What's
So
Special
about
Dream
Work?
October
13th,
2006
"Why should
I bother
with dream
work?"
Often people
will say
something
like "All my
dreams are
obvious, and
often quite
boring." If
that really
was the
case, why
would you
want to pay
attention to
your dreams?
In my
experience,
you need to
know how to
look at
dreams in
order to
derive the
benefits.
Even the
most
mundane,
tedious and
seemingly
transparent
dream can be
an absolute
gem when you
apply a good
method of
dream work.
This column
is about the
critical
benefits
that dream
work
provides;
practical,
everyday
usefulness
that is good
for everyone
and hard to
come by any
other way.
Benefit
#1: The
Wake-Up Call
Something
can be
bothering
you even
though you
are either
not aware of
it. Denial
is, after
all, a very
powerful
mind
technique.
Your dreams
are like the
canary in
the coal
mine: they
tell you
when
something
needs
attention no
matter what
your waking
mind says.
Terry's
Dream
I hadn't
looked at my
dreams
before. This
was only the
second dream
I ever wrote
down. I
dreamed that
I was with
my ex-girl
friend Kathy
from three
years ago.
She was
telling me
that my car
had been
crushed and
only the
spark plugs
survived.
From Terry’s
perspective,
he had not
thought
about Kathy
for years.
As a
scientist,
he prided
himself on
being a
rational
person. He
believed
that once a
relationship
was over,
it’s over.
Thus, he
felt he was
over his
relationship
with Kathy
and this was
just a
"silly"
dream. But
when he
talked about
the dream,
it was
telling him,
so to speak,
that his
feelings had
been
crushed. It
was a shock
to
acknowledge
this. Terry
realized
that a day
rarely went
by that he
didn't think
or daydream
about Kathy.
In a sense,
this was
news that
Terry had
persistently
avoided. All
the same, he
was relieved
to
acknowledge
how much he
had cared
about Kathy.
It made
sense to him
that this
was holding
him back
with women
friends, but
the dream
affirmed
that he
still had
the spark –
the vitality
– to create
a new
relationship.
Terry's
example is
extreme but
there are
many, much
more subtle
cases where
the dreamer
was unaware
that
something
important
was on his
mind.
Benefit #2:
A Change of
View
Even when
you are
already
aware of a
particular
waking life
stress, your
dreams can
illustrate
the problem
in an
original
way. The
dream work
reveals
fresh
perspectives
or
innovative
answers that
your waking
mind was
unable to
generate.
Gabrielle's
Dream
I dreamed
I was in
prison. Even
though I was
terrified of
being
caught, I
was able to
escape each
night. Each
morning I
would I
sneak back
into my
cell, hoping
no one
noticed.
Miserable,
but
relieved, I
had fooled
the security
guards once
more. As I
woke up I
realized
that no one
was in the
prison but
me. I was
the only
person.
There were
no guards,
no fence;
nothing was
keeping me a
prisoner.
Gabrielle
was
recovering
from a
serious
illness. Her
friends were
helping her
regain her
health and
vitality. In
waking life
she resented
following
their
instructions
as they
struggled to
keep her on
the road to
recovery.
Gabrielle
wrote to me,
"The prison
dream gave
me
incredible
insight into
how I was
really
feeling
inside. I
had been
perceiving
everyone as
just more
sources of
control from
which I
needed to
escape."
Because of
that dream
work,
Gabrielle
gave up
feeling like
a rebellious
teenager.
She was able
to accept
and
appreciate
her friends' help,
instead of
viewing them
as parental
figures
forcing her
to change.
With the
dream work,
Gabrielle
saw the same
problem from
the opposite
perspective.
Summary
For people
who
regularly
follow their
dreams,
these kinds
of benefits
are a
natural part
of everyday
life. And
like any
other kind
of
discipline,
you must
actually
engage in
the work.
Just as
reading
about yoga
will not
improve your
muscle tone
or lower
your blood
pressure, to
obtain the
benefits of
dream work,
you need to
take on the
practice.
Paying
attention to
your dreams
and applying
the
techniques
of Dream
Replay can
bring you
many gifts.
There's a
wealth of
wisdom,
perspective,
and insight
just waiting
for you on
your pillow.
Enjoy!
In the two
previous
columns, we
discussed
dreams from
the
perspective
that there
is a
Dream-you
and a
Waking-you.
It's the
Waking-you,
of course,
that is
asking
"What's in
it for me?"
The benefits
are
multiplied
when you
start to ask
"What's in
it for my
dream life?"
NEW DIAL-IN
DREAM GROUPS
On Monday,
October 9th
and Tuesday,
October 10th
I will again
be holding
more 1-hour
dream groups
on a
telephone
conference
call. These
are
currently
free and are
experimental
as I learn
how to
handle the
challenge of
a group
without
being able
to see
anyone.
Whether you
live far
away or
close by, a
phone group
allows you
to get a
sense of
dream work
in a very
convenient
way. With
this new
work, I hope
to
communicate
the pleasure
and the
excitement
of dream
work to many
people.
-
Day:
Monday
October
16th
-
Time:
5pm-6pm
Pacific
Daylight
Time
-
Dial-in
Number:
620-782-2200
(Kansas)
-
Access
Code:
707172#
And
-
Day:
Tuesday
October
17th
-
Time:
7pm-8pm
Pacific
Daylight
Time
-
Dial-in
Number:
620-782-2200
(Kansas)
-
Access
Code:
707172#
DREAM
GROUPS
My dream
groups are
back again
in full
swing. The
Saturday
drop-in
group ($20)
is from 10
am to noon
at 2315
Prince
Street in
Berkeley.
The nearest
major cross
street is
Ashby and
Telegraph.
Please let
me know if
you are
coming.
SHARE DREAM
OF THE WEEK
If you enjoy
reading
Dream of the
Week, please
tell your
friends
about it.
They can
read back
issues and
subscribe
(free) at
DreamOfTheWeek.com.
Best
wishes
David
Jenkins
Dream
RePlay
phone:
(510)
644 2369
