recording our dreams…
Dreams have magic in them…and are a powerful way to access ‘what we don’t know is ‘flirting’ with us’.
Most of us are familiar with the following suggestions. It is a simple list and easy to follow:
Let’s keep a notebook next to our bed, and before we fall asleep let’s set an intention to remember what we dream.
On waking, lie still and begin to record the dream. This way we will remember more. We don’t have to record it perfectly. Instead, let’s write swiftly to get as much of our dream recorded as possible.
We begin by writing down the stand-out elements present in our dream. For example in my dream, there is a tree, a rabbit, and a river. Once I have done that I make note of how I am feeling after the dream. What am I thinking about? Where is this dream taking me?
Taking our list of elements, we “become” each one by writing or drawing what it is we are seeing/feeling/sensing/hearing. For example, in my dream, my task is to personify and become the tree, become the rabbit and become the river, and then write about and/or depict this experience. I like to use the technique borrowed from writer Natalie Goldberg, beginning each sentence with “What I really want to say is…”, followed by the Proprioceptive Writing prompt that goes something like “And by that I mean”.
Is there an “existential message” in our dream? A “divine message”?
I like to think of dreams as messages from the gods, opportunities to unpack what we don’t know we know. And it is fun, so much fun, to follow our subconscious thoughts. Where the real value lies for me is in the depiction of the dream. I like to doodle the dream, and then search for the elements within the doodle. Most times I surprise myself.
A few weeks ago I worked with some highly recommended Gestalt Art Therapy therapists, Yaro and Gemma, (https://www.arttherapygestalt.com) and they suggested the ‘Empty Chair’ technique, whereby we place the part of the dream/depiction we do not understand in one chair, sit in another, and have a conversation. Ask the depiction questions. Then we swap chairs and answer as though we were the unknown part of the dream. This is a very powerful exercise and you can find out more through this link (https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/therapy/what-is-the-empty-chair-technique-and-why-do-therapists-use-it/) or just google “gestalt empty chair technique”. If you want to do more work in this area, contact Gemma at Gestalt Art Therapy (link above).