Working with Dreams
Dreams can be absolutely fascinating. Having captured the imagination of humans throughout history, they can be a source of mystery, fear, excitement, and intrigue. Some dreams in particular have the power to stick with us for years. When you wake up from a particularly impactful dream, it can leave you feeling curious about what it could mean and how to think about the dream. Whether you are someone that believes that dreams are completely meaningless or you are someone that believes that dreams are full of important symbolism, working with your dreams can lead to greater depth and reflection in your waking life. I have included here a few ideas to get you started on your dream journey.
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Dreams can be full of vivid imagery. This can be a great opportunity to explore your dream space through art. So grab some paints, pencils, pastels, or any other materials you enjoy working with, and see if you can recreate what you saw.
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Try to pinpoint the strongest emotion within the dream. Were you angry, sad, afraid, excited? Once you have identified the feeling, reflect on times you have experienced this emotion. When was the last time you felt that way? Do you struggle to express that particular emotion in your waking life? Perhaps you might experiment with expressing this feeling through journaling, art, or speaking with a trusted friend or therapist.
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Nightmares can be awful. Depending on the nightmare, you may want to completely block it out and forget it ever happened. Especially if you have experienced trauma, nightmares can be retraumatizing. If it feels safe to explore the nightmare, you may want to try “finishing” the nightmare. Try re-entering the dream and bringing it to a satisfying and triumphant close. For example, if you woke up from a nightmare where you were being chased, perhaps you give it an ending where you fight back and beat the chaser. Or perhaps someone swoops in and saves you. Maybe the chaser melts into the ground or fades away. You can get creative, but consider what would be meaningful for you.
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It can be fun to look up a symbol in a dream dictionary to try and uncover a secret meaning. While fun, this may not be the most accurate or meaningful approach to thinking about dream symbols. Instead, I encourage you to consider what a particular symbol means to you. Let’s take a flashy sports car as an example. For one person, this might represent luxury, money, and status. For another person, it might represent impulsivity, recklessness, and excess. This is why it is important to tune into what symbols mean to you.
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Nightmares are quite common in individuals with PTSD and they can be highly distressing. If you are currently in therapy, have just begun therapy, or are thinking of starting therapy, these nightmares can actually play a supportive role in helping you track your symptoms. In the early stages of therapy, it can be common to experience an increase in trauma-related nightmares. However, as you begin to process your trauma in a safe, therapeutic environment, you may find that these nightmares decrease in frequency or intensity, or begin to evolve. This can be a helpful indicator that your PTSD symptoms are beginning to subside and can help you and your therapist track your progress.
I hope that this list of ideas serves as a jumping off point for you to begin thinking about your dreams in new and creative ways. If you find that you want more support, I welcome you to contact me to set up a consultation call.
Happy dreaming!
Sources
Ellis, L. (2020). A clinician’s guide to dream therapy: Implementing simple and effective dreamwork. Routledge.
