The Dream Sourcebook: A Guide to the Theory and Interpretation of Dreams (30 page)

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Authors: Phyllis R. Koch-Sheras

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BOOK: The Dream Sourcebook: A Guide to the Theory and Interpretation of Dreams
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Page 179
Guided Fantasy
In lucid dreams, you are aware while you are dreaming. But can you dream while actually awake? Technically, no. But fantasy and daydreams have been defined as "a special case of imagery made up of a combination of memory and imagination images. . . . You could say that the images are part of an internal continuum, as in a film," according to Mike and Nancy Samuels, in their book
Seeing with the Mind's Eye
. Guided fantasy is just what it sounds like: A series of verbal or musical prompts guides your imagination through a scenario. The Samuelses and others refer to this fantasy process as visualization; that is, creating a mental image or "picture in the mind."
Since the early days of hypnosis, psychologists, doctors, and yogis have used various visualization techniques to achieve specific goals. Doctors Joseph Breuer and Sigmund Freud were the first to systematically elicit images to treat patients, and psychiatrist Carl Jung used visualization extensively in his work, developing the technique of
active imagination
to bring forth archetypal images. More recently, behavior therapists such as Joseph Wolpe have used visualization techniques such as systematic desensitization to lessen anxiety, and Dr. Carl Simonton developed an effective visualization procedure for treating cancer. Other terms and techniques have evolved that are similar to guided fantasy: Hans Carl Leuner's guided affective imagery, Shakti Gawain's creative visualization, José Silva's mind control, and Robert Master and Jean Houston's mind games, all use fantasy to expand consciousness.
Guided fantasy works well with a partner, but you can work solo as well, using a guided fantasy tape you purchase commercially or create yourself. Just like dreams, guided fantasy offers much material for interpretation; and almost any exercise you can do with a dream you can apply to guided fantasy also. Both
 
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Figure 6.3:
Phyllis Koch-Sheras painted
 Archetype, 
after a guided fantasy about 
connecting with basic animal nature
.
dreams and guided fantasy are useful shortcuts to intuitive knowledge that is usually unconscious or ignored. Although fantasy is necessarily a more conscious experience than normal dreaming, you can still learn a lot about how your psyche responds to whatever images come up. Guided fantasy is a great place to begin dreamwork if you are a poor recaller or a non-recaller; your dreamworld may seem locked up tight, but you can always access your imagination.
In going through a guided fantasy, relaxation of both body and mind is key. Your goal is the alpha state you enter into just before sleep. Set the right mood, remove all distractions, and perhaps play some calming instrumental music. A sample guided fantasy is included here, originated by psychologist John Weir and reprinted from Phyllis Koch-Sheras's book
Dream On
. If you wish, tape-record it, complete with appropriate pauses, and then play it back when you are ready to complete the exercise. Where you see the ellipses, you should pause. Use it as is, or amend it to suit your own interest in pursuing this kind of "waking dream."
 
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"Tree Fantasy"
It is a beautiful spring day. The sun is shining brightly and the breeze is blowing softly through the trees. You can hear the sounds of birds in the distance and smell the fragrance of flowers in the air.
Now, you realize that you are the seed of a tree being blown by the wind through the forest and across the fields. . . . You can feel yourself gently tossed through the air, preparing to find a place to settle into the earth. . . . Look around you, and see where you are being carried. . . . Now, the wind dies down and you notice where you have landed. . . . Gradually, you begin to feel yourself breaking out of your tight covering . . . sending down roots . . . now feel yourself pushing up, pushing up hard . . . harder . . . until finally you feel yourself breaking through the ground and rising up into the sunlight. . . . Now feel your first leaves unfolding . . . feel yourself stretching and growing, making new leaves, and twigs, and branches, growing strong and tall . . . growing and growing . . . and growing. (Wait one to three minutes.) And now, I am going to count to three, and when I get to three, you will open your eyes and feel wide awake, remembering everything you have experienced, knowing you can use this information, now and in the future. One . . . start to come back . . . two . . . almost back . . . and three . . . open your eyes.
You can devise other symbolic experiences and narrate those on tape in a similar fashion: being born, traveling through your body, flying. You can use images and stories from your own dreams to create guided fantasies for yourself. You may want to consider guided fantasy as a prelude to dream incubation, which is the practice of consciously seeking out certain dreams and symbols. By making your imagination your friend, and inviting it to play an active role in your waking and sleeping lives, you
 
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open up a communication line between your conscious and unconscious minds. As you explore the meanings of your waking fantasy images, you can gain insight into the significance of the symbols as they appear in your dreams.
Dreamwork 2000: High-Tech Options for Dreamers
A burgeoning interest in dreams has led to several innovations for dreamers. Here are a few highlights, with contact numbers for those who wish to know more:
NovaDreamer, designed by lucid dreaming expert Stephen LaBerge, Ph.D., is designed for those who want to learn to lucid dream. This apparatus looks like a space alien's headpiece, and is intended to alert sleepers to periods of REM sleep with light or sound signals (you choose). These cues will not fully awaken you, but they will cue you in that you're dreaming, giving you the chance to participate more actively in guiding your dreams. For $275, dreamers receive a package that includes a course in lucid dreaming, a one-year membership in the Lucidity Institute, and a subscription to a quarterly newsletter. Available through Mind Gear, 1-800-525-MIND.
Dreamwork by mail. Need help interpreting a dream? Dream researcher Robert Van de Castle, author of
Our Dreaming Mind
, offers consultation by mail; the cost is $50 for a half-hour audiotaped response to your written dreams. For a brochure of this service, write Dreams, P.O. Box 3048, University Station, Charlottesville, VA 22903.
 
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Dreamwork on-line. Tapping into a discussion group on-line allows you to communicate with dreamworkers from all over the country. Use one of the database searching sites to find user's group that are discussing dreams.
A dream workout. ''Henry Reed's Dream Interpretation Workout'' is a videotape designed by a well-known dream consultant to bring dreamwork right to your television screen. The video costs $49.95 and is available through Video Home Companion, P.O. Box 1541, Virginia Beach, VA 23451.
Dream Play
All of these exercises are intended to be not only enlightening, but also fun to do. And it is in the spirit of fun that we encourage you to make your dreams your friends, to play with them and the messages they give you. If you experience a joyful or pleasant event in a dream, you might choose to recreate it in your waking life, inviting others to join you. (One woman dreamed she and her friends were eating a giant burrito in her kitchen, which gave her the idea for a giant burrito party.) If a certain image recurs in your dreams (an elephant, a banana, a rainbow), you might begin acquiring items that feature that image. Dream incubation is not only useful, but entertaining. So use the technique to invite yourself to have fun in your dreams. Why not incubate a dream in which you travel to your favorite places, or make love to your favorite person, or perform some amazing acts?
The dream play approach can find its way into many different activities, and it is easy to incorporate into any of the exercises in this chapter. If you think about it, dreamwork isn't all

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