When thinking of dream therapy – most people might think of a therapist listening to your memories of your dreams and putting the images and symbols into an order that makes sense. This isn't the case.

 

​
 

• Dream therapy aims to help with insomnia, stress, anxiety, depression, and is a great tool to uncover past traumas so the dreamer can better understand underlying issues and/or behaviours and get closure in Waking Life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is dreaming? 
  
"A series of thoughts, images, or emotions occurring during sleep.  A state of absentmindedness; a daydream;  a. strongly desired goal; b. representing the realisation of an ambition: perfect  Something notable for its beauty, excellence or enjoyable quality"
(The Penguin English Dictionary) 
 
In the same way that the meaning of the word dream is varied, so are the meanings of the contents of dreams themselves.  Indeed, if a dream is dreamt at a certain time, it carries different meanings.

As each human being is different, so are their perceptions of the world around them and the value of each image stored in their mind.  A snake has very different connotations for a zoologist than it might have for someone who was once bitten by one!  Dream therapy cannot be developed from other people‘s interpretations of the world. 
 
Dream Therapy requires a commitment to recording and translating and is not something that can happen quickly.  It shows progress when a client is undergoing therapy and it really depends on the individual‘s commitment to want to remember their dreams, and to accurately record the timing and images within. 


Dream therapy ultimately fulfils many roles.  It is more than simple interpretation.  It can also be a way to look at different trouble-shooting options the subconscious can offer to you while you sleep. So you see, dream therapy is more than dream interpretation. It is a means of confronting our subconscious, or even our conscious dilemmas, and often finding a way to lead a healthier and more creative life.  

Don't let me bore you with all the talking. If you are curious to find out what clarity that lies within the somewhat confusion of your dreams please book a free consultation to find out more. 

​
 

 

 

A brief history of Dream Therapy 

Jouvet‘s theory of dreaming and dream research is considered to be the foundation of all modern dream discoveries and questions.

Jouvet believes that the message delivered by the person dreaming is subjected to a genetic determinism.  
His studies covered both animals and twin humans to develop his thesis with reference to the genetic memory of each individual who seems to express himself during the dream. He believed that genetic patterning was responsible for some of our dreaming and in that lay what he saw as an innate or hereditary share of our personality.  
 
Examples of this psychological heredity were published by Bouchard at the University of Colorado, following studies of the psychological profiles of pairs of identical twin having been separate from birth and raised in different environments. Where some environmentalists would have us believe that our dreams are man made and not born, research showed that dreams of twins could be shared and in that, left open the possibility that even though a dream comes to each one of us differently, the conservation of hereditary features which can be seen in the physical body (e.g. a family sharing the same shaped nose) we can also share mental features and dreams according to our genetic programming.  
 
This theory opens up a multitude of possibilities.  From the idea that our ancestors can talk to us in dreams all the way to the control we have over our bodies based on our heritage.  
 
Jouvet says that thanks to the extraordinary possibilities of connections which are carried out in the brain at the time when the basic circuits of our personality are being programmed, we could settle an ad infinitum combination of problems or situations, using the acquired events, and giving rise to the inventions of the dreams, or preparing again structures of thought which will make it possible to solve new problems.  
Jouvet didn‘t refer to Rapid Eye Movements but called it instead, Paradoxical Sleep.
 
When Jouvet came up with the idea of evolutionary development and genetic programming of dream function he had to find out which parts of the brain were necessary and used for dreaming. How did they interact? And, where the systems known as permissive were, which prevented the dream from appearing during waking hours, and only (in general) after a rather long phase of sleep?  His extensive research led to him understanding how REM led the dreamer to an absence of reaction to visual and auditory stimuli.  These are incredibly difficult to analyse and although played a part in dream formation, were not conclusive. 

He kept on coming back to the dream formation as being related to ancient historical needs of each species.  

It was thanks to Freud who mapped the human mind that we can know so much about it. However his, perhaps misunderstood, theories were found to be but a small niche in what it was thought to be the absolute then.

Freud described the actual technique of psychoanalytic dream-analysis in the following terms: 
― You entirely disregard the apparent connections between the elements in the manifest dream and collect the ideas that occur to you in connection with each separate element of the dream by free association according to the psychoanalytic rule of procedure. From this material you arrive at the latent dream-thoughts, just as you arrived at the patient's hidden complexes from his associations to his symptoms and memories...The true meaning of the dream, which has now replaced the manifest content, is always clearly intelligible. 
He went on to say:
"The assertion that all dreams require a sexual interpretation, against which critics rage so incessantly, occurs nowhere in my Interpretation of Dreams...and is in obvious contradiction to other views expressed in it."
Dreams throughout history and literature holds a special place in our lives.

Freudian Dream Interpretation: sample symbols 
 
Please be aware, when applying these definitions, that Freud did not believe in direct symbolic meanings which applied to everyone; in fact, his comments on so-called cipher and symbolic dream interpretation prior to his work was rather scathing (Freud, 1994).  
 
Rather, he saw some commonalities of theme in typical dreams, which might point an interpreter (preferably the dreamer herself or a skilled psychoanalyst) in a useful line of questioning. The specifics of any given dream symbol, however, should be seen in context of the dreamer's recent life, together with references to the dreamer's past (Freud, 1994). 
 
The symbols below are those used by Freud (1994) in sample dream interpretations. As you read them, please remember they are drawn from nineteenth-century Europeans, and so their application today may not be as appropriate as they were for Freud. 
 
Alarm clock: Freud (1994) used the sound of an alarm clock as an example of an external neural stimulus affecting a dream. Examples include a dream of preparation for a sleigh ride contained unusually loud sleigh bells, or a dream in which a maid drops china, and the sound of breaking china goes on too long, until the dreamer realizes it is the alarm clock.  
 
Egotism in dreams: Freud (1994) found that many dreams had an underlying latent theme of egotism, in their self-absorption or reference to early childhood memories of being cared for, fed, etc.

While Dr. Jones was delivering a lecture before an American scientific society, and speaking of egotism in dreams, a learned lady took exception to this unscientific generalisation sic. She thought that the lecturer could only pronounce such judgment on the dreams of Austrians, and had no right to include the dreams of Americans. As for herself she was sure that all her dreams were altruistic. (Freud, 1994, 

Hats: Freud (1994) had several sample dreams in which hats represented genitalia.
 

Structures: Stairwells, mine shafts, a small building located in a narrow recess, locked doors, and so forth frequently have repressed sexual undertones, particularly in dreams which are "conspicuously innocent" (Freud, 1994, p. 241).  
 

Carl Gustav Jung, (1842-1896) a Swiss psychiatrist who once studied under Freud, was considered to be one of the founding fathers of modern psychology. 
 
His interest in dreams has been speculated to come from his own family legend that his grandfather was Goethe‘s illegitimate son.  Jung was deeply affected by learning Goethe‘s Faust when at school and indeed wrote in his diary
―My situation is mirrored in my dreams.
Dream analysis is central to Jungian analytical psychology and forms a critical part of the therapeutic process in classical Jungian analysis. Although not dismissing Freud's model of dream interpretation completely, he believed that Freud's notion of dreams as representations of unfulfilled wishes, to be simplistic and naive.  
 
Jung was convinced that the scope of dream interpretation was larger, reflecting the richness and complexity of the entire unconscious, both personal and collective.  
 
Jung believed the psyche to be a self-regulating organism in which conscious attitudes were likely to be compensated for unconsciously (within the dream) by their opposites. 
 
Jung‘s deep fascination with the occult and the concept of the collective unconscious led to his exploring different religions in both East and West.  As he found commonalities and links he developed his ideals of archetypes.  It is also notable that he spent time investigating myths, alchemy and at a later point, flying saucers!!!   
 
Jung believed that archetypes such as the animus, the anima, the shadow and others manifested themselves in dreams, as dream symbols or figures.  
 
Such figures could take the form of an old man, a young maiden or a giant spider as the case may be.  
 
Each archetype represents an unconscious attitude that is largely hidden to the conscious mind. Although an integral part of the dreamer‘s psyche, these manifestations were largely autonomous and were perceived by the dreamer to be external personages.  

This Were:
 

-The self is an archetype that represents the unified unconsciousness and consciousness of an individual. Creating the self occurs through a process known as individuation, in which the various aspects of personality are integrated. Jung often represented the self as a circle, square, or mandala.

 

- The shadow is an archetype that consists of the sex and life instincts. The shadow exists as part of the unconscious mind and is composed of repressed ideas, weaknesses, desires, instincts, and shortcomings. This archetype is often described as the darker side of the psyche, representing wildness, chaos, and the unknown. These latent dispositions are present in all of us, Jung believed, although people sometimes deny this element of their own psyche and instead project it on to others.

Jung suggested that the shadow can appear in dreams or visions and may take a variety of forms. It might appear as a snake, a monster, a demon, a dragon, or some other dark, wild, or exotic figure.

 

- The anima is a feminine image in the male psyche, and the animus is a male image in the female psyche. The anima/animus represents the "true self" rather than the image we present to others and serves as the primary source of communication with the collective unconscious. The combined anima and animus is known as the syzygy or the divine couple. The syzygy represents completion, unification, and wholeness.

 

- The persona is how we present ourselves to the world. The word "persona" is derived from a Latin word that literally means "mask." It is not a literal mask, however. The persona represents all the different social masks that we wear among various groups and situations. It acts to shield the ego from negative images. According to Jung, the persona may appear in dreams and take different forms.

Jung suggested that the number of existing archetypes was not static or fixed. Instead, many different archetypes may overlap or combine at any given time. The following are just a few of the various archetypes that Jung described:

    The father: Authority figure; stern; powerful.

    The mother: Nurturing; comforting.

    The child: Longing for innocence; rebirth; salvation.

    The wise old man: Guidance; knowledge; wisdom.

    The hero: Champion; defender; rescuer.

    The maiden: Innocence; desire; purity.

    The trickster: Deceiver; liar; trouble-maker.

For Jung, symbols are intuitive ideas that have not yet formed. Jung believed that universal, mythic characters—archetypes—reside within the collective unconscious of people the world over. Archetypes represent fundamental human motifs of our experience as we evolved; consequentially, they evoke deep emotions.

Although there are many different archetypes, Jung’s primary types symbolise basic human motivations therefore, the archetypes serve as a great decipherer of the Psyche in measures that we can attain. 
Also because of its universal language the archetypes are great tools to manipulate/control human behaviour. 
(Which isn’t always a good thing, since not everyone has the integrity or the best interest of the entire entity as priority.)

Kappasinian Dream Therapy was created by Dr John Kappas, PhD (d. 2002), a hypnotherapist and founder of HMI, the Hypnosis Motivation Institute in California.  This type of dream therapy continues to be taught by his son George Kappas in Tarzana, California, today.  The type of dream analysis is based on the principal that each human being is unique.  In the same way that perceptions are absolute and individual, so are dream symbols as how can one person replicate the symbols of another?  Kappas argues that it is impossible to know exactly what something is like from another person’s perspective and although he established this long before NLP was structured, it works from the same premise . 



Dreams throughout history and literature holds a special place in our lives. 

The first materials depicting dream content date back 5000 years to Mesopotamia, these were fragmented writings, approximately 25,000 clay tablets, from King Assurbanipal‘s library.  These tablets showed early stories including dream sequences of a fictional character Gilgamesh.  It is interesting to note that there were also the recorded dreams of King Gudea of Sumeria. 
 
Mesopotamians classified dreams as message dreams, mantic dreams or symbolic dreams. As you will see in lesson 7, today we have a three dream cycle interpretation too. 
 
Ancient Egypt saw the establishment of dream temples which were considered healing places, and it is believed that hypnosis took place to help people heal themselves and amongst different practices that took place there, dream analysis was used in order to work out what treatment people might need.  This could come from the premise that all answers lie within, especially considering how modern psychology and hypnotherapy work. Egyptians believed that dreams were messages and dream omina, or ―omen-texts, were also found in Egypt. 
 
Sleep temples were also popular in Ancient Greece, and were dedicated to the Greek god of medicine and healing, Asclepios and were called Asclepieions. 

Roman Sleep temples have been found as far as Gloucestershire, England as well as temples being prevalent in the Middle East.   
 
There are ancient Indian and Tibetan texts on dreams and how they can be used as a tool towards acquiring spiritual enlightenment. Indeed, even the bible tells of stories of God appearing to both prophets and ordinary men and women in dreams.    
 
The Ancient Chinese believed that the soul was involved in dreams. It could separate from the body for night time communication with the spirits. It was believed that the dreamer was vulnerable, and the soul could have trouble getting back into the body if the sleeper was disturbed.  

Of course there is a dream which is well famed in China.  This is the dream of Chuang-tzu who was a secondary but never the less important figure in Daoism.  It is said that one day, when he woke from a dream, he did not know if he was a man who had been dreaming of a butterfly, or whether he was indeed a butterfly, who was dreaming that he was a man.  His dreaming had been so completely lucid that both existences seemed real to him and this alone can lead to existential questions through dreaming. 
 
The Tibetan Buddhists believe that dreams are practice for realising illusions after death. It is thus, very important to be able to develop lucid dreaming in order to overcome all demons and fears before attaining nirvana. 


 

REM 
RAPID EYE MOVEMENT sleep is distinguishable from NREM sleep by changes in physiological states.
REM is a unique phase of sleep in mammals, birds, and lizards, characterized by random movement of the eyes, low muscle tone throughout the body, and the propensity of the sleeper to dream vividly. This phase is also known as paradoxical sleep (PS) and sometimes desynchronized sleep because of physiological similarities to waking states, including rapid, low-voltage desynchronized brain waves. Electrical and chemical activity regulating this phase seems to originate in the brain stem and is characterised most notably by an abundance of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, combined with a nearly complete absence of monoamine neurotransmitters histamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine.

REM sleep is physiologically different from the other phases of sleep, which are collectively referred to as non-REM sleep (NREM sleep, NREMS, synchronised sleep). REM and non-REM sleep alternate within one sleep cycle, which lasts about 90 minutes in adult humans. As sleep cycles continue, they shift towards a higher proportion of REM sleep. The transition to REM sleep brings marked physical changes, beginning with electrical bursts called PGO waves originating in the brain stem. Organisms in REM sleep suspend central homeostasis, allowing large fluctuations in respiration, thermoregulation, and circulation which do not occur in any other modes of sleeping or waking. The body abruptly loses muscle tone, a state known as REM atonia.
In the REM period, breathing becomes more rapid, irregular and shallow, eyes jerk rapidly and limb muscles are temporarily paralysed. Brain waves during this stage increase to levels experienced when a person is awake. Also, heart rate increases, blood pressure rises, males develop erections and the body loses some of the ability to regulate its temperature. This is the time when most dreams occur, and, if awoken during REM sleep, a person can remember the dreams. Most people experience three to five intervals of REM sleep each night. Infants spend almost 50% of their time in REM sleep. Adults spend nearly half of sleep time in stage 2, about 20% in REM and the other 30% is divided between the other three stages. Older adults spend progressively less time in REM sleep.
 

How the body progresses through different brain waves.
 

Lambda 200Hz
Hyper Gamma   100Hz  
Self-awareness, higher levels of insight and information. Tibetan monks that walk barely clothed for days through the snow have exhibited elevated levels of these. They are difficult to measure and little is known about them. They are carried on the very slow moving Epsilon Waves (<0.5Hz).   

 

 

Gamma 38 - 90Hz Important in harmonizing and unifying thoughts processed in various parts of the brain. Combines different perceptions. Suppressed totally by anaesthetic. Found in all parts of the brain. Self-awareness and insight.  

40Hz the core frequency. Important in cognition, especially coordinating simultaneous processing in all parts of the brain. Deficiencies exhibit learning difficulties. Produced during hypnotic states.

 

 

Beta 12 - 38Hz Wide awake, alert, focused, analyses and assimilates additional information rapidly, complex mental processing, peak physical and mental performance, cannot be sustained indefinitely otherwise exhaustion, anxiety, and tension result.  

Mid-Range Beta 15Hz-18Hz Neuro-feedback training that produced alert behaviour, useful in depression. 

Low Beta Also known as Sensory Motor Rhythm (SMR)

12 - 15Hz Vigilance, reduced mobility, shallow breathing, less blinking, fixed attention and eye focus, enhancing through neuro-feedback reduces epileptic symptoms and has a calming effect (ADHD sufferers).  


Beta-Alpha    Hyper-efficient in processing single tasks as it can focus on the details as well as the overall task at 12Hz the same time  

 

Alpha 7.5 - 12Hz Mental coordination and resourcefulness, relaxation, alert but not mentally processing anything, inward focus, calmness, at ease, deep breathing and closed eyes can amplify alpha production, peak around 10Hz.  

 

Alpha-Theta 7.48Hz Stimulates retrieval of memories from the subconscious.

Theta 4 - 7.5Hz Memory access, learning, deep meditation, sensations, emotions, the threshold of the subconscious, dreaming. 

 

Frontal Midline Theta

6.2 - 6.7Hz Cognitive activity, maths problems, sustained attention, extrovert personality, low anxiety  

 4.5Hz Shamanic trances, Tibetan mantras, Buddhist chants all use this frequency to access altered states  

Theta-Delta 3.5Hz Long term memory access  

 

Delta 0.5 - 4Hz Deep sleep, human growth hormone release, low blood pressure, low respiration, low body temperature. No muscle movement - Reticular Activating System (RAS) shuts this down.  

Epsilon <0.5Hz the state Yogis go into when they achieve "suspended animation" where no heartbeat, respiration or pulse are noticeable.

SHAMAN DREAMING: Shaman dreaming is an ancient and powerful spiritual path that honours dreams as both wishes and experiences of the soul. Here, the dreamer learns to create a safe space where dreams can be share, where dreamers can travel inside each other’s dreamscapes, and draw healing and insight from the dream world into physical reality. Very often, shamanic drumming, guided visualisation and relaxation techniques are used to facilitate the shift in consciousness that enables the dreamer to enter a deeper reality and embark on conscious dream journeys.

Core techniques include:

Dream re-entry: Where the dreamer uses personal dream images as portals into a deeper reality. The dreamer learns to travel back inside a dream to clarify its meaning, dialogue with dream characters (who may be spiritual guides or ancestors), and have wonderful adventures. This is considered to be one of the easiest ways to master the art of conscious dream travel.

Shared dreaming: Dreamers are able to embark on shared journeys with one or more partners, and bring through healing and guidance for each other.

Time folding: As dream travellers, the dreamer can explore the possible future and bring back information that can help to change the future for the better, for themselves or others. They can also travel to previous times and parallel worlds.

Working with dream allies: Dreamers draw on the healing energy of the dream animals, and journey to communicate with spiritual teachers on the highest levels they are able to access. They open channels for deepening encounters with the Higher Self.

Dream growing: Dreamers become dream creators, using the energy and inspiration of dreams for artistic expression and for living more creatively.

Dream transfer: Dreamers learn to bring a dream - a healing image, a life vision, perhaps a path to the next world - to someone who may be in desperate need of a dream. 
 

A shaman, by definition, is a "strong dreamer": someone who dreams profusely, dreams for others, dreams the future, brings gifts of dream healing, and works with dream allies. In the Western Hemisphere, the most common term for "shaman" means literally, "one who dreams". In the Mohawk language, the word is ratetshents. The Kagwahiv, a shamanic people of Amazonia, say that "anyone who dreams is a little bit shaman."