The Benefits of Dreamwork
Dreams are a powerful source of guidance
from our psyche which help us develop an individualized “working map” through
the corridors of our life. Understanding our dreams helps us relate more
intimately and effectively in family, social and work relationships. The regular
practice of dreamwork deepens and enhances our respect for the spiritual
ground of life.
The nightly images of our dreams are carriers of powerful medicinal energy. In
modern parlance, you might consider this dream energy a "growth factor" as
powerful as any hormone our body produces. For you doubters: Ask any one who has
successfully worked with a dream about the surge of energy and sense of having
released a major block when the meaning of their dream unfolds. We view dream
images and symbols as energetically alive within us and it behooves us to
embrace that energy by learning how to work with and honor our dreams.
The healing energy carried by our dreams enables us to
shift our perspectives about who we are and what we need to live our life more
authentically. In this sense, dreams help us to re-balance or compensate for our
limited conscious point of view. Some simple examples: We have all had dreams in
which a particularly loved friend or family member appeared as hurtful or mean.
Alternatively, a dream has portrayed our arch-enemy as someone with kind or
compassionate qualities. In these dreams our psyche may be prompting us to
expand our too narrow perspective about these people or our relationships with
them. At other times, the characters in our dreams may call us to set firmer
limits with our children or alternatively, to relax attitudes toward ourselves
and others that are too perfectionistic--to become more playful. Our psyche is
like a master artist that is constantly offering a different and more enriched
view of life that we are free to paint on the canvas of our life….or to ignore.
For this reason, it is important to understand our dreams
as a part of us that is
closer to nature and rooted in an awareness and intelligence far greater than
our waking consciousness or "rational" mind. We may love and respect our
parents, church and scientific culture, but the values and perspectives they
condition in us are at times one-sided, judgmental and inhibiting of our ability
to love and to live our life most fully.
We can say then that when we give the benefit of the doubt to the wisdom of
our dream, we open to the new, more complete perspective it offers -- its purpose.
When we truly embrace that new perspective and the life-giving energy it
offers, we move closer to the experience of wholeness and authenticity -- the benefit
of listening to our dreams.
The Ethics of Dreamwork
The Dreamwork
Institute subscribes to the ethical guidelines proposed by the International
Association for the Study of Dreams (IASD) as follows:
IASD celebrates the
many benefits of dreamwork, yet recognizes that there are potential risks. IASD
supports an approach to dreamwork and dream sharing that respects the dreamer's
dignity and integrity, and which recognizes the dreamer as the decision-maker
regarding the significance of the dream. Systems of dreamwork that assign
authority or knowledge of the dream's meanings to someone other than the dreamer
can be misleading, incorrect, and harmful.
Ethical dreamwork
helps the dreamer work with his/her own dream images, feelings, and
associations, and guides the dreamer to more fully experience, appreciate, and
understand the dream. Every dream may have multiple meanings, and different
techniques may be reasonably employed to touch these multiple layers of
significance.
A dreamer's decision
to share or discontinue sharing a dream should always be respected and honored.
The dreamer should be forewarned that unexpected issues or emotions may arise in
the course of the dreamwork. Information and mutual agreement about the degree
of privacy and confidentiality are essential ingredients in creating a safe
atmosphere for dream sharing.
Dreamwork outside a
clinical setting is not a substitute for psychotherapy, or other professional
treatment, and should not be used as such.
IASD recognizes and
respects that there are many valid and time-honored dreamwork traditions. We
invite and welcome the participation of dreamers from all cultures. There are
social, cultural, and transpersonal aspects to dream experience. In this
statement we do not mean to imply that the only valid approach to dreamwork
focuses on the dreamer's personal life. Our purpose is to honor and respect the
person of the dreamer as well as the dream itself, regardless of how the
relationship between the two may be understood.
