Working with Dreams

Dream Introduction

Do you have a vivid memory from a dream?  Are you curious to explore and learn more about your dreams?  Studies have shown that most adults dream every night.  Yet, most people don’t remember their dreams upon awakening.

In modern culture, it is rare for people to ask each other about their dreams in the morning.  However, dreaming cultures consider sleeping dreams as important – if not more important – than our waking dreams and life.

Dream Travel – Why Dream?

Dreams are one tool for accessing our intuition and instincts.  This knowing that comes from within informs our destiny.  We may visit a future self and meet our future life partner.  In dreams, it is possible to receive answers to our questions, guidance, and healing.  We choose to give our attention to our dreams, explore the energy of them and take action on our dreams in our life.

From a shamanic perspective, humans have the potential to rest the physical body and allow the energy body to travel while sleeping.  This energy body is not limited by time and space like our physical body.  Our dreams are often the images and ideas that come from these travels.  Therefore, it is possible to “time travel” and glean essential details from our dreams that assist us in following a more graceful path in life.

Types of Dreams

Lucid dreaming is when the physical body is still sleeping, and the mind shifts from a low brain wave pattern normal in sleep (1-3 Hz/sec) to a more conscious state (13-19 Hz/sec).  The dreamer becomes aware that they are dreaming while still in the dream.  In this state, it is possible to participate, intentionally investigate and even shift the motion of the dream.

Nightmares are often an unfinished dream where we experience fear (and other shadow emotions) inside of and upon awakening.  These unfinished dreams often hold positive potentials.  By playing with the energy and sometimes re-entering a nightmare, we may be able to shift the energy from fear to courage, invite new power into our lives and take action to live our life in a fuller way – more in line with our destiny.

Dream Catching

While most people dream, few remember their dreams.  And, for those who remember their dreams – typically a small piece of the dream is remembered while the majority of the dream slips away.

Some Native American cultures originated dreamcatchers which can now be found hanging by many children’s bedsides to protect the dreamer and help filter dreams.

Dream Catching Tips

1. Set an intention before going to sleep (and write it down to remember it)
2. Keep a dream journal, pen, and light close by your bed for writing dreams upon awakening
3. Allow for time in the morning to remember your dreams and try to write the dream as soon as possible, preferably before getting out of bed
4. Remember keywords or images
5. Focus on what is remembered, even if it is one scene, one color, one feeling
6. When writing the dream down do not edit or interpret the dream as you write it
7. Accept the dream, even if it doesn’t make immediate sense
8. Be sure to note your feelings in the dream and upon waking
9. Take some type of action – share the dream, draw an image from the dream, research a word in a dream

Dream Re-entry

In some cases, dream re-entry is a good action to take to learn more about a dream.  We may be able to focus on one aspect of a dream such as the location.  A scary dream may be an opportunity to face our fears, gain key information for our life and connect to new spiritual allies.

For example, when I was in my twenties, I had a dream while camping in the Rocky Mountains that scared me.  I had a dream that our tent was surrounded by bears.  The dream was so real that when I awoke, I thought bears had been at our campsite that night.  I quickly realized by my friends’ blank stare that they hadn’t (at least not in the physical reality).  In my forties, I re-entered the dream with two trackers (two active dreamers who re-entered the dream with me).  We discovered that the bears were my protectors while I dreamed and my allies encouraging me to dream!  The three of us experienced the bears as a circle of friends, and I received helpful information for my work.  Through dream re-entry, I was able to go back into a dream I’d had over two decades ago, corroborate the good intentions of the bears and gain useful information as well as a stronger connection to my spiritual allies.

One way to re-enter a dream is with the aid of drumming.  Even one image can serve as a point of reentry.  Explore the dream scene and see what is possible.  Can you change anything in the dream?  Can you communicate in some way?  Through dream re-entry, our dreams can become a portal to past and future selves as well as healing and wisdom about our destiny – the heart-centered path fueling passion and creativity in our life.

How We Can Help You Explore Dreams

Dream Tracking

Having a guide with you when you re-enter a dream can provide helpful insights.  With the aid of drumming, a “tracker” accompanies you when you re-enter the dream and assists with picking up additional details from the dream.

A tracker is like a second pair of eyes, giving the dreamer new insights about the scene of the dream as well as the energy.  These insights may be helpful for corroborating our intuitive knowing as well as tapping into something we didn’t initially pick up on.

We utilize dreams to teach and grow with our deeper intuitive knowing.  It takes time and practice to develop the ability to tap into our dreams more and more in this conscious way. Having another person track our dreams, provides support and speeds up the process.

Destiny Dream Sessions

Through one-on-one sessions the dreamer works with a facilitator to learn how their dreams are trying to help them connect to their destiny.  Rather than analyzing the dream, we use a playful process to engage the energy of the dream and access deeper meaning, additional details and potential actions.

• Shifting energy and gaining teachings from nightmares
• Using dreams to inform and guide your life
• Gaining an outside perspective on dream energy and deeper meaning
• Learning how to play with dreams actively
• Remembering dreams
• Dream re-entry and tracking
• Understanding your past, relationships, work and future life pathway

Expand your dreaming as a spiritual practice and pathway to more signs and synchronicity pointing you in the direction of your destiny!