Six Basic Hints for Dream Work
Jeremy Taylor developed a 6-point Tool Kit for working with dreams, and encouraged people to share it with attribution to him.
I use these six tools in all the dream reading I do. Here they are for your review:
One
All dreams speak a universal language and come in the service of health and wholeness. There is no such thing as a “bad dream” — only dreams that sometimes take a dramatically negative form in order to grab our attention.
Two
Only the dreamer can say with any certainty what meanings his or her dream may have. This certainty usually comes in the form of a wordless “aha!” of recognition. This “aha” is a function of memory, and is the only reliable touchstone of dream work.
Three
There is no such thing as a dream with only one meaning. All dreams and dream images are “overdetermined,” and have multiple meanings and layers of significance.
Four
No dreams come just to tell you what you already know. All dreams break new ground and invite you to new understandings and insights.
Five
When talking to others about their dreams, it is both wise and polite to preface your remarks with words to the effect of “in my imagined version of the dream…” and to keep this commentary in the first person as much as possible. This means that even relatively challenging comments can be made in such a way that the dreamer may actually be able to hear and internalize them. It also can become a profound psycho-spiritual discipline — “walking a mile in your neighbor’s moccasins.”
Six
All dream group participants should agree at the outset to maintain anonymity in all discussions of dream work. In the absence of any specific request for confidentiality, group members should be free to discuss their experiences openly outside the group, provided no other dreamer is identifiable in their stories. However, whenever any group member requests confidentiality, all members should agree to be bound automatically by such a request.
© Jeremy Taylor 2013
Unlimited distribution with proper attribution is encouraged
