Dream interpretation - That abandoned baby is you!

If you dream of losing a baby or forgetting one, leaving it behind or in danger, you likely are ignoring your deepest spiritual needs and desires.  

Dear SMYD,

You always say that it helps to understand a recurring dream if you make a note of when you have it, how you’re feeling and what’s going on in your life.  Well, I haven’t made any notes, but I can tell you exactly when I have had this particular recurring dream over the years.  It came up when each of my three children were born and at milestones in their lives.  When they went off to kindergarten, or had their first sleep over.  Sports or academic achievements, first love, graduation, first apartment – I always made sure they were the best prepared and that we celebrated all those things.   

I have always put my children first so it’s especially hard to understand why I have this recurring dream at exactly the moment when I’m sacrificing everything for them:

In my dream I always leave the baby behind.  It is set in different places but they are all similar in that I am at a crossroads or a threshold of some kind.  Most recently, when my youngest asked me to help her plan her wedding, I was on the platform in a train station, and the baby was somewhere in the crowd.  I’ll have to find her and I know this will make me miss the train.

These dreams are always so stressful!  I wake up terrified at the way things are going.

Signed,

Am I a Terrible Mom?

Dear Mom,

Jeremy Taylor, founder of the Marin Institute forProjective Dream Work and past president of the International Association forthe Study of Dreams says that dreams of leaving a baby behind are “classic” in their recurrence and “usually come to people who lead productive, responsible lives.  [Such a dream] is all the more upsetting or distressing for precisely that reason.”

Without giving too many details, you reveal yourself to be in this high achieving category when you say that your children are always the best prepared for the milestones in their lives and that you take special care to celebrate all those events as they come.  That’s a lot of focus and attention for the eighteen year formative lives of three children! 

You also mention that you sacrifice everything for them.  Could it be that at each milestone for one of your children, some part of you – your aspiration or inner desire – was saying, “Hey – what about me?  Looks like I’m being left behind again.”  The infant in your dream may represent aspects of yourself that were neglected or ill-defined – misplaced or ill-attended in favor of the needs of your family.

Those actions over the years are noble indeed and your healthy, successful children are testimony to your sacrifice and skill as a parent.  But perhaps now, Dear Dreamer, you can give that inner baby, the budding part of yourself, the attention it deserves.

Sweet Dreams to You!

Dreamers converge in Berkeley, CA

Dear Dreamers,

I am excited to be attending the annual conference of the International Association for the Study of Dreams this week.  One of the most pragmatic features of the conference comprises the four hour-long sessions wherein attendees can work directly with leading researchers and practitioners in the ‘field of dreams.’  I may join Past President of the IASD, Robert Gongloff, again this year to delve even deeper into the Heart of the Dream, as he calls his exploration approach to dream material.

In previous columns, I have shared research from dream interpretation icon Patricia Garfield, Ph.D.  She is co-founder of the IASD and her wealth of knowledge of dreams and dreamers from around the world forms a foundational base for understanding common dream themes as a part of our shared, cross-cultural dream experience. 

We spoke earlier about four of the 12 most common dream themes Garfield identifies in her book The Universal Dream Key:  Being chased or attacked, falling or drowning, missing the boat and being lost or trapped.  Here are two more of the recurring themes you’ll recognize from your own nocturnal travels!

Being injured, ill or dying v. being healed, born or reborn.  Garfield notes that this relatively common dream sometimes occurs at the onset of an actual illness.  Further, the usual, less literal meaning of such dreams as they equate to the dreamer’s waking life could be stated as: I feel hurt emotionally.  I feel damaged or wounded.  Or, I’m afraid I will be hurt.  These dreams may speak as a warning about a physical risk that the dreamer is contemplating, or about the emotional risks of pursuing unhealthy relationships.

Conversely, dreams of being healed, born or reborn reassure the dreamer that s/he has a restored waking ability or emotional repair.  Garfield goes on to say that being born or reborn, or giving birth in your dreams can signify the awakening or reawakening of a ‘lost’ part of you.

Being naked or inappropriately dressed in public v. being well-dressed.  Common among dreamers in Garfield’s study, and familiar to all of us, these dreams typically occur when we feel vulnerable or exposed in waking life.  We feel awkward or without protection. 

Garfield suggests starting with some guiding questions as you begin to explore the application of such dreams to your waking life:  Where was I in the dream?  Home?  School?  Work?  The answer to this question will offer insights into what area of your waking life has you feeling unprotected or weak.  Your reactions to your nudity in the dream can also help pinpoint the crux of the desperate or fearful emotions.  In effect, how you handle your exposure in your dream is key to successful navigation of the waking circumstance!

It follows that dreaming of being well-dressed would speak to the sensation of confidence in your waking life.  Perhaps your dream is urging you to act more confidently in a waking situation alluded to by the dream. 

The IASD Conference is in Berkeley this week, Wednesday through Sunday.  Hope to see you there!

Sweet Dreams to You!

sendmeyourdreams@yahoo.com          

Dream interpretation: The personal is the universal

 

Dear Dreamers,

The annual conference of the InternationalAssociation for the Study of Dreams will feature the leading researchers and practitioners in the ‘field of dreams.’  If you attend you may sit in a workshop with dream interpretation icon Patricia Garfield, Ph.D.  She is co-founder of the IASD and most impressive in her wealth of knowledge of dreams and dreamers from around the world. 

In her book The Universal Dream Key Garfield distills the results of her study of dreams contributed from 500 dreamers – 325 from the United States and 175 from thirty-six other countries.

Garfield’s book is a practical guide for applying dreams to our daily lives as well as understanding our dreams in the greater context of the “epics that have been told since the dawn of time.”  Garfield says that “the intimate stories that you tell yourself tonight when you go to bed have flowed across the centuries from cave dweller to condo dweller…They unveil not only your most intimate secrets but also the dreads and desires of humankind.”

We talked in March about two of the 12 most common dream themes Garfield identified in her book:  Being chased or attacked and falling or drowning.  Here are two more of those recurring themes you’ll recognize from your own nocturnal travels!    

Missing the boat or other transport v. pleasant travel.  Garfield cites the usual meaning of such dreams as they equate to the dreamer’s waking life:  I’ve missed an opportunity.  I’m too late.  I’ve missed my chance.  These dreams speak to waking frustrations and fears that life is leaving us behind, and that we need to “get our acts together” or face the disappointment of lost prospects.

Dreams of pleasant travels would, in contrast, reassure the dreamer that s/he has prepared well to enjoy the journey of life.  Garfield urges dreamers to be alert to the names of destinations that may appear in such dreams, as they can be laden with meaning.

Being lost or trapped v. discovering new spaces.  Common among dreamers in Garfield’s study, and familiar to all of us, these dreams typically occur when we feel confusion or conflict about how to act in a waking situation. 

Garfield suggests starting with some guiding questions as you begin to explore the application of such dreams to your waking life:  Where was I trying to go in the dream?  Home?  School?  Work?  At what point did I become lost?  What lead me astray?  How did I try to find my way?  What area of my waking life is mystifying me?  These can help pinpoint the crux of the desperate or fearful emotions that originate with the waking circumstance and generate the dream.

It follows that discovering new spaces in your dream would speak to the sensation of expansion in your waking life.  Perhaps your dream depicts windows or doors opening to you as an encouragement to move forward in your endeavors.  Hooray!

The IASD Conference is slated in Berkeley June 4-8 this year.  Hope to see you there!

Sweet Dreams to You!

Anticipating the 29th Annual IASD Conference

Dearest Dreamers,

My deadline for Send Me Your Dreams comes up before the end of the 29^th Annual Conference of the International Association for the Study of Dreams.  So as I write this, I’m gearing up to spend four and half days in Berkeley immersed in a dream world of dreamers. 

In my own brand of nerdiness, I set goals when I registered months ago:  #1 - Meet, no, more than meet, actually converse with Gayle Delaney, Patricia Garfield, and Ernest Hartmann.  All Ph.D.’s.  All pioneers steeped in dream research and education.  All so cool.

I’ll report back later.  But in the short term, here’s my preview:

Gayle Delaney is the founding President of the Association for the Study of Dreams.  She wrote my go-to book for the understanding and practical application of dreams - Living Your Dreams.  She specializes in the pragmatic uses of dreams for problem solving and psychological insight.  My kind of gal.  Maybe you remember seeing her steps for incubating dreams in my columns.

Patricia Garfield is a renowned expert in the study of dreams.  She is the prize-winning author of eleven books on dreams, most notably her first bestseller Creative Dreaming (1974), considered a classic.  Revised in 1995, it's still in print and appears in fifteen languages.  Dr. Garfield is Co-Founder and Past President of the International Association for the Study of Dreams.

Ernest Hartmann is also a Past President of IASD, and Professor of Psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine.  He’s the author of eleven books including The Nature and Functions of Dreaming.  Dr. Hartmann writes for non-professionals as well as professionals, making his cutting-edge research accessible and fascinating.

Finally, I am so looking forward to taking a cup of tea with Dr. Marcia Emery, noted psychologist, academician, consultant, and author of Dr. Marcia Emery's Intuition Workbook, The Intuitive Healer and PowerHunch.  She’s been in my column as well, sharing her process for understanding your dreams.  I’ll be attending her session on intuition and dreams.

More than 20 dream workshops offer experiences for putting theory into practice.  It’s hard to decide, but I think I’ll start with lucid dreams.  These are the ones where part of you is aware that the other part is dreaming.  Lots of possibilities here for speeding personal growth.  From there I’ll sample dream themes across cultures, then on to dream maps.

Auxiliary activities provide many opportunities as well.  There’s a dream art exhibition (where I’ll serve as a volunteer monitor), a dream hike, dream cruise with dessert, and … a dream telepathy contest!  I participated in such a contest at a past conference.  It was fun.  And I was pretty good at it!  Perhaps you, Dear Dreamers, would like to try your hand at dream telepathy?  I will offer an opportunity soon.

There’s not much down time in the next five days, but that’s OK.  I’ve dreamed of this for a long time!

Sweet Dreams to You, Dear Dreamer!

SMYD

Don't Miss the 2012 IASD Conference!

Dear Dreamers,

I want to give you plenty of time to consider joining me for the 29^th Annual Conference of the International Association for the Study of Dreams, June 22 – 26^th, 2012, at the Double Tree Hotel at the Berkeley Marina.

The Conference will be a 4 1/2 day event filled with Workshops, Symposia, Panels, a Poster Session and Special Events featuring three world-renowned keynote speakers and over 150 presenters from around the globe.  

Special Events include an opening reception, the Dream Art Exhibition and reception, the annual Dream Telepathy Contest, the costume Dream Ball, a Dream Hike along the Bay, and a sunset sail on the “sea of dreams” - a special dessert cruise of San Francisco Bay.

This conference represents an excellent opportunity learn about dreams and to experience the creativity and camaraderie of the dreaming community.  I recommend it!

Visit www.asdreams.org for all the details

Dr. Marcia Emery, a fellow member of IASD, is co-hosting the 2012 conference.  She usually gives a workshop on Intuitive Dreamwork.  

Dr. Marcia also hosts an internet radio on the Partnership of Intuition and Dreams Thursday, at 5pm PT or 8pm ET.  The show is archived on the website following the program and also on her website www.drmarciaemery.com

Hope to see you there!

Sweet dreams to you, Dear Dreamer

SMYD