1. Invite your dreamer to tell the dream in present tense.
2. Explore the dream paying attention to emotions in the dream and upon waking.
3. Explore any associations the dreamer might have to symbols, people, places or things..
4. Interaction with dream elements that seem to have importance to the dreamer. 

5. Explore metaphors, symbols, myths, lucidity, links to recurrent dreams or themes.
6. Explore connections to waking life.
7. Depending on theoretical orientation, consider projecting onto the dream.
8. Closure..

Implementation

You’ve got this! Working with a client’s dream can feel intimidating in the beginning. There is no wrong way of working with the material. Remember the dreamer is the expert on the dream, and the work is collaborative. It is not our job to interpret the dream’s meaning; it is our job to appreciate the dream with the dreamer and let the dreamer assign meaning. Working with dreams supports the client in accessing their unconscious as well as building greater self-awareness.

Expansion on the steps.

1. Invite your dreamer to tell the dream in present tense. A dream can be a fragment or an epic! 

Let the dreamer tell you their dream in present tense. This gives the dreamer an opportunity to experience the dream as if it is happening in the moment. It is an opportunity to re-enter the dream. Ask for the title of the dream if not offered. Titles act as a way for the dreamer to classify dreams, especially if the title is very specific to some important aspect of the dream’s content. 

2. Explore the dream.

Ask questions of clarification. During this step the dreamer will often remember more details of the dream. Be ready to write those down! Explore the emotional content of the dream both in it and upon waking as this can facilitate the client’s ability to discover meaning.

3. Check for associations with major symbols.

Explore any associations the dreamer might have to any symbols, or characters in the dream. Feel free to look up meanings of symbols and share with the dreamer to further appreciate the dream and its contents. Suggested books are provided in the course.

       d.   Interaction with dream elements, people, places or things.

This is an opportunity for the dreamer to interact experientially with any of the dream elements. This could involve facilitating a dialogue between characters, or maybe even a symbol in the dream. Often you can feel where the energy of the dream is held and have the dreamer interact with the point of conflict or the height of struggle or fear to reduce conflict and/or increase clarity. 

5. Explore metaphors, symbols, myths, lucidity, links to recurrent dreams or themes.

Depending on the length of time you have, you can get into any or all these things with your dreamer. Dreams speak a different language. They speak in metaphor, puns and can be a treasure chest of hidden links to latent content stored in your dreamer’s unconscious. Have fun. Explore.

6. Explore connections to waking life.

You can ask the dreamer what they were thinking about before falling asleep as a way to get this conversation started. Links to waking life context may not be immediately apparent to the dreamer depending on their insight level. You as their therapist may have more insight into the waking life context if you know the client well. Facilitate a dialogue that will help your client connect the dream to significant aspects of waking life. This may help your client to resolve conflict. Montague Ullman (2006) believed that our dreams facilitated the process of working out emotional residue from days prior. For this reason, it can be valuable to the client to connect dreams to emotional struggles in waking life.

        g.  Projecting onto the dream.

Depending on clinical orientation, you may consider projecting onto the dream. “If it were    my dream, this could mean this to me.” This can be a way for the dreamer to see things they hadn’t seen. 

         h. Closure

Closure can involve high-lighting insights gleaned from the process. It can involve asking the dreamer how the process was for them. I also find it helpful to take any waking life context discoveries and link them to the work we are doing in therapy. You may also make connections between dreams and I have found over time this is a good way to notice client progress.

Materials & Resources

1. Resources:

Ellis.L.A. (2020). A clinician’s guide to dream therapy. Routledge

            Taylor, J. (1992). The wisdom of your dreams. Penguin Books

Using dreams in therapy has been found beneficial in several ways, as dreams often reveal unconscious material, provide insight into emotions, and help individuals process complex or unresolved issues. Here are some key benefits of incorporating dreams into therapy:

1. Access to the Unconscious Mind

• Dreams provide a direct window into the unconscious mind, revealing thoughts, fears, desires, and conflicts that might not surface during waking life. These hidden elements can then be explored in therapy, giving both the client and therapist insight into underlying psychological issues.

2. Emotional Processing

• Dreams often reflect intense emotions, sometimes related to trauma, grief, or anxiety. By working through dreams, clients can process emotions that might be difficult to address consciously. This can aid in emotional release, helping them gain clarity and emotional relief over time.

3. Exploration of Symbols and Personal Meaning

• Dreams are often symbolic, offering metaphors that can reveal deeper meaning about a client’s life or mental state. Interpreting these symbols allows clients to understand and gain perspective on their life situations, habits, and patterns, which can be empowering and transformative.

4. Resolution of Internal Conflicts

• Dreams frequently present conflicting aspects of the self, such as desires versus responsibilities or independence versus connection. In therapy, discussing these conflicts can help clients reconcile different parts of themselves, leading to greater self-acceptance and internal harmony.

5. Problem-Solving and Insight

• Dreams can be a source of inspiration and problem-solving, as they allow the mind to explore possibilities outside of everyday logic and routine. Discussing dreams in therapy can spark new ways of thinking and help clients find creative solutions to life challenges.

6. Enhancing Self-Understanding and Self-Awareness

• Working with dreams can deepen a client’s self-awareness, helping them recognize unacknowledged aspects of themselves or repetitive patterns that they might not be fully aware of. This enhanced self-understanding can be a powerful tool for personal growth.

7. Exploration of Trauma and Healing

• Traumatic memories and unresolved trauma often emerge in dreams, allowing clients to revisit and process these experiences in a safer, indirect way. Trauma-focused dream work can be particularly effective in helping individuals gradually address difficult memories, potentially reducing symptoms of PTSD or anxiety.

8. Insight into the Therapeutic Process

• Dreams can offer insight into the therapeutic relationship itself, reflecting the client’s feelings about the therapy or the therapist. Addressing these “transference” elements can improve therapeutic trust, allowing clients to progress more comfortably in the therapeutic journey.

9. Fostering Creativity and Playfulness

• Dreams allow people to explore their inner world creatively. Dream work in therapy can foster a sense of openness, creativity, and playfulness, encouraging clients to experiment with new perspectives and ideas that they might not consider in more structured therapy.

10. Strengthening the Mind-Body Connection

• Dreams can reflect physical health or discomfort, giving clues about stress, fatigue, or other health issues. By exploring this mind-body connection in therapy, clients may become more attuned to how their psychological and physical health interact, supporting a more holistic approach to healing.

Dream work can be integrated with different therapeutic approaches, from psychoanalysis and Jungian analysis to humanistic, cognitive-behavioral, and trauma-focused therapies. Each approach might use dream analysis in a way that fits the therapy style, but the goals remain similar: to help clients tap into deeper awareness, work through unresolved issues, and achieve a greater sense of well-being.