listen to your dreams? It's a lot of work, what will you get from
it?
As with everything, there is a negative and a positive side to
working with your dreams. And, believe it or not, the negative
side is the positive side also -- or at least it can lead to it.
The Negative Side
The negative side of remembering and interpreting your
dreams is that you may come across a side of yourself that you
really don't like or are afraid to know about. When I first started
paying attention to my dreams, the negative side jumped up at
me and screamed. It screamed loudly and often. I couldn't get
away from it, no matter how much I denied it, no matter how
hard I tried to run, there was no getting away from it -- the
TRUTH. The TRUTH of who I am, and why I am who I am.
You may discover that you aren't (always) the "Miss Goody Two
Shoes" or "Mr. Nice Guy" that you profess to be during the day.
You may discover that your childhood was not all ice cream,
roller-skating and amusement parks. You may end up shedding
light on dark places and recall secrets long repressed. This is
scary stuff.
I won't lie; listening to and learning from your dreams is
definitely not all peaches 'n cream and red roses.
So, if it's not all rosy and wonderful, why should you bother?
The Positive Side
Well, the fact is that once you have faced and accepted the
negative, you can move on. Then the positive comes into play.
You go through a metamorphosis or catharsis and become --
you. The you that you were always meant to be. Who was it that
said, "The truth shall set you free"? It's true -- really.
This, of course, is an extreme case -- such as mine. You may
not have so many dark places and secrets. Nevertheless, you
will become truer to yourself and therefore, you will find that
you are happier.
What my dreams did for me
In addition, to discovering my TRUTH, I discovered something
else about myself. I discovered that I could write. Listening to
my dreams opened a path to my subconscious (which is of
course, what dream work does) and I began to write. At first, I
wrote poetry and then lyrics; children's poetry and short stories
followed. I give credit for this to working with my dreams
because until then I never wrote a thing -- I had no desire or
even a hint that I could write.
So, working with your dreams can help you become more
creative -- a nice benefit, if you're so inclined. Keep in mind
that creativity comes in many forms -- writing, drawing, painting,
composing, quilting, programming, teaching, and even in
improving everyday tasks such as shopping and laundry.
Have I Convinced You?
I hope that I have convinced you that working with your dreams
is worth the effort. If so, I hope you will join me and explore
this site. Here you will discover how and why you dream as you
do. There will be hints on remembering your dreams and
interpretations of some of my dreams and what I learned from
them.
Next step -- tips on Remembering Dreams
Schumann's: Traumerei
(Dreaming) performed and
© John Bell Young. It is used
with permission.
be an expert on dreams. I
have no degree in Psychology
or any other science. I
profess to be a dreamer -- in
every sense of the word,
because I dream and I have
learned to interpret my own
dreams. I make no promises
that I can interpret your
dreams. I merely hope to help
you learn to interpret your
own dreams. You are
welcome to learn from my
experiences.
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