What is Dreamwork? 5 ways to get started
In a nutshell, Dreamwork refers to the exploration of our dreams. Dreamworkers toss the idea of standard dream interpretation out the window in favor of a more individual approach, believing that everyone has their own personal dream language. For example, a cactus has a different meaning to one person than to another, and our own personal dream symbols may even change meaning throughout our lifetime. From keeping a dream journal to creating artwork or even acting them out – however you decide to work with yours the end goal is the same: to create a relationship with your dreams.
Understanding dream meanings can open up new or hidden aspects of your life and help you move on to a more complete version of yourself. Dreams offer guidance and insight, if we only stop to listen and reflect. Through active dreamwork we can start to find personal meaning and guidance through our dreams.
The benefits of dreamwork are plentiful – you will find that when you start giving attention to your dreams, they will start reward you. They will become to be easier to remember and to decipher, and when applied to your daily life they will guide you towards the right decisions.
There are many different ways to start practicing dreamwork. Here are 5 of the best ways to get started:
1: Keep a Dream Journal
Perhaps the most tried and true method, keeping a dream journal is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to start building a relationship with your dreams. Not only does journaling help you sort out your individual dreams, but it helps you identify bigger patterns over time. I have been keeping a dream journal for over 25 years and I am still amazed when I look back and see things I was dreaming about many years ago that are just now starting to manifest in my life.
There are a few ways to go about journaling your dreams, from using a simple pen and paper or voice recorder to creating a searchable digital database. When I first started I used the pen and paper method. The downside to that method was that I would have to sit up, turn the lights on and wait until my eyes adjusted to them, find my pen and notebook and then start writing. I realized that when I woke up too much I started to lose a lot of the dream. Granted, back then it was the early 90’s and I didn’t have a whole lot of choices!
However, now in the digital era I prefer to email my dreams to myself with the subject: ”Dream”. Emailing my dreams from my cell phone helps me to stay in more of a half-awake state, as I can just reach over and grab my phone and start typing bullet points immediately. I don’t even need to sit up or turn any lights on. And the best part is, there is a digital backup of my dreams in both my sent and received mail boxes. When I’m feeling up to it, I can sort my mailbox with the filter “Dream” and they will all show up to copy and paste into my Word file, which then acts as a searchable dream database where I can look up specific symbols to see how often they are popping up.
I have also tried using a voice recorder when I immediately wake up, but found that I mumbled too much and could hardly understand what I was saying.. not to say it wouldn’t work for you, it just wasn’t my favorite method!
Whatever method you choose, the important first step is to just start! Even if you are only remembering pieces, the more you try the more you will start to remember.
2: Create Artwork
For those artistic types out there, keeping a sketchpad by your bed to sketch out any images or waking thoughts might be a good option! I love dream art, and have recently been using this method as a secondary way to record my dreams. There is something about sketching, painting, drawing or creating digital artwork of our dreams that goes a bit deeper than just writing them out. Instead of trying to take dream symbols and emotions and turn them into words, like with journaling, artwork allows you to get back into that dream state of mind by putting the symbols and emotions directly on canvas.
3: Join or Start a Dream Circle
Dream Circles have been around for ages but have fallen to the wayside in our modern western society. We have long been taught that dreams are just dreams and have no practical value, but by keeping our dreams hidden we are often doing ourselves a disservice. Dream circles aren’t always easy to find, but you may have some luck finding a local one on Meetup. If you can’t find one then try reaching out to a Dreamworker such as myself, who can get you in touch with a group!
If you would like to start your own local Dream Circle, Robert Moss has created one of the best methods for dream sharing that I have come across. It is called ‘Lightning Dreamwork’ and can be used in a group or with as little as two people.
With the Lightning Dreamwork method, a dreamer tells their dream in as clear and precise way as possible and gives the dream a title. Someone else then asks the dreamer three questions:
How did the dream make you feel?
What from the dream do you recognize from the waking world and is it possible any of the dream may happen in the future?
What do you want to know about the dream now?
The dreamer answers the questions and the others in the group share their thoughts by starting with “If it were my dream, I would think it means..” and they discuss
Lastly, the dreamer is asked what they are going to do with their dream and what guidance they have learned from it.
Check out more about this method on Robert Moss’ website here: http://mossdreams.blogspot.com/2016/03/we-want-to-reward-each-other-for.html
4: Act your dreams out
This is a fun one, especially for kids. Taking turns to act out your dreams really helps get to the point of what the dream was about and how it made you feel. It not only gets kids active and involved in active dreaming at a young age, but it is a fun and helpful exercise for adults too.
My friend Jez and I took the concept of acting out dreams and made it a LOT more elaborate by getting a crew together and creating an entire Web Series dedicated to it. If you haven’t seen it yet, be sure to check out Dream Cinema, where we take one dream per month and turn it into a short cinematic production. You can even submit your own dream for consideration!
You don’t need a whole crew or fancy equipment to act out your dreams though. Just a few open-minded friends and some time set aside for dreamwork.
5: Read about dreams!
Nothing opened me up to new dream experiences quite like reading about dreams right before bed. I have a pretty thorough nighttime routine that includes taking Valerian Root an hour before bed, writing my dream intentions down, sleeping with a sound machine and falling asleep reading about dreams. All of this puts me in the right mindset for a night full of vivid dreams and a morning of active dream material to jot down.
These are some of my favorite books dedicated to dreaming and dreamwork. I highly recommend them:
Conscious Dreaming by Robert Moss
Active Dreaming by Robert Moss
The Art of Lucid Dreaming by Clare R. Johnson PhD
The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep by by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Lucid Dreaming: Gateway to the Inner Self by Robert Waggoner
The point of all of these methods is really to just slow down, reflect and spend time working with your dreams. The act of creation brings them to life where they will begin to reveal themselves to you more fully, and by continuing to research and learn more about the nature of dreams we allow them to better reveal themselves to us.
What are some of your favorite Dreamwork techniques? To learn more about The Dreamwork Coach, check out this video and visit www.thedreamworkcoach.com for more info on Dreamwork and upcoming workshops!