What Do Dreams Teach Us?

11 minutes ago

3 min read

I recently hosted a workshop for a group of therapists on dreams, and in preparation for it, I read Robert Johnson’s “Inner Work: Using Dreams and Active Imagination for Personal Growth.” He claims that our dreams introduce us to parts of ourselves we barely know:

"We have to learn to go to the unconscious and become receptive to its messages—it’s the only way to find the unknown parts of ourselves... Sometimes these hidden personalities are embarrassing or violent, and we are humiliated when they show themselves. At other times we wake up to strengths and fine qualities within ourselves we never knew were there... We are all much more than the 'I' of whom we are aware."

A few things that stood out to me, as well as participants in the workshop is that dreams and their symbols cannot be taken literally. The symbols in them need to be examined and taken apart, then looked at in the context of the dreams.

As well, the individual who had the dream is the only one who ought to be interpreting meaning from it - not AI or a dream book. More cookie-cutter dream dictionaries might try to tell you that a certain symbol means one universal thing, but we have to be the one to decide what meaning those symbols have for our lives.

As a narrative therapist taking a sharp U-turn away from narrative for this workshop, it got me reflecting on the idea of dreams as glimpses into alternative ways of being. There is an innate, playful quality to them, and as a potter it’s not unlike sitting down with a ball of clay. We can allow something to take shape, and we don't have to over-think it right away. We can move it around and play with it. What does this feel like if I go this way? What is this making room for? If I start moving it this way, what happens? What am I getting curious about that is unexpected, that I didn't imagine when I first sat down with this clay?

Sometimes we dream about the past, which can give us insight into what's most important to us now. If you're interested in how we can learn from past experiences, check out my previous post on Skills of Discernment - How Past Experiences Provide Clarity for Future Relationships.

Moving Beyond the Literal and Starting to Think About Symbols

When people or places appear in our dreams, our first instinct is usually to look outward: Why am I dreaming about my former neighbor? Why was that friend in this dream? Often, according to Johnson, the unconscious is borrowing a familiar image from our external environment to reflect an inner dynamic.

A figure in your dream is not about that specific person at all, but about a quality you are longing for, or something you are wanting to stay away from, or even step into. The meaning becomes clear once you look at it in the context of the other symbols of your dream. If someone in a dream feels steady, calm, and present, that might not be a sign to find that outside of yourself; it is likely be an invitation for a desire for something within you.

Honoring the Shift in Your Body

If you’re interested in learning more about analyzing your own dreams, I’d recommend Johnson’s book. He recommends a 4-step process for analyzing dreams, and the final step is a ritual to show your body and the real world that you are listening to the messages from the dream. It doesn't have to be a sweeping life change. It can be as simple as taking a solitary walk without your phone, sitting by candlelight for ten minutes of quiet breathing, or writing a friend.

If we get curious, our dreams might be trying to tell us something. If we listen with curiosity, we might get glimpses into what we long for or alternative ways of being in the real world, outside of dreamland.