Dream Methods & Techniques

There are as many ways of working (some would say "playing"!) with a dream as there are dreams and dreamers. Different methods allow us to approach the dream in different ways, thereby shedding light on facets of the dream that might not be available to us upon first glance. Try some of these ideas, and see what you think.

How Do I Interpret My Dreams? (Pam Ryan) First, a disclaimer of sorts: Rev. Jeremy Taylor asserts that "All dreams come in the service of health and wholeness," even (especially?) the ones that may initially upset or confuse us. Even so, dreams can be powerful experiences, and dreams do have the potential to unleash some very deep and raw emotions. If you think it would probably be fun and spiritually uplifting to try your hand at dream analysis/interpretation, by all means go ahead. If, on the other hand, you actually suspect that you have a serious emotional disturbance and you are hoping that dream work would really be a form of do-it-yourself psychotherapy, please consider picking up the phone and calling in a professional person to guide you through the process. If you do decide to go it on your own, I think it is wise to follow Taylor’s advice, and consciously seek to identify (and actualize) dream messages that facilitate a more positive, loving, and healthful life. Don’t EVER allow your dreams to encourage you to do anything destructive to yourself or others. If you find that your dreams are interfering significantly with your waking life, it would certainly be a good idea to seek professional psychological counseling. Assuming you’re still with me after that warning…There are a dizzying array of methods and techniques of dream analysis! Which one(s) you choose is(are) largely a matter of personal preference. A method that provides profound, earth-shaking revelations to one person may seem trite and hokey to another. Let your own feelings (and your own common sense!) be your guide. Here are a few of the more more popular and/or time-honored methods (consult books for additional ones)

A. Free Association – Freud. Sigmund Freud suggested that the dreamer create a "chain" of associations to each important object or element of the dream by saying the first word that popped into mind when prompted by a cue word. The dreamer’s response to one cue became the next cue word. For example: Shoes => Clothes, Clothes => Closet, Closet => Hidden, Hidden => Secrets …. Etc. Freud believed that this technique of speaking without thinking might lead the dreamer to uncover some repressed material (latent, or hidden content; probably sexual) that might have been encoded into the dream.

B. Symbol Amplification – Jung. Carl Jung liked Freud’s idea of associations, but disagreed with Freud’s desire to lead the dreamer farther and farther away from the actual dream image. Instead, he advocated returning each time to the image itself as the cue word. For example: Shoes => Clothes, Shoes => Feet, Shoes=> Pair, Shoes => Ground ….. Etc. Jung believed that this technique of "mining" each image to unearth all its possible associations might lead the dreamer to discover which associations were actually most important.

C. Describe it to a Martian – Delaney. Gayle Delaney (and others) advises the dreamer to amplify the dream images in a slightly different way. Instead of generatting free-floating associations, she suggests describing each image in simple, powerful terms, as if explaining its purpose and outstanding features to a Martian who knows nothing about life on Earth. For example: Shoes => These protect our feet (from cold, damp, dirt, etc.) when we walk. We can walk farther wearing these than we could without them. Sometimes, they are more stylish than practical/comfortable…..

D. Empty Role Play – Perls. Frederick Perls, founder of the Gestalt psychology movement, popularized "encounter" groups. He recommended that the dreamer hold imaginary conversations with dream characters/objects, in order to give them a "voice" to communicate their meaning. He had the dreamer sit opposite an empty chair, imagining the dream character/object sitting across from them. The dreamer would ask questions of the character, and then would switch chairs to answer them trying to express the attitude of the dream character as much as possible. For example: => Dreamer: "Shoes, why did you rain down on me like that?" => Shoes: [yelling] "You idiot! Can’t you see that you aren’t walking in the right direction?" He urged the dreamer to see each character, object, and action in the dream as some (possibly alienated) aspect of the dreamer’s own personality.

E. TTAQ (Title, Theme, Affect, Question) - Savery, Berne, and Kaplan-Williams (From DREAMS AND SPIRITUAL GROWTH, 1984) This is a four-step process. First, the dreamer gives the dream an appropriate TITLE. "Let it come to you spontaneously or ask yourself, ‘What title does the dream want itself to have?’" Next, identify any THEME or THEMES. Next, identify the AFFECT (emotional aspects) of the dream. Last, the dreamer formulates an important QUESTION that the dream is addressing: "What is the dream asking of me? What is the dream trying to help me be conscious of?" For example: TITLE: "Barrage of Shoes" THEMES: spirituality/religion, self-image AFFECT: fear, helplessness QUESTION: "In what areas of my life do I feel pelted, attacked, beaten down?" Phillosophically, this technique asserts that dreams should be regarded as questions to spur thinking, rather than as puzzles to be successfully "solved".

F. Action Plot: Reed/Sparrow Most dreams focus on the objects (nouns) in dreams. In his book, DREAM REALIZATIONS (1984), Henry Reed descriibes a method (which he attributes to Gregory Scott Sparrow) of paying particular attention to the action (verbs) in the dream. Reed writes, "An action plot is a short statement of what transpires during the course of the dream. In order to emphasize the structure of the action, all mention of specific symbols is avoided." For example, "Someone feels attacked by something, yet does nothing about it."

G. Linguistic Analysis A majority of dream workers would doubtless agree that the "language" of dreams is (visual) metaphor. Often, the same metaphorical analysis techniques that are applied to works of literature may also be applied to dreams. Some people also find it useful to look for standard literary devices such as setting, dramatic structure, etc. in their dreams. It may also be helpful to look specifically for verbal or visual "puns." For example: METAPHOR: Shoes as outer expression of "direction" and purpose? … Or groundedness"? SETTING: Old rustic church (ancient, earthy spirituality?) in stormy weather (turbulent motions?) POSSIBLE PUNS: Rain => reign or rein? Sole => soul?

H. Dualities It may be instructive to try to identify glaring "opposites" in your dreams. These oppositional forces often underline important conflicts, imbalances, or concerns. For example: Agression vs. Passivity, Style vs. Function, Heaven vs. Earth.

I. Group Dream Work - Ullman Jungian therapist Montague Ullman developed a highly structured group method of exploring dreams. The basic premise is that each group member imagines the dream as their own dream, and then tries to "interpret" its message FOR THEM, rather than for the dreamer. This alleviates any suspicion of negative judgement against the dreamer, and has the additional advantage of leading to personal insights among ALL participants, even when their own dream is not the current topic of discussion. It is a 4-phase process: 1) A dreamer volunteers and tells a dream in detail. Others may only interrupt to ask clarifying (non-interpretive) questions. 2) Others take the dream as their own, speaking of it as if they had actually dreamed it. They suggest what the dream might mean for them. The dreamer listens without participating. 3) The dream is officially returned to its original creator. The dreamer may respond to everyone else’s input, and may share her/his own insights. 4) The dreamer thinks further about the dream, and reports (at a later time) any additional insights. It may be possible to join a dream group in your area — or you can start your own, if you can’t locate a pre-existing one. These groups are often leaderless peer groups without professional participation. There are also some on-line dream-groups that follow a similar format. Look for the notices of "Dream Wheels" which are frequently posted in alt.dreams.

J. Archetypes - Jung One of the most popular techniques in dream analysis is searching for "archetypes", mythic figures which Carl Jung believed were present in everyone’s dreams. Classic Jungian archetypes include The Hero, the Wise Old Man, the Shadow (darker side of our own personality), and Anima/Animus (aspects of the opposite sex present in our own personal psychology).

K. Dream Rituals - Johnson Jungian analyst Robert A. Johnson advocates going beyond understanding dreams at an intellectual level, and "acting consciously to honor dreams." His idea is that by doing a physical act which actualizes he dream’s message, you move toward truly integrating the dream’s meaning in your waking life. In choosing an appropriate ritual, Johnson advises us that correct ritual is "symbolic behavior, consciously performed." He recommends choosing rituals that are small-scale, inexpensive, private, and safe. So if the shoe dream seemed to be emphasizing the need to be "grounded," to value function over style, and to consciously and assertively pursue a positive direction in life, the dreamer might for example: =>Solemnly (and privately) arrange several pairs of shoes on the floor, labeling them with signs that said "Style," "Function," etc. The dreamer could ceremoniously sweep the "unwanted" shoes aside and put on the "desirable/positive" shoes.

Dream Work & Play (Christine Boyer )
As I work with people in my dream practice, one of the most common things I hear is "I never dream!" When I reply that sleep research shows that everyone dreams four, five, and even six times each night, the question switches to, "How can can I start remembering my dreams?" Since even the most experienced dreamers will occasionally find themselves in a "dry spell", I’d like to share my basic steps to help remember your reams: · Intention · Preparation · Appreciation · Recognition ·

Intention: I think this is the most important step — setting your intention to remember your dreams. First, decide that it’s important to you to remember your dreams, and that it’s important enough to change your behavior. When you rouse in the middle of the night, and especially when you awaken naturally in the morning, you will almost always be leaving a dream. Don’t move. Don’t start thinking about the day ahead. Don’t even open your eyes. Instead, take a moment to think about the images that are still in your mind. If you remember something, a face, an action, even a feeling, it will often become a thread to pull back the dream. ·

Preparation: Once you’ve decided that you want to remember your dreams, be prepared to record them. Have a notebook and pen ready to use beside the bed. Be sure the notebook is open to a fresh page and that the pen has ink in it. Go ahead and record the date. You might even want to write a sentence about today being the day you’re going to start remembering your dreams. (There are pens available these days which include a tiny light which are wonderful for writing in a dark room. Some people prefer to use a hand-held tape recorder. But if you don’t have these items on hard, go ahead and start with what you have. Don’t put it off!) Then, when you waken and remember a dream, reach for the notebook and write it down. This is critical! Don’t be lured by the little voice that will say you don’t need to write it – that you’ll remember. You probably won’t! Besides, you’ve told yourself that this is important. Writing down the dream reinforces the intention!

Appreciation: Be delighted with whatever you remember. If all you remember the first time is an image of a stick of Juicy Fruit gum, good for you! You remembered a dream! That was the objective, after all. Treat your dreams the way you treat your good friends. Don’t judge them or criticize them or call them names or decide they aren’t interesting. Enjoy them. Laugh at them. Be amazed by them. And be patient with them. It’s as if we have a little internal dream herder who watches over our flock of dreams. If we’re good to the one or two little guys he lets out of the pen, then he’ll let out more and more, and then bigger and bigger, until he trusts us with the Grand champions.

Recognition: Recognition comes when we share our dreams. Play with the image as a metaphor. Tell your dream to a friend or a family member who’s trustworthy and who will be respectful. Listen to their comments and insights. Read books about dreams and dreaming. Experiment with some of the ideas they present. As you work and play with your dream, you’ll often receive a sense of "resonance" when you learn something new and true about yourself. Once you recognize the value and insights your dreams provide, you’ll find yourself renewing your intention to remember even more dreams, which starts the cycle again.

Questioning Images and Creating Stories (Melanie Lahina)
I have found that one of my recent effective ways of working on a dream was shared with me in my dream group. After we have spent some time talking about the dream and the symbols and what the dream might mean then we take a few minutes and go back into the dream in meditation and either ask questions to people or images in the dream or just get a feel of possibly another way of looking at the dream.Another technique that my dream teacher taught me is to step way back away from the dream and try to detach from it and ask the question – "This is a dream about a woman/man who ———–." Fill in the blanks. It’s very interesting what we come up with.

Dream Recall (Richard Wilkerson)
It can be very frustrating trying to recall dreams. Not only do we never remember most of them, but the ones we do recall can easily slip away and evaporate as well. But with a little guidance and effort, you will soon have more dream recall than you know what to do with! Here is a quick Five Step process for dream recall:

  1. Night Before: Keep a pad of paper and pen and a couple of pencils by your bed. Date the paper the night before. When you awake, in the night or in the morning, write something down. Even "I recall nothing this morning" is good to write down. If you are keeping a journal, read the last dream you had.
  2. When you go to bed, relax your body and review the day in reverse. How did I get ready for bed? What was I doing just before going to bed? What did I do this evening? What was it like coming home from work, what did I do at the office, what did I have for lunch, and so on, all the way back to how you got up and either recall your last dream or recall your writing down "I recall nothing this morning". This exercise (From Psychosynthesis) is very relaxing and helps us learn to reflect back and focus the way we need to focus to recall dreams.
  3. As you are getting close to falling asleep, repeat over and over, "When I wake up, I will remember my dream." Jill Gregory of the Novato Dream Library says that a physical "trigger" along with the verbal suggestion often helps, i.e. pressing your thumb against each finger as you say each word of the suggestion.
  4. When you wake up in the morning, don’t move! Stay in your same position, relax your body and let your mind drift closer to your dream. Remind yourself that you want to remember your dream. Shutting your eyes may help. Thinking about what you are going to do in the future, like shower or at work or appointments is the best way to miss a dream.
  5. Once you begin to recall the dream, start writing! Write down whatever you remember right away so you’re not trying to remember that material while trying to recall new material. If after a minute you don’t have any recall, write down "I don’t recall anything." or even better, write down a short made-up fantasy about what you would have liked to have dreamed. If you have other dreams in the journal, read one of them.

Many of the popular and easily accessible books on dreams at your bookstore or library have a section on dream recall. Here are some classics:

 

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