An Introduction to Dream Work

Dreams are a part of an inner reality. Out of unconscious reality, our mind (psyche) is built. Through the psyche we interpret the world and it is our interpretations that frame our waking reality. Your dreams can be a loving companion and wise guide in your life. Approaching dreams, and the unconscious in particular, with a sense of respect is crucial. But also balancing respect with a healthy sense of humor is just as important. Working with dreams may bring up painful emotions but it is also very freeing, and is capable of producing great joy. As you become more conscious, you free up energy that is being spent on keeping old destructive habits and “out-of-date” defenses alive. You also understand your motivations and find new directions in your life. You start to realize your true hidden potential.

The Four-Step Approach
(For a complete understanding of this process, I highly recommend the excellent book, Innerwork: Using Dreams and Active Imagination for Personal Growth by Robert Johnson)

Making Associations: The first step is to form the foundation for interpreting the dream by finding associations that spring out of our unconscious in response to the dream images. Every dream is made up of a series of images, so our work begins with discovering the meanings that those images have. —For example, say you dream of the color “blue.” What are your associations with blue. Right them all down as they come to you. Blue may bring to mind: cool, detached, my clothes today are blue, sad, “I’ve got the blues, “blew or blown away”, clarity, my blue sweater as a child that grandma gave me, “True blue” honest and faithful. Or you make a “chain” association with “blue.” Blue=sad=hospital=Aunt Jean=Apple pie=warm kitchen. In this chain association, you begin with the single word “blue” then you just go with what ever comes to mind with each successive word. This is the “brain-storming” session. Even though it may seem like the associations are meaningless, their true meaning will come as you proceed thru the steps. The association that “clicks” or has the most energy will be the correct one to use for the next step.

Connecting Dream Images to Inner Dynamics: In this second step, we look for and find the parts of our inner-selves that the dream images represent. Start with the literal meaning of the image. To perform this step we go back to the beginning and deal with each image, one at a time (in sequence). For each image ask: “What part of me is that? Where have I seen it functioning in my life lately? Where do I see that same trait in my personality? Who is it, inside me, who feels like that or behaves like that?” Then write down each example you can think of in which that inner part of you has been expressing itself in you life. For example, you may dream of a “fish.” What does a fish mean to you? Your associations may have been of eating fish or fishing with your brother. What is a fish? Where does it live? What is the life of a fish like? Then look at the metaphorical meaning of a fish. One example of a fish symbol is as an early Christian symbol. Perhaps the fish is a part of the Christ nature calling to you. We find these dynamics at work inside us that are symbolized by the dream situation. By inner dynamics we mean anything that goes on inside you, any energy system that lives and acts from within you. It may be an emotional event, such as a surge of anger. It may be an inner conflict, an inner personality acting through you, a feeling, an attitude, a mood.

Interpreting: Here, we put together the information we have gleaned in the first two steps and arrive at a view of the dream’s meaning when taken as a whole. At this stage you ask questions like: “What is the central, most important message that this dream is trying to communicate to me? What is it advising me to do? What is the overall meaning of the dream for my life?” If you take a ready-made interpretation out of a dream book, it is like wearing someone else’s clothing that doesn’t really fit you. Throw your dream dictionaries out. Your interpretations should flow naturally from step 1 and 2 (the meaning is from you). As part of your interpretation, you should try to make a simple statement of the one, main idea that the dream communicates. Ask yourself, “What is the single most important insight that the dream is trying to get across to me?”

Ritual: Bringing the Dream into the physical world: This step requires a physical act that will affirm the message of the dream. It could be a practical act: As a result of your dream, you may feel that you need to start paying your bills on time or straighten out a relationship that has become confused. Or it may be a symbolic act—a ritual that brings home the meaning of the dream in a powerful way (i.e. creating a painting or drawing, writing a poem, saying a prayer, sending a card to a neglected loved one, or calling them). Simple acts are the most powerful. Ritualizing a dream helps to make the reality of the dream more concrete. It is a powerful statement concerning your respect for the unconscious and desire to participate in this important inner-process.

The Essence of Active Imagination

One of the best books on Active Imagination for the educated lay-person is "Inner Work" by Robert Johnson. It is a way to work out your dreams (nightmares or not) and reveal unconscious content from the latent, to the manifest level. Dreams are your unconscious' primary way of communicating with you. But the imaginal realm is the boundary between "worlds" so to speak. When we imagine, we contact the unconscious realm and allow for that vast untapped source of wisdom to fully reveal itself. As a wise man once told me, it also comes with a warning! When you tell a dream, you are by definition telling what you don't yet know about yourself. When you start down the path to revealing your unconscious, you make the first step in a journey toward wholeness. Once you've tasted what that feels like, you will never want to return. It can be frightening, but you meet others along the way that help you and soon you realize that what you thought you were seeking, was with you all along.