On the importance of Dreams
I began working with my own dreams almost 10 years ago, because I was encouraged to pay attention to them during my initial counselling training programme. Once I committed, and began to write them down, reflect on them and take them to my therapy, I realised how intensely meaningful my internal world is. I felt completely struck by the complexity of what was coming up in my dream material, and how it seemed to have an uncanny ability to direct my attention towards things in my life that I was unaware of altogether, or that which I would really rather not pay attention to!
In 1899, Sigmund Freud published “The Interpretation of Dreams”, and deemed them “the royal road” to the unconscious- his novel concept of the aspect of ourselves which we do not know. It is this feeling of not knowing that can be quite destabilising when we realise that there is a whole other aspect of the self that is not conscious- that I cannot really think of or control in the same way that I can my consciousness. It is this aspect of self that Freud’s contemporary Carl Jung would come to call the Shadow. It is comprised of the parts of ourselves that we are ashamed of, that we have somewhat exiled from our consciousness because they are not socially acceptable or are too threatening to us. Yet, although we relegate these parts of ourselves into the shadows, they have a habit of becoming activated and showing up anyway. Jung encapsulated this perfectly when he wrote “Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”
Thus, learning to work with your dreams means that you are working directly with the unconscious. You become engaged with the aspect of the self which is usually unreachable, yet is at the helm of our lives anyway. Getting to know the unconscious self is anxiety-provoking and, ultimately, enriching to every part of one’s life: our relationships with others, our inner-most private lives, our work, creativity, spirituality, and more.
Psychotherapy or psychoanalysis is a great environment to begin the journey towards developing your own dream work. You may also be able to find a group that facilitates dream work (I hold a dream circle online for counsellors, therapists and trainees), or you can simply start by beginning to pay attention to your dreams and doing your own research. Here is a book that is helpful for beginners, and if you’re curious about the Jungian approach to dream work, this podcast is a great listen.
Keep dreaming!
