dream. We use a giant pad of paper and magic markers to talk about each element and associations in the dream. At the end of the session, we think of ways to honor the dream. Even if the message is not clear, we still honor the work by doing some kind of homework. Dream group dynamics are often energy-filled and helpful. We hear one another's dreams and get insights for ourselves without imposing interpretation. This is really an amazing process.
Explore dreams on your own by drawing or painting them with their scenes, characters and symbols. List emotionally charged words from a dream or dialogue with dream characters on paper. Whenever we allow the conscious to interact with the unconscious, we enable our self-awareness and growth.
*
Originally published in body & brain Summer 2006
This article may be available online at:
[http://www.bodynbrain.com/01_magazine/news_view.asp?SeqNO=145]
Nancy Worley, Freelance Writer Page 1 of 5