Creative Dreamwork:
Organic Dream Integration / Interpretation

The goal of this exercise is to bring you insights for a self-empowered interpretation of your dream, but even more so to give it birth in physical life and allow the process of doing so to change, heal, free and inspire you.

Record the dream as completely as possible immediately upon awakening using either tape-recorder or pad and pencil (try both), and make sure to use present tense, give it a title and date it (for later reference).

Next, set aside some undisturbed time during the day or week in a place free from distraction (especially the phone). This can be with others or not, but make sure the creative environment feels very safe to you. If you’re not used to expressing yourself through art, I suggest trying the exercise alone at first (praise can sometimes be as blocking as criticism). Choose a method for expressing your dream: poetry, painting or drawing, sculpting, dance, composing a song or writing or telling a story about (and not necessarily an exact narration of) your dream, making a collage from photos or magazines, enacting a play with figurines, or whatever other venue of expression inspires you. Make sure you have your materials ready at the appointed time. If you find yourself thinking that this sounds childish or silly (rather than child-like and fun), or that you don’t really have the time but get the point by just reading about it, then all the more important to at least try it since such judgments may indeed point to the precise healing or sense of playful freedom and creative enjoyment that may be missing in your life, and that this exercise and dream could bring you.

Keep a notepad handy to record any insights that pop up as you begin giving life to your dream. Invite your inner critic, perfectionist and fear of performance to take a vacation during what should be a simple, playful interlude, and then just go for it! Let yourself create whatever you like, however you want. Not that you should, but if you really need to judge how successfully you’re doing the exercise, then your measuring stick should be how much you become absorbed in the richness of the expression process rather than how good your result is.

Once complete, stand back and view your creation as an objective witness and see if any new connections show up. Finally, stay alert during the rest of the day or week to elements from your dream and creation that show up in your daily life, noticing the connections without necessarily requiring any normal cause-and-effect meaning about the ‘why’ behind such events. This helps keep the dream in mind and helps organically integrate it into your life. This method will also exercise your intuitive and creative abilities which will be great tools in the long run for mastering a more complete understanding and practical interpretation of future dreams.