Dreams and Sleep: Accessing Revolutionary States of Consciousness
This is one of those chapters that some people might have problems with. Some scientific studies suggest that dreaming is nothing more than random firing of neurons while we sleep. While scripture is filled with stories of people that had significant dreams, some religious people are uncomfortable with the idea that anyone can have dreams that are prophetic or offer guidance. Also, I'll be the first to admit that some of the dream interpretation books/websites are just a little too "out there".
My personal take is this: Some dreams are total randomness and carry little if any meaning. Other dreams are your brains way of continuing processing events and ideas that are part of your conscious thought when you are awake. And yes, sometimes dreams give you important information. I also believe that while other people can offer suggestions for what dreams might mean, ultimately any dream interpretation has to be determined by the dreamer, taking into account his or her own personal history, desires, and fears.
Now that that is all out of the way, let's move on to this chapter.
Orloff starts the chapter with the known physical and psychological benefits of sleep itself. She then moves into information about the stages of sleep and how to overcome insomnia. Many of the things she talks about for improving the quality of your sleep were things that I was already familiar with. One new thing that I loved, but haven't tried yet is visualizing delta brain waves. Just mentally seeing the picture of the wave can help you relax. I love that.
The rest of the chapter covers how to remember your dreams and 3 different kinds of dreams. Although it wasn't new to me, I appreciate the reminder about keeping a dream journal. Even if I don't go through the process of analyzing each dream, having that record is kind of fun. Plus, some of my best story ideas have come from fragments of dreams. I often have very vivid dreams.
Orloff first covers psychological dreams, which she says can be both cries for help from something inside you that can't carry a burden any more, and "advocates for your finest qualities." She has a helpful guide to some of the common psychological dreams and their meanings. She also lists 5 steps for interpreting your psychological dreams.
As she covers predictive and guidance dreams, she gives helpful signs for identifying them, as well as ways to learn from them and apply that knowledge. One of the things that I found fascinating about predictive dreams is that there is a neutrality, detachment, and even calm to the dreams. She talks of witnessing, rather than experiencing the emotions during the dream. A woman who has distressing dreams about a relationship is most likely having a psychological dream and not a predictive one.
I love this quote about applying guidance dreams.
Never do anything that feels harmful to yourself or others. Authentic guidance is always compassionate and will make you emotionally freer, even if it involves tough love. (page 96)
Questions for discussion or personal reflection:
1. How much importance do you give to your dreams? Are they merely random thoughts linked together while you sleep, or do they carrying meaning for your life?
2. Do you believe that the average person can receive prophetic and guidance dreams?
3. In what ways has looking at your dreams and their meanings helped you to process life events and/or find more emotional freedom?
4. How is the quality of your sleep? What things have you found that help you sleep better?
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