Thanks to Pixie and Sarah, who were the first two brave souls to participate in this grand experiment I call a blog. Your comments were enlightening and helpful.
I agree that the dream is about a temporary state and that it is about nourishment. There are definitely things in my life that no longer nourish me, but they are still around, so I am going to look at how to cleanse those out of my life.
I found a lot of resonance with the comments Pixie and Sarah made about how this is a time when I can assert myself and my needs and really help myself. I am the only one who knows what healthy choices are for me. That's a great revelation! I am working on that in my outer life, and, as Sarah pointed out, this does feel like my maiden voyage in that area, so I'm still working out the kinks.
As far as the salmon goes...that's a big symbol for me. It's one of the totem animals I work with and to me it symbolizes inner knowing. I'm seeing in this dream that I can nourish myself with my intuition, and although I may be surrounded by other types of nourishment, intuition is going to be my mainstay.
However, sailing the ship Intuition is not necessarily embraced in our culture, a culture full of steaks, or left-brainers, and this dream points that out. Although I try to find comfort in my friends, no one helps. This just shows me that sailing the ship Intuition is something I have to do on my own.
This has been a great first try. I will post a new dream shortly!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Dream #1: Can't Eat
So here are the rules: use the "projective dreamwork" style to interpret the dream (see previous post). To give your input on the dream, leave a comment. In a few days I will check back in, read the comments, and write an addition to this post that synthesizes what everyone thought the dream was about. Then I will add my own two cents. Yay!
Dream #1:
I am either at school or staying in a dorm or hotel. It's time to eat. I knew there would be nothing for me to eat, so I brought my own food. It's a piece of salmon and I have to cook it. When I get to the cafeteria, all the grill space is taken by steaks. I am fuming. I walk by buffet tables of food I might actually be able to eat, but I am so mad I don't notice. I go back to the room with my friends and complain in distress about my situation. No one helps.
(Notes: I am vegetarian and have many food allergies. This makes eating out anywhere tricky.)
Have fun interpreting!
Dream #1:
I am either at school or staying in a dorm or hotel. It's time to eat. I knew there would be nothing for me to eat, so I brought my own food. It's a piece of salmon and I have to cook it. When I get to the cafeteria, all the grill space is taken by steaks. I am fuming. I walk by buffet tables of food I might actually be able to eat, but I am so mad I don't notice. I go back to the room with my friends and complain in distress about my situation. No one helps.
(Notes: I am vegetarian and have many food allergies. This makes eating out anywhere tricky.)
Have fun interpreting!
If It Were My Dream...
Whenever I do a dream group, I always use projective dreamwork. This is the type of dreamwork I would like to do here.
Let me explain a bit more. When someone reads a dream to you, you immediately begin imagining this dream in your mind. In a way, you
have the dream. Then, when it comes time to interpret the dream, you are using the images you saw and the feelings you experienced. You don't know how the dreamer pictured it or experienced it. Even so, your experience of it can be valuable to the dreamer. That is why dream groups work so well.
However, dreamwork can get into the sticky realm of projection. Jeremy Taylor, who created projective dreamwork, wanted to make sure that projection remained in the consciousness of dream group members. He also wanted to ensure that people who joined dream groups were not doing pop psychology on one another. So he devised a method in which one always states, "If it were my dream..." before offering an analysis of a dream. This way, one's projection is identified.
For instance, pretend the image to the right is the lingering image from someone's dream. If I were working this dream, I would say, "If it were my dream, I would wonder if this mysterious and majestic tree that represents a part of myself that I am not acknowledging. It is beautiful, wispy and delicate. How am I beautiful, wispy and delicate?"
Two things are important in this statement. The first is, of course, saying, "if it were my dream" because it puts the focus on my interpretation. The second important piece is saying "the tree represents a part of myself I am not acknowledging." Using the word "myself," instead of "you," signals that I am, again, talking about my interpretation and not playing therapist with the dreamer.
It can be tricky to remember at first, but once dreamers get going, it becomes easier. And it feels better too, because people don't feel like they have to have all the answers: they can just share their impressions. The dreamer, in turn, does not feel like everyone is giving unsolicited advice.
In the end, only the dreamer truly knows what the dream is about. He or she can take, or leave, anything anyone in the group says. Often, what group members say is incredibly valuable. And that is why this method works so well.
Let me explain a bit more. When someone reads a dream to you, you immediately begin imagining this dream in your mind. In a way, you
have the dream. Then, when it comes time to interpret the dream, you are using the images you saw and the feelings you experienced. You don't know how the dreamer pictured it or experienced it. Even so, your experience of it can be valuable to the dreamer. That is why dream groups work so well.However, dreamwork can get into the sticky realm of projection. Jeremy Taylor, who created projective dreamwork, wanted to make sure that projection remained in the consciousness of dream group members. He also wanted to ensure that people who joined dream groups were not doing pop psychology on one another. So he devised a method in which one always states, "If it were my dream..." before offering an analysis of a dream. This way, one's projection is identified.
For instance, pretend the image to the right is the lingering image from someone's dream. If I were working this dream, I would say, "If it were my dream, I would wonder if this mysterious and majestic tree that represents a part of myself that I am not acknowledging. It is beautiful, wispy and delicate. How am I beautiful, wispy and delicate?"
Two things are important in this statement. The first is, of course, saying, "if it were my dream" because it puts the focus on my interpretation. The second important piece is saying "the tree represents a part of myself I am not acknowledging." Using the word "myself," instead of "you," signals that I am, again, talking about my interpretation and not playing therapist with the dreamer.
It can be tricky to remember at first, but once dreamers get going, it becomes easier. And it feels better too, because people don't feel like they have to have all the answers: they can just share their impressions. The dreamer, in turn, does not feel like everyone is giving unsolicited advice.
In the end, only the dreamer truly knows what the dream is about. He or she can take, or leave, anything anyone in the group says. Often, what group members say is incredibly valuable. And that is why this method works so well.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Welcome to the Katrina Dreamer Blog
This blog will soon be a place to share dreams, discuss dreams, and to learn what is lurking in the unconscious!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
