Dream-Tending

Dreams are your mind’s movie trailer.

Think of a preview trailer for an upcoming blockbuster movie. It hits you with the highlights, the emotional moments, maybe a laugh or two. It’s designed to draw you in and implant a need to see the movie. But when you see the actual film, you find that the scenes from the trailer don’t take place in the same order. The trailer might even include scenes that didn’t make it into the final cut of the movie.

Your dreams are much the same thing for your subconscious mind.

Often, your dreams are attempting to highlight something in your mind that you need to process and work through. It’s worries, fears, anxieties, even good things that you’re trying to ignore to deal with the “real issues” in your life, and your subconscious is bearing the weight of all those issues.

Your mind knows when you are carrying too much, and it’s sending signals that you need to lighten the load.

Dreams have meaning.

Some people may naturally have dreams or even nightmares. We usually shrug them off as just our brain processing our experiences. However, in my personal journey, training, and practice, I have seen people find powerful and meaningful breakthroughs by studying their dreams.

When we work with these images, we find that the dreamer may be suffering from grief or other emotional turmoil that they don’t have words for, but which is clearly represented in these images.

By focusing on the images and what they represent, we can circumvent emotional or mental barriers that prevent us from consciously confronting this turmoil.

“What if I don’t remember my dreams?”

That’s okay! Not everybody does! But that doesn’t mean this technique isn’t for you.

You can be taught to remember your dreams through lucid dreaming, where you are conscious and aware in the dream and can even exert some control over it. If you want to engage in dream-tending without remembering your dreams, learning this ability is where we’ll start.

In addition, dream-tending isn’t strictly limited to your dreams and nightmares while you are asleep. Waking dreams, daydreams, and your imagination are all viable options to delve into using the same techniques.

Does examining dreams really work?

It can! For dreams and nightmares, dream-tending is another tool in a therapist’s toolbox. If it’s something you’re interested in, we can determine if it’s appropriate or valuable to your situation. Sometimes, it helps to hear someone else’s story or experience to gain a better understanding of this process. If hearing someone else’s story doesn’t interest you, feel free to skip this part.

Twenty-two years ago, I had a friend who saved my life, and I thought that was love; that I was in love with this friend. One night, however, I dreamt of nearly being run over by a semi-truck. Someone pushed me out of the way, and I fell on new grass. When I looked up into the sky in this dream, I saw three bright full moons.

When I researched the meanings of these images, I learned that my subconscious was telling me to be grateful for my friend, but to wait because something new was coming along, that this “new” would include a spiritual awakening. I chose to slow down and maintain the friendship.

Within the same year, a new friend came into my life. This new friend turned into the love of my life, and they helped me gain stability and spiritual strength that I had never experienced before. I am so grateful for that message, because if I had kept on with what I thought I wanted, I may not be here now to help you.